The Dog House Pub, Croydon… a quiet, contented, friendly feel

In the uncertain future, sky-rocketing energy bills and price rises may change the pub landscape forever.

Some estimates predict up to a staggering 70 per cent of pubs could close without Government intervention.

Even established multimillion-pound players, such as Brewdog, have made the decision to close some bars.

So, in these choppy waters, it was a surprise to notice a new pub opening nearby.

And with a radar for new pubs opening even more finely calibrated than a teenager’s attention to a new iPhone’s release, notice it I did.

There was no publicity, no Instagram, but through the mysterious beery grapevine I learned that The Dog House had appeared in a suburb of Croydon a few weeks ago. I had to get down there.

I have written about micropubs before – curious little places usually occupying the site of former shops in high-streets. In this case, it was (suitably) a former dog-grooming shop.

There are common features; simplicity, beer pulled by cask on gravity, a modest but well-selected choice of beer snacks, a passionate set of relatives running the bar.

This was very much in that vein. A few pictures on the wall were about boxing and old comedy films.

There were about six cask ales and cider available, and the owner disappeared in the back to deliver up the lovely, foamy fresh cask ale pulled straight from the cask.

The best thing about these places is that there is no such thing as a bad pint.

A couple of pints from Reigate’s Pilgrim brewery went down a treat. It was a nice touch to see the casks through a window.

Sometimes these places have invisible rooms to store the beer, which somehow seems more suspicious.

In one place, the barman even took my bank card into a back room, which made me immediately check my account.

According to the Micropub app there are 948 micropubs currently in operation.

With fewer overheads, these could be the future of the pub.

The Dog House’s opening certainly caused a bit of a stir.

“The first-time people walk in here, they go crazy, taking loads of photos” the owner said to me.

I’m sure these are CAMRA (Campaign For Real Ale) types, but it does feel exciting when you walk in.

It’s just a little unusual, although similar to what pubs were hundreds of years ago, when they were basically extensions of people’s front rooms.

Perhaps a downside of these pubs is that the one-room makes you feel a bit “on show” when you walk in, harder to shake off unsolicited conversations.

But it had a quiet, contented, friendly feel to it too.

I had another pint, wonderful again, and I was already eyeing my third. I would walk into another dog house when I got home.

The Dog House, 14 The Broadway, Beddington, Croydon CR0 4QR

 

Pictured: The Dog House. Picture: Bill Lacy