A sad sight

The derelict brewkit in the now-misnamed Lamb Brewery pub in Chiswick (formerly the Barley Mow, among other names). Installed in 2012, the brewery ran for barely a year before being closed last October by Mitchells & Butler when it bought the pub from Convivial.Indeed, it closed so fast that I never got to drink here while it was open (though I did try a couple of the ales elsewhere).

I'm told a final decision on the future of the brewery (and on its sibling at The Botanist in Kew) is due in February, when the pubs close for refurbishment, presumably to fit them into M&B's Castle chain. It looks most likely that both will go, especially as both brewers have left, but you never know...

One piece of good news that's come out of it is that the Lamb's former brewer, Conor, has a new job at the George & Dragon in Acton - they're installing the kit to turn this into one of London's newest brewpubs later this year.

Another possible silver lining is that if two smallish brewkits come onto the market around February, we might see two more new London brewpubs before too long. Here's hoping!