Dukes Brew & Que

It seemed like we'd been waiting weeks and when Saturday finally came, this time it wasn't football on my mind but food. Christine and I had booked a table a Dukes Brew & Que a few weeks back, having succumb to our jealousy from the endless tweets in my feed praising the BBQ joint in Haggerston.

Dukes is also the home of Beavertown Brewery which takes it’s name from the old cockney name for the De Beauvoir area of Hackney that the brewery and restaurant resides. Setup in February 2012 by Logan Plant (You might just have heard of his father Robert of Led Zeppelin fame) & friend Byron. Their aim is to "make some damn fine ales"and you can safely say they've achieved that. With a recent collaboration with Brew Dog under their and their 3 bottled beers popping up in establishments all over London.

Situated in an old east end pub, the Beavertown boys have stripped the interior back to its shell, with exposed walls and bare floorboards as well as antlers adorning the walls and chandeliers. Visible from our table to the left was the cramped kitchen as well as the fermenting tanks and other steel brewing paraphernalia, to the right the well stocked bar. A printed menu on each table lists today's draft and cask offerings on our outing including two new additions to the core range Black Betty Black IPA 7% & Hit The Road Jack IPA we tried a pint of each.

The menu its self is simple, really simple, It's pretty much either Beef or Pork with a Veggie Burger thrown in for good measure. Having browsed the menu my choice was made, Beef Rib. With Christine choosing the Trio of Pulled Pork Sliders. We'd barely had a sip of our drinks before meals arrived along with a side of Seasoned Fries. The ribs come coated in a lovely caramelised smoked hickory glaze leaving the meat tender and juicy. The only down side was the amount of fat left, but the amount of meat more than satisfied. The pork sliders come with fried pickles and judging by Christine's reaction were equally as delicious.

Seemingly not quite stuffed by our mains we ordered another beer and a Baked Cheesecake to share. This time Kernel's Table Beer 3.3% ABV amazingly crisp and fruity from a low abv beer. A surprisingly nice match for the velvety baked desert rather than a stout or porter I'd usually consider with desert.
So with that our experience at Dukes was over! Hackney is a part of London I'd never really ventured into before but there's a lot to be discovered, The Sebright Arms, Crate Brewery & London Fields Brewery are all on my list for 2013

If you're planning on hitting up Duke's Brew & Que then I'd recommend booking in advance as the service area is small and your time is often limited to a 1 and 1/2 hour booking.

Dukes Brew & Que: 33 Downham Road, Hackney, London N1 5AA