Beer Guide London Visits – 20/07/2024
Hope (1 / 203)
Classic, award winning, pub close to the station. A good range of beers across 7 handpumps and a dozen taps, although the range increases greatly during their regular beer festivals when the beers can be found to the rear. The cask ales are always in excellent condition. Extensive range of bar snacks and hot food.
Elusive – Easy Mode – 4.3% (Cask) – £2.30 1/2 pint
Riff Raffs (2 / 204)
Bar in a former shop unit opposite George Street tram stop. It showed a lot of promise when it first opened, especially with the owner’s Anspach & Hobday connections. Unfortunately my last two visits have shown that it has failed to live up to that promise with a very limited beer range, and nothing that can’t be found on the bars of most other regular pubs. As a result it will be being removed from the Guide.
Anspach & Hobday – London Black – 4.4% (Draft) – £2.50 1/2 pint
Art & Craft (Croydon) (3 / 205)
Small split level bar in the heart of Surrey Street market. 10 taps offer up an ever changing range of interesting beers with thirds available. As well as the seating on two levels inside there is a patio area outside. The Streatham Hill branch is more bottle shop, this is more bar.
New Invention – Radler – 3.4% (Draft) – £2.05 1/3 pint
Fierce & Noble – Liberty – 5.6% (Draft) – £2.15 1/3 pint
Green Dragon (4 / 206)
Imposing corner pub at the end of Surrey Street. Despite looking like a standard high street pub the beer range says different. 8 handpulls and c20 taps offer a good range of interesting, well kept beers. They also do a range of bag in box ciders. Comfortable place to spend an hour or so. Food available.
Brew York – Cherry Kola – 4.5% (Draft) – £3.55 1/2 pint
Cronx Tap (5 / 207)
Having lost their original tap room in the box park Cronx have now acquired this much larger space close to the other Surrey Street Guide entries, making for a pleasant crawl. 2 handpulls and 20 taps dispense not only their own beers but guests too. The old tap was cramped, this place is a huge improvement with seating on two levels.
Signal – Cherry Tang – 5.0% (Draft) – £3.40 1/2 pint
Golden Ark (6 / 208)
Micropub on the main street in Selsdon. A step above your usual micropub, with much more of a pub feel. 3 cask ales, 7 on tap, cider and a decent bottled range. The range of bar snacks available is another level! Cosy and friendly, the sort of place you would love to have as your local.
7 Bridges – Sunset Tangerine Wheat – 4.2% (Draft) – £3.95 1/2 pint
The Dog House (7 / 209)
Micropub in a former shop unit in Beddington. Typical of the style with all of the cask ales, up to 6, served on gravity direct from the cold room. A couple of bottled beers provide for the lager drinkers but otherwise cask is king, and it is in excellent condition. Ample seating with some overflow on the pavement. Food is limited to the typical bar snacks.
Bristol Beer Factory – Low Rider – 3.9% (Cask) – £2.40 1/2 pint
Beer & Beyond (8 / 210)
Bottle shop specialising in German beers but not at the detriment to others. They also have three beers available on tap. In the fridges you will find some of the German classics but you will also pick up some more obscure German breweries. Seating is sparse but comfortable as the emphasis is more on the take away trade.
Left Handed Giant Brewpub – Kölsch – 4.8% (Draft) – £3.50 1/2 pint
Klosterbrauerei Ettal – Ettaler Kloster Edel-Hell – 5.2% (Bottle) – £4.90 bottle
