Closed brewpub
Lion Inn, 182 Pawsons Road, Croydon CR0 2QD (Croydon)
First sold beer: December 1981
Ceased brewing: 1986
The Burke Family installed a 10 hl brewery, likely full mash, at the Lion Inn in Croydon in 1981 to supply the pub and two other free houses they owned in central London.
Output was in cask, with three bitters: Original (around 3.5%), Croydon Bitter (around 3.8%) and Best Bitter (around 4.2%).
The initiative proved a little more long-lasting than other brewpub startups of the period, and only ended in 1986 when the heating system blew. At this point, the owners apparently decided that repair or replacement wasn’t financially justified, and production was never revived.
The kit was subsequently sold and part of it was reused by Welton’s in Surrey (1995-2021). Burke’s brands were cuckoo brewed at Godson’s for some time afterwards.
The pub continued to trade, though it didn’t reopen following the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns and is currently for sale.
Updated 7 June 2024.
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