The Unexpected Side of London Craft Beer
So often we hear how English, German, Belgian and Czech brewing has influenced American Craft Beer. I recently made the trip to London fully expecting to immerse myself in pint after pint of session ale. Before I made the trip I asked all of you where I should go, and person after person told me I had to go to Craft Beer Co., a beer bar specializing in craft beer. It was here that my journey through London began and I discovered a burgeoning community of craft brewers and craft beer enthusiasts, many inspired by American Craft Beer. I expected to come back and write all about session ale, but what I discovered was so much more. What follows is by no means a definitive guide to London, but what I consider three must visit spots for any beer enthusiast visiting London.
Craft Beer Company
As previously mentioned this spot was recommended again and again by many of you on Twitter. As I walked in the door I knew I had found something special. The night before I had immersed myself in local pubs, had a few pints of bitter and a ploughman’s lunch...this place was nothing like any of those pubs. The giant line of casks had easily four times more beers available than any bar I’d been to. The expansive line called out to me like a challenge, though thankfully part of me knew better than to try them all. As I approached the bar something caught my eye in the coolers behind the casks. Lined up neatly I saw a familiar sight, bottles of Pretty Things St. Botolph's Town. What?! I couldn’t believe I was seeing beer from such a small Massachusetts brewery in London. Don’t worry, though, I didn’t order that, but it was impressive to see.
What I did get a nice pint of Dark Star Hophead, half a pork pie, and a scotch egg. Pork pies and scotch eggs are the only food served here and it’s the only food they need to serve, they’re that damn good. What struck me as I had a few pints was the ABV I was seeing. When Jeff visited London a few months ago he commented on how man cannot live on session beer alone. What I was finding is that craft brewers in the UK are starting to break with tradition and many of the beers here ranged from 5-7% ABV, much higher than the 4% or lower you find in traditional British beer.
As I was enjoying some fine ale and food I struck up a conversation with a couple guys sitting near me. We started chatting about craft beer and I asked if places like this were typical. I got an instant “No,” it was clear that this bar is on the forefront of a new movement in the UK. From what I can tell there’s pretty much nothing that competes with this place on variety of beers. We chatted, they gave me some tips on where to go next and in thanks I bought them a bottle of Pretty Things (which cost me a whopping £20, I’ll let you do the exchange rate math on that one but lets just say it’s not good). Based on their tip I was off the Cask Pub & Kitchen.
Cask Pub & Kitchen
Cask Pub is the sister pub of Craft Beer Co. The link is clear when you see the logo alone but the beer on tap is different and Cask has a full kitchen. If you make it over to Cask be sure to get the fish and chips. I know it sounds cliché but it's seriously good. The breading is light and crisp and the fish just melts in your mouth; pair that with a nice pint and you’re golden. Once again I was blown away by the selection, there was tons of local craft beer as well as coolers full of craft beer from the states, there were even some beers that I can’t get in Boston, like Duck Rabbit.
As I sat down eating my fish and chips, I started chatting with a couple guys near me. (Sensing a theme here? What can I say, give me a couple pints and I’ll talk to anyone.) Well this time it wasn’t just a couple random guys, one of them happened to be Paul Herbert, brewer for Kent Brewing Co. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I met a craft brewer in a craft beer bar but he gave me some amazing insight into the London craft beer scene. (More from that conversation in a future article.) I did ask him the most important question of all, though. "If I had to go to one bar in London before I left, where did I need to go?" That question led me to the last, and I would say most important, bar I went to.
Southampton Arms
There were points along my journey to this bar where I wasn’t sure I’d make it. I had to change lines of the Tube a couple times due to construction and make my way through random alleys of North London. Anyone who knows me knows I have the worst sense of direction known to man so getting lost is kind of my M.O. When I got off the train I started following the directions I had written down on my phone. I entered an odd area that was, as near as I could tell, an old folks community and made my way down a narrow, dimly lit alley.
At this point I was sure I had gotten lost but then, just as I was about to give up hope, I turned the corner to see one of the greatest signs I’d ever seen: "Ale, Cider, Meat." Those three words told me I was in the right place.
When I walked in the door the bar was packed and it was only 6pm. A sign above the bar read “We are the only dedicated ale + cider house in London to sell only beers + ciders from small independent UK breweries." Bad ass. While the selection at both Craft Brewing Co. and Cask Pub & Kitchen were amazing, neither were really the night out in London that I was looking for. In stark contrast stands Southampton Arms. A blend of indie rock and classic vinyl plays constantly over the stereo. Small worn wood tables cover most of the bar area. What struck me most was the variety of people here. The range in ages was amazing, everyone from college kids and 20-somethings to people in their 50’s and 60’s were hanging out with friends enjoying a good pint. I had an amazing session ale simply called “3.9.” As you might expect it was 3.9% but it was loaded with hops, of all the beers I had on the trip I miss this the most.
What amazed me about all the places I visited is that they were all relatively new, most of them have only been in business a couple years, signs of a craft beer movement emerging in the UK. I can’t wait to go back in a year or two and see how much more the scene has grown. But for now I’ll just have to look back on my fond memories of London and the amazing beer scene that caught me totally by surprise.
