Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Wandsworth (Borough of)

London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – Battersea Brewery

The rain was pouring down in south west London and so I thought that the best thing I could do was to find a brewery to rush into in order to keep dry. It’s important not to panic during such occasions and this brewery is in the shadow of the former Battersea power station seemed a sensible option.

The beer menu, which is also available on Untappd, was self-effacing and also I thought reasonably priced for London. The service at the bar was timely and friendly, the whole arrangement felt inviting and comfortable. They seem to pride themselves on loud music judging from some of their marketing, which is something that I certainly would have avoided but fortunately it was all quiet and relatively peaceful when I visited.

I went for the Your Local MP which is one of the brewery’s own beers, a drinkable if not exceptional sour which had some mango flavours flowing through it. I liked the brewery’s description of this beer which is “sourer than Liz Truss against the wokerati”.

A table with a slope which I frankly thought was sub-optimal.

There’s a central bar area with a reasonable amount of seating around it, including some extra upstairs, which was all clean and organised.

I could note that I was watching the world go by from where I was seated, but I was mainly watching the rain pour down.

And some inspirational reading material. The venue does bar snacks such as crisps, pork scratchings as well as sausage rolls, chicken wings and toasties which are again all reasonably priced.

The on-line reviews are generally positive, although there are a few angry people out there, not least:

“I’m familiar and accepting of the cost of a beer in London. I will pay £6+ with nothing but a sad memory of what things were like before. But £10 pounds for a bottle of Augustiner helles is robbery. And I paid for 2. I was told that this was because of the cost of importing… This fine German lager can be found online at the beer merchants website for £3.60.”

I’m with Battersea Brewery on this one, they’re selling their own beers which are reasonably priced but have bulked up the menu with some additional choices. The cost of importing is currently often horrendous and a quick look at other venues in London suggests to me that this beer is retailing at something between £6 and £10, so it doesn’t seem unreasonable. Looking at their Untappd list, it seems that they don’t sell the beer now, but their other guest options aren’t unnecessarily high and it must be soul destroying to see reviews like this when it’s apparent upfront what they’re charging anyway. I applaud locations that are a verified venue on Untappd as it gives me clarity on what beers are available and usually what prices are being charged.

Anyway, before I get distracted with reading endless reviews, all seemed well to me during my visit. I’ve never had a beer from this brewery before and I think they’re relatively niche as they’re still small, but it seems a worthwhile endeavour to set up a taproom. They’re in an area which is becoming more popular with tourists and where more people are moving to, so I can imagine that this will remain a profitable little enterprise.

April 25, 2023
London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – Battersea Power Station

I wasn’t quite sure what was currently inside the former Battersea Power Station, but given that it was pouring down with rain it seemed a place to dry off if nothing else.

I certainly didn’t expect anything this decadent in the former turbine hall, part of a building which once produced a fifth of the city’s power. I also hadn’t realised that there were two turbine halls, each with two chimneys, with a connecting building in between them. Turbine Hall A was completed in 1935 and Turbine Hall B was completed in 1955, being decommissioned in 1975 and 1983 respectively. I must say that I was surprised and delighted with the whole arrangement.

This is the connecting building in the middle.

After the site was decommissioned it was left derelict for just over three decades with numerous different projects suggested and then rejected or left unfunded. It was granted Grade II listed status in 1980 and that was upgraded to Grade II* in 2007.

This is the second hall, with this impressive brick arrangement at one end looking out towards the River Thames.

And looking down the second hall. The food venues seem to mostly be quite high end, but there’s a Nando’s there to mix things up a bit. But no Greggs I note.

Control Room B looks rather decadent, it’s now an all-day bar and some of the historic equipment is located here from when the building was used to produce electricity. It’s not really a place for me though, they concentrate on wine, champagne and cocktails, with a dreary selection of bottled beers that looks like someone has popped to the Tesco Express down the road. Anyway, I digress.

I liked this mural of Britishness. There are some more photos of this mural as well as a few more from around the building at https://www.flickr.com/photos/julianwhite-uk/albums/72177720307752196/. There’s also more information at the developer’s web-site at https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/about/.

April 24, 2023
London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – Holiday Inn Express

I’m posting out of order again in case anyone wonders how I’ve gone so quickly from Warsaw to Wandsworth….. This is my stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Wandsworth, London from last week which was handily paid for by rewards points.

I arrived a little early, at around 14:30, which is well before the 16:00 check-in, but I thought I could always sit and work in the hotel’s bar if the room wasn’t ready. I mentioned to the friendly member of check-in staff that I knew I was quite early and he said that a room probably wasn’t ready, but he’d have a look. I gave him my name and he replied:

“Mr White, you’re a Platinum member, there’s always a room ready”.

I don’t think I’d ever dare go into a hotel and say “I’m Platinum, I want a room now” as that might lead to a DYKWIA moment (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/2002071-dykwia-2020-21-edition.html) but handy to know. I suspect that I’ve reached Platinum status with one of the lowest spends possible, other than people such as my friend Richard who just bought their status (but he’s very decadent and would very likely go into a hotel and demand a room).

The room, all to brand standard and spotlessly clean, so all rather lovely.

The view from my window and that’s the Thames between the buildings. The windows opened so that I could hear the comings and goings of Wandsworth…..

The beer choice wasn’t entirely ideal and I only realised that they had Goose Island IPA too late, the staff member didn’t list that as an option. This is Peroni, which I personally think is bland and a bit pointless, but that makes me sound like a craft beer snob who sneers at lagers, but there we go…..

I like these, indications of when breakfast will be the busiest.

Breakfast was busy, although I was able to take this photo during a lull in proceedings. It did get quite a bit more hectic and I didn’t think that things were entirely logically laid out. By that, I mean I kept getting muddled up, so I blame the hotel rather than myself.

The standard Holiday Inn Express breakfast options were available, which were the four hot items of baked beans, sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs, alongside pastries, yoghurt, cereals, toast and the like. Breakfast is included in the room rate of Holiday Inn Express outlets and it’s entirely serviceable.

Given that this stay was free with rewards points, I’m not entirely sure what it usually costs, but I think it’s usually somewhere around the £70 per night mark, which is rather too decadent for me. However, it’s easy to get to by public transport and it took me just over an hour to walk to Victoria Coach Station the next morning. The staff were friendly, the hotel was clean and so all was well.

November 16, 2021
London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – London and South Western Pub

As we were walking back to the railway station from the Brewdog in Clapham, we thought we’d pop into this new JD Wetherspoon outlet near to Clapham Junction. I don’t do the whole argument of “I don’t visit Wetherspoons because they don’t pay staff” as I’ve heard that piffle before, but each to their own, as I’ve decided to work through the Good Beer Guide and there are too many outlets from this chain in there for me to avoid.

This pub only opened a few months ago and it has been converted from a Revolution bar, apparently at a cost of just over £850,000. They already have the relatively nearby Asparagus pub, which I rather like (but that one is more traditional than modern), and I’m not sure whether they’re planning to keep both. This one has more of a Lloyds feel to it, although I think that branding has pretty much gone within the chain now.

There’s a history about the building outside (too few pubs do this….), noting that before the building was used by Revolution, it was constructed in 1935 as a flagship store for Hastings, a furniture showroom. The pub name is taken after the railway company, a nice nod towards the local area. We had a bit of a wait to get inside, although there was plenty of seating available so it just seemed to be a matter of managing numbers rather than it being particularly busy.

Richard had already had his decadent cheeseboard at Brewdog, I went for a rather more affordable pint of Punk IPA with burger (classy, eh?…..). I did note that the pint of Punk IPA here is only slightly more expensive than at Brewdog, but it comes with a free burger. Anyway, they’re different places, and there are usually more exciting alternatives to Punk IPA for anyone who is at Brewdog.

I had a quick half pint of Urban Dusk from Redemption Brewing, as it cost the grand total of just over £1. Perfectly well-kept, at the appropriate temperature and all that. The service in the pub was also fine, everyone seemed friendly, with the environment feeling safe and well managed.

The burger. There is a Facebook group now where people post photos of their meals (which I accept is ridiculous enough as it is for me to do here) and they then count the chips and post that total number. I decided even I wouldn’t be doing that…. For the money, this was entirely reasonable, but I won’t spend too much time describing JD Wetherspoon food.

Anyway, I suspect this pub will end up in the Good Beer Guide in due course, although it’s too early for the current edition as they weren’t open at that stage. There’s more of a cafe style in the day it seems with its outdoor seating for those who like sitting outside inhaling traffic fumes. The reviews so far aren’t great, but I’m not sure that JD Wetherspoon are too much bothered about that since they’ve withdrawn from social media. For those who hate the chain, then that’s easy, don’t go, but, for others, this was a clean, modern and seemingly well managed JD Wetherspoons with a few real ales to choose from.

June 23, 2021
London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – Brewdog Clapham Junction

I continue to work my way around Brewdogs in London, with Richard joining me on this visit as he was in the city for his specialist work purposes. I had wondered whether it’d be quite busy in the bar on a Sunday evening, but it was nearly empty inside (although full outside, where Richard and I had agreed we didn’t want to sit anyway). I hadn’t realised that this branch existed (lots of things seem to pass me by), but it’s been here since 2014.

And welcome to Brewdog….. The decor was modern and typical Brewdog in style, all well maintained and comfortable. We were offered a table that was a bit high up and Richard worried he’d get drunk and fall off it (I think that was the reason, it might not have been though) so we sat at some lower down chairs to avoid any mischief happening. I liked how many power points had been installed throughout the bar as well.

The beer fridge at the front of the shop.

A couple of the third pints that I purchased, the Black Ball from the To Øl Danish brewery (on the left) and the Blue to a Goose from Wild Weather (on the right). Both were excellent, the latter had a very rich hit of blueberries (certainly the best way to get fruit into the body) and quite a sweetness to it.

Richard ordered this, I can’t afford decadence like this. I haven’t seen them serve this in Brewdog before, but it’s a marvellous idea and the quality of the cheeses was very high. Richard was very pleased with the £10 that he paid for this, and they also have a charcuterie board as well. They don’t serve burgers here, just pizzas and these platters, because of the small kitchen. I prefer this set-up, although of course there’s a problem that I couldn’t get all you can eat chicken wings here (and nor could I bring anyone for their cauliflower wings)….. Having said that, looking at reviews they used to serve very popular Scotch eggs and sausage rolls, their loss is disappointing.

I’ve had a run of excellent customer service in the Brewdogs at Canary Wharf, Ealing, Seven Dials and Brixton, but it was all a bit more muted here. No real engagement about the range of beers, but the service was always warm and polite. It was just very good, rather than the exceptional service that I’ve experienced recently in the chain. The branch is smaller than some other ones in the chain, but it was clean and organised throughout. The range of beers was a little more limited than some other Brewdog branches, perhaps given that they’re a smaller size. Anyway, all a rather pleasant experience (and Richard didn’t fall off his chair).

June 21, 2021
London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – By The Horns Brewery Tap

I’m slowly, but very surely, working my way around London’s breweries and this one in between Tooting and Wimbledon is also listed in the Good Beer Guide (which I’m also working my way around). So, yesterday I made a booking on-line for today, and then was on course to arrive half an hour early so went to sit in a nearby graveyard to wait. Incidentally, I liked that it let me make a booking for one person, I inwardly tut when I see somewhere only allows bookings for two or more people.

There was a friendly welcome from the staff member, who explained the ordering process which was done on-line using a QR code. It clearly wasn’t entirely packed with customers as the staff member knew my name when I said I had a reservation, but I’m always happy that I’m in the right place. The ordering system was all efficient and easy to use, and the environment was comfortable. It’s not the largest indoors space, but there are several tables and the outdoor area gives them more flexibility on numbers.

I was given the chance to move my reservation outside into the hot external seating area, like everyone else seemed to be doing during my visit, but I was quite content inside in the cold. I’ve had enough of London’s heatwave…. I’d actually had enough of the heatwave yesterday about ten minutes after it started, but I digress…. The cricket was also showing on the television and the staff member mentioned I could turn the volume up if I wanted. I didn’t, but I liked the engagement and I also liked the ready supply of power points dotted around.

There’s an in-house pizza oven and the taproom surroundings are industrial and what I consider to be on-trend and exciting.

The reasonably priced pizza menu is visible in the above photo (click the image to enlarge it).

The brewery’s web-site seemed to focus on IPAs, but I noticed they had two darker options available and so I went for half a pint of each. The Lambeth Walk is a porter made by the brewery and it had a pleasant taste with an aftertaste of chocolate and coffee, although it wasn’t quite as rich a flavour as I had expected. A nice beer though and it tasted well-kept (it should since they made it here so it’s hardly gone far) and was at the appropriate temperature. I don’t like porters that are served at some point near freezing, although I might have forgiven that today given the heat. Anyway, it was all perfectly served.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Deep Funk which is also made here, it’s what they call a farmhouse stout (is that a thing?) and it’s a rye kettle soured stout mixed with a graf, which is effectively a beer cider (I had to Google that). I wasn’t sure whether I was ordering an artisan craft product or an expensive snakebite, but either way, I liked it. A complex taste, or as much as beer and cider mixed together can be, and there were some interesting flavours going on. The mixture of sourness and sharpness worked for me, although I’m struggling to put that effectively into words. It’s not hugely well rated in reviews, but it’s something different and I like trying new concepts.

Anyway, I liked this brewery and the taproom set-up, it was a relaxed environment and the staff were friendly and everything was organised. There’s usually a wider beer range I understand, but I was entirely satisfied with what they had. I’ve mentioned already that the whole look is quite on-trend, but I don’t think they’ve tried to create that deliberately, it’s just a by-product of friends interested in making craft beer. All really rather lovely.

June 3, 2021