It is fashionable these days, among the consciously unfashionable, to give hipsters a hard time.

We may not all want to discuss sourdough bread but one thing I shall love the beardy d***heads (Will Self’s scholarly word, not mine) for is their appreciation of a good beer.

By championing craft brews and in turn getting them into pubs, they have made ordering and drinking at many a bar more enjoyable.

So while we don’t necessarily want too many of them buzzing around our non-organic food, they serve a purpose. Like wasps.

Antic pubs are beloved of the hipster (though it’s not just them), and no wonder – I was spoilt for choice at Job Centre in Deptford.

While most pubs have a number of pumps and taps, there is a theme of duplication and often a few ‘safe’ names. Not so at Job Centre where the variety was staggering. And that’s before we got to the bottles or wines and spirits.

My pint of Rocksteady cider was potent, still and cloudy, a little bit like a delicious but brutal squash. At £3.70 it was reasonable, too.

Naturally, serving trendy drinks means trendy surroundings. But hipsters, of course, don’t like trendy as in London Fashion Week (thank god), they like trendy as in ‘half finished’.

Consequently, both the concrete flooring and ceiling with all its electricals, were exposed. It didn’t impress me much.

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The retro elements, I did enjoy – a kicking soul soundtrack, old typewriters and projectors, and a 70s orange and blue colour scheme.

As far as I was concerned, I liked the bits they’d finished.

Of course, as the name suggests, the building used to be a job centre and this is paid lip service by an actual jobs board and one or two other little touches.

Aside from a clutch of happy older mods, one with a delightful Hywell Bennett mullet, the clientele was largely friendly trendy youngsters, some of whom I heard discussing World of Warcraft.

At one stage, a whole pile of them spilled through the doors gasping ‘Oh my gosh, this is sooo nice?’

And welcome. No doubt the doors to Deptford’s Job Centre have seen quite a few young people over the years but it is mightily pleasing now that the faces crossing the threshold and happy, healthy and able to part with money rather than needing a hand out.

Maybe one or two could spend a bit of their beer money on new jeans, though – a few of the chaps in particular had clearly grown out of theirs.

Job Centre, 120-122 Deptford High Street, SE8 4NS

How it rated:

Decor*** Half decent, half derelict

Atmosphere **** Friendly, bright young things

Drink ***** Impressive range

Price *** OK

Staff **** Smiley and efficient