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Top 10 London craft beer pubs
London offers no end of drinking dens where craft beer enthusiasts can indulge in Belgian-style brews, cask ales and quirky fruit beers to their heart’s content.
While this list is far from exhaustive, it does offer an insight into the ever-growing world of craft beer pubs in the capital.
Each of these pubs are going the extra mile to offer the beer aficionado that little bit extra, serving up a dizzying array of cask, keg and bottled beers.
Scroll through for our roundup of some of the best craft beer pubs in London…
Have we missed your favourite? Please leave a comment below.
Euston Tap, Euston
Looking a little like a mini Marble Arch, Euston Tap is actually housed in an old station lodge building. It boasts eight rotating cask ales, 20 keg beers, 150 bottled beers and its sister bar and mirror-image opposite claims to be the home of London’s “only dedicated cider bar”, featuring eight keg ciders on draught, five still ciders and perry, including Pickled Pig which is served straight from the oak. Its tap list changes constantly and with the bar posting an updated list regularly on its blog.
190 Euston Rd, London NW1 2EF
Holborn Whippet, Holborn
Featuring a dizzying array of beers and ciders on tap, The Holborn Whippet has long been a favourite with London beer lovers. It serves only serves draught, no bottles, with a selection of 16 beers and ciders on constant rotation. Its has a roomy outside terrace, slick decor and decent menu (which includes German Bratwurst). Check its website to see what it currently has on tap.
25-29 Sicilian Avenue, London WC1A 2QH
Craft Beer Company, Islington
One of six Craft Beer Co. pubs, this chain has overcome the snobbery surrounding such establishments. Its Islington branch is perhaps one of the nicest, but all are perfectly pleasant.
As you would expect, it offers a rotating range of cask, keg and bottled beers, sourced from independent and micro-breweries in the UK. Their lists often feature imported brews not available anywhere else in the UK.
It also offers a takeaway beer service taking 33% off its price, much like its older, smaller brother Cask. Typical food on serve includes pub favourites such as pork pies and scotch eggs as well as crisps and nuts. The Brighton, Islington, Clapham and Covent Garden branches host Forty Burgers – serving up delectable burgers.
55 White Lion Street, London, N1 9PP
hecraftbeerco.com/pubs/islington
Cask, Pimlico
Squished inside the corner of a block of residential flats, this unassuming pub is a hidden gem. Founded in 2009 with the intention of bringing together some of the best breweries in the UK and beyond, this pint-sized drinking den is well worth a look. Offering beer on cask, keg and bottled, its also operates a takeaway bottled beer service, dropping the price by 33% if you want to take a bottle home with you. It also hosts regular meet-the-brewer nights.
6 Charlwood St, Pimlico, London SW1V 2EE
Westow House, Crystal Palace
Westow House is a favourite with beer-loving locals in Crystal Palace who cram its outside terrace year round. Having dragged yourself up the hill from Crystal Palace station to Westow House, a beer is just what you will be craving. Thankfully, this Victorian pub has just the answer. Serving up a varied selection of beers on tap, bottle and can, this spacious pub has a laid back vibe with large sofas, board games and quirky decor. Its food menu is equally decent, threatening to keep you propped up at its bar for hours.
79 Westow Hill, SE19 1TX
Cross Keys, Covent Garden
Perhaps the most attractive pub of this bunch, The Cross Keys is a classic old London pub located a short hop from the city’s bustling theatre land.
Old cricket bats, Beatles memorabilia and a napkin signed by Elvis Presley adorn the walls of this quirky pub, offering ample eye-candy, however its cask ale selection is the star attraction. Small but well formed, it offers a rotating list of cask ales, including several from Brodie’s Brewery in Leyton, which include cask ales, bottled and season brews.
31 Endell St, London WC2H 9BA
The Queen’s Head, Kings Cross
The Queen’s Head is what you might call a typical London boozer. By that I mean crammed with regulars that frequently spill out onto the street grasping an after-work pint. But what the Queen’s Head lacks in space it makes up for in charm.
Located in the heart of the city, this little Victorian pub offers atmosphere by the bucket load, as well as an eclectic selection of constantly rotating cask ales and ciders and kegged beer. This is in addition to its “top shelf” whisky collection.
Breweries to feature on a regular basis include Kernel, Redemption, Truman’s, Camden Town, with its bottled beers including the likes of Brooklyn, Odell Brewery and Delirium. You can check out its bottled beer menu here.
66 Acton Street, London, WC1X 9NB
Brewdog, Camden
Brewdog, Camden
The Scottish beer behemoth that is Brewdog currently has four bars in London, a figure that is undoubtedly set to grow judging by the brewer’s pace of expansion in recent years. Across the UK, Brewdog has 19 bars, not to mention is international outposts, plus its BottleDog shop in Kings Cross.
One of our favourite Brewdog bars in London is in Camden, the brewer’s first bar outside of Scotland opening in 2011. It offers a reliably vast selection of international craft brews, alongside its own beers, on draught and in bottle across two floors. A menu of burgers, hot dogs and cheese boards designed to match your beer choice awaits. Check this page to see what is currently on tap.
113 Bayham Street, Camden Town London, NW1 0AG
Old Red Cow, Smithfield
The Old Red Cow claims to have one of the “largest selections of craft beer in London”, offering a vast array of dark beers, stouts and porters, Belgian and Belgian-style beers, keg beers, cask ales, British beers, pale ales and IPAs, lagers, wheat, fruit and specialities, as well as bottles to share. Beers on offer are split fairly equally between UK, US and European, with breweries to feature regularly including Beavertown, Harviestoun, Firebrand Brewing Co., Orval, Camden Town and Brooklyn Brewery.
Side note – it serves one of the best Scotch eggs in town.
71-72 Long Lane, EC1A 9EJ
The Draft House, Fitzrovia
Photo credit: Beerlens.com
The “very, very” small Draft House in Fitzrovia is one of eight pubs operating under the Draft House name – a group set up to “do for beer what our culture has done for food and wine over the past 20 years”.
The Fitzrovia branch offers a rotating range of eclectic brews alongside a lip-smacking list of “beer food”, large plates and hamburgers, which includes footlong scratchings, “pig & hay” Scotch eggs and a “pig plate”.
43 Goodge St, London W1T 1TA
What about the splendid Mother Kelly’s in Bethnal green out the Greenwich union? Two amazing craft beer pubs in the capital.
i love craft beer pubs…love to drink beer a lot…