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Our guide to the best breweries on London’s craft brewing scene.
It wasn’t so long ago that London’s brewery scene was, well, a little flat.
Luckily for all of us, those times are gone – these days you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to discovering the city’s ever-growing map of craft breweries.
Need proof? These are the breweries in London you shouldn’t miss. Split out by area – there’s no reason for you not to find your next favourite pint.
Best London Breweries
Breweries Central London
Two Tribes Brewing
King’s Cross
One of just a handful of breweries in Central London, Two Tribes certainly pulls its weight. The brewery serves both their own and guest brews on tap, including Metroland Session IPA and Dream Factory Pale Ale, all from bars made from shipping containers.
There are BBQs planned this summer, along with live DJs and musical guests, and long nights around the brand new fire pit in the centre of the courtyard.
Battersea Brewery
Battersea
Tucked close enough to the south side of the river to just squeak into the Central London breweries category of our guide, Battersea Brewery is run by the team behind Mosaic (great beer in itself).
The brewery and taproom are both located in the old Battersea power station, so the surroundings are pretty impressive and industrial. And you can feel good about how the beautiful old building finally has a new lease of life as you sip on delights like Battersea Brewery Best Bitter and Battersea Brewery Scotch Ale.
Brewdog
Seven Dials
Okay, so we struggled a little with Central London breweries. But, while Brewdog in Seven Dials isn’t technically a brewery in itself, all Brewdog beers are made by the company up near Aberdeen. And what’s a list of London craft breweries without including the company that truly got the masses into fancy beer?
This Brewdog, like all of them, serves favourites like Punk IPA and Hazy Jane alongside guest brews and adventurous experiments. It’s conveniently located for the sights of Covent Garden, and the food is half bad either (especially if you have a veggie or vegan in your party who doesn’t want to be mugged off by another risotto or nonspecific curry).
Breweries East London
Five Points
Hackney
Hackney has a lot of old industrial buildings, and once upon a time, long ago, it was cheap. Well, cheap for London anyway. And that’s why so many London breweries made their home there!
One of those is Five Points, who’ll give you a feel for their story with a brewery tour, and who run some pretty cool community events out of their backyard.
In the summer, the huge back area is also an extension of the tap room, with ACE pizza served hot from the pizza oven. Five Points’ beers are varied, with a great Juicy IPA and a few really interesting small-batch and microbrew options always available too.
Hackney Brewery
Walthamstow
Somewhat confusingly, Hackney Brewery is actually in Walthamstow. But, it’s a big city. Close enough.
The tap room is at High Hill, Black Horse Lane, which is a brand new and bigger location for this up and coming craft beer company. Their beers may have caught your eye for some creative naming. Best sellers include Boogie Van (an IPA, obviously), and Kapow! Pale ale.
Meantime
Greenwich
Another London Brewery that wouldn’t be out of place in the states, Meantime offer brewery tours, a taproom, and a menu of excellent burgers and wings. Named after… well… Greenwich Meantime, Aka, the time, these guys have been brewing in the East End for over twenty years.
You’ll probably recognise their London Pale Ale and London Lager, as both have been a favourite at any pub with even a passing interest in good craft beer for years now.
CRATE Brewery and taproom
Hackney Wick
Crate is a London brewery favourite of ours. And that’s partly about the beer, partly about the huge warehouse location in the heart of Hackney Wick, and quite a lot about the really, really good stonebaked pizza they serve.
As it’s right by the RIver Lea, you have the option to sit outside next to the water to enjoy your Crate lager, pale ale or IPA, and of course that excellent pizza. There’s plenty of space inside too, on the first floor of the White Building, which is about as Hackney Wick as it is possible to get without physically transforming into an extra from Nathan Barley.
Breweries South London
Brixton Brewery
Brixton
Probably one of the most famous London breweries we’re covering in this piece, Brixton Brewery is well known for its Atlantic pale ale, and its Low Voltage session ale. Both can be found in pubs across London and beyond.
The taproom is well positioned by Brixton market, which means it’s within easy tipsy-walking distance of all the delights of food, drink and music this corner of South London has to offer.
Cronx
Croydon
Yes, Croydon has craft beer now. In fact, Croydon has its own craft brewery in the form of Cronx. Their canned lagers are particularly lovely due to a real attention to detail in design.
The Pop Up! IPA has a fun Brit Pop, cool Britannia thing going on. So, even if you’re drinking pints in the taproom of this London microbrewery, grab yourself a few extra for home from the attached bottle shop!
Anspach & Hobday
Bermondsey and Croydon
This South London craft brewery is anything but ordinary. They make exceptional beer with really lovely packaging, including classics like a really popular pale ale, a whole load of exciting collaborations with other breweries, and specials like a sloe and juniper sour.
Anspach & Hobday are a Bermondsey company making beer in Croydon. Their main taproom is on the iconic beer mile in Bermondsey, and they have another bar at their brewery in Croydon. Essentially, wherever you are in South London, you’re not far from Anspach & Hobday.
BBNo
Bermondsey
Another Bermondsey classic, this craft brewery in South London make fantastic beer including extremely fancy farmhouse ales and a lovely double mosaic IPA.
Although the tap room is based in Bermondsey, you can also grab BBNo beers at the Peckham barrel store and, of course, online. Peckham is all about sours and aged beers, so it’s definitely a destination for brave beer drinkers. If you just want to hang out and drink great beer with friends, then head to Bermondsey.
Gipsy Hill
Gipsy Hill
Gipsy Hill Brewery have had a bumper year, and as of just a few months ago are the only brewery in this guide to be totally employee owned. As those employees are the people who brought this brewery success with beers like Hepcat IPA and Hunter helles lager over the last few years, we have no doubt they’ll continue to go from strength to strength.
The taproom at their Gipsy Hill location features ever-changing guest food vendors, a yard for outdoor drinking, and six taps of delicious Gipsy Hill beer. So, what are you waiting for? Get down there while the sun is shining.
Brick Brewery
Peckham
Under the arches at Peckham Rye, is one of London’s best breweries: Brick Brewery. It can become a bit of a party spot at weekends and on summer evenings, which isn’t a surprise given its position pretty much across from the Bussey Building and a stone’s throw (if you’re really good at throwing) from Peckham Rye.
Brick serves sop-it-all-up food like loaded fries out the front of the taproom, and both their IPA and their sour are really fantastic.
Dog’s Grandad
Brixton
Dog’s Grandad is a bit of a newcomer to the London brewery scene, first opening its doors in 2021. It’s just a small operation but they have plenty that you brewery lovers might be interested in.
For one, all their beer is vegan. They also only use natural ingredients, so no chemicals and nothing added other than what a brew needs. That is supposed to mean their beer will give you less of a hangover the next day, though as far as we’re concerned the jury is still out on that one.
Villages Brewery
Deptford
This south London brewery was founded by two brothers back in 2016. Since then Archie and Louis Village (that’s their name, not a place) have gone on to build a bit of a cult following for their beers.
You’ll find them in a fair few pubs around south London, and in a lot of pubs in Deptford. Should you live in a part of the city that hasn’t been reached by the brothers’ brews yet they run a nice taproom where you can go to try the lot of them.
Brockley Brewery
Brockley
Another of south London’s small-but-mighty breweries comes in the form of Brockley Brewery. We (and many of the locals that can’t get enough of these folks) love them because of their range of beers.
They don’t just stick to the usual parade of hoppy IPAs and lagers. They also dip into the casque world and bottle up some ales too. On top of that they come out with some pretty creative beers, none of which have ever disappointed.
The Hither Green taproom has a nice patch of outdoor seating with deck chairs for sunny days and on occasion) fire pits for the colder nights.
Orbit Beers
Walworth
Tucked under the railway arches in Walworth you’ll find another south London brewery that’s definitely worth having on your radar. It’s Orbit Beers. The story of this place begins with a road trip…
The founder and his best bud set out to hit every brewery in Scotland. They managed it and came away with a book (The Tea Leaf Paradox: Discovering Beer in the Land of Whisky) and a brewery.
The beers you’ll be sipping are the result of the latter, and a good healthy dose of passion for traditional European brewing techniques.
Breweries North London
Redemption Brewing Company
Tottenham
Redemption Brewing Company are more hard-edged than many London breweries. Their Tottenham taproom is somewhat rough and ready, but that’s how their customers like it, and it doesn’t take away from the quality of beers like their Rhinelander Lager.
Yes, perhaps they could learn a little about marketing and packaging from their neighbours in Hackney, but then everyone would find out about this diamond in the rough and you wouldn’t be able to get a seat on a Friday night to sip beer and chow down on street food.
Hammerton Brewery
Islington
Hammerton Brewery in Islington is another one of our favourite London breweries. It’s set in an ex-industrial building with concrete floors, long benches, fussball and (best of all) food trucks….
The food they serve rotates regularly but you’re pretty much guaranteed to have some cool London pop-up dishing out something yummy. Both kids and dogs are welcome at Hammerton, but though it’s a large space it can fill up on Fridays and Saturdays so book ahead if you can.
Beavertown Brewery
Tottenham
Beavertown is one of the most popular breweries in London. You’ll see their beer on taps in pretty much every pub you walk into.
Best known for their Neck Oil IPA, which you can get in pretty much every pub worth its salt in the country. At their Tottenham taproom they also offer their lager, Beavo, several other IPAs, and even a couple of sours.
The huge outdoor space is great for sunny-day drinking, so it’s an easy summer hit. They even have visiting street food vendors on a rotating basis, so you can get cajun food or chips and pitta to soak up all the beer.
Breweries West London
Portobello Brewing
Kensal Town
This cool West London brewery, Portobello Brewing, has been making beer since 2012, and supplies trendy pubs all over the city. T
he brewery has no taproom – there’s a reason most breweries in this guide are in the southern and eastern reaches of London. Well, two reasons: money and space. – but you can try their London Pilsner, Stiff Lip American IPA, and more at The Hack & Hop in Whitefriars, or King & Co in Clapham.
London Breweries: Practical Tips
- The best way to really get to the bottom of what a brewery is all about is to take a tour of their site. Many of the places in this guide will offer the chance to do just that. Check their websites for more information.
- It’s unlikely that you’ll need to book tables at a taproom but if it’s a special occasion or generally busy time (public holidays, sunny days) you might want to call ahead and see if you can reserve a spot for when you arrive.
- If you’re a fan of the beer you’re drinking you can usually buy a few extra cans at the taprooms and breweries to take home with you.
