London’s Bohem Brewery is bringing its Czech-stye beers south of the Thames with the opening of its third venue, the Queen’s Arms in Battersea.
Bohem took on the pub’s lease earlier this year and has reopened it following an extensive refurbishment. The Queen’s Arms now serves a range of beers brewed in authentic Czech style at the Bohem Brewery in Tottenham, as well as cask ales from selected London independent brewers.
The Queen’s Arms, on St Philip Street, SW8, joins the Nicholas Nickleby in Finsbury Park and the original Bohem Brewery Tap Room in Bowes Park as a brewery-managed venue, with trained bar staff pouring and serving beer in the ‘proper’ Czech style.
Beer dispense at the Queen’s Arms has been enhanced with the installation of 10 Lukr side-pour taps, imported from a specialist Czech manufacturer, which pour beer directly from a cold storage room. There is also a handpull for a rotating guest cask beer.
The pub also has a Czech “chladici vana”, or cooler bath, for glassware. This ensures that lagers are served in clean, cold glasses, removing the temperature change between the cold room and the tap, and so serving the beer in optimum condition.
The refurbishment of the pub has been overseen by Jakub Mikusinec, general manager of both the Queen’s Arms and the Nicholas Nickleby.
He said: “We’re delighted to be bringing Bohem’s unique combination of authentic Czech beers served in a classic British pub setting to south London.
“The Queen’s Arms has had a chequered history in recent years and had been closed since 2022. The refurb was a daunting project at times, but it was important that, as with the Nicholas Nickleby, we kept it as a genuine London pub, rather than a Czech-style beer hall. The Czech twist comes from our beer dispense system, as well as from our beers themselves.”
All Bohem beers are brewed using imported double decoction brewing kit, and traditionally lagered at low temperature for a minimum of six weeks. The drinks range also includes imported Czech wine, alongside premium spirits. A range of bar food is also on offer.
Mikusinec added: “We’re enjoying welcoming locals back to the Queen’s Arms, which has been much missed by the community, and we’re also pleased to be giving the South London craft beer community an opportunity to enjoy our beers, authentically brewed, stored and served in the Czech style, alongside great cask ales.”
