Craft Metropolis - Penge
Ten keg lines in a converted deli, with Lost and Grounded, Verdant, Burnt Mill and Beak named by CAMRA as the company it keeps.1
Why go
The business sold beer by post before it had a room, and the Penge taproom opened in late 2019 to do both.1 The site was a delicatessen and still has the glass front; inside is small, with a bar counter, illuminated bottle cabinets and fridges deep enough that this reads as a shop with taps. Food comes in from Yard Sale Pizza and the local takeaways. It opens seven days, which includes a Monday evening, and it does not take bookings.2
Order this / avoid
- Order: whichever of the ten is from the breweries CAMRA names, then take a can home from the fridge wall.
- Avoid: asking for cask, and arriving with a reservation in mind. The shop says plainly that it takes none.2
What locals & experts say
- CAMRA, Bromley branch, on the taps:
There are ten taps for keg, usually showcasing microbreweries from London and further afield (eg. Lost and Grounded, Verdant, Burnt Mill and Beak to name a few). Illuminated bottle cabinets and fridges contain a large and eclectic range of beers in both cans and bottles.
1
Good to know
- Where: 47 High Street SE20 7HW, a few minutes from Penge East and Penge West.
- Hours: Monday 5pm to 9pm, Tuesday to Thursday 4pm to 10pm, Friday 2pm to 11pm, Saturday noon to 11pm, Sunday 2pm to 8pm.2
- Booking: none taken.
- Food: none of its own. Yard Sale delivers.
- Sibling: the Brixton arch on Coldharbour Lane is a different room under the same name.
Verdict
could-visit — Ten keg lines in a converted deli on Penge High Street, and CAMRA's surveyor names the company it keeps: Lost and Grounded, Verdant, Burnt Mill and Beak. This is the original site of a business that started as mail order, so the fridge wall is not an afterthought and you can carry home what you liked. Open seven days, including a Monday, which most taprooms are not. Pizza comes in from Yard Sale because there is no kitchen. It sits mid-ladder because nobody has written critically about the beer and CAMRA's last survey is from May 2024.