London’s best microbreweries

Mine's a pint: Five Points Brewery are one of the best smaller producers in the city
Harry Fletcher9 April 2018

If the craft ale boom has told us anything it’s that London absolutely loves a good beer.

Thankfully, you’re likely to find decent craft ale in most pubs around the city these days, but for more discerning drinkers popular ales like Punk IPA and Doom Bar just don’t cut it.

Truth be told, London’s beer aficionados like nothing more than discovering hidden gems from microbreweries in the capital and when the city’s smaller producers are this good, who can blame them?

There are dozens of decent breweries in the capital and while we can't mention them all, here are some of our favourites.

​Five Points

5 points brewery

Five Points Brewery specialise in making unpasteurized ales out of their base in Hackney Downs. Their popular pale ales are tangy and bursting with citrus, while their pilsner has a refreshingly crisp and lightly bitter finish. Their smaller batches of enigmatic and esoteric brews like Derailed Porter and London Smoke are always worth seeking out too. Five Points are planning a big expansion in 2018 so the chances are we’ll be hearing much more from them soon.

3 Institute Pl, E8 1JE, fivepointsbrewing.co.uk

Volden

Volden supply lovingly crafted beer for the Antic pubs, which run great boozers such as the Old Red Lion in Kennington, the Leyton Technical and the Tooting Tram and Social. Despite its growing reputation, it’s one of the youngest successful microbreweries in the city having produced its first beer in 2015. Their delicious Session Ale boasts subtle citrus, hops and sweet fruit; perfect for casual weekend drinking.​

35 Neville Rd, CR0 2DS, volden.co.uk

The best craft beer pubs in London

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Toast

Slice idea: Tristram Stuart ploughs all the revenue he makes from his craft beer into food activism

Toast brewery combines beer with social enterprise, tackling food waste in London by brewing beer with leftover bread. Using scraps donated by organisations all over the city the brewers go about toasting the scraps and breaking it down for use as the main component in a series of distinctive beers. The Much Kneaded Lager is full of biscuity malts and the full-bodied Pale Ale is a treat too. It's the chance to enjoy a cracking pint while supporting a great cause.

61 Mare St, E8 4RG, toastale.com

Tap East

You’ll find craft ale bar and microbrewery Tap East tucked away in Stratford Westfield. The cosy venue is worth seeking out after a few hours shopping for an impressive range of beers. The East End Mild is malty and full of flavour and the citrus hops used in the American make it perfect for summer.

7 International Square, E20 1EE, tapeast.co.uk

CRATE

CRATE brewery

CRATE serve their assured brews out of a charming waterside venue in Hackney Wick, which is well worth trekking along the River Lea for. Expect refreshing pale ales with delicate mango and grapefruit overtones and characterful but easy-drinking lagers to be served here, perfect for washing down the stone-baked goodness produced in the venue’s in-house pizzeria.

7, The White Building, Queen's Yard, E9 5EN, cratebrewery.com

Beer Lab

Beer Lab are a team of passionate brewers based out of their premises in the arches of Brixton station. As well as cooking up inventive and alternative brews they’re always willing to sharing their expertise too, and often run beer making workshops. The team are never afraid to mix things up with unusual brews either: they teamed up with Elusive Brewing for the Elusive Elixir Ice Cream Pale ale, which hops with the creamy quality of ice cream.

Arch 41 Railway Arches, Nursery Road, SW9 8BP, londonbeerlab.com

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