Macintosh Ale House, Stoke Newington, N16

Tiny (in both respects) brewery and tap, set in a cobbled courtyard. The compact bar accommodates five small, round tables and a couple of bar stools; perhaps 20 seats in total? A little more seating and a dartboard could be seen through a window in another room further back, although I wasn't clear how that was accessed. The full drinks range comprises the keg Pale Ale from a solitary tap, the cask Best Bitter (£5.00) from the single handpump and a bottle of Gordon's gin on the wall behind the compact counter. However, if any of the above sounds less than enthusiastic, it's not; this place is one of a kind and absolutely worth making a visit to.

Official site of Macintosh Ale House - www.macintoshales.com

Official site of Macintosh Ale House - www.macintoshales.com

This (micro?) opened in July 2023 as a tap for Macintosh’s beers. It’s situated to the rear of a little down-at-heel cobbled backstreet lot, looking like a set piece from Steptoe & Son, otherwise described as Hackney Chic. The frontage is painted a lovely shade of green with projecting sign (see photos), the operation comprising two separate rooms, the one to the rear with dartboard and not visited. I chose the main front bar area which is very small: a rough boarded floor, peripheral settles, Britannia tables and normal stools; brown paint to dado height then white up to a low white ceiling. Décor takes the form of just a little breweriana (Friary Meux) and limited adverts for fayre such as bar snacks, which include pork pies. Customers were mixed local bohemian types at the time of my Friday 9.40pm visit, all contributing to a good atmosphere, in what felt like going back in time 100 years to a traditional Edwardian beer house, the only nod to modernity being the discrete ceiling mounted speakers from which an unobtrusive soundtrack wafted. The drinks’ selection is the most limited I’ve ever seen, with just a bottle of Gordon’s mother’s ruin on optics above a sink, then two Macintosh pumps dispensing Pale (£2.75 a half) and Best, £2.40 a half, both in great form, served by a very friendly barman who is apparently none other than Charles Macintosh. This is unquestionably a bonus for the N16 drinking scene, which has plenty of pubs to make up a quality mini-crawl.