The Best Breweries In London, UK

London is one of the most visited cities in the world. On top of its roughly 9 million inhabitants, it’s safe to say there are plenty of thirsty people looking for a tasty pint.

We’ve put together a list of the 10 best breweries in London. This vibrant beer scene collectively pushes the boundaries of British beer.

Explore some of these excellent breweries while in London and witness the city’s historic beer tradition soaring to new heights.

• The Kernel Brewery
• The Five Points Brewing Company
• Anspach & Hobday
• Beavertown Brewery
• Brick Brewery
• Southwark Brewing Company
• Partizan Brewing
• Fourpure Brewing Co.
• Macintosh Ales
• Boxcar Brewery

The Kernel Brewery

Since 2009, The Kernel has brought its forward-looking brewing philosophy to the citizens of London. Located along the Bermondsey Beer Mile, they specialize in contemporary beers with a distinct nod to tradition.

Bright hop expression is a common theme among many of their beers. Pale ales, IPAs, and hoppy porters are bursting with New World hop complexity. Mixed fermentation beers and lagers are also prominent at The Kernel.

They’re masters at mouthfeel, opting to bottle condition even their hoppy beers with great success. With a strong craft beer legacy already cemented, The Kernel is easily one of the best breweries in the country.

The Five Points Brewing Company

Hackney brewery Five Points have been crafting its blend of traditional and modern styles since 2013. Champions of Britain’s cask ale revival, make standout classic beers but with a future-proof brewing mindset.

Five Points puts care and dedication behind each of its beers. Their best bitter, called Five Points Best, showcases the very finest of British ingredients. It’s got textured maltiness with a delicate hop complexity in the form of herbaceous earthiness. Truly one of the best modern cask ales available.

Anspach & Hobday

Starting out on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, neighbor to The Kernel, Anspach & Hobday have been brewing their take on classic styles since 2013. They’ve since expanded operations, opening a large-scale brewery and taproom in Croydon.

Anspach & Hobday love putting their own spin on underrepresented, heritage styles. Their flagship beer is a porter (The Porter) with intense coffee notes balanced by a silky body and light, bitter finish. You’ll also find takes on continental styles like hefeweizen, rauchbier, and some sour ales.

Beavertown Brewery

Beavertown has been brewing modern, American-style beer since 2011. They exploded onto the British craft scene with loud, colorful graphics and a focus on hop-forward ales.

After a somewhat controversial acquisition by Heineken in 2018, craft beer lovers were skeptical of the future of the brewery. So far, the beer quality is still great and the distribution is far-reaching. You can easily find Neck Oil, their famed session IPA, across London and beyond.

They’ve also partnered with the Tottenham Hotspur football club, opening a brewpub connected to the 62,850-capacity stadium. They’ve safely cemented their brand among the most important in London and the U.K. in general.

Brick Brewery

Brick Brewery started out of a modest space at Peckham Rye station, in South East London, in 2013. They’ve since expanded and moved operations to nearby Deptford. The original location still remains a taproom where you can taste their exceptional lineup.

Brick brews an approachable range of beers that please both craft beer fans and macro drinkers. Their Peckham Rye, a 4.7% ABV rye pale ale, is classically West Coast but with a decidedly British fullness and balanced bitterness.

On top of their core range of pale ales and lagers, they have an exciting rotation of kettle sours. They experiment with unique flavor combinations – like the sour ale with Blackberry and Ginger – to keep things fun and seasonal.

Southwark Brewing Company

Another spot located along the Beer Mile, Southwark offers a balanced lineup of classic ales and American-style hoppy beer. Best bitters, pale ales, and porters are offered on cask and keg, with each beer being modest in alcohol but big on flavor.

LPA – London Pale Ale – is their fusion of British and American brewing traditions. At 4.0% ABV and served on a cask, it’s bright, light, and smooth while accented with modern American hops Citra and Simcoe.

Southwark’s commitment to cask ale and keen ambition to keep pushing flavor boundaries, make them a must-visit when in the Bermondsey area.

Partizan Brewing

Another Bermondsey staple, Partizan has been crafting American-style and contemporary beers since 2012. With a penchant for showcasing bold flavors but keeping drinkability high, they’re a favorite among London’s craft beer diehards.

Originally with a focus on all things hoppy, Partizan now offers outstanding Euro-influenced beers. Try their excellent saisons, German ales, and pilsners. With their striking graphic design and well-produced brews, Partizan has etched out a name for themselves as a London craft beer icon.

Fourpure Brewing Co.

Focusing on straightforward, drinkable, and accessible beers seems to speak to people. Fourpure’s ethos of keeping it simple has earned them hoards of passionate fans since 2013.

Also along the Bermondsey Beer Mile, Fourpure makes a few core beers that are deliciously paired down. Lower in alcohol, no over-the-top flavors… just great easy drinking beer. Like their Session IPA, a 4.2% ABV bright and tropical thirst quencher. On the darker side, their oatmeal stout is elegantly balanced, pillowy, and comforting, and goes down all too smooth.

Macintosh Ales

In a landscape heavily influenced by American brewing, it’s refreshing to find producers dedicated to British beer. Macintosh Ales is a small, artisanal brewer of real ale. Strictly bottle conditioned or served on cask, their delicate beers will remind you of simpler times.

With two beers, Pale Ale and Best Bitter, Macintosh showcase British Maris Otter malt and a selection of the finest British hops. For Best Bitter, Fuggle and Golding hops provide subtle grassy and earthy notes balanced by a smooth, biscuity body. The Pale Ale has a bright and aromatic hop profile highlighting a rotating singular Kentish hop.

Though production is small, you can find Macintosh Ales at some of London’s finest pubs and bottle shops. Delicious, refined beers meant to be consumed with food and friends.

Boxcar Brewery

Influenced by the NEIPA wave, Boxcar Brewery makes deliciously soft and juicy beers out of their Homerton brewery and taproom. Their sharp branding and hype-friendly hop combinations are Instrammable, yes, but the beer speaks for itself: it’s top-notch.

Textured and saturated IPA and DIPA frequently get the DDH treatment. Bursting with tropical and dank hoppiness, these beers are complex yet drinkable. But Boxcar isn’t all hops, they also produce an exceptional range of British styles, notably their delightfully malty dark mild.