I used to be a fan of BrewDog Shepherds Bush. That much is clear from my previous review. But, alas, eight months on, I'm not feeling the love for it anymore.
Why? Well, there are the downsides listed in my previous review that still apply: poor food, industrial interior, poor availability of coffee stouts. Sadly however there are now more downsides that have shifted my affections for it.
The first is that the service, previously excellent, can be patchy. Catch a bar tender at the right time, and you'll likely get good, patient and helpful service. Arrive at the bar at the wrong time however, and you can find yourself waiting for some time while the few bar tenders do anything (e.g. change of one of the 40 taps, duck into the kitchen, indulge every whim of picky customers) rather than move everyone to serving customers. If your average Co-op can rustle up staff to man their checkpoints when queues start to stack up, surely BrewDog can.
The second is the price of their beers. The cheapest BrewDog beer is Dead Pony Club, a Californian hopped 3.8% pale ale. Even that however costs £4.65 a pint, far more than, say, a pint of real ale at any standard pub. From there the prices, and alcohol content just go up. Sure, you get a whole 15% off if you take anything away, but it barely makes a dent. And that's just the stuff on tap: bottled beers are a whole different level. You can get bottles of BrewDog's Punk IPA cheaper at the Wetherspoons in West 12 shopping centre (and probably other local pubs too), while the more exotic stuff - say stouts from US, Danish and other brewers - touches £10.
And finally.. well I think I'm falling out of love with BrewDog's beers themselves. It's hard for me to escape the conclusion that BrewDog's approach to beer is to stuff it (over)full with hops and say "done." Sure, there's a place for that, but sometimes I feel like an English ale. A session porter (neither of which BDSB offers). A wheat beer. A coffee stout (both of which BDSB rarely offer). And not have to take out a loan for the privilege. That's why, while I may come here from time to time, the Defector's Weld will likely be my local of choice, and Oddbins (who now have a significant bottled/canned craft beer collection at excellent prices) the place I'll be going for quality beer at a good price. read more