Stormbird opened up as a southern outpost of the London craft beer scene at the back end of 2011 and since then it seems to have gone from strength to strength. Located on Camberwell Church Street, it’s a fairly innocuous looking place from the outside that gives little hint of the delights that are held within. Having made a couple of visits now I’ve decided that yes, I’m a big fan and yes, I should do a review.The interior of the pub is stylish yet pared down and simple which makes it an equally suitable location for a quiet drink on a Sunday or a big Friday night session. I know, because I’ve done both of these things. Evenings tend to get fairly busy in the pub, particularly later on. The ongoing gentrification of the surrounding areas has no doubt contributed to the clientele of the pub and as nights wear on more on more people turn up thirsty for ace beer. That said, if you can secure a table you’re laughing, service is good and the beer list is tremendous, but more of that later. I do tend to prefer my pubs quiet though and that’s where this place comes into its own, mid-afternoons are quiet and if the weather is good enough the doors and windows are thrown open creating a light, relaxing almost café-style atmosphere.
Stormbird seems to favour keg beer and the keg lines dominate the bar. I’m afraid I didn’t count how many keg taps they have but the internet suggests somewhere between 12-18, which sounds about right from memory. The best thing about the beer line-up at Stormbird is probably it’s line-up for beers from London breweries. They usually have a few offerings from the Bermondsey breweries (which makes sense with them just up the road) as well as stuff from the likes of Beavertown. In the past I’ve had Partizan’s Black Saaz Saison and Beavertown’s Chilli Lime Saison so you may well come across some slightly more niche/small-batch stuff alongside the more regular brews. 
Whilst other bars such as say, the Exmouth Arms or the Craft Beer Co. chain offer a fairly even(ish) balance between keg and cask, Stormbird has just three cask lines (and on my first visit, only had one cask beer on). Having said that, the cask beers they do have tend to be quite interesting and they’re just £3 a pint which is a bloody bargain. In the past I’ve spotted a number of Dark Star and Saltaire offerings which are arguably two of the country’s top cask beer producers. The bottle line-up is hefty, again I’m afraid I didn’t pay too much attention to just how many bottles they do have but I know it’s a lot.
The pub does not offer food although there are a few decent places nearby if you’re hungry. My personal recommendation would be FM Mangal, a seriously good Turkish restaurant located on the opposite side of the street. I also hear good things about Silk Road, a Chinese restaurant which is a few doors down.
Stormbird is a valuable beery asset to a small corner of South London. Whilst it may not be able to compete with the likes of Craft or BrewDog in terms of having hundreds and hundreds of beers it does offer something that most other pubs in the area can’t and that is a pretty stellar line-up in a decent environment. It may not be worth a trek for serious beer geeks or tickers but for south Londoners like me it’ll do just fine.
Stormbird, 25 Camberwell Church Street, London, SE5 8TR
Open 4pm to 12am Sun - Thurs, 4pm to 1am Fri & Sat
No comments:
Post a Comment