London – Lambeth (Borough of) – Brewdog Brixton
I’ve been merrily working my way around all the Brewdogs in London and just as I thought I was about to finish that task at Brixton, I discover that Brewdog have a pub near Tower Bridge and have now opened a new bar in Ealing. This journey might take longer than I had anticipated, but I am trying to remain committed.
I turned up at this Brewdog with a mess of a reservation, of my own making. I arrived an hour early, was far too hot and I had realised I had accidentally booked the limitless cauliflower wings rather than the limitless chicken wings. Fortunately, someone who appeared to be the manager was very forgiving and was able to resolve all the little issues that I had caused before I was even seated (and I walked in the wrong door as well to add to the situation). I’m sure cauliflower wings are probably lovely, but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for in a visit.
The bar wasn’t busy, so I could sit anywhere. It’s a slightly smaller outlet than I had expected for Brewdog, a little more compact than the Norwich one (which doesn’t help many people reading this if they haven’t visited Norwich Brewdog). I’m not sure how well all this fits into Brixton either, which has a character very much of its own.
The view looking towards the front of the bar.
The beer fridge and bar area, with a relatively limited selection of cans for a Brewdog.
This was a delight, the Blackcurrant Trifle from Mad Scientist brewery in Budapest. It’s an imperial pastry gose and the manager at the bar wasn’t wrong when he said it hits you at the back of the throat with the tartness and acidity. But, it’s a beautiful beer and a beer style that I’m starting to enjoy more, I’m liking those sharp flavours. This style of beer was once very popular in Germany and is making something of a comeback, so that’s another reason I’ll have to visit Germany soon.
The first plate of chicken wings arrived. Unlike when we visited the Norwich bar a few weeks ago, the wings were pretty much on demand here. That was aided by there being nearly no customers, a situation that certainly helped on chicken wing delivery times. They’re not the easiest thing to eat without covering the nearby area with sauce, but they’re always tender and that blue cheese sauce is a little decadent treat. Credit to Brewdog for opening up these bars at the moment, it must be marginal as to whether they’re actually making any money with the number of customers who are out, but hopefully the good times will roll again soon enough.
And then the Tonkoatko from Brew York arrived, which is an outstanding imperial stout. A common comment on this beer is that it’s like a liquid Bounty bar, because of the chocolate and coconut tastes. A rich mouthfeel and punchy aftertastes of Bounty ingredients, whilst also retaining a sweetness despite it being an 8.5% imperial stout, this was another magnificent beer from Brew York. I’m going to York in a few weeks I will have to investigate their tap room.
The chicken wings kept coming……
The engagement from Brewdog staff is very often excellent and this bar was just as friendly as the Canary Wharf branch that we visited a few days ago. Everything was clean, organised and laid-back, a comfortable atmosphere and the best bar that I’m aware of in Brixton. How very lovely.
