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Cambridge PuG Crawl, Friday 5th April 2024 with Gann on the Pub Forum

The Black Hen, E5

Pub added by Tris C
181 Clarence Road
E5
E5 8EE

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


David Walton left this review about The Black Hen

I am not a bot Tris! Am in the venue just now. Was closed when I checked out a few times in the summer! Just chatting to staff - they re-opened a few weeks before Xmas under new ownership. Cracking range of craft beers and playing on the safe side with a pint of Hepcat - there are much stronger beers here and something for everyone in terms of style. Previous owners left abruptly apparently. Only punter here at 8pm, but then again is a pretty shitty evening for being out. Only six venues to now attend so that I have done every venue in Central London currently marked as open on the site. Sorry I got this one wrong in terms of being closed, but was a development after I checked it out based on actually attending. Have requested many places being closed in Central London to do my part to keep the site accurate in this diverse location to stop people heading to venues that are actually shut. All the best, David

On 4th January 2024 - rating: 7
[User has posted 35 recommendations about 35 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about The Black Hen

Situated in Clarence Road, starting point for the London (later UK) 2011 riots, this is a mid-19th century pub, originally the Cricketers which closed around 2009, to reopen as a ‘craft’ beer bar in 2014 called Verlan, later the Mermaid, a somewhat ironic name, given that it closed due to flooding in 2021.
This isn’t the most accessible area, the nearest Tube being Highbury & Islington, then it’s an Overground trip to Hackney Central. The exterior is typical contemporary trendy as is the interior, with a modern boarded floor, full height matchboard, the lower half dark green, the upper part pale grey to a white ceiling. Lighting comes from translucent white sconces, then dangly things hanging from the ceiling; décor amounts to trendy framed photos and various pots from which ivy cascades. Furniture amounts to single pedestal chunky wood tables (with cutlery), tubular steel fawn-coloured vinyl covered chairs, a couple of Chesterfields and a fawn-coloured peripheral banquette. A clue to the existence of food can be found in the cutlery to tables, but it seems to amount to ‘pulled pork’, Sunday roasts and the like, so it’s not a true gastropub. There are no TVs, but there was a retracted projector, so my guess it that sport is going to be very selective. Smooth sounds wafted out of the loudspeakers, sounding a bit Röyksopp. Customers were few in number, but unsurprisingly were young professional incomers.
The closest thing the pub has to cask are two unused pumps, thereafter 10 keg taps and a coffee machine adorning the modern bar top, me opting for a half of Neck Oil (£3.40), served by a very friendly barman.
This place is clearly geared towards people who don’t mind paying laughable sums for cold fizzy beer (a half of cask in the neighbouring Cock was £2.30) and although there’s nothing here really to cause offence, equally there’s nothing for the traditional pub aficionado or cask fan, so I don’t envisage a return visit; the Clapton Hart is just up the road.

On 2nd February 2023 - rating: 4
[User has posted 1955 recommendations about 1922 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Mermaid

This looks like a fairly regular street corner pub on approach, but upon entering it becomes clear that this is in fact a modern craft beer bar with the resultant dull makeover that such establishments usually demand. This essentially means we find a pretty plain L-shaped room with exposed floorboards and a similarly shaped servery to the rear right. The bar has a tongue and groove panelled counter and bar back, with the latter decorated with lots of hipster-style art. The room tapers off to the right where some small tables are served by chairs, but it opens out nicely to the left, allowing ample space for upholstered banquettes to run around the perimeter as the room extends to the rear. Scrubbed tables are a bit of a non-feature and there is a sizeable open-plan standing area which adds to the bland feel of the interior. The room has been decorated in a drab neutral colour scheme, mostly grey, brightened up somewhat by the occasional framed print, a beer board to the front left (although the beer menus at the bar were a lot easier to read) and some beer fridges to the side of the servery. Stairs lead down to a small, unwelcoming basement room with quite a bit more seating but even less charm, which is saying something. For best results, a seat out on the front pavement might be the way to get around the interior design atrocities within. A hip indie soundtrack played quietly in the background and I don’t recall spotting any TV screens.
There are a total of seventeen keg beer lines and a further two dispensing keg ciders, but cask ale is conspicuous by its absence. After consulting the handy printed menus on the bar, I opted for the catchy-named Cloudwater DDH IPA Enigma Chinook which turned out to be a cloudy mess probably better enjoyed with a spoon than from the glass. It had an overwhelming yeast flavour, but such is the way with these craft beers that you can’t question such gunk as it is doubtless an unfined brew that is supposed to taste like you’re licking the bottom of the fermenting vessel.
This place was a bit of a disaster from what I experienced, suffering from the sort of makeover that seems so unutterably unloveable that you have to wonder who thought it would be a good idea in the first place. Added to this, my beer was a rotten affair and the prices, although not noted by me on this visit, were far from good value. Not somewhere I’ll be heading back to in a hurry.

On 1st October 2018 - rating: 4
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Mermaid

Wedge-shaped building with rather doom-laden dark grey paintwork, clearly shouting "here be a craft keggery" at all and sundry... The interior featured a slightly lighter two-tone colour scheme and fairly minimalist furniture. Also has a number of outside table on a narrow terrace. A wall-mounted board in the corner announced a total of 18 keg beers and ciders in a wide variety of styles which were available from the anonymous taps, from which I went for the Amager Khaleesi IPA imported from Denmark (£2.90, half).

On 15th April 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 8061 recommendations about 8061 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about The Mermaid

Just about everywhere in here was painted a sort of khaki colour, and there were arty prints all over the place that meant nothing to me. The board in the corner listing the beers, with prices and ABVs was useful - in fact absolutely essential as the tap fonts didn't identify the beers available. The only beers available were keg "craft" beers, but I guess they still get people coming in and asking for a pint of lager.

It was as expensive as you would expect. This is not really my sort of place, but I guess one should drop into this sort of place every now and again to see how the other half lives.

On 12th April 2017 - rating: 4
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Moby Duck left this review about The Mermaid

A single roomed craft keg pub with a decent range of beers in varying styles and prices,none of which were particularly cheap,but this is the nature of the beast and as such It was ok as was my Beavertown Neck Oil at £2.50 for a half, although It wouldn't be top of my list I would be happy to call by again.

On 26th March 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


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Bucking Fastard left this review about The Mermaid

The exterior paintwork in dark grey marks this out as a modern refurb into a trendy drinking establishment.The open plan interior is quite small and minimalist,with some fitted bench seating running around two walls,and some other seating dotted about.There is a large board listing the 18 keg options,many exotic sounding brews at exotic prices,although there is a wide range of ABV's.There is no cask ale,and on my short crawl visit there wasn't enough time to discover if key kegs are being used.Hopefully someone has photographed the board,the list of beers was just too long to write down.
The bar is a modest three sided affair and all the keg taps are unclipped,there is a fridge to the side and a decent small selection of whisky.
My Burning Sky Saison a la Provision was a challenging drink,no doubt true to the style.However I found this bar a bit sterile and not really my cup of tea.

On 26th March 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Malden man left this review about The Mermaid

Trendy keg only place situated on a corner site. Large clear glass windows, boarded floor and decor in various shades of green. Around twenty keg taps on the bar, the choices and prices are listed on a board in one corner. Typically expensive, it was a quick half and move on, I tried the Beavertown Neck Oil which had some flavour but was also cold and heavily carbonated as you'd expect. There is a large glass fronted fridge full of continental bottled beers, probably also at a price. The brunch menus were out, Blackened swordfish steak, roasted sweet potato wedges and guacamole at £15 gives a clue at to the type of customer base they expect here.
Framed arty prints on the walls and behind the bar, flowers in wine bottles, there was also a gin menu.
Outdoor seating on a front terrace.
Not my sort of place at all, I don't get the concept of these cold fizzy keg beers at a hefty price but I'm sure it will suit their chosen customer base and I suppose that's fair enough.

On 26th March 2017 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


john gray left this review about The Mermaid

Re-opened as the Mermaid.Large one roomed high ceiling bar.Bit dark and gloomy on my night-time visit.Outside seating to the front.About 20 keg beerS no cask but a good mix of styles and breweries if you can afford them.

On 11th March 2017 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]


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ROB Camra left this review about Verden

Reopened as a wine bar and restaurant. Closed Mondays.

On 23rd September 2014 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3216 recommendations about 3127 pubs]