The Craft Beer Co

I’m a big fan of the Craft Beer Co — basically if you’re in need of good quality drinks (basically beer — I’m sure they probably do other drinks too…) in a number of locations around London (and I believe Brighton) then get yourself here!
I’ve been to the Clerkenwell and Angel branches a number of times and they always blend old style furnishings and attitude with an unrivalled selection of ales on tap from the UK, Europe and father afield.
This Brixton one was more modern and fitted into the area behind the Tube station — perfect if you come off and in need of somewhere for a quick drink or to meet friends.
Seating outside for around 25 peeps, it was a perfect sun trap last night!

Not too bad, good choice of beers but the beer I’ve ordered the was way too warm and they didn’t seem to bother at all…

Making the most of the craft beer phenomenon this branch of the chain attempts to make use of a corner site but, apart from allowing punters to still drink outside around Midnight, it fails to be a good pub.
Typically expensive pint prices, surely the smallest Gents I’ve ever been in (you can barely get the cubicle door closed due to the toilet bowl), stairs that inspire no confidence when you’re carrying a couple of pints up them, décor that’s screwed to the walls in slapdash fashion and seating that’s not conducive to a long session all combine to make the positivity of the bar staff & any possible beer knowledge they may have of secondary consideration.

The Craft Beer Co is conveniently located a short stroll from Brixton station meaning it is a great little meeting point for a casual pint with friends. It’s quite small but because of that, always feels busy which adds to the atmosphere. There is additional seating outside on the road but it feels a little on the ramshackle side as it’s so close to the main road and market stalls. Good if you are of the smoking persuasion, however!
Tonight’s visit was with my usual chum. It was a standard night for us — quick drink in our usual meeting spot of Prince of Wales, dinner at Wahaca and then decided to have a swift pint before home time — we were both hungover from separate events the night before, but felt some quiet hair of the dog wouldn’t go a miss.
Doing our usual girly thing, we asked the bar tender to select us something not too heavy. She poured us a little sample which we lapped up and grabbed our ice cold pints and found a recently vacated table by the door. As with previous visits, the table was sticky with a thin layer of beer resting. This is a low key venue, pretty casual and if you can’t handle a sticky table, it’s definitely not for you.
There’s a real mix of people who drink here so we had a good people spotting session comprising of hairy biker types, a pretty awkward looking first date sort of thing and some guys who had possibly just woken up from a coma induced just after Razorlight became a thing.
Unfortunately, our quiet pint was marred by a pretty dreadful musical act who, accompanied by guitar, sung dreary tunes (including an indie’d up Rihanna number). It was already chilly by the door so sitting outside seemed like it wasn’t an option. We decided to sup up and leave, concluding there was some method in the mayhem — the depressing music certainly had the potential to drive us to harder drinks. Sadly, we got outside and realised it was much warmer out there than inside! Noted for next time and despite the dodgy entertainment, there will almost certainly be a next time.

Always a huge selection of craft & draught beer. Loads of seating upstairs too. They always have a Kernel on!

A friend of mine brought us here after dinner in Brixton. I was truly amazed. This is the place to be if you are a beer expert, and if you’re not a beer expert, it’s still a wonderful experience. This isn’t a usual pub and they take pride in their collection of beer. They explained the different types of beer on tap and even gave us samples to taste. There’s too many to choose from on tap and in bottles.
If you do go on a Saturday, you may want to book a table in advance. While there was space by the bar, it was very hard to get a seat. They have outdoors seats too but with it being winter, I think I’ll pass. I love the neon lights in the pub as it gives off a reddish hue in the room which makes me think I’m in a 80’s bar from America. They’ve got great music too.
The staff is friendly and helpful. Be careful when it gets a bit busy though, some of the servers can get a bit frisky when they’re leaning over to collect empty glasses… unless that’s your cup of tea. We found it really distracting while trying to maintain a conversation with a friend.

Best music, best beers, best (non-​crowded, but still social) vibe.
So great.
I think what I especially like is that it’s lively, and there’s a good female: male ratio, but it’s not «meat market-​y». People chat, and meet each other, but it’s not an aggressive mingle, ya know?
Also: staff is great. V. patient with giving out samples and my general indecision relating to flat versus fizzy Brixton brew.
Unilocal note: not the best of The Craft Beer Co. locations, mind!

We came here on a Saturday night and it was busy but not crowded. They have a serious variety of beers, which is a huge plus! I personally thought the décor was a bit odd. The bar was cool and the chairs were kinda quirky but besides that I feel like the ambiance was seriously lacking.
Beers are slight pricier than your average, but I would return for the killer selection!

Nice little bar tucked round by the station. It’s got nice cosy seats up stairs, larger group tables and seats outside for when it’s warm enough.
Great variety of beers and a few ciders. There’s no background music and it’s not the cosiest feeling bar but that’s ok it’s not going for that.
It’s normally busy but not packed and 9 time out of 10 times you’ll get a table. Definitely a great place for a chilled drinks with mates before you head onto one of Brixton’s more lively joints.

When it came to craft beer-​specializing bars, I didn’t know how good we had it in the US until I left. I was pretty excited to try this place out.
This joint is good — clean, modern and cozy. Of course a boat load of ales, porters, stouts, IPAs, etc to choose from, on tap and by the bottle. The copper bar is beautiful (and the bartender confirmed they have to specialty clean it every night!) And, nicely a selection of spirits and wine for non-​beer people.
WE came on a Saturday night and had a very low key experience (England v Italy during World Cup, and this place doens’t have at TV so it was pretty much empty).
The bar staffer we encountered at first was a bit of a jerk. By that I mean he was impatient and seemed put out by our questions and requests for suggestions. Maybe he was having a bad day. Maybe it was the end of his shift and his relief hadn’t shown up yet. Who knows. Luckily for us, a female staffer arrived and we had a much more pleasant experience asking about beers and getting samples and her suggestions.
Overall we had a good time, but It reminded me what comes along with prolific craft beer culture — snobbery and alienation. Too bad

Delicious beer. Over priced. I give it one star for its successful gentrification and yuppification of this fine community.

A touch on the cosy/​small side. But obviously has an amazing selection of craft beers.
I asked for some cider and the barman was seriously knowledgeable, he actually went on a bit too long about what each one was like. They have so many beers that this kind of knowledge is incredibly impressive.
Ps their stools have pedals, no wheels, but I felt remarkably at home.

Craft Beer Co is what it says: a pub specialising in craft brews. There are hundreds of options from which to choose (and the kegs rotate constantly), so one can easily spend a long afternoon and evening here (it’s all worth it, I promise!*). Their Brixton pub is especially wonderful when the sun is out and there’s some warmth in the air, since you can sit outside and people watch to your heart’s content.
I would like to set up camp here and never leave. This is my happy place.
*Aforementioned promise does not include the morning after.

The best finds are walking down the street. I wanted to find a cool pub in Brixton and found Craft Beer Co. The place is a great hangout with amazing beers on tap. The only thing that they lack is food. A beer influcened food menu would make this an even hotter spot.

I really dig this Brixton version of the Clerkenwell classic — when I visited most recently it was still just about warm enough (with a jacket) to stand outside and have a drink. And they really do need that outside space as it gets super busy here most nights, even with the upstairs section!
The downside here is the inevitable waiting time for drinks that comes with shoehorning that many people into one place with a comparatively tiny bar!
But they stuff they sell over said bar is the real draw here. Microbreweries and cottage industry alcohol has never been so popular, Craft Beer co have done well to target an area now inundated with the hipster variety! Everything I’ve had here has been decent, they look after their stock relatively well.
I’ll be back, although might check how busy it is before diving in, I’m impatient when it comes to being served.

I’m not gonna pretend to be a beer connoisseur, but I will say that I enjoyed my first trip to a craft beer pub.
I came here because 1) my boyfriend is a bit of a beer snob and 2) I wanted to explore Brixton. I know that South London has a bad reputation, but I absolutely love it! This particular pub has a very Brooklyn vibe (and I mean that in a good way). It’s located at the end of a narrow side-​street, but it boasts plenty of outdoor space. The bottom floor is a bit cramped, but you can find additional seating at the top of the winding staircase. I would describe the interior as industrial chic. The colour palette and materials are very utilitarian, but there is something artful about each element. The upstairs area is cast in shadows, which is perfect for an intimate conversation over amazing beer. I really hope to come here again!

This was some of the best beer I’ve had in London. The selection here is better than Cask. And Cask is amazing. If you like craft beers, come here! Also, the staff is quite friendly. They were lamenting the state of underage drinking in the UK, then sincerely asked about it in the US, without assuming that the US was shittier. That’s the nicest thing’s anyone done to me in London.

This is a small bar with a lot of good beers. Enjoyed a delicious Cranberry Milk Stout (although I coudn’t taste any cranberry).
Not much to eat and what they do have is horrendously expensive. 3.95 for half a pork pie and 1.75 for a small pack of nuts.
Despite the amazing range of beer to choose from it is not cosy at all. Upstairs is perhaps a bit nicer but it’s a bit of an uncomfortable place to hang out.

I’m torn by Craft Beer coming to Brixton.
They carry fabulous beer, and they’ve replaced a very mediocre pub, but they’re a bit on the expensive side and, most critically, they’re open ’til 3 at the weekend.
I keep ending up with wicked hangovers.

The Craft Beer Company experience hits Brixton, and I think this one’s right on the money. An incredible range of beer (300 – 400 types), plenty of seating, knowledgeable staff and a well-​designed, classy upstairs.
The range of beer is, of course, what puts the Craft Beer Co’s pubs out ahead of everyone else in London. 300 – 400 different types, featuring loads from revered Danish breweries Mikkeller and Evil Twin (the latter of whom specially make one for the Craft Beer Company called ‘Shoreditch Hipster’. Gotta love that.) and perhaps 30 – 40 of these on tap. They’ll let you try any of those on tap, making the process of exploring and buying beer you’re happy with much easier.
I found the staff quite well-​informed about the beers they were selling. Sure, not level with that found at the pub that started it all, the Cask Pub and Kitchen, but good enough to pass the litmus test of «Pick a drink for me» with flying colours. I think that’s quite an accolade.
There’s plenty of seating too, and crucially, unlike the Craft Beer Company in Clerkenwell, it’s well-​designed: the stairway to the upstairs floor is compact, short and doubles back on itself. It’s difficult to see anyone falling off/​down these after a strong beer too many, unlike the precariously high and exposed ones in Clerkenwell.
It does have a few flaws. The bar area is quite small, so I imagine that when it does get busy, it probably takes a while to get served. That said, like most pubs it clearly has off-​peak times too: when I swung by on a Sunday, my friend and I were two of just four customers there and service was very quick! Another drawback is that the food it does serve is English stodgy snacks rather than substantial main meals like the Cask. Hopefully they’ll increase this, or allow people to take food in from other places.
So, plenty to shout from the roofs about. Not quite in the class of the Cask Pub and Kitchen or even the Powder Keg Diplomacy, but more than enough to earn it 4.5 stars rounded to 5.