Basecamp Taproom, Bermondsey, SE16

It seemed a bit odd wandering through a semi deserted trading estate looking for a small brewery, once I got there at around 11.30 I found it to be very well attended,and once seated with my beer I noted a steady stream of punters to and fro for the remainder of my stay. It's still pretty much as described by PSM below, without the extra entertainment as this was a normal weekend, the beer prices were still the same at £3.00 for two thirds,not a bad price given general craft beer prices nowadays, the beer I chose was Snake Shifter IPA at 5.9% a little hefty for the first of the day but it turned out to be one of the best. It was a very good start to the beer mile crawl.

For most people, this brewery in a railway arch near South Bermondsey station represents the start or end point of the Bermondsey Beer Mile - a crawl of seven or eight micro breweries along the arches in the this part of town. My visit coincided with London Beer City - a craft beer festival of sorts, which the Fourpure Brewery had brewed a beer especially for as well as arranging a few bits of entertainment to celebrate the occasion. It was therefore a little tricky to gauge what the place might be like on a normal weekend. I arrived at the second attempt (having earlier been turned away because someone forgot to bring the keys and they were running late with their opening, forcing me to start at the Partizan Brewery and then retrace my steps here) to find a large industrial unit, perhaps the largest of the day, with plenty of pallet seating and folding tables outside and a proper bar inside, with TV screens listing all the beers available. A particularly interesting feature was the large map of the world behind the bar, which showed where the hops from each of the available beers came from (only one from the UK, sadly). Various bits of merchandise were also being sold, a DJ was setting up in preparation for a set later in the day and there was a makeshift tent outside selling food. The unit itself is pretty unremarkable, other than for its size, with the bar hidden away around a corner, forcing you to walk into the heart of the plant before you find it. There were eleven Fourpure beers in total, all keg, listed on the aforementioned TV screens, with thirteen taps protruding from the typically craft beer style white tiled bar back. I tried the Session IPA, which cost £3.00 for two thirds of a pint (you need to get used to this impractical measurement if you intend to complete the Beer Mile) and was, as the name suggests, a pretty good session beer, if perhaps lacking the punch you associate with modern IPA's. Staff here were particularly friendly and the general vibe was relaxed and enjoyable. I felt this was one of the stronger bars on the Beer Mile, although none of them really offer the comfort and warmth you would associate with a pub. The beer range was comprehensive, the service friendly and the operation seemed pretty slick and professional (late opening aside!). Won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it was a highlight for me. Open Saturdays only from 11:00 - 17:00.

Official site of Fourpure Brewing Co - www.fourpure.com