The nation’s first bar dedicated to American craft beers has arrived in Balham, courtesy of Chicago brewer Goose Island Beer Company. Sample the brewery’s core range, from Honkers to Green Line PA, along with more unusual numbers such as Matilda (a Belgian-style pale ale) and Sofie, a farmhouse-type ale aged in wine barrels, infused with orange zest. We recommend ordering a beer flight to put a few to the test. Best of all, there’s a cracking menu of US smokehouse-style dishes to match with the beer. Start, perhaps, with moreish short-rib croquettes or juicy dates stuffed with chorizo, ahead of the decadent pulled goose hash topped with a fried egg. Save space for a slab of Oh My! caramel pie too. The menu may be Yankee, but white tiles and whitewashed wood create an urbane Scandi look that’s miles away from US dive bars or ‘ye olde pub’ ale houses.