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History: Home > 163 Upper Street (formerly The Taproom)

163 Upper Street (formerly The Taproom) (Free House)

We believe this pub is CLOSED

Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Silver Brewhouse (formerly Raw) - SolsticeExcellent1
London Fields - Harvest Ale 2013Excellent1
360° - West Coast PaleExcellent1
Great Heck - Voodoo MildExcellent1
Cornish Crown - IPAExcellent1
XT Brewing - Animal Brewing AardvarkExcellent1
Five Points - Five Points PaleExcellent1
Otter - BitterExcellent1
Crouch Vale - El DoradoExcellent1
Crate - PorterExcellent2
Ledbury Real Ales - Paiute IPAGood1
Ilkley - PaleGood1
XT Brewing - No. 1 Fresh Hop BlondeGood1
London Fields - Easy IPAGood1
Arbor Ales - MotuekaGood1
Revolutions - Beat RedGood1
Hammerton - Blank SlateGood1
Hammerton - Geist WeissAcceptable1
Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Conservation BitterAcceptable1
East London (ELB) - Foundation BitterNot Tried0
360° - APANot Tried0
Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Red RascalNot Tried0
Siren Craft - Under CurrentNot Tried0
Hop Back - Crop CircleNot Tried0
Hop Stuff - A.P.A. (Arsenal Pale Ale)Not Tried0
360° - Single Hop AmarilloNot Tried0
Jarrow - Rivet CatcherNot Tried0
Southwark - Bermondsey BestNot Tried0
Five Points - PaleNot Tried0
Titanic - StoutNot Tried0
Little Valley - Stoodley StoutNot Tried0
Five Points - Best Fuggles HopsNot Tried0
Ilkley - Mary JaneNot Tried0
London Fields - Love Not WarNot Tried0
Dancing Duck - 22Not Tried0
Ledbury Real Ales - Ledbury GoldNot Tried0
Buxton - Moor TopNot Tried0
London Fields - Shoreditch Triangle IPANot Tried0
Rooster's - Fort SmithNot Tried0
Adnams - Mosaic Pale AleNot Tried0
Hackney - Best BitterNot Tried0
London Fields - Broadway Blond California PaleNot Tried0
Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Legally BlondeNot Tried0
Wild Weather - Rip TideNot Tried0
Dark Star - The Art of DarknessNot Tried0
Crouch Vale - Brewers GoldNot Tried0
Five Points - Railway PorterNot Tried0
Crouch Vale - Anchor Street PorterNot Tried0
Hardknott - KatalystNot Tried0
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Naked LadiesNot Tried0
Siren Craft - Ryesing Tides IPANot Tried0
Ledbury Real Ales - Ledbury DarkNot Tried0
Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Lord MarplesNot Tried0
Siren Craft - Yu LuNot Tried0

Visits Details

23 Jan 2020 (ChrisE)
My furst visit here, and the last pub on a full day crawl of the area. Definitely the best pub on the tour, we all liked it. Happy two hours with cask ales priced at £3.40.
BeerABVScoreNotes
XT Brewing - Animal Brewing Aardvark4.60Excellent
Five Points - Railway Porter4.80Not Tried
Five Points - Pale4.40Not Tried
Five Points - Best Fuggles Hops4.10Not Tried
07 Jan 2019 (Stephen Harris)
A late evening visit after seeing the superb production of Richard II at the Almeida. The Clapton Craft presence has gone; perhaps it was just a pop-up.
BeerABVScoreNotes
360° - West Coast Pale5.20Excellent
Siren Craft - Under Current4.50Not Tried
360° - Single Hop Amarillo4.10Not TriedA lovely, clear, golden beer. Oranges and lemons.
17 Oct 2018 (Stephen Harris)
The front part of this pub now operates as a bottle shop, under the Clapton Craft banner, which gives a new dimension. On the negative side, there were just three cask beers to choose from tonight, all of which were pale and hoppy. Whilst I was perfectly happy, this kind of beer makes my friend Dave angry and he started to pine for some Doom Bar or GK IPA, so we soon moved on.
BeerABVScoreNotes
XT Brewing - No. 1 Fresh Hop Blonde4.20GoodA green hop version of the usual Blonde, and it was indeed fresh-tasting.
Siren Craft - Yu Lu3.60Not Tried
360° - APA5.00Not Tried
22 Jan 2017 (Stephen Harris)
This pub turns out to be near enough to the Arsenal Stadium to have a big post-match trade, including a contingent from far-away Burnley.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Crouch Vale - El Dorado3.90ExcellentGolden-coloured, single-hop beer. Tasty, and quite full-bodied for its strength.
Hammerton - Blank Slate3.20GoodA well-balanced, pale, easy-drinking sort of beer.
Crouch Vale - Brewers Gold4.00Not Tried
Crouch Vale - Anchor Street Porter4.90Not Tried
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Naked Ladies4.40Not Tried
Ledbury Real Ales - Ledbury Dark3.90Not Tried
24 May 2016 (Blair)
Cool little brewpub with elements of a micropub thrown in. Very quirky and I loved the way the beer was dispensed. I'll come back again when I'm not in such a rush.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Revolutions - Beat Red4.50GoodI think it had been on a couple of days but it was still very pleasant if slightly flat.
13 Aug 2015 (Stephen Harris)
A Tap Takeover by London Fields Brewery – although it is only really a partial takeover, with four casks and two more on keg. I pop in for a quick one in the mid-evening and end up staying for two.
BeerABVScoreNotes
London Fields - Easy IPA5.00GoodA very decent, amber-coloured, IPA in excellent condition on gravity dispense.
Hammerton - Geist Weiss5.00AcceptableCloudy orange/gold. A Wheat IPA. Very wheaty and some hop character, but taste compromised by warm temperature.
Little Valley - Stoodley Stout4.80Not Tried
London Fields - Love Not War4.20Not Tried
Ledbury Real Ales - Ledbury Gold4.00Not Tried
London Fields - Shoreditch Triangle IPA6.00Not Tried
Adnams - Mosaic Pale Ale4.10Not Tried
London Fields - Broadway Blond California Pale5.00Not Tried
Wild Weather - Rip Tide5.00Not Tried
17 Feb 2015 (Stephen Harris)
I’m early to meet a friend at a nearby restaurant and there is time for a couple of quick ones in here. At 6pm I was the only customer, but the pub started rapidly filling around me. Other beers as listed yesterday by thebrewingman.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Crate - Porter4.10ExcellentA bit flat off the stillage, but still an excellent, smooth, chocolaty Porter.
Ledbury Real Ales - Paiute IPA6.00GoodInitially sweet but then bitter. A full hop hit.
16 Feb 2015 (thebrewingman)
Quiet as had only just opened at 4pm on Monday. I really liked everything about this place.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Great Heck - Voodoo Mild4.30Excellent
Five Points - Five Points Pale4.40ExcellentUnrefined version.
Crate - Porter4.10Excellent
Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Lord Marples4.00Not Tried
East London (ELB) - Foundation Bitter4.20Not Tried
Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Red Rascal5.50Not Tried
Hop Stuff - A.P.A. (Arsenal Pale Ale)3.80Not Tried
Southwark - Bermondsey Best4.40Not Tried
Ledbury Real Ales - Paiute IPA6.00Not Tried
09 Nov 2013 (Jack William)
Saturday mid afternoon - busy but not too crowded - good ambience - old blues background music - nice. These do a rack of three thirds - useful.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Otter - Bitter3.60ExcellentExcellent condition, dry with a hint of nuttiness.
Ilkley - Pale4.20GoodPleasant enough, good condition but not very distinctive.
Arbor Ales - Motueka3.80GoodFruity and lively
Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Conservation Bitter4.10AcceptableGood condition but a slightly metallic or medicinal notes - not to my taste.
Hardknott - Katalyst3.80Not Tried
Siren Craft - Ryesing Tides IPA7.40Not Tried
03 Oct 2013 (Stephen Harris)
First night of a weekend beer festival and this pub was quickly filling up during my early evening visit.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Silver Brewhouse (formerly Raw) - Solstice3.80ExcellentGolden, hoppy and fresh-tasting.
London Fields - Harvest Ale 20135.00ExcellentAmber-coloured, robust, green hop beer.
Cornish Crown - IPA5.00ExcellentA classic, English-style IPA. Well-balanced.
Hop Back - Crop Circle4.20Not Tried
Jarrow - Rivet Catcher4.00Not Tried
Titanic - Stout4.50Not Tried
Ilkley - Mary Jane3.50Not Tried
Dancing Duck - 224.30Not Tried
Buxton - Moor Top3.60Not Tried
Rooster's - Fort Smith5.00Not Tried
Hackney - Best Bitter4.40Not Tried
Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Legally Blonde4.00Not Tried
Dark Star - The Art of Darkness3.50Not Tried
Five Points - Railway Porter4.80Not Tried

About the 163 Upper Street (formerly The Taproom)

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional-
Excellent11
Good7
Acceptable2
Poor-

The pub is found in Islington, Central London, N1 1US.

This pub in Upper Street began its life in November 2012 as a pop-up real ale bar, with an expected life-span of just 21 days. By February 2013 it had been announced that the pub had become a permanent fixture. It is a shop conversion on Upper Street, almost opposite Islington Town Hall, with a room that is somewhat longer than it is wide. The bar has four handpumps and a cooled stillage at the rear. Decor is very much the stripped-back, bare walls shabby-chic sort of thing. There is a little yard at the rear, which has genuine German Biergarten trestle tables. Downstairs is a smaller room that is mostly used as a music venue. Relaunched and renamed in summer 2020 as wine bar and kitchen.

We have visited this pub 10 times, seen 53 different beers and tried 19 of them.

Map location

Postcode: N1 1US