A few years ago, if you mentioned beer and Bermondsey in the same sentence, people's thoughts would be drawn to balding Millwall fans parading around the streets clutching cans of Carlsberg Special Brew. It was, like vast swathes of London, a beer desert until Kernel appeared in one of the arches towards the end of the 2000's and opened a tap room shortly afterwards. This started off a trend that now sees seven breweries nestled in and around the arches of that viaduct running through this part of Southwark and gave us the Bermondsey Beer Mile, a 1.5 mile crawl visiting some of the finest breweries in the capital.
Sadly Kernel have shut their taproom doors but with online distributor Eebria opening a unit showcasing some of their further flung clients and the curiously named Bottle Shop also having a unit nearby there are still eight stops in which one can imbibe top rate craft beers. I've been to a few of them in a couple of visits (including Kernel) but last week, in the name of Gumby's birthday, we decided to crawl all the way along.
Stop 1: Anspach and Hobday
As it was well gone 12 and Southwark shuts the latest out of the lot, we decided to start at Anspach and Hobday. Now I like this brewery because a) they do a cracking sour and b) their logo is awesome (what's not to like about a pigeon wearing a top hat!) so I was intrigued to see what they had on offer.
As the taprooms all pretty much look the same, I'll describe one now. The units themselves aren't that big, and the brewing equipment is at the back of the unit. The bar in Anspach is at one side (although Partizan and BBNo have theirs across the width of the unit in front of the brewing vessels) and there is a few rows of bench seating. A small section outside is cordoned off for smokers or people that don't fit in the main unit. The unit is clearly not as welcome with the residents opposite as it is with drinkers judging by the "Residents against Druid Street Market" sign that was positioned directly facing the unit!
The bar was quite busy but thankfully a table left just as I had taken my first sip of beer so we commandeered it. The clientele were a mixed bunch but I didn't see the threatened plethora of stag parties at all nor was the place full of hipsters - the atmosphere was more like a pub at lunchtime than anything else. I selected one of their specials, a White Coffee Milk stout - I have three white stouts at home but haven't tasted one yet and the result was interesting, the beer had the body of a stout, with subtle coffee and a hint of creamy sweetness from the lactose yet was paler than the IPA the person across the table was drinking. Overall I liked it as curiosity and would drink it again although I was probably a bit generous with my Untappd rating.
Stop 2: The Bottle Shop
The bottle shop is - quite literally - just up the road from A&H, with only a few market stalls between the two. I don't really know why it calls itself "the Bottle Shop" when its primary focus is draught beer sales but it does have a small (about fifty bottles, maybe) selection of bottles to take away and all looked quite interesting.
The unit is in two levels, there's a small bar downstairs and a bigger area above, on possibly the most wobbly mezzanine I have ever experienced - even the smallest person made it shake and it had the effect of making me feel a bit like I was on a boat rather than in a bar! The upstairs bar had the more interesting beers on and the bonus here was that they sold beer in thirds as well as halves and (for the weaker beers) pints. I selected a third of a stupendously good sour by Prairie called Funky Gold Mosaic and a third of the much vaunted Double Axe from Buxton; I loved the sour but I found the Double Axe slightly disappointing, it had a wonderfully dank and piney smell (although one of our party described it as 'old feet') but the taste just didn't live up to the excellence I witnessed in Buxton's other DIPA, Wyoming Sheep Ranch. It was much more subdued in hop character and the alcohol lead the way. Maybe this keg had been on for a couple of weeks.
Stop 3: UBREW
Stop 4: Brew By Numbers (or BBNo)
I've never got the whirlwind of hype around BBNo. I like their beers, sure, but a lot of people are evangelical about them. Maybe it's the BrewDog connection, however I wouldn't put them amongst the leading lights of UK craft like Buxton, Siren or Magic Rock. Anyway this was the first of the taprooms that I had already been to and it was largely the same, small space reserved inside with an area outside adorned by wooden crates for the punters to sit on while they drink. The queue was long however unlike my last visit it was moving quickly and I was soon served. You have to pay a £3 deposit for your glass here and may keep it if you wish, a good idea to combat glass theft which I'm surprised had not been taken up by the other breweries that served beer in branded glassware. The inside was rammed so I took my oyster stout outside - it's good to see BBNo add another stout to their range considering how many variations of their IPAs, pales, witbiers and saisons there are, the dark beers have always been under-represented in my opinion. I'd like them to make a milk stout for 08|06 but this will do in the meantime, silky smooth with a nice hint of brine to remind you that actual oysters were involved in the brewing. Oyster stout wise, it's one of the best I've had so kudos to them there. Gumby's black IPA smelled glorious too.
Stop 5: Partizan
Up to now, the taprooms had been within a couple of hundred yards of each other at most but Partizan was a bit more of a trek, at just over half a mile away. It didn't seem to take long for us to wander along the side of the housing estate before we could see the road bridge and gates to Almond Road looming. Partizan had changed since I was last here, probably dictated by the cold - gone were the outside tables and the bar had been expanded and moved back, further into the brewery to make way for some indoor seating. There were plenty of interesting beers on but I chose the Brett Apricot IPA, which had a lovely fruit character with a subtle dryness from the brett on the aftertaste. I can't tell what hops they used but they suited the apricot perfectly. Another cracking effort from Partizan, and I came away with a bottle of Huff, their barleywine based on a 16th century recipe. Excellent.
Stop 6: Eebria
Five stops in and the group were still feeling relatively fresh. The next stop on the mile is the most recent addition, Eebria. Opened in late summer, it serves as a showcase for the beers sold by the online beer distributor of the same name. Eebria sell beers from several craft breweries and a worth a look if you're in the market for some mail order beers, and today they had a tap takeover by Northern Alchemy, an innovative craft outfit from the North East. The highlight was the Marmalade and Assam Tea IPA, which tasted like tea and toast in a glass although I also tried the Oatmeal and Lemon Stout (they were serving thirds like the Bottle shop) and found it to be a curious but rather refreshing combination. The taproom itself gained a star from having some scaled down games in it, I took delight in thumping Rich 10-4 at mini-air hockey but sadly we left before I could defend my title against the lingering challengers!
Stop 7: Forepure
Another short walk along the viaduct brought us to Fourpure. Last time I was here there was a food truck sat outside but today we had no such luck, it was 4.45pm and the breweries were winding down for the day. Fourpure has the most spacious taproom on the mile and there was ample seating, with the large bar at one side of the room serving a much expanded range of beer compared to my last visit. Considering they were about to close there were loads of people there and a bit of a queue but we all got served before the five o'clock serving time. The beer of choice was Milky Mohican, an American Brown with lactose. Lactose seems to be the "in" ingredient in beer at the moment, Siren have certainly been using it a lot in their IPAs and I'm seeing more and more Milk Stouts on the market. To me this is a good development, I like the smoothness lactose imparts on a beer and the extra sweetness can help balance beers that otherwise might be a bit too hoppy for their malt bill. Milky Mohican was good, the best brown ale I have had in a long time. I did wish I'd seen the cocoa nib nitro stout before I ordered it though!
Stop 8: Southwark Brewing Company
From Fourpure the walk is almost a mile and a half and I can honestly say I don't remember anything about it although according to my Google timeline we definitely walked it. I do remember getting there though, it had a big taproom and as the latest opening on the mile it was bustling although there was enough (comfy!) seating to ensure our group could rest their legs. Southwark are the anomaly on the beer mile as they only serve cask ale - all the others concentrating on keg beers. They had four beers on and, thanks to knowing one of the people that work there and it being Gumby's birthday, my pint of porter was free. It was quite a low ABV but didn't stray into 'Dark Mild' territory as some weak porters do, the beer wasn't thin or watery and it had a pleasant notes of coffee and chocolate - a nice beer to finish with and the only full pint I had during the day! We lingered over our beers until the Southwark folks ushered us out at 7. I had thought that Southwark would be a low key end to the crawl but actually it was nice to have a relaxing last stop, so nice in fact that Rich fell asleep!
As for my thoughts on the mile itself, I like it. It's good fun, the breweries are all friendly and it's some of the best beer brewed in the capital. I'd like not to be so hurried next time but it's not even as if you HAVE to crawl around all of them - I'd enjoy visiting one or two and having a few pints in each just as much. If you like beer, can get to the capital and haven't sampled the mile yet, get going. You're truly missing out.
Stop 6: Eebria
Five stops in and the group were still feeling relatively fresh. The next stop on the mile is the most recent addition, Eebria. Opened in late summer, it serves as a showcase for the beers sold by the online beer distributor of the same name. Eebria sell beers from several craft breweries and a worth a look if you're in the market for some mail order beers, and today they had a tap takeover by Northern Alchemy, an innovative craft outfit from the North East. The highlight was the Marmalade and Assam Tea IPA, which tasted like tea and toast in a glass although I also tried the Oatmeal and Lemon Stout (they were serving thirds like the Bottle shop) and found it to be a curious but rather refreshing combination. The taproom itself gained a star from having some scaled down games in it, I took delight in thumping Rich 10-4 at mini-air hockey but sadly we left before I could defend my title against the lingering challengers!
Stop 7: Forepure
Another short walk along the viaduct brought us to Fourpure. Last time I was here there was a food truck sat outside but today we had no such luck, it was 4.45pm and the breweries were winding down for the day. Fourpure has the most spacious taproom on the mile and there was ample seating, with the large bar at one side of the room serving a much expanded range of beer compared to my last visit. Considering they were about to close there were loads of people there and a bit of a queue but we all got served before the five o'clock serving time. The beer of choice was Milky Mohican, an American Brown with lactose. Lactose seems to be the "in" ingredient in beer at the moment, Siren have certainly been using it a lot in their IPAs and I'm seeing more and more Milk Stouts on the market. To me this is a good development, I like the smoothness lactose imparts on a beer and the extra sweetness can help balance beers that otherwise might be a bit too hoppy for their malt bill. Milky Mohican was good, the best brown ale I have had in a long time. I did wish I'd seen the cocoa nib nitro stout before I ordered it though!
Stop 8: Southwark Brewing Company
From Fourpure the walk is almost a mile and a half and I can honestly say I don't remember anything about it although according to my Google timeline we definitely walked it. I do remember getting there though, it had a big taproom and as the latest opening on the mile it was bustling although there was enough (comfy!) seating to ensure our group could rest their legs. Southwark are the anomaly on the beer mile as they only serve cask ale - all the others concentrating on keg beers. They had four beers on and, thanks to knowing one of the people that work there and it being Gumby's birthday, my pint of porter was free. It was quite a low ABV but didn't stray into 'Dark Mild' territory as some weak porters do, the beer wasn't thin or watery and it had a pleasant notes of coffee and chocolate - a nice beer to finish with and the only full pint I had during the day! We lingered over our beers until the Southwark folks ushered us out at 7. I had thought that Southwark would be a low key end to the crawl but actually it was nice to have a relaxing last stop, so nice in fact that Rich fell asleep!
As for my thoughts on the mile itself, I like it. It's good fun, the breweries are all friendly and it's some of the best beer brewed in the capital. I'd like not to be so hurried next time but it's not even as if you HAVE to crawl around all of them - I'd enjoy visiting one or two and having a few pints in each just as much. If you like beer, can get to the capital and haven't sampled the mile yet, get going. You're truly missing out.
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