Promoting an international beer culture that recognises and celebrates beers of quality, distinctiveness and local character, brewed with care and passion.
Best beer and travel writing award 2015, 2011 -- British Guild of Beer Writers Awards
Accredited Beer Sommelier
Writer of "Probably the best book about beer in London" - Londonist
"A necessity if you're a beer geek travelling to London town" - Beer Advocate
"A joy to read" - Roger Protz
"Very authoritative" - Tim Webb.
"One of the top beer writers in the UK" - Mark Dredge.
"A beer guru" - Popbitch.
By the end of 2007, there were nine commercial breweries operating in London, including five brewpubs. One was part of a multinational group (M). These breweries were:
Anheuser-Busch UK (Stag, Anheuser-Busch M) SW14, Richmond upon Thames
2 openings and revivals, 1 closure, net change +1.
By the end of 2008, there were 10 commercial breweries operating in London, including five brewpubs. One was part of a multinational group (M). These breweries were:
AB InBev UK (Stag, AB InBev M) SW14, Richmond upon Thames
Cock and Hen SW6, Hammersmith & Fulham, brewpub: see Florence.
Other changes
Anheuser-Busch is taken over by Belgo-Brazilian group InBev to become AB InBev. The Stag brewery is slated for closure but this is subsequently postponed.
After a three-year gap, Sweet William is revived under new ownership as Brodie’s Fabulous Beers.
For definitions of a London brewery, see the current London breweries page.
By the end of 2009, there were 12 commercial breweries operating in London, including five brewpubs. One was part of a multinational group (M). These breweries were:
AB InBev UK (Stag, AB InBev M) SW14, Richmond upon Thames
By the end of 2010, there were 14 commercial breweries operating in London, including five brewpubs. One was part of a multinational group (M). These breweries were:
AB InBev UK (Stag, AB InBev M) SW14, Richmond upon Thames
By the end of 2011, there were 22 commercial breweries operating in London, including eight brewpubs. One was part of a multinational group (M). These breweries were:
AB InBev UK (Stag, AB InBev M) SW14, Richmond upon Thames
Closed brewery 10 Abenglen, Betam Road, Hayes UB3 1SS (Hillingdon) First sold beer: March 2002 Ceased brewing: by end 2007
On an industrial estate near the Grand Union Canal, this brewery was created by the owners of the Old Kent Brewery in Borough Green, Kent, which itself had been founded in August 2000. It used 16 hl kit formerly at pioneering Manchester brewpub Mash & Air. The two companies operated separately, and the parent closed in 2003.
Despite achieving some success in getting bottled beer into supermarkets under US-born head brewer Tom Madeiros, Grand Union also ceased in 2007, just before the recent reinvigoration of London brewing. Tom had already moved on to Twickenham Fine Ales in 2005. The kit went to Betwixt Brewing in Birkenhead, now Peerless.
Closed brewery 43 Glycena Road SW11 5TP (Wandsworth) First sold beer: 2001 Ceased brewing: 2007
An unrelated company to the present Battersea Brewery or to previous bearers of the name, this was founded by Stephen Nockolds and achieved some success in the early part of the 21st century, with its beers available in some major supermarkets.
I’ve been unable to confirm exactly when it stopped brewing. Stephen left in 2007 to become a management consultant and there was little activity after this. Duncan Sambrook tried to make contact when setting up his own brewery nearby in 2008, with no success.
Beer firm yeastieboys.co.nz Active since: September 2015 in UK, 2008 in New Zealand.
A pioneer of the now-flourishing New Zealand craft scene, this punningly named outfit was founded in Wellington by Stu McKinlay and Sam Possenniskie. It has always cuckoo brewed even in its home territory, and in 2015 Stu relocated to London to extend the brand. The beers have been brewed at several locations including BrewDog at Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland; West Berkshire near Reading; and most recently at Utopian in Devon.
Stu has become a familiar and influential figure on the London scene, and now claims to lead “the world’s smallest multinational” with a similar operation in Australia. A popup Bermondsey taproom began late in 2019 and there are plans for a more substantial dedicated outlet.
Brewery, no visitors please Richmond TW9 (Richmond upon Thames) workshybrewing.co.uk First sold beer: September 2021
Originally active at UBREW from August 2018, this Australasian duo subsequently cuckoo-brewed at Kew (now CTZN), Portobello and outside London at Glen Affric, though developed the recipes on a pilot kit at home in Richmond.
In summer 2021, they upgraded to a 2 hl home kit and began producing small commercial runs as well as cuckoo-brewing. There’s a long-term aspiration for a larger space with a taproom.
Beers are in keg, can and bottle, mainly sold through local outlets like the Tap Tavern in Richmond.
Founded by retired Saracens rugby players Alistair Hargreaves and Chris Wyles in a quest for better but still accessible lager, Wolfpack initially brewed its lager at Greene King in Bury St Edmunds.
The company has since added other brands such as a pale ale, with some beers brewed at another Greene King subsidiary, Belhaven, at Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. Though it has a partnership with Greene King, it remains independently owned and uses other, undisclosed, brewing partners too.
The beer is widely available in keg and can, including from the duo’s three London bars and from a double decker bus parked outside the ground at Saracens games.
This pioneering new book explains what makes cask beer so special, and explores its past, present and future. Order now from CAMRA Books. Read more here.
London’s Best Beer
The fully updated 3rd edition of my essential award-winning guide to London’s vibrant beer scene is available now from CAMRA Books. Read more here.
