Drinking at the Source: London’s Best Brewery Taprooms
13 October 2016 / London
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London is in the midst of a thrilling beer revolution. The city is now home to more than 80 breweries (many which did not exist before 2009), and pubs all over town are converting to craft beer. Beer has a long history in the British capital—it was once the brewing centre of the world—but never before has such variety been available to the suds-loving Londoner.
One of the most exciting developments has been the rise of the brewery taproom. It’s not a new idea, since breweries have had pubs attached to them for many years, but it has been significantly updated under the influence of the American craft-brewing scene. These new breweries are scattered all across the city, and Uber’s range of products in London—includinguberX, uberPOOL, and UberLUX—is one the easiest way to experience a range of different taprooms as quickly and comfortably as possible.
Here’s our selection of five of the best taprooms in London:
Beavertown
Founded in late 2011, Beavertown‘s ascent has been remarkable. Having started in the pokey basement at Duke’s Brew & Que in De Beauvoir, the brewery now occupies a big chunk of industrial estate in Tottenham. Basic facilities are not enough to deter the crowds, who flock up to the brewery on Saturdays to drink staples like Gamma Ray and Neck Oil alongside the brewery’s rarer offerings. Plans are currently afoot to move to a bigger site with a much-improved tap room. (2, Lockwood Industrial Park, N17 9QP)
Brew By Numbers
Bermondsey has become London’s taproom hot spot, with six breweries currently open for on-site drinking on Saturdays. Perhaps the best is Brew By Numbers, which can be found in a railway arch underneath the line running into London Bridge. The simple furniture, which includes wooden tables and chairs and palettes for leaning, belies the quality of their dry, clean, invariably delicious beer. (79 Enid St, SE16 3RA)
Camden Town Brewery
Camden came under fire at the end of 2015 when it was bought by brewing behemoth AB InBev, but it doesn’t appear to have affected the beer (so far). That’s good, because Camden Town Brewery is perhaps London’s best taproom. The beer—whether brewed here or selected from breweries elsewhere—is dispensed from a white, ceramic-tiled wall behind a short bar, and there’s seating inside and out. Camden Town is currently building a huge new brewery in Enfield, but the brewery and taproom in Kentish Town will remain open even once that is complete. The hoppy India Hells Lager is highly recommended. (55-59 Wilkin Street Mews, NW5 3NN)
Howling Hops
There’s a beautiful simplicity to Howling Hops. Ten beers are served from tanks behind the bar, and customers sit on benches beside trellis tables lined up in rows. The menu is straight-forward and meat-focused, and the beer is generally very good. The place makes a wide range of different beers—from pilsners to IPA via Chocolate Stout—and they’re all served in far-bottomed 2/3 of a pint, Czech-style beer jugs. (Unit 9A Queen’s Yard, White Post Ln, E9 5EN)
Mondo Brewing Company
A copper bar, wooden barrels doubling as tables, and a large window with a view into Mondo’s brewhouse help make Mondo Brewing Company the best taproom in southwest London. The beer is important, too, with 15 on offer—from Mondo as well as others—with James’ Brown Ale being the standout of the core offering. The brewery is owned and run by Americans, which explains the (welcome) transatlantic feel. (86 Stewards Road, SW8 4UG)
London is in the midst of a thrilling beer revolution. The city is now home to more than 80 breweries (many which did not exist before 2009), and pubs all over town are converting to craft beer. Beer has a long history in the British capital—it was once the brewing centre of the world—but never before has such variety been available to the suds-loving Londoner.
One of the most exciting developments has been the rise of the brewery taproom. It’s not a new idea, since breweries have had pubs attached to them for many years, but it has been significantly updated under the influence of the American craft-brewing scene. These new breweries are scattered all across the city, and Uber’s range of products in London—includinguberX, uberPOOL, and UberLUX—is one the easiest way to experience a range of different taprooms as quickly and comfortably as possible.
Here’s our selection of five of the best taprooms in London:
Beavertown
Founded in late 2011, Beavertown‘s ascent has been remarkable. Having started in the pokey basement at Duke’s Brew & Que in De Beauvoir, the brewery now occupies a big chunk of industrial estate in Tottenham. Basic facilities are not enough to deter the crowds, who flock up to the brewery on Saturdays to drink staples like Gamma Ray and Neck Oil alongside the brewery’s rarer offerings. Plans are currently afoot to move to a bigger site with a much-improved tap room. (2, Lockwood Industrial Park, N17 9QP)
Brew By Numbers
Bermondsey has become London’s taproom hot spot, with six breweries currently open for on-site drinking on Saturdays. Perhaps the best is Brew By Numbers, which can be found in a railway arch underneath the line running into London Bridge. The simple furniture, which includes wooden tables and chairs and palettes for leaning, belies the quality of their dry, clean, invariably delicious beer. (79 Enid St, SE16 3RA)
Camden Town Brewery
Camden came under fire at the end of 2015 when it was bought by brewing behemoth AB InBev, but it doesn’t appear to have affected the beer (so far). That’s good, because Camden Town Brewery is perhaps London’s best taproom. The beer—whether brewed here or selected from breweries elsewhere—is dispensed from a white, ceramic-tiled wall behind a short bar, and there’s seating inside and out. Camden Town is currently building a huge new brewery in Enfield, but the brewery and taproom in Kentish Town will remain open even once that is complete. The hoppy India Hells Lager is highly recommended. (55-59 Wilkin Street Mews, NW5 3NN)
Howling Hops
There’s a beautiful simplicity to Howling Hops. Ten beers are served from tanks behind the bar, and customers sit on benches beside trellis tables lined up in rows. The menu is straight-forward and meat-focused, and the beer is generally very good. The place makes a wide range of different beers—from pilsners to IPA via Chocolate Stout—and they’re all served in far-bottomed 2/3 of a pint, Czech-style beer jugs. (Unit 9A Queen’s Yard, White Post Ln, E9 5EN)
Mondo Brewing Company
A copper bar, wooden barrels doubling as tables, and a large window with a view into Mondo’s brewhouse help make Mondo Brewing Company the best taproom in southwest London. The beer is important, too, with 15 on offer—from Mondo as well as others—with James’ Brown Ale being the standout of the core offering. The brewery is owned and run by Americans, which explains the (welcome) transatlantic feel. (86 Stewards Road, SW8 4UG)