The Bree Louise near Euston Station is in the Good Beer Guide and well-loved by the local CAMRA branch. Beer bloggers, on the whole, haven’t been impressed — here’s what Tandleman, Jeff, Ally and The Beer Nut had to say.
We popped in on a Friday night and wondered if perhaps the management had taken the online slaggings-off to heart. It was full, with plenty of ‘normal’ after work types chatting outside or munching on pies. There were some students, some academics and some tourists. Quite a mix, in short.
It didn’t smell, and, although the decor was a bit tired-looking, the place was very clean. The mostly very young bar staff all looked like they were in the same indie band and were positively charming.
As for drinks, we started with a couple from Moorhouse. Witch’s Cauldron was sweet with a delicious bite at the end. Witchfinder General was also pleasant enough.
We then went for two extremes in one round — Bateman’s Dark Mild (3%) and Otley 8 (8%). The mild was fruity and sour (should it have been?) but, in all honesty, on the borderline of being bland. The Otley was syrupy and reminded us of Fuller’s Golden Pride, but with citrusy hops at the end. It would have been better in a nice glass (the half pint tumbler strikes again) but we really enjoyed it nonetheless.
We suspect we saw the Bree Louise at its best but, on this showing, will be coming back again some time.
Not all online beer types have a downer on the Bree Louise — there’s a more positive take from Kake et al here.