Also known as Dragonfly, Portobello at the George
Brewpub no longer brewing
183 High Street W3 9DJ (Ealing)
georgeanddragonacton.co.uk
First sold beer: May 2014 (as Dragonfly)
Ceased brewing: January 2019 (as Portobello at the George)
Now Acton’s oldest building, the George is a coaching inn likely created by knocking two 17th century houses together, and happily escaped the rebuilding mania of late Victorian times. Once a Courage house, in 2006 it was taken on and restored by the beer-friendly Remarkable Restaurants chain. In 2014, a gleaming 8 hl microbrewery with stacked fermenters was installed in the barn-like space at the back which is now the main bar. Conor Donoghue, previously at the Lamb and Botanist brewpubs (see Brewhouse and Kitchen), was the initial head brewer, working under the Dragonfly brand.
In September 2014, Conor became head brewer at Carlow Brewing Co in Ireland and brewing at the pub gradually became more erratic. It continued on an occasional basis into 2017 through a linkup with Clouded Minds in Warwickshire, which had sometimes cuckoo-brewed here in its early days. In June 2018, Portobello brewery nearby took over operations, with a plan for the pub to become an unofficial brewery tap selling its core brands as well as house-brewed short runs and specials. Following technical problems with the equipment, this arrangement was broken off early in 2019. The brewhouse is still in place but at the last report it hadn’t yet been restored to working order.
Updated 6 January 2020
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