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.
Beer firm, planned brewpub 13 Wagtail Walk SE2 9FE (Bexley) rockleopardbrewing.com Active since: November 2018
Founded by Stacey Ayeh, who has a background both in alcohol distribution and in brewing at London Fields and elsewhere, this company based in Greenwich borough is currently cuckoo brewing at various locations including Drop Project, Villages, Altarnum in Cornwall and Missing Link in West Sussex.
Following a successful crowdfunding round in May 2022, Stacey located a unit at the new development of Cygnet Square, Thamesmead. The plan is for a community-focused 15 hl brewery and taproom which will work with nearby Shooters Hill College to provide NVQ training facilities.
Following numerous delays, the taproom was finally granted a license in February 2024, though Bexley Council made a mistake in the hours, which didn’t cover evenings or Sundays. This should soon be put right, hopefully paving the way for a spring opening.
Beer firm roaringfour.com Active: September 2015 to late 2019
Started by four homebrewing friends, one British and the others from New Zealand, this first brewed at London Beer Lab in 2015 and also used the facilities at Altarnun in Cornwall and 71 Brewing in Dundee. One of the four, Nick Thomas, owns Craft Beer Cabin in South Norwood.
Originating in a collaboration with Marble Brewery in Manchester linked with an art exhibition during Manchester Beer Week, this is a collaborative project to promote greater diversity, acceptance, and visibility of LGBTQ+ people in the beer and brewing industries, and to raise money for relevant charities. It’s led by London-based artist, beer writer and educator Lily Waite.
Beers are one-off collaborations with a variety of partners in the UK (including Affinity and Brick in London), US and Scandinavia.
Brewpub no longer brewing Project 88, Beer + Burger Willesden, 88 Walm Lane NW2 4QY beerandburgerstore.com First sold beer: October 2017 Ceased brewing: by early 2019
Staff member Steve Law began brewing under the name Project 88 for Beer + Burger on a tiny kit at the Willesden branch in 2017. Steve moved on and his role was taken by Milo Oddi. Demand expanded as the chain grew, so the beers were often contracted, to One Mile End or Hop Kettle in Swindon. The brand was dropped in 2019, though B+B continued to participate in collaboration brews exclusively stocked in the bars.
Milo launched his own cuckoo project, the Standard Brew Co, in July 2021, brewing at One Mile End. The company focuses on IPAs but pursues variety within the broad style. Besides a recurring core table IPA ideal for serving alongside food, a new recipe is sent out every month as a six-pack to subscribers, a model which helps build a community of customers in the absence of a taproom.
There’s still a link to B+B as the owners of that company are investors in Standard and their venues sometimes stock its beer in keg form. Milo has no immediate plans to add his own kit as he’s happy working as a cuckoo brewer and collaborator: a brew at 40FT is planned for the autumn 2022.
Closed beer firm First active: June 2019 Ceased trading: October 2023
Originally based in Borehamwood, just outside London, this firm first cuckoo brewed at Pretty Decent under the name No Heroes. It changed its name in February 2020 and subsequently also brewed outside London at Glen Affric in Birkenhead, Merseyside. It was a socially conscious project, promising to plant a tree for every beer sold, and supporting organisations which protect Indonesian rainforests and collect plastic from beaches.
Longstanding plans for a brewery and taproom were delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic but were realised with the opening of an arch-based bar, the Lowline Tap (18 Angel Lane, Manor Place Depot SE17 3FR), not far from Orbit Beers, in March 2022. The original plan was to install a brewery here but no progress was made on this before the bar was forced to close on 26 May 2023 due to economic pressures. The company went into liquidation a few months later.
21 openings, 5 closures and suspensions, net change +16.
By the end of 2014, there were 68 commercial breweries operating in London, including 20 brewpubs. One was part of a multinational group (M). These breweries were:
15 openings, 6 closures and suspensions, net change +9.
By the end of 2015, there were 77 commercial breweries operating in London, including 23 brewpubs. Three were parts of multinational groups (M). These breweries were:
22 opened or revived, 6 closed or suspended, net change +16.
By the end of 2016, there were 93 commercial breweries operating in London, including 29 brewpubs. One was part of a national group (N), two were parts of multinationals (M). These breweries were:
Left Bank Brewery E17, Waltham Forest, continued cuckoo brewing then moved outside London
Old Brewery Greenwich (Meantime, Asahi M) SE10, Greenwich, brewpub, production continued at main Meantime site
Suspended this year
Earth Ale SW12, Wandsworth, continues as a cuckoo brewer
Other changes
Late Knights Brewing SE20, Bromley, company wound up with brewing continuing on the same site under new management as Southey Brewing.
London Brewing Co (Bull) N6, Haringey, brewpub. London Brewing sells pub and concentrates production at its Bohemia site, new owners continue brewing at Bull simply under the pub name.
Meantime Brewing (SABMiller) SE10, Greenwich, becomes part of AB InBev when it buys out SABMiller and is then sold to Asahi as part of a deal to comply with monopolies regulation.
One Mile End Brewery (White Hart) E1, Tower Hamlets, brewpub. Brewery takes over site and kit in Tottenham vacated by Redemption and ends brewing in the pub.
Queens Head WC1, Camden, brewpub. Two pub staff take on the brewing as a separate business under the name Old Street Brewery.
Redemption Brewing N17, Haringey, moves to a larger site on the same industrial estate.
Solvay Society (Hops and Glory) N1, Islington, brewpub. Solvay expands to a standalone site, taking over and reviving the former Ha’penny. Staff at the Hops and Glory, meanwhile continue to brew there.
For definitions of a London brewery, see the current London breweries page.
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London’s Best Beer
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