The Brewery Tap, SE20

Impossible to follow that last synopsis in terms of details other than to note I equally think this is a very nice quaffing venue just off the High St in Penge. As noted the tap room / brewery bar of Southey Brewing Company. They had six or seven beers on tap plus two on hand pump - I opted for the spring pale ale at 4.5% abv called Wild Flowers and indeed it was very spring like. They had an another best bitter available that I didn’t try on this occasion. Unusually I suspect for this type of venue it is open 7 days a week - lucky quaffers of Penge. Unquestionably the best venue half way through this Penge expedition that I doubt will be topped but I remain to be pleasantly surprised.

This is a small taproom for the Southey brewery, located in an unusual outbuilding, just off the main street through the centre of Penge. It’s a simple set-up in a compact square room with exposed floorboards, bare brick walls painted in white and grey, and a basic servery along the rear wall. The bar has a simple counter, some plain shelves on the bare brick bar back and centrally positioned keg taps beneath. Some benches have been formed into booths along the front wall with a few smaller tables and chairs directly opposite the bar and high tables and stools along the right-hand wall. A shelving unit to the front left holds a collection of old books and plenty of board games as well as one or two traditional pub games, all for the customers to make use of. The walls are pretty bare, with decoration kept to a bare minimum, although I did spot a decorative frame full of old local photos, a plain mirror next to a well-stocked fridge and not much else. A window to one side of the bar looks through to the adjacent brewery operation, although there was understandably not all that much action on my late-night mid-week visit. Music played quietly throughout my stay and there was a good crowd in, making for a nice little buzz of atmosphere in this unlikely setting. There was just the one cask ale available – Southey Best - which was poured by the friendly barman and tasted pretty good. Nice to see a micro-brewery making a good best bitter. One handpull remained out of action and there were a total of seven keg taps on the bar back dispensing a wider range of the brewery’s products. This is a nice addition to a Penge pub scene which has been doing its best to improve and diversify in recent years. The place felt a lot more pub-like and cosier than your average London micro-brewery taproom and is arguably my first-choice for a pint when passing through the area.

Since my last visit 18 months ago they have built a separate bar next to the brewing kit.Busy but basic with a good amount of seating.Two cask beers from Southey-bitter and pale ale.About 6 kegs as well.The beer has improved since my first visit.Mosiac pale was very good and the Salted Caramel stout was not to my taste.

Official site of The Brewery Tap - southeybrewing.co.uk