The Best Craft Beer Bars in London

A Victorian gate lodge outside Euston Station that has been converted into what is essentially a standing room for serious craft beer drinkers. The Euston Tap operates 20 keg taps and 8 cask lines in a space that fits maybe 40 people, and turns over its selection with regularity and care. The sister bar (The Cider Tap) is directly across the road. Come between 5 and 7pm on a weekday when the commuter crowd has thinned and you can actually get to the bar. One of London's most important beer destinations in about 50 square feet.

Order: Whatever just went on — ask the staff what's new on the board today

The original Craft Beer Co. on Leather Lane in Clerkenwell remains the best of the group — 40 taps, hundreds of bottles, and a staffing policy that requires genuine beer knowledge rather than just enthusiasm. The space is comfortable and slightly scuffed in the right way. The rotating selection covers British microbreweries you haven't heard of yet alongside established American imports and Belgian abbey ales. Every visit is different from the last. A reliable benchmark for any serious beer drinker in London.

Order: A British microbrewery on cask — ask for something local and new

Howling Hops was the first bar in London to serve beer directly from the serving tanks — unfiltered, unpasteurised, poured straight from the vessel it was fermented in. The Hackney Wick railway arch taproom is as functional as the beer philosophy: bare brick, steel tanks visible behind the bar, no unnecessary decoration. The beer is some of the freshest you'll drink in London. Bring cash on a Saturday afternoon — the queue for cans is real.

Order: Tank-poured pale ale — the difference from a regular keg is noticeable and worth experiencing

The Kernel Brewery changed London's craft beer scene when it opened in Borough Market in 2009 and moved to Bermondsey three years later. The taproom opens on Saturday mornings and closes when the beer runs out — sometimes by 1pm. The export stouts, table beers, and hoppy pale ales have won more international awards than any other London brewery. Arrive before 11am to guarantee a place. The queue is worth it. This is a London institution that people travel specifically to visit.

Order: The Export India Porter if available — a benchmark London beer

Fourpure's Bermondsey railway arch taproom is one of the larger and more comfortable stops on the Beer Mile — enough seating to stay a while, enough taps to justify it. The session IPAs and lagers are workhorses of the London scene; the experimental series is worth paying attention to. The taproom runs events through the year including beer pairings and brewery tours that give you access to the production floor. A solid middle stop on any Bermondsey afternoon.

Order: The Session IPA — one of London's most reliable everyday pints

Five Points has built one of the most loyal local followings of any London brewery — the Hackney community around the Mare Street taproom treats it as a genuine local rather than a destination. The Pale, the Railway Porter, and the Hook Island Red are three of the best beers brewed in London consistently; the specials series rotates through more adventurous territory. The taproom is open Thursday through Sunday and feels genuinely relaxed in a way that some production taprooms don't manage.

Order: Five Points Pale — a benchmark East London pale ale, perfect every time

BrewDog has a complicated reputation among craft beer purists — too commercial, too omnipresent, too noisy. The Shoreditch bar is the best of the London outposts: large enough to absorb a crowd, with enough of the BrewDog rarities and collaborations on tap to make the list interesting. The beer education approach (staff are certified by the Cicerone Programme) makes it a reliable option even when the novelty taps aren't compelling. A solid starting point for anyone new to craft beer in London.

Order: Punk IPA on cask — the version most people don't know exists, and it's better than keg

The Purity Bar at Tobacco Dock is not a standalone craft beer bar but deserves inclusion for the quality of the Purity Brewing pour in a genuinely spectacular setting — a Grade I listed Georgian warehouse that has survived since 1814. When events aren't running, the taproom is accessible for a proper pint. The Purity Pure UBU (Upton Brown Unique Brew) and the Mad Goose pale ale are two of the most under-appreciated British craft beers in regular distribution.

Order: Mad Goose pale ale — one of the better British craft pales you'll find consistently

Donzoko brews Japanese-inspired lagers in South London and pours them in a taproom that feels like a careful combination of a Tokyo konbini and a Brixton railway arch. The helles and märzen are brewed with Japanese water chemistry in mind, and the result is something distinctly unusual in London — lagers with actual craft credentials. For anyone tired of the IPA-heavy craft beer mainstream, Donzoko is the most interesting alternative in the city.

Order: Helles — the flagship and the point. Clean, cold, and better than most lagers at any price