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Top 10 craft beer cities in Britain revealed
The 10 best cities to drink craft beer in the UK have been identified in a study assessing indie breweries, award wins and pubs nationally.
The data, gathered by rental business Independent Cottages, looked at the number of independent breweries (per capita), the number of awards won by each city’s independent breweries last year, and the number of pubs and drinking establishments in craft beer searches on Trip Advisor (per capita) to inform its list.
The city of Newcastle gained first place in the rankings, followed by Canterbury in second place and Bath in third position in the new listicle that nudges cities including Bristol, Leeds, London and Sheffield, which have often topped charts, further down.
According to the new study, the top 10 cities for craft beer have been revealed as:
1, Newcastle
2, Canterbury
3, Bath
4, Salisbury
5, Worcester
6, Durham
7, Inverness
8, Manchester
8, Lancaster
8, Winchester
The study showed how Newcastle was well-served when it came to independent beer, gaining it first place in the rankings as the destination that all craft beer lovers should probably consider visiting more.
In Canterbury, which secured second place in the rankings, the researchers noted how this city had initially been “a surprise” but also highlighted how Canterbury ranking so highly also represented how interesting it was that a smaller city in the UK could quietly grow its craft beer scene without crowing about it.
Stefan Melbourne, the events and creative manager at Track Brewing Co in Manchester, which came in eighth in the ranking, said: “From centuries-old family breweries to upstarts like ourselves (who celebrate our humble 10th anniversary this year) Manchester has a rich brewing tradition. When we established our brewery in Manchester, we were among 16 newcomers that emerged around the same time. A sense of camaraderie and openness was there from the start, with us all pursuing our vision of what beer could be. The city is progressive and is constantly pushing boundaries in every discipline it pursues, and the beer scene is no exception.”
Describing how the craft beer industry has evolved in the UK, Melbourne explained: “The beer landscape has matured, with some breweries sadly closing but the city ultimately flourishing, especially in the food and drink sector.”
He added: “We now see many tourists visiting specifically to experience the beer scene, and we’re fortunate to call exceptional breweries like Cloudwater, Sureshot, and Balance our neighbours, each with outstanding beers and inviting taprooms.”
The full list can be found here.
Just three years ago, Britain’s best craft drinking destinations and the top most instagrammable pints were disclosed in a study by comparison service Bionic using data from pubsgalore.co.uk and untapped.com.
The findings showed that Newcastle topped the ranking then, however the research also looked at the most popular pints to share on social media and which pints in particular were each generation’s favourite.
Last summer, the 10 best cities in the world for beer lovers were revealed in research uncovering the global locations that serve up great beer alongside good weather.
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