Tap East, Stratford

Tucked away in a quiet little corner at the Stratford International end of Westfield shopping centre is the brew pub called Tap East. People who I have taken to this pub are initially surprised by the fact there is a pub with decent beer within the shopping centre. I then show them the brewery area (situated behind floor to ceiling windows) and that really blows their mind! 

There are normally at least four beers brewed by Tap East available, three on cask and one on keg. The beers rotate with reasonable frequency and their stock range is high quality. I'll normally stick to the Tap East beer when I'm there or have at least one of theirs if more than one pint is on the cards. I must admit that I normally stick to either Tap East's Tonic Ale, or IPA if they are on and as such have only really had tasters of the others. I have not been disappointed with any of the Tap East brewed beers. Both the Tonic Ale and IPA are highly recommended. Tonic ale is my favourite. It's light straw in colour, with a fresh and light flavour profile. The slight citrus zing at the end cleanses the palate leaving you ready for the next sip.

Recently, Tap East brewed a Dry Hopped lager which blew me away! It was one of the finest balanced dry hopped lagers I've tasted. Adnams Jack Brand was previously my favourite, but I was blown away by the flavour profile of the Tap's one. I cannot wait for them to brew more! Unfortunately this may not happen for a while (according to their head brewer) as lagering ties up one of their tanks for a lot longer than when brewing the other beers. But if it does come on, I'll be first in line for a pint! 

I realise I've talked extensively on Tap East's own brand beer. Obviously  that's not all they sell. There is a fine range of beers on keg an cask. The throughput is high enough that the range changes quite often. There are two lagers which stay on all the time. Both are brilliant. The first is Frontier Lager by Fullers. It's a decent, albeit a bit commercial, craft lager. The second is Berliner Pilsner by Berliner-Kindl-Schultheiss-Brauerei. It's an excellent German Pilsner. It's my main recommendation to people who don't fancy any of the craft beers on offer. 

Food-wise, the pub does serve food most weekdays. It's a simple menu of sandwiches, chilli (meat and vegetarian), and nachos. Don't let the simplicity of the menu fool you, the one time I've eaten there was to have a sausage sandwich. It was delicious!

In conclusion, I highly recommend Tap East. Their beer selection is excellent. The staff are knowledgeable, and you can see beer being brewed right there in front of you! What more could you want?!


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