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Update: since the end of 2013, the Lamb no longer brews its own beers.
What better way to drink beer than surrounded by the gleaming copper tanks in which it was made? A brand-new set of brewing equipment takes pride of place in the Lamb Brewery, formerly the Barley Mow off Turnham Green. From the vats comes around eight varieties, including a hefeweizen wheat beer, a Belgian-style gueuze and an American pale ale (which isn’t American or pale, but succeeds nonetheless).
The journey from mash tun to tap is mere metres – this is the true definition of ‘locally produced’. Along with the guest beers on tap and in bottle, the range is wide enough to make this a destination for west London beer lovers. Stocks of the own-brewed stuff were a bit low on our Sunday night visit, but the exuberant barman was more than happy to offer tasters of alternative draughts and talk me through the selection of bottles.
The pub itself has had a refurb, lightening the place up and softening the edges. The centuries-old building would now be unrecognisable to its original inhabitants, but despite its size it’s still cosy.
The updated-pub-classics menu is served in both the separate dining room or the more casual bar: there’s fish and chips, pies, roasts, mussels, fish cakes, all competently done.
The original Lamb opened on a nearby site in 1790, and this welcome revival is, at time of writing, around the thirtieth brewery in London. It’s a flock we’re happy to follow.