Pubs Galore - the UK pub guide

Here in under a minute of leaving the Bird in Hand also on Masbro Rd. Quite a few tables also set here for dining but more of a mix of drinkers and diners. Indeed quite a bit larger than the Bird in Hand and so the venue was more pleasant to sit in to enjoy my pint. Most pure quaffers were assembled perched on stools sitting around the bar but I chose the many empty tables as a result rather than squash

Quaff of choice - more out of curiosity - was the Havelock Bitter, an amber coloured ale slightly sub 4% abv apparently brewed for them by GK. Only other cask choice was TT Landlord - wish I had chosen that as their branded bitter was uber bland. Several keg options some looked more interesting than the usual but didn’t record as had to rush off to meet the wife!!

There’s an excellent description on CAMRA’s websites and some of the wood does look good if not all original, likewise the alabaster wall cladding and sizeable acreage of mosaic floor, viewable on Fuller’s website, with a naff mural and salmon pink coffered ceiling (see photo) and gallery, closing at 9.00pm and accessible only to diners.
However, the pub has deafening acoustics; even when only around 20% full, my smartwatch’s dB 100 alarm frequently chirped into life. At least on this occasion – earlier in the week – it was easier to get to the bar, with favourable cask options in the form of Dark Star’s Red Dwarf and Hophead on good form, but with awful pricing, a pint and pint of Asahi coming home at a barely believable £14.45; a second round comprising halves of the above, plus Neck Oil relieving me of £11.25.
This may be a must-visit pub, but it’s not a place to linger, which is why I stand by my previous grade, given that we are all entitled to apply our own criteria.

Now operated by the German Kraft brewery and given a redesign which sees the servery stuffed into the far left side of the unit, which has created ample seating space through the rest of the room, with comfy banquettes around the perimeter helping to balance the indoor and walkway seating to about a 50/50 split. Decor is clean and contemporary, with large plants, feature walls and fairy lights combining well to give an almost lounge bar feel.
Four German Kraft beers on tap - I tried the Session IPA at £6.10 a pint, and thought it was decent enough. There's a beer board inside and a serving hatch to the walkway, so you don't even have to set foot in the premises to get your round in.
Probably an improvement on its previous incarnation but the bottom line is that it doesn't feel like a pub and isn't a great place to have a few drinks, so it's worth a look to try the homebrew, but it won't be a regular haunt when I'm up this way.

Original review as Taproom By Brixton Village on 16th Jan 2022. Rated 5

This is a small craft beer bar operating inside Brixton’s popular covered market. The bar occupies a simple market unit, with enough space for a servery to the rear and a high table or two under the front window, but as with most of the market’s eateries, the bulk of the seating is out on the walkways. The bar counter has sheet metal frontage and a cheap formica top, whilst the bar back is dominated by the keg taps and large beer boards. A small area to the left could theoretically accommodate a bit more seating, but it was instead being used as a storage space for spare furniture. The market’s wide walkways allow plenty of seating to be laid out, most of it under the bar’s front windows and along the opposite side of the passage. The market has a lively feel, with customers from the neighbouring restaurants rubbing shoulders with punters from the bar, as the lines between the seating areas for each blur somewhat. Dancehall tunes were being played throughout the market, but there was no music in the bar itself.
There’s no cask ale here, but eleven keg lines offered a wide selection of craft beers from local brewers and some of the more reputable nationwide producers. I tried a decent pint of the London Beer Factory Voodoo Stout which was priced at £6.00, as were many of the other beers, irrespective of their strength. There was just one lone barman running the show when I arrived and when he realised that all of the seating was occupied, he brought out an additional table and chairs so that I would have somewhere to sit.
This is a bit of a niche place that can’t really be described as a pub, but instead somewhere to check out some decent local craft beers in a lively environment, perhaps in combination with a meal from one of the many restaurants in the market. I enjoyed the beer and thought the service was good, but drinking in a market walkway and paying premium prices for the privilege isn’t really something I’d want to repeat too often.

An old style JDW lovingly converted from the Duke of Devonshires townhouse built in 1702. Multiple rooms and statues in alcoves and loads of pictures of the conversion adorn the walls. Very good staff, clean tables and late on a Thursday evening, no knobheads. A nice and peaceful drinking environment, although I'd called in early afternoon to find it packed with shoppers eating lunch. A good selection of guest beers on the bar and both the ones I tried were in good nick. It's a very good JDW.

A lunchtime visit found four of the five handpumps in operation with Timothy Taylor Landlord, Salopian Shropshire Gold, Dark Star Hop Head and Orkney Brewery Dark Island Dark Ale available and apparently the fifth was a Rudgate Brewery Mild that had just gone. Fortunately spotted the sign for a CAMRA discount on the ales before presenting the plastic. Tried three of the four and they were all in good nick, especially the Salopian Gold.
It is a bit of a dark pub internally, but no problem on a sunny mid day and a jovial lunch time crowd were in. Went for a couple of the sandwiches which were very good also.
Good to find this still a decent pub and can envisage coming hee more ofton, especially as Drummond Street has become a mini Brick Lane with all its available Indian Restaurants.