Bermondsey Beer Mile in London is everything that we love about craft beer! It’s local, creative, unpretentious and the beer is absolutely delicious.
Unlike the classic and cozy pubs in London that serve tepid real ales, the Bermondsey Beer Mile is offering an alternative beer scene. The small batch Bermondsey breweries, which are often informal and industrial, create a range of modern and inventive beers. And, the brewmasters open their doors for thirsty customers to sample what they are currently brewing.
Determined to get a good taste of the burgeoning scene, we joined hipsters and beer lovers for a self-guided London Craft Beer Crawl on the Bermondsey Beer Mile.
What Is The Bermondsey Beer Mile?
The Bermondsey Beer Mile – technically, a mile and a half – refers to the numerous Bermondsey breweries that have popped up along a stretch of elevated train tracks in southeast London.
As early as 2009, brewers started moving into the area to take up residence in the brick railway arches below the tracks. The industrial spaces are bathed in stark light, littered with beer-making supplies and emit the strong aroma of fresh hops.
Note: The craft breweries are not found on Bermondsey Street. While there are a handful of pubs on Bermondsey Street, they are not considered to be part of the Bermondsey Beer Mile.
Bermondsey Bars on the London Beer Mile
The area is now home to several breweries, who open their doors to the public for craft beer consumption. Some of the Bermondsey bars limit their tasting room opening times to just a few hours on weekends; others are open every day of the week. With the various hours and walking distance between breweries, planning a London Craft Beer Crawl takes a little effort…but it is well worth it for a taste of fresh brewed beers.
The Bermondsey London Breweries list is ever changing – breweries open, breweries close and some breweries move to new locations. Furthermore, not all of the Beer Mile Bermondsey craft beer bars brew on site; some are just tasting rooms. That said, all of the London beer bars included in our list are dedicated to local craft beer.
Bermondsey Brewery List
This is a current list of Bermondsey pubs dedicated to craft beer and collectively known as the Bermondsey Beer Mile (at the time of posting – please send us an email or leave a comment with new openings or unfortunate closures so that we can keep the list up to date!).
For each of these pubs in Bermondsey, we provide a Google Maps link to the establishment and offer a small bit of information. The bars are listed from west to east along the Bermondsey Mile. Below, we include a Bermondsey Map of all craft beer bar locations and more tips on how to plan a London Craft Beer Crawl.
Southwark Brewing Co
MAP. Brewing on site, Southwark has a tasting room that is open select days of the week. They pour 6 cask beers and 4 keg brews.
The Barrel Project
MAP. The Barrel Project is a taproom and conditioning space for the London Beer Factory. Located in the Bermondsey arches, they have 24 taps and feature beers from breweries around the world.
Hawkes Cidery and Taproom
MAP. Producing craft cider on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, Hawkes Cidery and Taproom is open five days a week. They also host events – like Cider School and Brewery Tours.
Hiver Beers
MAP. Located near the Maltby Street Market, Hivers Beers and Taproom creates a unique beer with local honey as a main ingredient. Hours are limited to weekends.
Anspach & Hobday
MAP. The Anspach & Hobday Brewery has nine beers on tap and offers bottles for take away, too. Open on Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday days, patrons are permitted to bring in food from the Maltby Street Food Market.
Moor Beer Company
MAP. Brewed in Bristol, Moor Beer Company opened a taproom in the Bermondsey arches to showcase their range of brews. They also have guest taps and host fun events, too.
London Calling Sweden
MAP. London Calling Sweden is a taproom for Swedish craft beer – on draft and in bottles and cans. They also have live music on Fridays.
Cloudwater
MAP. Brewing in Manchester since 2014, the London taproom is open five days a week. They offer a large range of their own beer on draft – as well as guest taps, too.
Brew By Numbers
MAP. Brew By Numbers is a Bermondsey Beer Mile success story. When their original taproom at their brewery at 79 Enid Street outgrew its space, they opened a second taproom a few arches down at #75.
Bianca Road Brew Co
MAP. Established in 2016, Bianca Road Brew Co brews and serves their hoppy West Coast beers from their Enid Street location. They open their doors for tastings five days a week.
The Kernel Brewery
MAP. The Kernel, the original Bermondsey Beer Mile brewer, was at one time so popular that they had to close their taproom and turn it into a take-away bottle shop that was only open for a few hours on Saturdays. Recently, however, they have opened a new taproom near their original brewery location, which is now open five days a week.
Affinity Brew Co
MAP. Known for having a ‘cozy’ taproom and an upstairs perch, Affinity Brew Co offers 6 beers on tap. They have a line of creative beers and are open on Friday evenings and on Saturdays and Sundays.
Spartan Brewery
MAP. Located next door to Affinity Brew Co, Spartan Brewery has limited hours – only opening their taproom doors on Saturdays from noon until 7:00pm.
EeBria
MAP. A beer distributor, EeBria is a fun stop on the Bermondsey Beer Mile with throwback games and a huge range of beers available.
Partizan Brewing
MAP. Established in 2012, Partizan Brewing has been brewing in the same location since the beginning. Their taproom is open on Fridays and Saturdays.
Fourpure Brewing Co
MAP. Fourpure Brewing Co opened their brewery in 2013, upgraded in 2017 and opened an enormous new taproom in 2019. They now offer 43 beers on tap and brewery tours, too!
Planning a Bermondsey Pub Crawl
Going on a London Craft Beer Crawl is one of the top Bermondsey things to do! Trying to make it to all of the bars on the Bermondsey Brewery Mile in one day, however, is quite ambitious. Although, it is not impossible (we would recommend opting for sample-size tastings rather than full glasses of beer!). Revelers who want to attempt a one-day all-in Bermondsey Beer Mile tour can do it…but only on Saturdays when all taprooms are open.
Bermondsey Craft Beer Bar Hours
Each of the Bermondsey bars sets their own hours – and they are widely varied. All of the taprooms are open at some point on Saturdays and most are open on Sundays, too. During the weekdays, many bars are only open for a few hours in the evening, which is important to bear in mind when trying to plan a weekday bar crawl.
Also keep in mind that Saturdays are – by far – the busiest day…and some places get absolutely packed. To avoid large crowds, arrive early (some places open by 10am!) or go on another day when crowds are lighter.
London Craft Beer Crawl Route
We recommend choosing 4 or 5 breweries to include in a Bermondsey beer tour. The route can go in either direction – either east to west or west to east. Public transport information is below with nearby stations.
Visitors can stick rigidly to their list, but we suggest allowing a little room in your plan to deviate along the route into other craft beer bars that might pique your interest as you pass by.
Our London Craft Beer Crawl on the Bermondsey Beer Mile
With a list and a plan, we visited five of the original Bermondsey taprooms on our London Craft Beer Crawl (however, one of the places we visited, UBREW, has sadly recently closed).
Our original plan included three more stops along the route (Anspach & Hobday, Southwark and The Kernel), but we got too late of a start, so we had to adjust our schedule early in the game to ensure we made it to Fourpure at the end. Watching the clock is essential for this London beer crawl!
We list the route and essential information for each stop on our Bermondsey brewery tour below. We also include a Bar Crawl on the Bermondsey Mile Map and transportation information at the end of the post.
BREW BY NUMBERS
Address: 75 Enid Street, London SE16 3RA, MAP. Hours: Wednesday & Thursday 5pm – 10pm | Friday 4pm – 10:30pm | Saturday 12noon – 10pm | Sunday 12noon – 6pm.
Good beer attracts good crowds, which explains why Brew by Numbers was chockablock when we arrived in the early afternoon. We visited the original taproom (which is now only open on Saturdays, but the new taproom at 75 Enid Street is open several days a week). The jolly revelers spilled out onto the patio, where a street food shop was grilling sausages for sale.
PARTIZAN BREWERY
Address: 34 Raymouth Road, South Bermondsey, London SE16 2DB, MAP. Hours: Friday 5pm -11pm | Saturday 11am – 8pm.
At Partizan Brewery, patrons imbibe amongst giant steel tanks in the small standing-room-only space. With a sole focus on making good craft beer, the industrial space seemed to invite a dedicated beer-aficionado crowd rather than partygoers.
EeBRIA
Address: 15 Almond Road, London SE16 3LR, MAP. Hours: Friday 5pm – 9pm (summer only) | Saturday 12:30pm – 8pm.
Not a brewer, but a local craft beer distributor, EeBria pours a variety of micro-brews on a rotating tap. Empty kegs and crate pallets serve as tables and chairs – and an air hockey table provides entertainment.
FOURPURE BREWING
Address: 22 Bermondsey Trading Estate, Rotherhithe New Road, London SE16 3LL, MAP. Hours: Tuesday 12noon – 8pm | Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 12noon – 10pm | Saturday 11am – 8pm | Sunday 12noon – 8pm.
We visited Fourpure Brewing when the taproom was still housed inside the warehouse brewery. In their new space, they have nearly doubled the number of taps (to an astounding 43) and host events, like trivia night, too. Long dedicated to service and consumer’s beer drinking experience, we can only imagine that the new taproom is top notch.
Getting to Bermondsey Beer Mile
It should go without saying that driving to a London Craft Beer Crawl is a terrible idea…especially in London where there are heaps of options for public transport and UBER drivers always nearby.
Public Transportation
Tube Station: Bermondsey Station– Jubilee Line (near the mid-way point)
National Rail Stations:
London Bridge – Southern, Thameslink, Southeastern lines (at the west end)
South Bermondsey – Southern Line (at the east end)
Buses serving the area: C10, 1, 42, 47, 78, 188, 381, P12
Bermondsey Beer Mile Map
This interactive map features all of the craft beer bars on the Bermondsey Beer Mile. Use this link to Google Maps for an online version of the map.
Bermondsey London Map with Craft Beer Crawl Route
Use this link to Google Maps for our original London bar crawl route (which includes the three additional breweries that we didn’t make it to and omits UBREW, which has since closed).
Looking for a classic London pub crawl? Use our guide to the Best Pubs on the Thames!
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