Salt Woolwich, Woolwich, SE18

Facebook page of Salt Woolwich - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Salt Woolwich - www.facebook.com

When I visited on a midweek afternoon recently they had on Hop Stuff Pale Ale, APA, Renegade IPA, and a guest of Weird Beard Black Perle Chocolate Stout. I had a half of the Renegade IPA at £2.10, which is not over the top for a 5.6% hop bomb. I didn't see a menu but a small group of mums and kids were tucking into pizze and chips. I also saw a small chalkboard advertising something called "Banker's Biltong", which is apparently produced in the Royal Arsenal and sold at the Taproom first on a Friday night. As bragging rights go that's pretty special! There's nothing to add to the previous reviewer's description of the Taproom. It's minimalist in the extreme, but larger than it appears from the outside with the additional seating on the mezzanine balcony. This is nothing like a traditional pub, but it's not trying to be one. I's worth a visit though.

This is a small craft beer bar style establishment in the Royal Arsenal complex which was opened by the Woolwich based Hop Stuff Brewery in late 2015. The pub is split across two levels with the main bar in the ground floor section. This room has a bare concrete floor with a simple modern servery along the rear wall and lots of bare brick on show, none of which looks particularly aged, suggesting that the building might not be as old as initially assumed. High stools serve a drinking ledge down the left hand side whilst elsewhere there are high tables and beer barrels also served by high stools and a couple of comfy looking old armchairs. A window at the end of the bar looks through to the kitchen where pizzas seem to be the order of the day and you can ascend a spiral staircase towards the front of the room which leads to a mezzanine seating area where slightly more formal seating has been set up for those wanting to eat. The large glass front doors look out to a couple of old cannons which some customers were using to perch on whilst enjoying a quick smoke. The décor is pretty minimalistic, verging on the non-existent, but this is still a relatively new venture and I would be hopeful that it might acquire a bit more warmth and character over time. The bar staff certainly do their bit to make you feel welcome and seemed like a proactive and knowledgeable bunch. There are eight handpulls on the bar, which is exciting in itself, but four were out of action on my Friday evening visit, which was a real shame. The remaining options were Hop Stuff Fusilier, APA and Oatmeal Stout plus a guest ale which was Yeovil Lynx Wildcat. Keg options included several more Hop Stuff brews and beers from the likes of Crate and Arbor. A good range of London based bottled beers were available from the fridges and included the full Hop Stuff range, with some of their bottles coming in under £3.00. I paid £3.80 for a pint of cask Oatmeal Stout and thought it was in superb condition. This is an interesting addition to the local drinking scene and one that I suspect will do well given the level of gentrification taking place in the area. It was very busy on a Friday evening, making it tricky to get comfortable, yet I imagine that a visit at a quieter hour might have left me feeling it was rather bland and in need of livening up. Overall I found this a promising venture and enjoyed some good beer and service, suggesting this will become a solid double header with the nearby Dial Arch.

The latest addition to the Woolwich’s much improved pub scene, this newly built bar was opened in October 2015 by the owners of the nearby Hop Stuff brewery to replace the bar within the brewery that couldn’t cope with the demand. The interior is a single shoe-box room with a mezzanine floor reached via a spiral staircase in the main bar area. The décor and furnishings are simplistic with modern seating and mostly exposed brick walls which could perhaps do with a few old local pictures to give the place a bit more character. Knowledgeable and welcoming staff on hand to guide you through the array of ales, craft beers, wines and cocktails. The 8 hand pulls have a cross selection of mainly local microbrewery beers alongside the expected selection of Hop Stuff products at sensible prices. Food is mainly pizzas but also appears to represent good value. It is obviously early days but this is certainly a place worth seeking out if in the area and keeping an eye on.