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Catford Bridge Tavern (Portobello Pub Company)

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Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Arbor Ales - Beech BlondeExcellent1
Brockley - Red AleExcellent1
Whitstable - Native BitterExcellent1
Brighton Bier - "Special Edition" No 1 Black IPA Single Hop: ColumbusExcellent1
By The Horns - Giggle MugExcellent1
East London (ELB) - Orchid Vanilla MildExcellent1
Ilkley - Lotus IPA (was 5.6%)Excellent1
Arbor Ales - Tasmanian DevilExcellent1
Brighton Bier - South Coast IPAGood1
Five Points - Citrus PaleGood1
St Austell - TributeGood1
Brightside - Best BitterAcceptable1
Baseline - Best BitterAcceptable1
Sharp's - Doom BarNot Tried0
Hop Stuff - FusilierNot Tried0
Southwark - Oatmeal StoutNot Tried0
Brains - SANot Tried0
Southwark - Bermondsey BestNot Tried0
Brewster's - DecadenceNot Tried0
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - ScratcherooNot Tried0
RedWillow - HeartlessNot Tried0
Southwark - Routemaster RedNot Tried0
Arbor Ales - ArtisanNot Tried0
Great Heck - Treasure IPANot Tried0
Oldershaw - Grantham StoutNot Tried0
Nine Standards (now brewed at Settle) - Original StandardNot Tried0
Belhaven - Caledonian Deuchars IPANot Tried0
Saltaire - Triple Choc (was Triple Chocoholic)Not Tried0
Langham - LSD (Langham Special Draught)Not Tried0
Wild Beer Co. - Scarlet FeverNot Tried0
Arundel - StrongholdNot Tried0
Wild Beer Co. - FreshNot Tried0
Picture 1. Catford Bridge Tavern, Catford, Greater London

Visits Details

04 Nov 2022 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit. Seeing no handpumps I did not wait but high-tailed out as fast as my legs could carry me.
BeerABVScoreNotes
14 Nov 2019 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit. A noisy house.
BeerABVScoreNotes
By The Horns - Giggle Mug3.50ExcellentMuch better than my expectations
Southwark - Routemaster Red4.20Not Tried
12 Sep 2019 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit, my first for a long time. Very noisy front bar, the rear room is quieter but obviously has the ambience of a food area.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Five Points - Citrus Pale4.20GoodGood but just a one-dimensional sour hopped citrus job
Southwark - Bermondsey Best4.40Not Tried
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Scratcheroo4.20Not Tried
26 May 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit. Good to see the old workhorse pub open again. £4.30 a pint central London pricing and booming music will probably deter regular visits.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Brockley - Red Ale4.80ExcellentFirst rate for temperature, head and carbonation
Sharp's - Doom Bar4.00Not Tried
Hop Stuff - Fusilier4.30Not Tried
Southwark - Oatmeal Stout5.10Not Tried
13 Jun 2014 (HSB)
16:30 Changed trains at Catford so had a look at what was going on. Still steel shuttered. A great shame as this was a good pub. A paper sign on the door directs the drinker to the Constitutional Club.
BeerABVScoreNotes
29 Nov 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. As I was nosing through a window to see progress towards re-opening (none and some items seem to have been stripped out) I was startled by a man behind me who wanted me out of the way to screw up a heavy metal shutter. Such timing! By end of late evening all doors and windows were shuttered. Bodes badly.
BeerABVScoreNotes
24 Nov 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. As The Seekers sang ... "The Carnival is over". This was the final day of Antic operating this pub. The last draught real ale to run out was ELB Orchid at 22:20 hours. Closed now until Camden Bars move in and take over the operation and the new direction for the pub will become apparent then. Most staff here are moving to the nearby Catford Constitutional Club - an Antic pub conversion opening on 28th November.
BeerABVScoreNotes
East London (ELB) - Orchid Vanilla Mild3.60ExcellentThe last ale to sell out
Brighton Bier - South Coast IPA5.00Good
Baseline - Best Bitter4.00AcceptableLast one out - cloudy but drinkable
Arundel - Stronghold4.70Not TriedRan out
Saltaire - Triple Choc (was Triple Chocoholic)4.80Not TriedRan out
Wild Beer Co. - Fresh5.50Not TriedRan out
Brighton Bier - "Special Edition" No 1 Black IPA Single Hop: Columbus5.00Not TriedRan out
21 Nov 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. A blackboard on the bar back fitting pronounces "CBT Closing Party Sunday night". Much of the removable decoration has been boxed up so the pub is looking a little bare. Apparently we must expect a period of closure before re-opening under the stewardship of Camden Bars.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Arbor Ales - Beech Blonde4.90Excellent
Brighton Bier - "Special Edition" No 1 Black IPA Single Hop: Columbus5.00Excellent
Brightside - Best Bitter4.30AcceptableAbsolutely nothing like the top notch version I had had at Rochford Beer Festival the previous day. Bland rather than edge bittering
Belhaven - Caledonian Deuchars IPA3.80Not Tried
Saltaire - Triple Choc (was Triple Chocoholic)4.80Not Tried
Langham - LSD (Langham Special Draught)5.20Not Tried
Wild Beer Co. - Scarlet Fever4.80Not Tried
17 Nov 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Opening of Antic's nearby Catford Constitutional Club pub gets nearer.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Ilkley - Lotus IPA (was 5.6%)5.50ExcellentVery smooth but it had been ripped through a restrictor
Arbor Ales - Tasmanian Devil4.60Excellent
St Austell - Tribute4.20GoodNot the beer it once was
Oldershaw - Grantham Stout4.30Not Tried
Nine Standards (now brewed at Settle) - Original Standard3.70Not Tried
11 Nov 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Whitstable - Native Bitter3.70ExcellentGood old fashioned English bitter to get stuck into
Brains - SA4.20Not Tried
Brewster's - Decadence4.40Not Tried
RedWillow - Heartless4.90Not Tried
Arbor Ales - Artisan4.80Not Tried
Great Heck - Treasure IPA4.80Not Tried

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About the Catford Bridge Tavern

The pub sign. Catford Bridge Tavern, Catford, Greater London

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional1
Excellent98
Good36
Acceptable6
Poor3

Website.

The pub is found in Catford, Greater London, SE6 4RE.

A large brewers' tudor pub on the over rail bridge by Catford and Catford Bridge railway stations. Formerly the Copperfield and before that Courage's Railway Tavern. Leased by the Antic Group after a period of closure then as at October 2012 the ultimate owner of the pub put in a planning application to change use of upper floors to accommodation which was dependent on a separate planned change of use of the pub to National retail i.e. a supermarket chain. A very vociferous "Save the Catford Bridge Tavern" campaign was launched. However this was after the pub had been forced to close at 4 hours notice as the "tenancy at will" had been terminated. Then re-opened on a new short term lease on evening of Friday 7th December 2012. Antic said it hoped to negotiate a longer more permanent lease in due course. CAMRA awarded this pub its S.E. London Branch Pub of the Year award for 2013 in March 2013. CAMRA's London Drinker magazine September / October 2013 edition reported that the private owner of this pub had opted to sell the freehold to another company, Camden Bars, which would take over running the pub in early 2014 but this did not seem to happen. Finally closed as an Antic house at close of business Sunday 24th November 2013. Heavy metal shuttering added to all doors and windows during late evening 29th November 2013. Suffered a serious fire to upper floors on Sunday 1st March 2015 whilst still closed. Finally re-opened after quite a smartening up inside on 30th March 2017 and run by Solitaire. Carries 4 handpumps in the front bar, the rear room with its open to view kitchen is more food oriented. All handpumps removed in 2021 but restored in June 2023 under Portobello Brewery as new site operators.

We have visited this pub 79 times, seen 289 different beers and tried 121 of them.

Map location

Postcode: SE6 4RE