Exale Taproom, E17

Official site of Exale Taproom - www.exale.uk

Official site of Exale Taproom - www.exale.uk

Visited 23/04/26 Cask was a single hand pump providing their own Best Bitter. Keg offering were a few guests, the Table Beer and the Imperial Brown Stout from Kernel and the Wild Wave cider from Addams, then their own brews of the Park Life Pale Ale, the McCool Irish Stout, the Skoosh session IPA, the Peach for the Stars peach & apricot sour, the Hops Don't Lie IPA, the Krankie Iron Brew Sour, the Lagerama pils and the Czechs Out pilsner. Proper brewery taproom, the bar counter, and the seating nestled around the brewing equipment! There is some trestle table seating, some covered, out the front and then the suspended uPVC strips as an entry point a la industrial refrigerated space, nothing as fancy as an arch glass frontage here. The bar area is round the back of some large stainless-steel vats, concrete flooring with the bar counter in the corner with the taps etc on the bar counter, and tall stool seating at the bar counter. Seating via some banquettes serving tall circular tables with stools the other side thereof as the divider between the brewing equipment and the bar area. Some tall tables in the middle of the floor space and the open kitchen hatch on the left-hand wall. There is some banquette seating at the rear serving some tables and nestling under a small mezzanine seating area, not even at the height of the tallest pieces of brewing equipment. There is a DJ booth to the side of the mezzanine seating area. A beer fridge provides some takeaways, but seemingly not of their own quaffs. I think they have some decent beers and liked the vibe of the venue, quiet small scale but rather intimate.

Set in an old brick built industrial warehouse, it gives added interest and ambiance to the immediate surroundings. At the bar is one solitary handpump , on this occasion it was home to Crafty Currant Cider, twelve taps offered 10 Exhale beers and another cider, Adnams Wild Wave, I had Exhale Miami Weisse, nice enough.

At the risk of repeating myself, this is another well presented old warehouse, now occupied by a brewery on this industrial estate. You enter via a compact outdoor seating space with hard bench seating, a fair bit of cover and some sort of BBQ food operation from a small hatch. There's also a first floor level out here, that offers comfier seating and views down to the front apron and across the estate. A passageway leads into the main bar space, past all the brewing gear to the right, eventually emerging into a concrete floored, square space with whitewashed walls, a high gabled ceiling and the usual post-industrial features. The bar is to the left and has a purple counter and white tiled bar back dominated by an orange and pink beer board that lists the full keg range, which unusually for this estate, is dispensed from taps on the bar counter. High tables and stools stand opposite the bar, with a banquette to the left and tables and chairs through the space in between. There's also a drinking ledge with bar stools under the brewing kit and a mezzanine space which offers tables and chairs best suited to those eating from the BBQ menu, with the kitchen visible on the back wall. Various black and white photos have been put on display along with a mural above the DJ booth. Most striking of all were the strange, cloud-like sculptures hung from the beams above, whilst fairy lights under the mezzanine level make it feel like a cosy, low ceilinged space. Dance and R&B tunes were playing quite loudly and, like most venues here, the place had a good late afternoon buzz from a sizable crowd. I counted eleven Exale brews on the bar plus two cider options, and ended up with a pint of Skoosh Sesion IPA for £5.65, which was a very drinkable example of the style. The staff were a bit brusque, but dealt with a constant stream of customers in a very efficient manner, so that no-one ever seemed to be hanging around waiting to be served. I thought this was a decent enough example of an industrial estate taproom which did nothing wrong but didn't do too much to stand out from the crowd either. The mezzanine is an interesting feature and the seating in general was of a higher standard than most such bars, but it's ultimately nothing you won't have seen before and ranks mid-table on my crawl around this estate. Date of visit - 4th May 2024