The Craft Beer Cabin, South Norwood, SE25

We only had time for a flying visit so we ordered 2 from the tap labelled "Pale". I have no idea what it was but it was very good! I'd like to visit again at a quieter time. Well worth popping in!

Was really looking forward to trying this place out. Didn’t see the possibility that I would be disappointed, it was perceived by me as a risk free enjoyment choice, and it lived up to that expectation. This is indeed a small venue, well described in terms of layout below, there were more than 12 punters present on my visit around 6.30pm on a sunny evening and so the space in the sun out the front meant I was able to sit on the upper level behind the bar very comfortably. The venue has a nice vibe. It will have craft enthusiasts salivating particularly if they enjoy the small and intimate venue ambiance. As BF notes in the update below, they continue with the 6 taps by style. On my visit on offer were lager from Verdant, cider (Wild Juice) from Iford, pale ale (Fuzzy) from Cloudwater, IPA (Mr Fluff) from Two Flints, Porter (Hokum Stomp) from Deya and sour (Jeez) from Drop Project. Not huge range, but decent range of cans from a variety of usual suspects (spotted a few from Beak). Definitely venue so far of this first venture into SE25 venues. They appear to have another venue in Bromley that looks a little larger so will have that in my mind when I think of next area after carpet bombing PG venues in SE Greater London postcodes.

Continuing the happy trend of pubs and bars opening in South Norwood after years of seemingly endless closures, this latest venture seems like a logical next step for an area undergoing a fair bit of gentrification – a craft beer bar. The bar is set in an old shop unit on South Norwood’s main street, just down the road from the clock tower, and has a very small, two room layout which can probably cope with a dozen or so customers at best. The lower front room has exposed floorboards and limited low bench seating under a hop-lined front window. There’s a small angular counter to the right, almost directly opposite the entrance, dominated by a rather chunky keg font. The walls have been painted in fairly neutral shades, but there are some cool art prints on display which give the place a vibrant feel and add some much needed colour. Steps to the rear left lead up to the small lounge style area with hard bench furniture and some more arty decor and it is this space that offers the majority of the pub’s seating options. If the weather co-operates, a roped off pavement seating area can be made use of, where four long benches serve two canteen-style tables on what is a pretty busy road. Some tasty looking sausage rolls were on display at one end of the bar and one punter ordered a full meal from the cafe a couple of doors down, which was brought round for him to eat in the pub. This is a cask-free craft beer pub, with just six keg taps to pick from, one of which is dedicated to a cider. I tried the local Gipsy Hill Kosmonaut which was a very tasty drop and enjoyable in the sun on one of the benches out the front. A couple of fridges to one side of the room are well stocked with craft bottles and cans as well as some artisanal soft drinks. The staff are very friendly and clearly very passionate about the beer and in true hipster-style, all sport the most impressive beards. There’s not really much here for the pub traditionalist, as the shop conversion, lack of cask ale and limited comfortable seating make this a tricky proposition. But the bar clearly reflects the demographics of the area and compliments the existing pub stock by offering something a bit different to what already exists. I quite liked the place for what it is and will pop in again in passing in the future.

Official site of The Craft Beer Cabin - www.craftbeercab.com

Official site of The Craft Beer Cabin - www.craftbeercab.com