Simmons Old Street, EC1

The former Nelson's Retreat has been completely remodelled by Craft Beer Co. and it now has the look and feel of a modern real ale and craft keg bar.There is a wooden floor throughout,open plan apart from two small alcoves at either end,with a series of round tables and chairs in front of new metal framed windows.The only decoration is a series of Bass mirrors and the absence of soft furnishings means that sound bounces around the interior with the muzak adding to the cacophony at busy times. There are 25 craft keg taps on a very long serving gantry and to the side 8 handpumps offering on my trip house Kent Brewery Pale and Bitter,Siren Craft Hit the Ice,Redemption Pale,Trades Union Pale,Revolutions Chocolate Milk Stout,Ansbach & Hobday ESB and Pig & Porter Fatal Flaw (jerked out of the end of barrel by an inexperienced barman ). It's functional without being memorable,I just popped in for a quick one and would be tempted to return mainly to see what was on the 8 handpumps.Close to Old Street tube.

As mentioned hard a to miss pub given its Strawberry Red exterior, also I found the interior a little bland and uninteresting. However there were eight cask beers available on handpump, I had a rather decent pint of Pig and Porter Fatal Flaw, for those keg minded and cash to burn there is a choice of twenty five Craft taps. An ok place to grab a good beer but not the nicest of surroundings.

The garish bright red exterior makes this a very easy pub to find, thankfully for me as I was slightly disoriented on leaving Old St underground which sits under the middle of a huge roundabout with numerous subway exits. The pub is calmer inside with pastel blue walls and with various brewery mirrors on show. It is all very new and smells like a new car, in fact workmen were in still fitting out the ladies toilet. High tables with unblemished brightly coloured stools in the front windows, more regular seating at each end of the rectangular room. The tables all had small clipboards containing the drinks menu for the day, the bar has a long piece of red tubular piping containing I reckoned 25 keg taps which includes a few ciders, on cask there were eight, Craft Pale and also Bitter, Gun Brewery S.M.A.S.H., Bristol Beer Factory 12 Apostles (£4.50), Redemption Fellowship, Pig and Porter Secrets We Share, Siren Liquid Mistress and First Chop Hop. I note that this establishment has a bit of a chequered past, it has taken a completely new direction now so that has to be good. I enjoyed my early lunchtime drink in here but had to move on thanks to an unbearably loud group of four hipster types a few tables along who felt the need to conduct their business at full volume accompanied by false pretentious laughter. Not the fault of the pub obviously.

You can't miss the bright red exterior but inside it has quite a plain retro feel with brewery mirrors on the walls. 8 real ales,21 keg and 3 cider taps on during my visit.