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Craft Beer Co, N1
N1
N1 9PP
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mark Davey left this review about The Craft Beer Co.
Walked for several hours on a blistering Bank Holiday Monday, arriving at the Craft at about 12:30pm only to find that they do not open until 16:00 on weekdays, even if it is a bank holiday! Looked good through the window :O(
On 28th May 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 292 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Craft Beer Co.
There are three linked rooms forming a L-shape, the main room housing the bar is part carpeted and part boarded with seating consisting of sturdy high tables and benches in the windows and a pair of wing back armchairs either side of the fireplace under the watchful stare of a framed Winston Churchill above. Decor includes a stuffed boar's head, old beer advertisements from the likes of Whitbread, Ind Coope and Beverley's of Wakefield. The side room has more conventional seating, pictures of ships in sail, race horses and a few boxes containing mini billiards and snooker sets. I only briefly popped my head into the back room as some bloke was working on his laptop but I noted plenty of bare brickwork. The colour scheme is dark green throughout with a white Lincrusta ceiling, giving a comfortable calm feel. Music playing, no signs of a TV, candles on the tables. I didn't explore the garden as it was raining and I was comfortable enough sitting in the window with my pint.
There are ten handpumps plus around fifteen keykeg fonts around the L-shaped corner bar, real ales from Fyne Ales, Faithless, Dark Star, Marble, Weird Beard (Chinook, 7.2%) plus pub branded "Pale" by Kent Brewery. As at the Leather Lane branch beers are priced by abv, from £3.40 up to 3.9% and a more hefty £6 for any over 7.9%. The keg beers are pricier but not compared to some of the interesting bottles in the large double fridge. The beer menu on the tables lists many of these between £10 and £15 with a 375ml bottle of Mikkeller Blondeaux (8%) requiring £25 of your hard earned to sample it! I struggle to understand how that can be justified. Fortunately I'm quite happy to stick with the more wallet friendly cask ales.
Despite the dubious pricing I did like it here and preferred it to the sister pub in Leather Lane, having a much more comfortable and pubby feel. Chatty friendly bar staff too, always a plus.
On 27th April 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Craft Beer Co.
This is my fav of the pubs in this chain.Less busy so the staff are friendier.Warm feeling in this traditional pub.Great beer choice as you would expect but the keg beer prices are a rip-off.Islington keeps getting better for pubs.
On 17th February 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Craft Beer Co.
The latest (at the time of writing) outlet of the rapidly-expanding Craft-branded pub group. This one is a lot more ‘pubby’ than others in the chain which suits me just right. There are a number of drinking areas (around four in total I think) with some of the floor carpeted and some nice seats to be had by the window area which had dark green painted walls - cosy. As you’d expect from Craft, there were a huge number of beers on despite the relatively small bar area. I counted at least eight ales plus a forest (15+) of posh keg offerings and plenty of bottles. I tried a few cask ales which were generally good (the Thornbridge St Petersburg was cracking) though a couple came in a little-below par, perhaps due to slow turnover over the Christmas period when most of the nearby offices were closed. Also clubbed in to try a couple of posh kegs; the prices are steep but for something like Mikkeller it’s worth it I think. The music offering was fairly eclectic and the staff were friendly. There was a sign indicating a heated rear garden but it was far too cold outside to contemplate looking.
So overall a fairly good first impression. A lot more personable than Clerkenwell and less functional than Pimlico but can the beer quality stand up to sustained scrutiny? I’ll be back fairly soon.
On 13th February 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Craft Beer Co.
A little off the beaten track but it was worth the visit on a very quiet post Christmas Friday. More of a trad pub than its sister in Leather Lane but less of a beer choice ,about 6 or 8 cask available, cant quite remember exactly how many but a decent enough choice to be going on with, I had a decent pint of Fyne Ales Hurricane Jack. A main room where the bar is plus a couple of separate seating areas to the side, there was a sign pointing to a garden but didn't investigate given that it was late December.I don't think this is a destination pub but definitely worthy of inclusion in an Islington area pub crawl.
p.s. the low average rating of this pub is a reflection of its previous incarnation as the Lord Wolseley,I would say it is now much improved.
On 28th December 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Craft Beer Co.
This is a very good pub for beer (at a price) but lacks atmosphere which was made worse by us being the only 3 there on a Sunday lunchtime.It could be that it's early days or the prices are way too high for the area.Only time will tell
On 10th December 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Lord Wolseley
Far removed from the chic, trendy bars that have sprung up in Islington, the Lord Wolsely is a basic traditional type of pub where the less refined elements of the community tend to gather.
The Main bar is partly carpeted with plain and nondescript décor. Seating consists of a couple of sofas and a few stools at the bar with a darts area and large flat screen TV seemingly the focal points. A smaller basic TV sits by the door and there are a few trophies dotted about. A couple of steps lead to a side room with a TV, displays of old game pieces, cigarette and tobacco boxes, some modern artwork and a wall of old photos including some portraits of Lord Wolseley whose connections to the area I am uncertain of. Leading off to the rear is an extended section with exposed brick walls, another TV and sofa. At the side is a small patio and there are a couple of benches to the front on the pavement.
The beers are from Greene King with IPA (£3.20) and Ruddles County (off) being the choice(s). The Thai food seemed quite popular with dishes around £7 although I didn’t try any. The customer base was a bit earthy with some choice language on display although I didn’t get any real feelings of intimidation.
In an area of makeover pubs and constant name changes, the Wolseley does offer a degree of stability and if you can handle the rough edges and aren’t over fussy with drinks then I suppose it does offer a bit of an escape from the pretentiousness of some of its neighbours. That said, it isn’t a place that I would head for too often.
On 9th May 2011
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Lord Wolseley
There was a disco playing in here on Saturday night two weeks ago and what looked like a wedding party was in attendance so I think that I gate crashed their reception. The menacing looks that I was getting from one gentleman that I would imagine was the father of the bride became apparent as I took sips from my Guinness so I decided to finish up outside. I didn’t have long to survey the scene but I did spot a hand pump that was drawing Green King IPA in amongst the standard draught selection. I also spotted a couple of plasma screens for showing Sky Sports and the pub website mentions that all Arsenal games are shown, including the 3pm Saturday afternoon kick-offs.
If this was a private function there should have been someone on the door to say so and if it wasn’t the locals leave a lot to be desired as unlike the bar staff they were rude and obnoxious.
I have given this pub a low rating based on this experience, but I will make a point of revisiting soon when the Arsenal are playing to check out the atmosphere and if it is any good I will up my rating to show this.
On 14th October 2010
- rating: 3
[User has posted 5254 recommendations about 5222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about Lord Wolseley
pub is open all day.Small L shaped bar with a larger dining area.The only real ale on offer was Greene King IPA.(09.01.07)Serves exotic Thai food 12-3 & 6-10 Mon-Fri.Large screen TV.5 mins from Angel station.
On 10th January 2007
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Carter left this review about Lord Wolseley
Looks like it has closed down. Has John Mcgraw got any up to date info?
On 22nd December 2006
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 757 recommendations about 720 pubs]