Any beer lover worth his salt likes nothing more than the chance to consume multiple glasses of multiple brews in one place. With that in mind, The Draft House in Tower Bridge is a must for the fulfilment of said pursuit.
Part of a small chain of pubs, sprouted in SW11, it does exactly what it says on the tin and then some. A vast, ever-changing selection of draught beers is complemented by a wide array of bottles and a particularly interesting food menu…I wasn’t at my most adventurous but for around £4 there is the option to add a slab of foie gras to your burger.
Beyond the fatted duck though the real attraction of this place is the variety and quality of their beers. Starting with a Speight’s Gold Medal Ale which, although not really an ale, drank like a sparky Chalky’s Bite (also on offer), I moved on through Sam Brooke’s Wandle and onto the always delightful Meantime London Pale. Next time, of which there most definitely will be one, I’ll be sampling the even wider variety of bottled beers (I’m particularly excited about O’dells St Lupullin).
All in all, The Draft House is meant for whiling away a long evening with beery conversation. Designed in the style of the archetypal American microbrewery (a la Salem Beerworks) but with that added element of modern British finesse, it really is a perfectly comfortable place to enjoy an evening.
So what’s the drawback? Unfortunately, it’s that nagging, fun killing, “we are in a recession you know” behemoth…price. With most pints climbing testingly close to the £4 mark, albeit for very good beer, price stops you from doing what you really want which is to stay for more and more and more until you can’t stomach any more but you still drink more…and breathe. It’s this barrier that means it’s unlikely to be anyone’s “local” but should be a fantastic diversion from the norm for anyone with similar tastes to my own (or a fat wallet!).
