The Brewhouse & Kitchen
A new postcode, new neighbourhood.... indeed an entirely new area of London for this September 1st pub crawl. I'll admit, I can't say much for my dating life, but one thing I can thank the various apps for (other than ghosting) is great ideas for new pubs! It took me about 50 minutes to get to Hoxton from Putney in an impressively timed train journey. Since, for once in my life, I was running early, I stumbled across the Brewpub & Kitchen as I walked out of Hoxton Station. It's directly next to the entrance, situated under the arches of the railway tracks. It was a gorgeous sunny day, providing a perfect place to sit and wait for my friends to join me on my first foray in North East London.
Give this beer a go: The Aerial Amber Ale is really nice and totally worth a try if you like ales. It's a nice "in between" between an English ale and a craftier pale ale.
The beer. The Brewhouse & Kitchen is actually a microbrewery, with brewpubs all over England. I was informed that they don't actually brew beer on site in Hoxton, but they do at the one in Islington. However, we were able to taste just as well, and there are some great little beers in here! In addition to the home brewery beers, they had just as many "Guest Beers" listed on their wall. See my @pubsguide2ldn Insta post for a little video of the inside. My first pint was a BK Craft Beer Lager - a standard lager, which was light and a little sweet. Kind of the go-to beer I'd imagine if you are a lager drinker. My friend Cengiz went for an Oranjebloom - also a lager - but with a slightly fruity base. As a self-proclaimed "non beer drinker" he really liked this one, and managed to drink (most) of the pint! Hannah on the other hand went with something a bit hoppier - the Yeasty Boyz IPA. Don't let the name deter you, although I do believe they could have come up with something that doesn't inspire thoughts of gross moistness... fruitier and very drinkable - it's a really nice IPA for a warm day sitting in the sun. Finally, we decided to give the beer flight a shot - taste 3 one-third pints of beer. The 3 beers to try: Golden Ale (initially a smoky taste, with a weird perfume-y aftertaste - my least favourite beer I've had in a while, but the non-beer-drinker liked it, so I don't know...); Aerial Amber Ale (recommended as a beer to give a try); American Style Pennsylvania Pale Ale (and it tastes exactly how you'd expect it to - a light drinkable pale ale).
The ambiance. The place itself definitely has a BrewDog vibe, but a lot of space inside and generally a nice environment inside. Of course, it was an epic and hot day, so we sat outside, and lo and behold, they have both a smoking and non-smoking outdoor section. Say what you want about hipsters, but I'll admit that this was a very pleasant surprise! I think the patio and environment are kind of spoiled because you area seating at a patio that is basically on a footpath in front of the train station, so you do feel a little bit like you're in a strip mall. Additionally, because there's so much cement around, it gets REALLY hot. It's a bit of a hot box in the patio. But they've got heat lamps outside for colder days. Last note - the bar staff, as you'd expect with any brewpub, is super friendly and helpful when talking about the various beer selections.
The food. Had a nibble here because we weren't sure what the food prospect would be at pubs as the afternoon and evening wore on. We had the chicken satay with peanut sauce - really nice and refreshing skewers of chicken with a peanut dipping sauce on the side. Hannah ordered some chips too, and all in all, they were pretty good. I think the food was a promising sample of the rest of the menu. It's definitely more of a "kitchen" than a pub - you can get burgers too, but they've got an Asian flare to the food also.
Some extras. Honestly, there's just lots of beers.
And the wrap up. Really happy for the first pub of the day, especially because we stumbled upon it. The place itself is nice, but it is 1) a bit generic and 2) I think the location, being next to the station, left a bit to be desired. That being said, I think it makes a great place to have a bite and meet people who maybe don't know the area, or to have a quick drink while you're waiting for people to gather before setting off in another direction - toward either Shoreditch or further east toward Hackney.
Average price per pint: £4.95 / pint (still cheaper than Fulham pubs!), and a beer flight for 3 third-pints is only £5.55
