Finding a beer in London after a day at work or an exhausting shopping afternoon is an easy task. With more than 7,000 pubs in the city, the quest for a refreshing beverage usually never lasts more than ten minutes.
That said, finding a unique beer that your palate has never experimented and which can’t be found in every fifth bar down the street is another story altogether. Ask a pub in London if they serve the Italian Birra Moretti or the German Flenaburger Pilsener and the barman may wonder if you are lost.
Any yet, the third world’s most popular drink overall after water and tea has quite a lot to offer beyond the traditional English ales and lagers.
Willing to celebrate beer as it should be, the ‘good people who brought the Westbridge in Battersea’, have just opened a new place The Draft House with one idea: introduce people to beers they don’t know, made by unique and individual brands. If you’ve had your fill of bars and the common drinks they serve, the Draft House is the place to go to discover a unique and excellent choice of beers… which will match the food in your plate as well.
According to Charlie McVeigh, “one of our most popular national drinks, draft beer demands to be taken seriously in terms of choice with a large selection, sourcing, cellaring and serving.” It is now time to honour beer as it deserves!
Run by experienced people, passionate about beverage and food and who take their cellaring and serving very seriously, the Draft House is on the map to become the next trendy place to go enjoy some of the best beers from around the world. With 17 draft beers, 3 real ales, 2 stouts and varying ambers and darks, you’re bound to find one for you.
The Draft House is the first London pub to sell Budvar Half & Half on its own. This fresh & tasty dark large beer from Czech Republic is composed of Half Budvar Lager & Half Budvar Dark. The three distinct varieties of Barley Malt, roasted at the brewery, give the beer its rich toasted flavour and add to the density of the beer.
For those who don’t like the bitter taste of beer (hands up please – Ok, mine first!), the Rosarda is the perfect alternative. This fruity and refreshing Belgian rose beer starts with a wheat beer base before a selection of berries are added during the brewing process. But shhh, the recipe is still a close guarded family secret!
The Schremser Bio Roggenbier offers a completely different taste. This Austrian organic beer has a much lower gluten content than wheat or barley. For the story, the brewery decided about 7 years ago to try a new style of beer using the famously difficult rye grain. Rye produces a deep earthly richness in this beer which is long lasting and slightly fruity. Top-fermented like real ale, the beer matches very well with strong cheeses and fatty meats such as duck and pork.
My other choice goes to Speight’s, a Kiwi brown ale. Due to its southern latitude, New Zealand supposedly holds some of the purest water on the planet which aids in making their beer … the best (who would doubt it!). Moderately dry and not too bitter, the Speight’s works well with game and dark meats.
The Draft House also looks after giving people the opportunity to learn more about pairing food with beer. A matching menu based on “Good and honest food” features a lot of sharing plates and English classics – with a twist - including the interesting Ox Tongue Fritters with Horseradish and Beetroot or Roasted Tuscan Sausages with Puy Lentils, Fennel that, of course, you can’t enjoy without the right pint.
The night before its official opening, the Draft House still smelled of fresh paint and a few posters were missing on the walls, but you could already feel the warmth and friendly atmosphere the place is sure to become known for.
Long life to the Draft House and congratulations to all the team!
The Draft House Northcote Road
94 Northcote Road
London SW11 6QW
02079241814
northcote@drafthouse.co.uk