On the Bermondsey Beer Mile, an eclectic run of railway-arch-occupying breweries and tap rooms, you can find an outpost of Manchester’s Cloudwater.
It’s at the Bermondsey station end of the strip and there’s no sign above the door, but peer through windows past jazzy tables and pastel-pink stools to see an illuminated logo at the back of the unit beckoning you to the bar. There you’ll find 20 different Cloudwater and collaborative brews on tap, from sessionable pales to wine-strength porters, plus a regularly updated list of cans and bottles in its cold store.
I settled on the barman’s selection, a Cloudwater DIPA that went down far too easily for something so strong (8.5%), while my partner picked an IPA that was fruity-yet-subtle in flavour. A schooner or smaller is great for trying a lot in one session, but that could effectively cost a fair bit for a pint. Although, if I’d had a full 20 fluid ounces of mine, I can assure you the water wouldn’t have been the only thing that was cloudy.