BREWDOG @ Shoreditch

The one thing you notice straight away in London is the abundance of pubs and bars scattered throughout every suburb. You can't walk 10 meters without seeing that familiar 'Guinness' sign dangling on the side street or the spill-over of after-work drinks onto the side streets (yep you can drink on the street here)

When I first arrived here I set up camp near Shoreditch. A bustling hipster suburb in the East end of London with a great range of shops, eateries and most importantly bars. I came across Brewdog while I was searching for my morning coffee, unfortunately at 9am it wasn't open but I made sure to come back later that day for a beer.

Walking into Brewdog I was taken aback by their comprehensive range of local craft and international beers, not only on tap but in the fridge as well. I remember thinking to myself, there is no way I am just staying here for a single beer.

They also have a decent range of bar foods to accompany your beers with, including hot wings, burgers, sandwiches, fries and hot dogs alike. Prices are about £10 for meals.

BEERS

Behind the bar there's approximately 20 beers on tap at any given time, ranging from their very own brews to guest beersas well. I am told the taps rotate depending on what's popular and whether any news beers are due to be released.

First off the bat was their most famous beer - The full strength, 5.6% Punk IPA. A great balance between fruitiness and bitterness. I rated this quite highly and consequently could not say no to a second pint.

Next up was their 'Jet Black Heart - Oatmeal Milk Stout' (pictured on the right), a high quality, smooth and rich stout great for a winter after-work beverage. At 4.7% it's not their strongest beer but nevertheless makes up for it in quality of taste.

Last but not least was a beast - 'Beavertown - Black Betty' - a black IPA packed with flavour. At 7.4% it's as strong as an ox and accordingly kicks harder than a wounded bull. With a roasted malty and caramel aroma to it, solid medium body and good balance of flavours, it's definitely one of the better dark beers I have had this year for sure.

ATMOSPHERE

Located in the heart of Shoreditch the bar will generally be packed for after-work drinks and on the weekends.

The bar can get busy but as the actual service area is quite large. The staff are professional and have a good understanding of all the beers they sell. When I was there around 5pm on a Tuesday the wait time for drinks was probably only a few minutes at most.

Brewdog can host events and parties and every now and again local breweries will set up shop to showcase their local beers.

A great spot for after-work drinks, although be sure to get in early as it can get quite busy!