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The Bermondsey Beer Mile is London’s best beer crawl. Following the railway line east from Tower Bridge Road, the Bermondsey Beer Mile stretches well over a mile through South London these days, a huge expansion from its humble beginnings with just one lonely archway brewery called The Kernel. Along the way, there are now over a dozen of England’s best craft breweries & beer bars. While other London beer miles also have plenty of great breweries, none are as big or as influential as Bermondsey. Here’s my complete guide to the Bermondsey Beer Mile, including all of the breweries & beer bars, how to get there, where to eat, other places to drink for non-beer drinkers, and more tips.
Bermondsey Beer Mile Tips
How to get to the Bermondsey Beer Mile
The closest major train & Underground station to the Bermondsey Beer Mile is London Bridge, which is about a 10-minute walk from the westernmost end. However, depending on which breweries you are planning on visiting, Bermondsey station on the Jubilee line may be closer. The further east you go, the further you are from a train station, though Surrey Quays Overground station & South Bermondsey train station are potential options for starting & ending points. Buses also run through the area, and the walk over Tower Bridge from central London is another nice option.
When to do the Bermondsey Beer Mile
The best day to do the Bermondsey Beer Mile is on a Saturday afternoon, as weekends are great & this is the one day that all of the breweries are open & there are the most food options. However…
The worst day to do the Bermondsey Beer Mile is on a Saturday afternoon. The day draws the biggest crowds of the week by far since everything’s open and it’s a weekend. It’s a popular activity for stag dos, hen parties & other groups, so Saturdays are often packed with people who are only there for a London pub crawl instead of being there for the quality of the beer. It used to be that almost everything on the beer mile was only open on weekends. Nowadays, at least some spots are open every day of the week except for Mondays & Tuesdays. If you actually want to talk to the good folks who run these South London breweries, learn more about the beer, and have a relaxing time, don’t go on a Saturday.
Unless you want to visit the Bermondsey breweries that are only open on Saturdays, your best bet is to go on any other day of the week. Research which breweries you are most interested in seeing when they’re open, and then go on that afternoon or evening if you can. The Bermondsey Beer Mile has grown too big for even the most dedicated drinker to enjoy every brewery in one day properly, so you’ll likely pick and choose where you visit. You can visit a particular section of the mile or take a break to journey between stops.
Where to eat along the Bermondsey Beer Mile
It’s important to eat while you are drinking. Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of places to eat along the Bermondsey Beer Mile, though this is gradually improving. Many breweries & beer bars offer snacks, and some do now offer larger meals like pizza or burgers, though schedules can be limited. Another notable food option is the Maltby Street Market, which has dozens of food stalls open on weekends.
At other times, having a good meal before you start or being prepared to take a detour is best. Borough Market is a personal favorite. Otherwise, there are plenty of restaurants near Tower Bridge. For something more substantial, head to Bone Daddies Bermondsey for some ramen. If you’re at that point of the day where fried foods & kebabs will do the trick, Golden Grill and Fish Bar on Spa Road is a popular spot. Near the eastern end of the beer mile, there are some restaurants along Southwark Park Road, including Cantinho da Maya PitDog e Lanchonete, Elite Fish Bar, & Wimpy.
Other Bermondsey Beer Mile tips
Drink plenty of water. In addition to being well-fed, it’s also essential to stay hydrated. Drinking water isn’t always a part of British drinking culture, but it’s a good idea to do so when you’re doing a big beer crawl like Bermondsey. If you’re not accustomed to craft beer, you may find yourself drinking some beers like double IPAs & pastry stouts that are stronger than the lagers you’re used to. There’s zero shame in drinking some water with every beer. Your future self will thank you.
Treat the staff well. This is something you should be doing anywhere you go! But just as a reminder, please be considerate of the friendly bar staff along the beer mile. They’ll be happy to give you recommendations, & they’re what makes your experience great. So appreciate that! And if you want to go above and beyond, bus your own table, especially on a busy day. It takes two seconds to bring your used glassware back to the bar or the space provided.
Treat everyone you meet well. Again, something you should always be doing! The Bermondsey Beer Mile has tons of big shared tables, so that means you’ll be encountering other drinkers. Many times, this means making new friends! But if you’re in one of those big pub crawl groups, keep in mind that you might be annoying the hell out of anyone else around you if you’re obnoxious.
Bermondsey Beer Mile Breweries & Bars
This list is roughly organized from west to east (and/or north to south, if you prefer), as the western/northern parts of the Bermondsey Beer Mile are generally the most visited. However, every place on this list is worthy of a visit in its own way, as they each have their own specialty beer styles & vibes. In general, the further east you go, the less crowded the South London beer mile is, and the more you’ll find newer brewery operations (though some are not open as often). Opening days & hours of operation are always changing, so please visit each brewery’s website & social media for the latest information.
Southwark Brewing Company
Southwark Brewing Company, which opened in 2014, is best known for its cask ales, including London Pale Ale, Bermondsey Best, and Potters’ Fields Porter. However, in recent years, they’ve been offering a bit more on the keg beer side, and they now feature a selection of up to 8 taps & 6 casks.
Address: 46 Druid St, London SE1 2EZ, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday
London Beer Factory – The Barrel Project
The Barrel Project from London Beer Factory has a huge selection of 24 taps, with an eclectic mix across all styles, but with a particular emphasis on wild ales. As you’d expect from the name, there are tons of barrel-aged beers.
The huge archway space is filled with over 200 barrels at various stages of aging. There’s also a kitchen in the front that serves burgers & sandwiches.
Address: 80 Druid St, London SE1 2HQ, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Wednesday-Sunday
Hawkes Cidery & Taproom
There’s more than just beer on the Bermondsey Beer Mile. BrewDog-owned Hawkes Cidery has a taproom featuring 20 taps of draft cider, plus pizza.
They have also operated an apple donation program where people can donate apples to avoid wastage & get free cider.
Note: Hawkes has recently been closed for refurbishing.
Address: 86-92 Druid St, London SE1 2HQ, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Thursday-Sunday
Billy Franks Jerky and Craft Beer & Snack Shack
Billy Franks is a jerky company that realized nothing goes better with their snacks than craft beer. Therefore, they opened up a craft beer bottle shop at the location of their Bermondsey factory, which makes several jerky varieties (including vegan), plus other snacks.
Everything’s available to go, but you can also drink inside or on their patio on weekends.
Address: 104 Druid St, London SE1 2HQ, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Friday-Sunday, though the bottle shop is open for takeaway Tuesday-Sunday
Hiverquarters, Taproom & Shop
Hiver is a unique Bermondsey brewery that incorporates honey into its unpasteurized beers. Not only do they use honey in the brewing process, but they are also supporters of local bees, with a commitment to British beekeepers both urban & rural.
Special tastings at the taproom feature flights of all 3 Hiver beers (blonde, amber, & session IPA), paired with snacks & the honey that was used.
Address: 56 Stanworth St, London SE1 3NY, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Saturday-Sunday
Anspach & Hobday – The Arch House
While Anspach & Hobday makes a variety of beer styles, they are best known for their porters & darker beers, a welcome change from the flood of hazy IPAs you’ll see everywhere these days. They have now expanded to a larger brewery in Croydon while maintaining their Bermondsey taproom.
Their London Black nitro porter will delight any Guinness fans. Or, get more adventurous & try one of their other small batch concoctions from the 8 taps – recent creations included a smoked beer for their 8th anniversary, as well as a sea salt chili porter.
Address: 118 Druid St, London SE1 2HH, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Thursday-Sunday
Moor Beer Vaults
Bristol’s Moor Beer is one of a few breweries from elsewhere in England that have opened up tap rooms along the beer mile in London.
Going beyond their excellent slogan “Drink Moor Beer”, Moor Beer Vaults also serves cider, natural wine, and guest taps in addition to a dozen or so taps of their live beers. You never know what you might find in the vaults, with beers like Cantillon Fou’ Foune popping up.
Address: Railway Arch, Moor Beer Vaults, 71 Enid St, London SE16 3RA, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Wednesday-Sunday
Gosnells Meadery Taproom
Visitors to the Bermondsey Beer Mile who are looking for something a bit different will enjoy the Gosnells Meadery Taproom. Located right in between Moor & Cloudwater, the mead taproom serves up the honey beverage, plus a selection of beer. In a sign of serendipity, they were playing “Common People” right as I walked in for the first time.
Gosnells is the only meadery in London. Their sparking mead is made from 100% natural honey, with the slogan “Bubbles from bees.”
The bee theme can be found throughout the taproom, from the bee facts on the floor to the tables that fit together like a honeycomb. There are also games such as giant Jenga and Connect Four.
I started with the Wild Flower, a straightforward mead, as my first drink, then moved on to the Citra Sea, a mead made with tarragon and Citra as my second. Gosnells’ mead is much lighter in alcohol than most meads I have had previously. As a result, the drinks are light & refreshing, so you can drink them all day if you want.
Address: Arch 72 Enid St, London SE16 3RA, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Wednesday-Sunday
73 Enid Street – Cloudwater London
Cloudwater is one of the most popular British breweries. The brewery is based in Manchester, but they now have a taproom serving their craft beer in Bermondsey.
The taproom has 20 taps, including guest selections, along with dozens of cans & bottles. They also host tap takeovers from noted breweries such as Basqueland.
Address: 73 Enid St, London SE16 3RA, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Wednesday-Sunday
Brew By Numbers Tasting Room
The original location of Brew By Numbers on the Bermondsey Beer Mile has 10 taps, with a nice variety of styles.
Brew By Numbers has recently expanded to a new brewery & taproom in North Greenwich that has much more space, plus a beer garden.
Address: 79 Enid St, London SE16 3RA, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Wednesday-Sunday
Bianca Road Brew Company
Bianca Road Brew Company might not be as well-known as some of the other Bermondsey Beer Mile breweries, but smaller operations like it are what really make the area special.
The brewery is a chill spot serving 8 taps, along with stand-up comedy & live music. Their black New England pale ale was an especially stunning beer, combining the popular style with one of my favorite less-common styles.
Not only is the beer tasty, but it’s also brewed sustainably using green energy & the recycling of ingredients & materials.
Address: 83-84 Enid St, London SE16 3RA, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Wednesday-Sunday
Craft Beer Junction
Craft Beer Junction is a bit of an oddity when it comes to the Bermondsey Beer Mile. It’s one of the few beer bars that isn’t a brewery. It also isn’t UK-focused, but rather it specializes in American imports, especially from Florida breweries such as Hidden Springs & Escape. That makes sense since the owners are beer importers who have Florida connections. Between the beer & the sports memorabilia covering the walls, it’s the closest you’ll get to Tampa Bay in England.
Amongst the 10 taps, around 7 or so were from Florida on my last visit, but they also have some nice UK beers too. It’s a fun gathering spot, including weekly bottle shares.
Address: 86 Enid St, London SE16 3RA, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Thursday-Sunday
Mash Paddle Brewery
Mash Paddle Brewery is the newest addition to the Bermondsey Beer Mile. The brewery is actually an incubator for startup brewers. It will be interesting to see if the idea takes off, as there’s plenty more space in the area for new breweries to spin off into.
In addition to the beer brewed on-site, Mash Paddle also has a selection of cans & bottles. The beer bar has 12 taps total, featuring a combination of Mash Paddle & guest beers.
Thanks to the frequent rotation of small groups coming in to brew, Mash Paddle has that excellent brewery smell. Add in indie rock music from the early Aughts, and I’m happy.
Address: 92 Enid St, London SE16 3RA, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Thursday-Sunday
The Kernel Brewery Taproom (Arch 7)
The Kernel was the first Bermondsey brewery. It opened in 2009. The first time I ever ventured down to this part of South London, it was on a Saturday afternoon to visit The Kernel. Back then, there was nothing else here, aside from a couple of other small archway businesses. Bit by bit, the Bermondsey Beer Mile grew from that humble start to what it is today, and you can thank The Kernel for that.
No visit to the Beer Mile is complete without stopping in at The Kernel. Their beer is some of the best in the UK, made with quality ingredients & close attention to the process. There’s no flashy marketing here. The Kernel’s brown paper labels & straightforward beer names that list the style & hops are all they need. You can spot their beers all around the country, but especially in London. If you see Kernel in the cooler, you know you’re at a good beer bar.
Over the years, The Kernel has moved its way down the railway line, eventually now settling into a separate brewery along with the Arch 7 taproom. Mauritz, the manager, is a bit of a legend in the local London craft beer scene (and beyond). Whenever I mentioned somewhere else that I’d been to the Mile & Kernel, they asked if I’d met Mauritz. He’s friends with everyone. All the bar staff are always happy to talk about the beer & love to get people excited about something new. While The Kernel has all the styles you’d expect, you’ll also find some interesting less-common styles as well, such as their popular low ABV Table Beer. Now that there are so many other breweries in Bermondsey, it has taken some of the pressure off The Kernel’s space, but it will always be my go-to spot.
Address: Arch 11, Dockley Road Industrial Estate, Dockley Rd, London SE16 3SF, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Thursday-Sunday
The Outpost – Three Hills Brewing
Three Hills Brewing is based in Northamptonshire, but they have opened a taproom called The Outpost on the Bermondsey Beer Mile.
The bar serves 20 taps of interesting & experimental beers. In addition to a full lineup of IPAs, sours, & more, Three Hills brew lots of pastry stouts. Impressively, not all of them are high ABV bombs that will wreck your day. Their “baby” versions pack just as much flavor while letting you still have a solid session.
Address: 7 Almond Rd, London SE16 3LR, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Thursday-Sunday
Spartan Brewery
Spartan Brewery is one of the smallest Bermondsey breweries. Their handful of taps generally pour lighter, hop-forward beers made with local ingredients in traditional styles.
Address: 8 Almond Rd, London SE16 3LR, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Saturday
EeBria Tap
EeBria Tap is a Bermondsey beer bar that’s not run by a particular brewery, but rather by an online beer distributor. As such, they have one of the biggest selections of craft beer.
The taproom has 8 taps from around the U.K., plus fridges with hundreds of cans & bottles. In addition to the front patio, there’s also a back beer garden, along with Dutch shuffleboard.
Address: 15 Almond Rd, London SE16 3LR, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Saturday
Partizan Brewing
Update: In March 2023, Partizan announced they would be moving production to Langton Brewery in Leicestershire. Google Maps currently lists their Bermondsey taproom as temporarily closed.
Partizan Brewing is one of the older breweries along the Beer Mile, having first opened in 2012. After originally having started with The Kernel’s setup after that brewery upgraded, Partizan has now grown over the years, and like their predecessor, also moved down the railway line from their original site.
Partizan’s core range covers both traditional styles as well as newer creations. The taproom has 8 taps of Partizan beer, along with some guests, plus pizza.
The railway arch with plywood walls is one of the more spacious interior spaces in the area, with rock music blasting on the stereo – but even then still not enough to drown out the sound of trains rumbling overhead.
Address: 34 Raymouth Rd, London SE16 2DB, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Currently closed
Fourpure Brewing Co.
Fourpure is one of the biggest Bermondsey breweries, having opened in 2013 & undergone several expansions. Their taproom is also the largest along the Bermondsey Beer Mile, with a spacious, multilevel room that opens out to a patio. There are also rotating food vendors.
The taproom features 21 taps of Fourpure beers, including new rotating selections, many of which are not available elsewhere. While the core range focuses on straightforward IPAs, pale ales, and lagers, they do also venture into other styles.
Address: 25, Bermondsey Trading Estate, Rotherhithe New Rd, London SE16 3LL, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Friday-Sunday
Small Beer Brew Co.
Small Beer Brew Co. might not technically be considered to be part of the Bermondsey Beer Mile yet, but it’s not far from it.
The brewery, which opened in 2022, specializes in low-alcohol beer. All of their core beers have a 2.8% ABV or lower.
Address: 70-72 Verney Rd, London SE16 3DH, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Wednesday-Sunday
Forest Road Brewing
Forest Road Brewing is another brewery that is not quite on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, but it’s only a short distance from what is currently considered to be the end of it.
Their story is an interesting one, having bought Russian River’s former brewhouse on a whim, then sailed it through the Panama Canal to get it to London. It was interesting to know that this wasn’t the first time I’d had beer from these tanks. The brewery specializes in West Coast IPAs.
The taproom at the brewery can be best described as impromptu, but they’re working on making it a more welcoming space. They also have a taproom in Hackney that is larger & has more extended hours.
Address: Unit 1A, Industrial Estate Juno Way, London SE14 5RW, United Kingdom (map)
Typical Days of Operation: Thursday-Friday
If you’re not a beer drinker or a cider drinker, there are other options for you in Bermondsey along the mile, including The Doodle Bar, OPS Wines, Jensen Distillery, and Bermondsey Distillery.
For more great London beer, see my related posts:
- The Bermondsey Beer Mile in London
- The best craft beer in Central London – Westminster – SoHo – Covent Garden – Pimlico – Mayfair
- The best craft beer in the City of London, England
- The best craft beer in North London – Camden – Bloomsbury – Kentish Town – Hampstead
- The best craft beer in the East End of London – Bethnal Green – Tower Hamlets
- The best craft beer in East London – Hackney – Shoreditch – Dalston – Hoxton – Clapton – Stoke Newington – Hackney Wick
- The best craft beer in Walthamstow – Blackhorse Beer Mile – Waltham Forest – Leyton – Leytonstone – Chingford – Northeast London
- The best craft beer in Stratford – Newham – Canning Town – West Ham – East Ham – East London
- The best craft beer in South London – Brixton – Lambeth – Clapham – Vauxhall
- The best craft beer in Richmond, London, England
- The best craft beer in Greenwich, England
Do you love craft beer? Check out more of my recommendations for the best craft beer around the world!
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