Some statistics about the refurb of this long-standing SE5 boozer: 80 percent of male punters had facial foliage that could conceal a small rodent. Of 18 beers on tap, 100 percent would make your dad ask: ‘Did they forget the normal drinks?’ But it’s also 90 percent great.
In all, there are 20 taps (two ciders and 18 beers), although the selection offers no huge surprises, focusing on the usual roll-call of craft breweries (BrewDog, Beavertown, Lagunitas, Siren, etc). As for the shabby-chic decor, let’s just say that the lightbulbs look like someone’s attempted a cat’s cradle with the filaments. The walls, meanwhile, are a mix of crimson-painted Victoriana wallpaper and tar-splotched wood panelling.
The crowd’s a twirtysomething-heavy mix of up-for-it drinkers and Camberwellians out for a relaxed night in their local. On my Sunday visit the area around the bar was filled with lively punters standing en masse despite a plethora of free tables.
All in all, a very good pub. It’s not the area’s best craft beer pub – that title stays with the brilliant Stormbird nearby – but it does remain open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. Which means that, if nothing else, it’s quite probably Camberwell’s most fun late-night hang-out.