Last week, I turned up to the wrong pub for a bottle share. Thankfully, the guy running the event, Mauritz, was also at the wrong pub, but with good reason. The Axe in Stoke Newington is his usual stomping ground, but we were due at The Mermaid in Clapton, one of their sister boozers. After a brisk walk past Hackney Downs, we arrived with a minute to spare and settled in with some jars of Kernel IPA. The Mermaid is instantly recognisable as a Graceland pub, from the beer board to the taps, the décor and the selection of beer itself – cosy, classy and crafty.
We spent most of the evening downstairs – a spacious area for overflow and events with gloriously lit fridges on one side. Mauritz had put together a stellar line up of sharing bottles which we made light work of – Stillwater Artisanal Gose Gone Wild, Jester King Gotlandsdricka, Brekeriet Sur Kaskad, De Ranke Vieille Provision, Anspach & Hobday Sea Salt & Chilli Stout, New Belgium Amarillo Le Terroir 2016 and a wax-sealed One Mile End 2014 Black Sour to finish. Top tasting note of the evening goes to Alex from House of Beers for “It smells like a dirty papaya”. I get that all the time. Whilst it was a bit of an industry love-in on this occasion, these epic bottle shares are now open to the public, and held on the last Thursday of every month. Put 22nd February in your diaries and get in touch with Mauritz or The Mermaid staff if you are interested. And if the padron peppers and cheese board we devoured are anything to go by, you should stop by for dinner too!
P.S. I salvaged some scraps of video footage from the night including some slow-motion Mauritz dancing:
The Mermaid – www.themermaidclapton.com
181 Clarence Rd, E5 8EE
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Matt The Tips : Check out The Mermaid’s superb sister pubs – The Axe (Stoke Newington), Earl of Essex (Angel), The King’s Arms (Bethnal Green), The Black Heart (Camden)
