London Pub Tour 50 - Sidcup / Welling (Micropub Tour): The Hopper's Hut, The Hackney Carriage, The Broken Drum and The Door Hinge

For my 50th London Pub Tour I decided to head down to South East London, which I've yet to hit, and double up the tour to also be a Micropub Tour. I arrived in Sidcup and walked the 15 minutes to Sidcup High Street and to my first pub the Hopper's Hut (DA14 6ER). The Hopper's Hut is towards the far end of the High Street and from the outside still retains the look of a shop. Walking through the doors and the inside is very light and bright with low hanging dish lights with filament bulbs. One of the walls has a fake brick wallpaper whilst the other is painted dark blue. Blackboards are placed around the walls showing beers, wines, snacks and gift boxes. The pub is long and stretches back further than expected, and the bar is at the far end on the left. The cellar/cold room is situated behind the bar and is visible through the glass door.

It was early afternoon, around 1pm, and only the owner and myself were in the pub. The owner previously used to be a teacher who along with a friend decided to open their own Micropub. The pub is unlike the standard Micropub as it sells keg beers alongside cask, and also has a more upmarket looking interior with the bench seating raised off the floor running along either side with high tables. There are some large barrels which can be used also as leaning tables, and some plastic chairs in the corner for busy periods.

There was a large choice of beers and I had a long day ahead of me so I started with a half of Chocolate Stout (Pudding Ale) by Howling hops for £1.90. The beer had lots of roasted notes but not much of the chocolate came through. Whilst drinking I spoke with the owner who was more than happy to strike up a conversation about all things pubs, beer and brewery. By the time I finished my half two regulars had turned up. I wasn't ready to move on after the half so decided to mix it up a little and went for a 1/3 of DIPA v13 by Cloudwater for £3.50 and a half of Cherry Cider by Dudda's Tun for £2. The DIPA by Cloudwater lives up to its hype with an amazing citrus nose, hops coming through and a bitter orange taste. The cider was a little sugar kick and was medium sweet. With finishing the cider it was time to move on to my next stop.

I walked back to Sidcup station arriving at The Hackney Carriage (DA15 7AA). The pub again had a very ex-shop look but also had a dark feel with the black signage and low lighting inside. There was a small outside area where customers could drink or smoke. Again upon entering I was the only customer in the pub. There were high tables with high benches on either wall running down to the bar which stood in the middle of the back wall. The barman was getting beers ready for the inevitable Friday after work rush they were expecting. The walls are dark and there was a board on one wall showing all the ciders on sale. I understand this pub won CAMRA London cider pub of the year, though the Hopper's Hut seemed to offer a larger selection. The pub was wider than the previous pub but smaller in length. A large barrel stood in the middle of the floor.

Due to beers being changed there wasn't much choice on the boards. I ordered two halves of beer, the Golden Wobbler by Millis and Tutti Frutti Cider by Celtic Marches. The Golden Wobbler felt weaker than 4% and was quite a standard golden ale. The Tutti Frutti cider had a sweet smell but was slightly dry and not powerful in taste. The man working the bar was not the owner but a staff member and didn't strike up any chat as he was busy taking social media photos and updating his boards. I noticed that unlike most micropubs this one also sells spirits. Whilst sipping my beers two ladies came in and ordered cokes, but they were just the early arrivals for a work leaving do. I knew it was time to move on as the after works crowd were starting to turn up, and the buses were getting busy with the school kids.

I caught a bus down to my the third Micropub in my crawl, the Broken Drum (DA15 9PT). The Broken Drum sits up a ramp opposite an Asda car park, and doesn't particularly stand out. The story of the day continued with me being the only person in the pub. The pub interior is much more basic inside with small tables and chairs on either side. It's also not as wide or as long as the prior pubs. The pub had some cupcakes and balloons with the number 2 on, celebrating two years of being open. The bar again sits at the end with the cold room just behind and the pub offered a much reduced drink selection with only 2 ciders and 3 ales on. One of the ales was BBC1 by Brentwood Brewing Company which was only 1.5%. Considering the selection options I went for a half of the BBC1 which cost £1.50 and felt very weak. I also bought a half of Tankleys English Golden Strong which at 5.6% also only cost £1.50 and which was better but still not amazing.

I stood at the bar chatting to the owner who actually used to help out and work occasionally in my final Micropub I was due to visit. He's done 460 so far with 300 of them being non-repeaters. Pump clips were on the walls, much like you would expect to see as decoration in an ale pub. The pub had a carpet floor and plain walls. I know micropubs are generally done on a budget, you would have expected some investment by year 3. It was also strange with the 1.5% beer choice and add to that the fact a sink was on the side wall. By the time I was leaving 4 other people had come in, who appeared to be regulars and all knew the owner.

I got back on the 51 again, and after having to stare into the back of shirtless man for my journey, I was finally relieved to arrive in Welling and my last Micropub the Door Hinge (DA16 1TR). The Door Hinge was the first of the new micropub movements to open in London, though other pubs which meet the critiera have existed for longer, like the Rake. Unlike the other pubs, the Door Hinge actually has signs up banning mobile phones, which made it difficult for any photos and note taking. The Door Hinge unlike the other pubs has spent money on frosted windows which creates a more pub like feel. Thankfully upon walking into the pub there were others sat inside drinking. The pub wasn't too long but was wide. A see through chiller unit runs on the whole back wall, and in front to the side is a small bar which the barman stands at. The barman was the owners son who also waited on people at their tables.

It was good to see a nice selection of ales again, and I went for a pint of The Miller's Ale by Canterbury Ales. The beer was £3.30 and was a red ale with a bitter taste. I sat down on a bench and took in the conversation around me and the hops and badges on the ceiling.. I was barely half way through my pint when 2 of the guys from the previous micropub walked in. We acknowledged each other and they sat down with their drinks and chatted with me. They happen to be regulars at both pubs though prefer the Door Hinge as better beer selection which they say is kept better. The pub is busy on match days as it becomes an unofficial hang out for Welling FC. I didn't stay for another as it was turn to head back towards home after visiting four pubs and drinking a variety of beer.

The Door Hinge is very much a busy micropub that had a pub feel and vibe. I could certainly see myself going to the Hopper's Hut again with the excellent choice of beer and a solid interior. The Hackney Carriage is nice but I perhaps arrived too early and the Friday beers were yet to go on. Whilst the Broken Drum is perhaps slightly out of the way and didn't quite offer anything of appeal, and is certainly the micropub some people seem to conjure up when they hear the word.