Dragonfly Brewery at The George & Dragon

Time Out reviewed this pub favourably when it reopened after its last major refurb in 2007: the polished mahogany, soaring colonial-style statues and atmospheric front bar remain. But now it’s pouring beers made on the premises, possibly for the first time in centuries. The shiny tanks and polished pipes of their new brewery are on prominent display in the barn-like bar. This equipment is sizeable enough to suggest it’s more than just window-dressing: the products will be sold in other bars in the same ownership, from Bow to Stroud Green. 

Rather than a range of esoteric hop-led liquid experiments, the solid range of beers include Dark Matter London stout, Achtung wheat beer and 2 O’Clock Ordinary best bitter (a lighter lunchtime pint), all costing £3.70 on cask or £4 on keg. Food is rampantly patriotic too, although not backing England – the comfort food here is US style, with fried bar snacks, ribs, and burgers big enough to choke a dragon.