The Beer Box, North Greenwich, SE10

This unusual looking bar is located in a prime position along the walkway from North Greenwich tube station to the entrance of the O2, in what can best be described as a glass fronted box. The venture is operated by the local Meantime Brewery and showcases a wide range of their keg only beers. My visit saw an extensive selection on draught - Pilsner, Winter Sun, Yakima Red, London Stout, Pilot IPA, Fest Bier, Cognac Barrel Aged IPA(!), Wheat and their own Peninsula Pale plus a Sheppey cider. All pints were priced at £5.00 and halves at £2.50, which is of course ridiculous but frankly to be expected from this particular brewery. I tried the Pilot IPA, which was arguably the most flavoursome beer I've had from Meantime, although that isn't saying much, but still suffered from too much carbonation and being served at sub-zero temperatures. The bar itself is just about as simple a structure as you could hope to find - the high beer prices certainly aren't to pay for the upkeep of this place. A metal topped bar counter runs along the rear wall of a compact rectangular space with large windows to the front looking out to a small front seating area. Seating inside is non existent, with one table and a ledge along the front wall offering somewhere to plonk your pint, but standing is primarily the order of the day here. The bar counter has a clear glass frontage behind which the beer kegs can be seen resting on a bed of pebbles with various beer bottles strewn between them. The bar back has a large painting of the brewing process on it and the rest of the room has dark walls covered with branded images and a board with 20 signed pieces of paper - one from each of the first 200 customers to drink a pint of the Peninsula Pale. On approach I noted some stairs to one side of the building and wondered if this might lead to a roof terrace or some other room, but I never got round to exploring. This isn't too bad a spot for a no-frills drinking experience and is arguably more appealing than a lot of the dreadful chain bars in and around the O2, but the ridiculous pricing policy of Meantime makes me want to avoid it purely on principle. I came, I saw and I will almost certainly never return.

Rather makeshift Meantime bar near the main O2 entrance; not quite a 'pop up', but similar in character (with a limited amount of basic modern furniture both inside and outside the small bar area. Seven of their regular beers on offer, plus the seasonal Porter (£4.95, in common with most of the other beers) and a 8.5% Belgian Triple (only available in halves) plus a cider.

Official site of The Beer Box - www.meantimebeerbox.com

Official site of The Beer Box - www.meantimebeerbox.com