Friday 17 August 2012

Crate Brewery


A river running opposite, trains to the side which sound different to every other British train (the sort of train you hear in New York or Chicago), a big white building, jailhouse windows, bright and bold graffiti across the water, a buzz in the warm air, sparsely industrial, the tanks behind a sandstone wall and through bright windows, a central bar with pizza kitchen behind, wood for seating in many different forms - crates, tree trunks, benches. Tattoos on everyone. Moustaches. Bikes. This isn't London, is it? The wooden boards topped with freshly cooked pizzas, an air filled with charred, sweet dough. The girl opposite drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon, everyone else has the beer brewed here. A Golden Ale, dry and bitter, British in origin yet a hint of American accent comes through, unless that's just the Brooklyn vibe in the air. An IPA, huge hops, tannic citrus, a shot glass sample not enough to know what it's all about. A Lager, so brightly, freshly hoppy I get a Proustian jump to Prague and some bar I don't really remember (the second bottle - because it's too good for just one - is even better). Is this London? Really? It's new London. It's different. It's not the lights of central or the posh west, it's the new east, with the Olympic Park as the backdrop. Imagine waking tomorrow... reads the graffiti. But it's already here. In an amazing place. The Crate Brewery. Brilliant. Unlike anywhere else. And they make beer here. Good beer. And you drink it by the water, with smiling people all around, and pizzas which smell so good you have to order one, as you realise you're in London just after you think you're somewhere else.

(With apologies for a crappy picture - it was dark, my phone isn't a camera, I was in a rush to get back to the bar. Look here for far better images)

11 comments:

  1. I like the place but the heer was only so-so on my visit. Looking forward to visiting it again, though.

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  2. Sounds interesting. We need more brewpubs like this in the UK. Will definitely check it out next time i'm in London.

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  3. Sounds really good. Another one for the list.

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  4. Replies
    1. I'm alive! Been too busy writing about beer to write about beer!

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  5. Does make me laugh, all these beer bloggers who think they're writing the next Booker Prize winning novel. What a load of contrived nonsense.

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  6. I was hoping you'd given up beer blogging! Beer blogging is fast becoming a joke in the UK.

    Those who dont know a F%*king thing about beer blog, and those who do don't bother as they are too busy making good beer!

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    1. Wow, I've really missed anonymous comment, you know. What is there in this post which makes you think I don't know a thing about beer? And who said bloggers need to know about beer? Why can't bloggers just be interested and passionate about something? You're obviously interested enough to read them. If you think you can do better then do it, don't just shit on other people's work.

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    2. Agree 100% Mark. I dont know much about beer.However,I am passionate about it and like to blog about it.Think my blog gets a decent response :-) http://realaleupnorth.blogspot.com

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  7. Anon - There was me just trying to write a nice post about a cool new place and you think it's Booker Prize worthy. I'm flattered.

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