Firebird Brewery Bar, Horsham

Brewery and taproom in a modern steel barn of the site of a former brickwork. Plenty of canteen-style furniture between the brewing kit and storage area, but the building is tall enough to accommodate a mezzanine bar and there are more tables outdoors in the yard. However, the beers are generally served from the shop part of the unit, where ten taps can be found on the bar-back. These are allocated 5-4-1 to cask (on gravity), keg and tank beers. I went for Two Horses (£4.70) one of the former, but could happily gone for any of the others in an interesting range of styles. With friendly staff too, this was an enjoyable place to visit on an early summer day (although it must be cold in the winter?).

You can find a brewery taproom pretty much anywhere these days and this one's in the countryside on a small estate with a smart cafe and a cheese shop, so it's peak artisan here. It must be said they've done a good job here, with the bar area on a mezzanine above the brewery floor (note, it's very much upstairs if you have mobility problems, though the website does mention ground floor seating, which wasn't apparent). Plenty of comfortable seating to be had here, some in booths, some around regular tables. You'll find 10 wall-mounted taps behind the bar - 5 each for keg and cask. Condition of the beer is obviously first class, though somehow my pint of cask Citra was served without any appreciable head or lacings on the glass. The second pint, New England IPA "Work Ethic" on keg made more of an impression on and in the glass. As I didn't visit at a peak time, I did have to seek out a server, but this was an afternoon visit to a working brewery. Had I turned up later in the day, I'd have had the opportunity to get some food from a food truck. On the other hand, I wouldn't have had a bus home. In summary, this is one of the best taprooms I've visited, though some may find accessibility a problem.