BrewDog Brixton, Brixton, SW9

One of this ever-expanding chain of pubs across the globe, this one now seems relatively small and (almost) a regular part of the street-scene, unlike the disruptor it once was (howsabout for damning with feint praise)? Anyway, it has the expected wide selection of beers from a long row of craft keg beers in the bar-back (I lost count), but I went for LaOut 'lager stout' in the end.

This is a decent sized, well presented branch of the Brewdog chain, with a good central location on Coldharbour Lane. Whilst still boasting its fair share of industrial-chic stylings, this probably ranks as the plushest and smartest Brewdog in London, if not of their entire UK estate. There’s no escape from the usual concrete floor, granite topped bar counter with cinema style beer boards above, exposed utilities running across the ceiling and a general gun metal grey paint scheme, but it also has a number of quirks that set it apart and almost make the place feel cosy. The bar is to the rear left on entering and has limited seating options opposite, beneath the large front windows. The room extends a long way back down the right-hand side, where a long run of plush button backed banquette booths can be found, each under a plain, angled mirror topped with lots of foliage. High tables and stools run down the other wall and there is some sort of open-ended cage structure here with a couple more tables inside. At the rear of the room, all of the plebs who couldn’t bag a table can perch on a unique, three-tier wood-block terrace, which was pretty uncomfortable to sit on until I noticed some large cushions to help soften the impact. This was positioned next to an open kitchen that was churning out burgers and other such staples to an increasingly impatient queue of uber-eats and Deliveroo drivers. A pumping soundtrack was playing on my mid-week evening visit and there was a full crowd in, with some even spilling out onto the pavement seats out the front, despite the cold weather. The beer boards listed ten Brewdog beers, ten guests and four cider options, but nothing came in under £5.95 a pint, with a good pint of the Brewdog Punk IPA setting me back a very precise £6.38. A two-thirds measure of Tenby Biscoffi Stout, which I had enjoyed in their Swansea branch for £5.45 a week earlier, clocked in at £7.15 here! The staff seemed quite distracted but managed to clear a crowded bar area pretty quickly, so must’ve been doing something right. I was quite impressed with this place and thought it was a shift away from the usual basic Brewdog formula, but clearly the improved interior design is being offset by the crazy prices at the bar, which are a significant barrier to a session here and a deterrent from making a return visit. This is essentially Brixton’s gentrification and hipsterfication encapsulated in pub form, which will obviously appeal to some and be most off-putting to others.

This branch of BrewDog was only my fifth of this popular chain and was also the first one I've visited in over 2 years. On entry, you immediately see the familiar trademark beer menu above the bar. We were also informed that beer lists could be found at each table. However, I did spot some beers on the board that didn't appear on the table list. The table menu showed that all options were keg - BrewDog Hazy Jane, Jet Black Heart, Punk IPA, Dead Pony Club, Elvis Juice, Clockwork Session IPA & Planet Pale, Overworks Cosmic Raspberry, Modern Times Space Sailors, Cloudwater Session IPA, Overworks/Siren Up From The South, Vault City Dark Fruits Bakewell Sour, Mothership Text Me When Ur Home & Hawkes Urban Orchard & Pineapple Punch. I'd not see the Pineapple Punch before, as it only seems to be stocked at the Hawkes Tap or in branches of BrewDog. It was not quite as sweet as other pineapple ciders I've had, but was nice enough. Overall, not a bad experience, with good service too.

Standard layout with boards giving details of the available ales. Bar to the left, long room to right. No real ales, of course.