UK BREWERIES

The best breweries on home soil

ANSPACH & HOBDAY

BY:

ORIGIN: London, England

Leading the new wave of craft beer in London, curating a mix of modern and classic flavours.

Beginning their journey in Bermondsey in 2013, Anspach & Hobday were originally located in the arches of the Bermondsey beer mile. In March 2020 they expanded and moved the majority of their production to their new site in Croydon, allowing them to make three times the amount of beer.

FOUNDED: 2013

One such beer is London Black. Described in their own words as “The true craft alternative to Big Beer Macro Stouts.”

London Black is a session strength Nitro Porter that takes inspiration from their flagship beer, The Porter. Creamy, smooth and truly sessionable.

The beer brings together the rich history and heritage of London Porters, with the modern techniques of brewing nitro beers. The result is a beer that is easy drinking, without sacrificing its character.

Starting out as a brewpub at the Old Tavern in Stapleton, before swiftly outgrowing that site and finding their own industrial unit.

They’re unique among other modern brewers as they pay full respect to the pint format, with their big 568ml cans, making them immediately stand out on the shelf.

With names like Faked Alaska, Why Kick a Moo Cow, and Massive Azacc, there’s clearly an edge of comic genius working behind the scenes too.

ARBOR ALES

ORIGIN: Bristol, England

FOUNDED:

2007

Deya Brewing Company

FOUNDED BY:

Theo Freyne

ORIGIN: Cheltenham, England

From humble beginnings (a home brew kit) to a commercial unit and on-site tap room, DEYA have come a long way since it was founded in 2015.

Freshness and clarity of flavour and aroma are the key parameters to their beers and focus throughout the brewing process.

FOUNDED: 2015

DEYA’s beers are naturally hazy as a result of recipe and process decisions.

Steady Rolling Man was the first ale ever brewed. A pale ale inspired by tasty hoppy beers, DEYA got brewing their own versions while listening to the blues greats.

Incredibly soft and delicate with intense tropical fruit hop aromatics and saturation, this is their vision of the perfect pale ale.

Hogan’s Cider

Worth the wait.

For thirty years or so, Allen Hogan harvested local cider apples and made them into cider, inspired by neighbour and early eco-warrior John Stewart.

Those early Warwickshire tipples were the taste of springtime, with the first barrel opening a magical event shared between the two.

Until Allen decided to share it with the world, too.

A stall at Stratford farmers market beckoned, where people gave Allen real hard cash for real, hard cider.

Stuff made the traditional, English way. Moreish, delicious and quenching.

He’s come a long way from that farmers market, but the philosophy remains the same. Proper ciders and perrys, full of flavour. Winning awards all over. So we’re glad Allen didn’t keep it all in his kitchen.

Origin: Warwickshire,England

Founded: 1985

You’d be surprised by the number of UK craft brewers who cite a Kernel beer as their ‘lightbulb’ moment. Until you try one.

The brewery has forged an enviable reputation as one of the founding fathers of London’s progressive brewing scene, setting up shop in Bermondsey in 2010, when the area was just taking off as a pilgrimage destination for beer fans.

It’s no small claim, but so much of what makes British craft beer an internationally unique proposition came from that small Bermondsey outpost, from the uncompromising, upfront hops, to the utilitarian design that adorns the brewery’s brown paper labels. Hoppy American brews sit alongside sours and stouts, all brewed with the same attitude and attention to detail.

After all, in 1997, when brewing their own beer was still but a glint in the bottom of their schooner, John Gyngell and Christian Townsley laid claim to pioneering Britain’s first craft beer bar on Upper Briggate, Leeds.

The place quickly became an Yorkshire institution, stocking and influencing a new wave of UK craft breweries. But all the while they harboured their own brewing plans.

In 2015, after twenty years of sourcing and serving, they finally made it happen with a 15bbl brewery and 200-person capacity tap-room just half a mile from the flagship bar. A core range, multiple collaborations and whole host of awards later, they’ve not looked back.

And how good is the beer? Well, let’s put it this way: it’s good enough to be stocked by the original North Bar. In craft beer terms, that’s all you need to know. What more, we’re such good pals, that they’ve only gone and made a beer just for us. Atlantis is a 4.1% pale ale, made to be smashable and full of fruity aromatic hops.

NORTH BREWING CO.

ORIGIN: Leeds, England

ONLY AVAILABLE FROM US!

Northern Monk

Origin:

Leeds, England

The idea behind Northern Monk was to create a brewery that would be a union between the traditional monastic brewing practices of ancient Yorkshire, and a modern, progressive approach towards ingredients and techniques. And have it all rooted it all in the spiritual heart of the industrial revolution (which is also known as Holbeck).

With a core range that specialises in IPAs, Northern Monk also boasts a refectory bar at the Holbeck brewery site where people can sample from 16 keg lines, two cask lines, and fridges stuffed with fresh cans.

The Thornbridge story began back in 2005 when the founders Jim Harrison and Simon Webster recruited two young brewers to brew on a second hand 10-barrel kit in the grounds of Thornbridge Hall.

In 2009 the brewery moved to a brand new state of the art brewery, built at Riverside, Bakewell. Brewing still takes place today on the original kit beside the Taproom at Riverside, which allows them to experiment with new brews, create bespoke Hall brews and collaborations.

Export of Thornbridge beer was initially to Italy but is now to over 35 countries worldwide including their most recent addition of Brazil!

The brewery further expanded with a new canning line in 2019. And despite Covid pushed ahead with a brand new Taproom including an extensive bar and pizza kitchen, plus a retail shop whilst hosting gigs and The Thornbridge Experience. What an achievement to raise your glass to!

THORNBRIDGE BREWERY

FOUNDED BY: Jim Harrison & Simon Webster

ORIGIN: Bakewell, England

FOUNDED: 2005

Tiny Rebel

Origin: Newport, South Wales

FOUNDED: 2012

Tiny Rebel are on a mission... To bring you good times with a hint of beer.

This award-winning brewery from Newport, South Wales was set up by 2 friends in 2012.

They are the youngest and only Welsh brewery to win Champion beer of Britain and the only brewery to have won gold, silver and bronze in the Champion Beer of Wales competition - in their first year!

They were also awarded SIBA Brewery Business of the Year and International Beer Challenge UK Brewer of the Year in 2016.

But if you ask them who Tiny Rebel are, they’d said they’re “really, just fans of super tasty beer.”

CAN Clwb Tropica Non Alc 0.50% 24x330ml Alcohol Free Fruity Pale £29.50

CAN Easy Livin’

4.30% 24x330ml Session IPA £35.50

CAN Electric Boogaloo 4.50% 24x330ml Fruity Pale - Passionfruit £40.00

CAN Clwb Tropica

5.50% 24x330ml Fruity Pale - Tropical £40.00

CAN Pump up the Jam 5.00% 24x330ml Fruity Pale - Raspberry £44.50

CAN Stay Puft

KEG Easy Livin’

5.20% 24x330ml Marshmallow Porter £40.00

4.30% 30L S Type Session IPA £99.70

KEG Electric Boogaloo 4.50% 30L S Type Fruit Pale - Passionfruit £112.80

KEG Clwb Tropica

5.00% 30L S Type Fruit Pale - Tropical £115.00

Tynt Meadow

Trappist brewing is a closely guarded and exclusive club. One that’s home to only 12 members, each producing some of the world’s finest beer using methods and practices which stand the test of time. ‘New’ isn’t really what Trappist brewing is all about. And it’s all the better for it.

So when the Cistercian monks of Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Loughborough set aside a living of dairy farming to start brewing, it was bound to cause a bit of a stir. The first ever Trappist brewery in the UK. The exclusive club of 12 became 13.

And what a beer to enrich the Trappist roster.

Rather than mirror their continental cousins, the brothers have brewed an ale imbued with English sensibility.

A critically acclaimed bottle distilled with the techniques and ingredients of nearby Burton-on-Trent as much as Brasserie de Rochefort. Tynt Meadow, named for the field in which the Abbey was founded two centuries ago. Pure bottled history.

Origin: Leicestershire, England

Founded: 2018

VERDANT BREWING CO.

Hoppy, juicy, hazy, unfiltered AND vegan-friendly!

ORIGIN:

Penryn, England

Adam and James were homebrewers who loved hop-forward beers. They weren’t easy to find locally so in 2014 they started Verdant to make their own. Rich joined in 2016.

With a little help from other craft brewers and friends, out poured juicy, hoppy, unfiltered hazy Pales, IPAs and DIPAs, and the brewery thrived thanks to like-minded drinkers everywhere.

FOUNDED: 2014

Being independent enables Verdant to stay ethical, sustainable, and keep pushing the boundaries of taste and quality.

Beavertown

The brewery that changed the scene. Beavertown turned up with some super cool artwork, 330ml cans and the son of a genuine rock star.

Part sold to Heineken in 2018, the Dutch giants completed the sale in 2022 and Beavertown are now one of the biggest beer brands in the UK.

Camden Town Brewery

The first Camden beer we bought, was in cask… Way back in 2012. In 2013 Camden made one of the best barrel aged fruit beers the UK has ever produced,

King Crimson, and then they were making colossal amounts of lager. Sold to ABI in 2015, they built a new brewery in 2017 which was 100k sq ft.

Hawkes

Founded by Simon Wright in London as an urban cidery, Hawkes started life on the famous Bermondsey Mile. A majority stake was bought in 2018 by a small and barely heard of company called ‘BrewDog’. Cider making has returned back to London after a period of being made at BrewDog’s site in Ellon.

Lucky Saint

Made in Bavaria Germany, by a 400 year old brewery, Lucky Saint is both new and non conformist, and yet steeped in history.

An unfiltered Bavarian lager, with less booze than a fermented banana. Now the UK’s biggest selling independent alcohol free beer brand.

Siren Craft Brew

Siren have been the most dedicated to ‘craft beer’ over the past decade.

Brewer Ryan Witter came with a black book of brewing pals and Siren took to the scene with the Rainbow Project, Project Barista, and an entire series of biscuit beers. Recently they’ve been working to replicate iconic beers.