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Submitted on Sunday, 28^th September 2025
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Big Penny Social, E17

Pub added by Steve of N21

1 Priestley Way
E17
E17 6AL

Correct details

Served areas

Walthamstow, Higham Hill

Reviews of Big Penny Social (Average Rating: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

David Walton left this review about Big Penny Social

Visited 23/04/26

No cask. Craft keg offering from the taps on the wall behind the bar counter of Existence as a Radical Act a pale from Queer Brewing, the AF Run Wild IPA from Athletic Brewing, the Mountain Mama pale from Howling Hops, the Crush Hour hazy pale from Vocation, the Hazy IPA from 3 Locks Brewing, the Honk if You're Sour fruited sour from Pretty Decent, the Hoxton Stout from the Great Beyond Brewing Co, the Talk of the Town hazy pale from Two Flints, the Crafty Berry cider from the Real AL and Budvar! More standard keg on the taps on the bar counter, namely Camden Stout, Hells, IPA and Pale, then Asahi, Meantime Dial Lager, Caple Rd cider from Weston's and Double Diamond. I didn’t see any of their own brewed beers (as last sampled by me in their outlet airside in City airport in late February this year).

Got impression from photos this was a big place, but it really is aircraft hangar size, proper industrial. Concrete flooring and v high ceiling, industrial insulation and giant fans and track lighting keeping the venue way below well illuminated. The glazed ceramic bar counter, itself long, and on the right-hand wall mid venue seems quite small in the enormity of the venue. Loads of bench seating at rows of similarly matched tables with a row of tall tables and tall backed stools directly in front of the bar counter. Some of the seating is inside curious booth like enclosures. There are a couple of traditional table football tables and a table tennis table plus the inevitable Photo Booth. Single screen high on the wall to the left-hand end of the bar counter showing promotional shots of the venue on my visit. A large open kitchen in the rear left-hand corner. There is no seating outside at the front but a good amount out the rear in the Aperol Spritz Garden. There is a large event space with stage area the other side of the wall behind the bar counter called the Big Penny Studio and an upstairs cocktail bar with pool tables (from the promo material) called Flukes but not open at the time of my visit. Really quiet on my visit (although there were quite a number out the back in the sun), can’t say I would return absent an event, but rated above average as a decent craft beer offering (mystery about lack of their own stuff) and that extra point for the novelty value.

On 26^th April 2026 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1590 recommendations about 1565 pubs]

Moby Duck left this review about Big Penny Social

Set in a huge aircraft hanger sized warehouse with wooden bench and table seating throughout, there were around ten Big Penny beers on tap covering the styles and a solo guest beer in the shape of Redemption Kazbek along with a couple of Ciders I forgot to note. There is also a very large outside seating space to the rear with its own separate outside bar. Needless to say both inside and out were very busy on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

On 18^th May 2025 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2306 recommendations about 2269 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Pub SignMan left this review about Big Penny Social

Renamed as Big Penny Social following a rebranding of Trumans beers, this is a huge warehouse taproom with one of the biggest interiors I've ever seen for such an enterprise. You enter into the left-hand side of the room, which is essentially an enormous space with a concrete floor, high brick walls and an insulated ceiling with skylight panels. Loads of bench seating is cluttered towards the front, with tables and stools opposite the bar and more low benches further back plus some chairs in booth-like sections to the rear left. The bar is along the middle of the right-hand wall and has a green glazed tile counter front and bare brick bar back with boards detailing the beer available from the long row of taps beneath. A large open kitchen in the rear left corner was chucking out burgers, pizzas and the like and I spotted three dartboards to the front, two pinball tables plus Defender, Pac-Man and Space Invaders slot machines opposite the bar. Other notable features include a photo booth, a small stage and a table tennis table which was occupied by some rowdy kids and made me feel like I was at some sort of package holiday resort. An opening next to the bar leads through to a a similarly sized second room with loads more seating arranged in formal rows. There's a sizable garden area out the back with lots of benches for sunnier months and it seemed like a good place to avoid the echoing shouts of the kids.
I counted around ten Big Penny beers on keg dispense, some of which were poured from taps on the bar counter, whilst others were mounted on the bar back. In addition, there were also several guests from the likes of Lost & Grounded, Redemption and Drop Project, but I stuck to the home brew and tried the Big Penny Session IPA at £6.30 a pint. It was a decent enough drop to start this crawl of industrial estate taprooms and I had a pizza here too, which was okay but very expensive.
This was one of the better venues on this industrial estate, let down somewhat by the chaos caused by several out of control children treating it like a holiday park. The beer range is extensive and there's enough going on to suit a wide range of customers, even if the aircraft hanger-esque building is extremely impersonal.

Date of visit - 4th May 2024

On 28^th August 2024 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]

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