craft beer

[Kailyn]

That Ruthless rye is quite nice, only had it in bottles, so that's interesting.

One of the nicest beers I've had in a while is the Thornbridge/Sierra Nevada collaboration, Twin Peaks. Very good pale ale.

[Sue]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I remember when it was only me who liked Bossman

xxxxxx

I loved Bossman when they had Stella at six for a fiver :))

[numbers]

titch good they PMd you, hope you choose a lovely expensive beer when you get your freebie

jeremy, yes that makes more sense to me now to think of craft beer as microbrew!

kailyn is ruthless rye from peckham? fab if so. not tried that.

PS trendsetters hey, sue & quids, don't bossman sell stella at six for a fiver anymore :))

[Draft House LL]

Hey guys just thought I would pop on for a quick update on where I am at with the draft house.

First of all I know pricing was quite a concern for many ED locals I have now reduced the price of practically our whole range (hoorah!) I currently have over 100 beers in stock (106 to be precise) I am looking to get to around 125 with a large proportion to be rotated on a weekly basis. I have recived some really nice feedback from you guys so thank you very much for that, the big question is, What do you all want? I am super keen to make this little bar a real community beer hub, if you let me know what you are drinking and what you want to try, I will find it, I will buy it, and we will drink it!

At the moment we have some beautiful ales in stock a couple of real belters from Clarence and Fredericks in Croydon that man makes a seriously good brew!

So in a nutshell let me know what's floating your boats tweet me @drafthousell email me [email protected] or PM me on here

Cheers

Dave

[titch juicy]

Hi Dave

I don't want to seem like i'm just on here moaning; but think some constructive criticism (from experience, it's most valuable in the catering trade) is what you're after. I love decent beer and want to love the Draft House.

I was put off by the prices (great to hear they've been dropped); but also the feel of the place. It just doesn't feel welcoming.

The shape doesn't help (nothing much that can be done there I know). There's very little room to gather- except for the eating area at the back. Gathering round the narrow bar area, it feels like you're always in someone's way- and the seating area by the front door makes you feel a little like an outcast.

Also, the decor feels very 'IKEA teenage bedroom'.

I have to say too, that the food prices are ambitious. ?9.50 for a burger plus ?3.25 for fries is a lot. ?12.75 for burger and fries, compared to ?9 for an Honest Burger and Fries (less for a standard cheeseburger) at Honest Burger (have to be the best burgers in town), make it a no brainer to make the 20 minute bus ride to Brixton.

Hope this helps.

[Jeremy]

It's a bit stark inside, isn't it? And all that green furniture makes it feel a bit like a youth hostel.

I hear the burgers are good, but I have a bit of a problem with paying over a tenner for a burger and fries.

[StraferJack]

To add to the constructive criticism (before I go on to the positives ? stick with me!) the music selection lately has been pretty one dimensional ? secretdj takes requests but are never played ? I suspect staff playlist is overriding secretdj

The decor ? is as people describe but doesn?t bother me too much. It?s emphasised by the layout and whatever any of us say on here, the pub is completely stuck with the odd architecture. Those steps go up and down for a reason and if it was easily changed then Draft House (or previous owners) would have done something about it

It needs something creative to make that space work, not a cookie-cutter theme approach. What that creative solution would be tho, I have no idea!

The burgers are pricey but menu wise there are some reasonable options on there as well ? it?s not destination food but it?s decent diner-ish fare.

But by pub standard even the burger isn?t that out of the norm. I totally accept Jeremy?s point that once you get over a tenner you lose some people ? but nor is it uncommon. Honest burgers may be better and cheaper but

a) 20 mins bus AFTER you wait for a 37 ? whatever some say, that is not a no-brainer

b) Have you seen how busy Honest is? I haven?t been able to get in

c) It?s small, poky and (in this weather) cold. Plus the range of beers is obviouslly limited

The beers ? when DH first opened the range was limited in comparison with other branches but it?s definitely much improved. It has even shifted me from my default-lager-option

And they have become a lot cheaper (not cheap ? but cheaper)

Overall I?m going there more often, and I?m meeting people there more often. I like the place, and the people behind the bar

[Jeremy]

I can't think of any other pubs with a ?12 burger and chips on the menu. But saying that, value is an equation of more than just the price... maybe one of these days I'll actually try one. But it would have to be pretty damn good to convince me the price was about right.

I think there's a fairly large market of beer nerds locally, the pub should be a roaring success. I'm sure it's just a matter of fine tuning.

[StraferJack]

Bishop must be close - 11.50? And ClockHouse is ?11

I'm not suggesting those are cheap or fair prices but nor are they out on their own (DraftHouse Poke burger and fries beats the others hands down IMO as well)

[Annette Curtain]

The Poke

?10.75

8oz Burger with Crushed Bird's Eye Chillis, Old Amsterdam Cheese & Integral Onion Rings. Charlie's favourite.

Now inclusive of bucket of hand-cut Chips or Fries

Yummy !

Do they sell/serve Cider ?

Stooopd question I know

['bout now]

hand-cut Chips or

> Fries

>

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhhhhhh!

[Annette Curtain]

I too feel your pain 'bout now

Oh and wtf are "Integral" onion rings

And how big is a bucket

And who's Charlie.....& actually i've quite put m'self off the Poke now.

[titch juicy]

...oh, and the last time (second time thus far) we popped in, there was a strong smell of flatulence. Perhaps a by-product of good ale.

[Annette Curtain]

Farts and Craft Beer/Real ale are close friends, in the old days the cigarette smoke masked it

Maybe that's what "Integral" onion rings are all about

[maxxi]

The onion rings are big and juicy and they do sell cider; they're doing Orchard Pig - which is the same stuff Green & Blue used to sell - but only in bottles. I spoke to the manager last week and asked him about getting in a still cider on draught - if others want the same thing maybe he will get some.

I still like DH and is my preferred place to 'pop in for a jar' type thing but then I've never liked the Bish, don't care too much for the Actress or Gt Exh. and if I wanted 'top shelf' I'd go Tippler.

[Jeremy]

OK, so just came back from the DH.

Cheeseburger was ?9.50 INCLUDING chips. And it was definitely the best burger I've had in ED. Maybe not up there with Honest Burger, but pretty damn good nonetheless.

The beer is not cheap... but now and again it's OK to spend an extra ?1 on something a bit nicer/different to the usual selection.

I still hate the green chairs though!

[titch juicy]

"Cheeseburger was ?9.50 INCLUDING chips."

special offer, or is the menu on their website wrong?

[Jeremy]

Menu in bar was slightly different to the website. Seemed like the regular price to me, no indication it was a temporary offer. Burger cooked medium, juicy and very "meaty" tasting. I think there were different types of cheese on either side of the burger. Really good, will definitely be going more regularly. Will drink halves next time so I can try more beers.

[araucaria]

I recently found out that there is a new microbrewery - Brick Brewery - opening in Peckham next month.

http://www.brickbrewery.co.uk/

It's half way between Bar Story and the Refreshment Rooms, which could make for a great Saturday afternoon crawlette if we ever see the sunshine again.

a

[ellieaness]

Voyageur Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If any EDFers are ever Crystal Palace bound there

> is a new pop-up craft beer joint opening later

> today by @BeerRebbellion in conjunction with Late

> Knights brewery opposite Gipsy Hill Station. All

> beers/lagers/ciders ?3.20 per pint apparently:

>

> http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BIn2_kxCAAAHh6T.jpg:lar

> ge

>

>

> http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BIuPDyYCIAA1RB_.jpg:lar

> ge

Yep, I went here and it was great. One of the staff looks like Garth from Wayne's World too.

[malumbu]

Oh no, have Kraft taken over beer as well as Cadbury's. So beer will be all cheesy now, or worse still taste of baby sick (ie Hershey bars).

Craft beer, Emperor's new clothes me thinks. And being a card carrying old fart I know.

If you are in the Palace there are some luverly pubs selling proper beer.

Or try the best pub in the world, the Blythe in Forest Hill, which sells draft beer from the Brockley brewery.

[El Pibe]

A bit unfair, I think we can thank 'craft' beer for the resurgence in ale generally and certainly for an improvement in storage and maintenance in pubs as a whole.

So even if you just like a drop of John Smiths, it'll taste better thanks to the rise in interest that craft has helped engender.

It was only about 15 years ago you had to hunt far and wide for a pub that served ale that didn't taste of egg.

[*Bob*]

You shouldn't have to 'know where to go' to get a decent drink in a pub. You should be able to walk into nearly any pub and order anything on tap (aside from some rank superfizzy overstrength Lager) with the reasonable confidence that it won't look and taste like what's left in the drokking bowl after doing the washing up.

If they can manage it perfectly well in any hell-hole in Stoke or Barnsley you'd care to talk into they ought to be able to manage it in down here. It's good things are improving.

[Annette Curtain]

Craft Ale is a good thing, i've not seen such an interest in new beers for a long time. Plus if it doesn't sit well in malumbu's inverted narcissistic world, then all the better.

Agree *Bob* but do they use those Frother Things on the pumps up there in Stoke/Barnsley

As an aside, my mate's from Barnsley and he shaves his beard off when he goes home there "else they take piss outta me"

Poor man, he's got issues.

[Ted Max]

Is that the same Brockley Brewery (The Brockley Brewing Company) which describes itself as brewing "premium craft beer".

Confused now.

Craft beer, Emperor's new clothes me thinks. And being a card carrying old fart I know.

If you are in the Palace there are some luverly pubs selling proper beer.

Or try the best pub in the world, the Blythe in Forest Hill, which sells draft beer from the Brockley brewery.