I spent rather a lot of time during my PhD at the Euston Tap. Far more time than I really should have. The Euston Tap is a collection of two pubs in the base of what was formally the Doric Arch – the big arch that was the entry to Euston Station, before it got knocked down in favour of a 60’s tower block. This is where I acquired my taste for, and knowledge of all things craft beer.

The Euston Tap now has a sister pub near Waterloo – which is on my way home from work. It is also notable in my life as one of my former PhD colleagues, with whom I developed my beer-nerdery, now works behind the bar there. As if this wasn’t enough for me to stop in an occasional beverage, Friday evening was their first birthday party. They (my mate Deej) and Elusive brewery teamed up to brew a beer specially for the occasion and everything.

The bar itself is in a railway arch between Waterloo station and the Southbank. It’s that craft beer combination of a bit grotty and loads of polished copper that seems to work very well for the drinks. Drinks wise there’s 20 keg taps, 6 draft taps and a pretty wide range of spirits (so unable-to-drink-beer Lovely Girlfriend was able to join for a whisky whilst I sampled the birthday beer on Friday) and at least two different colours of wine. Being both a great craft beer pub and right by a HUGE train station, it’s got a very broad cliental, with people stopping for their pre-train lager (Bitburger or Bernard) and wine, to beardy craft nerds and back again. They also do negroni’s (as if the beer alone wasn’t enough to make me want to go!), which they tend to serve topped up with Prosecco.

On to the birthday beer. They (the bar staff) are pretty fed up of the current spate of sweet IPAs. Instead they brewed a saison which they then dry hopped with a citra hop to get some IPAishness. Even without taking into account the fact that the people in charge hadn’t brewed at scale before – this beer is lovely. It does exactly what they wanted it to. It is IPAish without being too cloying. Definitely worth calling in for a pint before they run out. Also worth heading in for a pint after they’ve run out as it’ll be replaced with something else lovely.

Waterloo Tap
Sutton Walk, Lambeth, London SE1 8RL
http://www.waterlootap.com/