The joy of the Bermondsey Beer Mile is its sheer variety — crisp lagers, hazy pale ales, funky sours and pitch-black stouts, all within a few hundred metres of railway arches. With so many taprooms to choose from, where should you actually drink? Here's our guide to the best breweries and taprooms on and around the Beer Mile, what makes each special, and what to order. (Line-ups rotate, so treat this as a well-informed taster rather than gospel.)
Southwark Brewing Co
A Druid Street stalwart and a brilliant place to start. The taproom is big, welcoming and great for groups, and the range spans easy-drinking bitters and lagers up to bigger, bolder specials. It's also where our guided Beer Mile tour meets. Order: a classic London-style bitter or their flagship lager to warm up.
Anspach & Hobday
One of the Mile's most respected names, beloved for The Smoked Brown and a rotating cast of hop-forward and barrel-aged beers. Their Arch House taproom is a highlight of any visit, with a thoughtful, ever-changing line-up. Order: The Smoked Brown if it's on, or whatever cask or keg special is freshest.
The Kernel Brewery
The brewery widely credited with starting it all. The Kernel's Saturday operation around Spa Terminus is a pilgrimage in itself, famous for its pale ales, India pale ales and revived historical porters and stouts, all in their trademark understated bottles. Order: whatever Pale Ale or Table Beer is on — they're benchmarks of the style.
Brew By Numbers (BBNo)
Known for its numbered, systematic approach to styles — each beer labelled by recipe and batch — BBNo has been a Bermondsey favourite for years, with everything from saisons to pastry stouts. Order: a saison or a DIPA, depending on your mood.
Bianca Road Brew Co
Bold, modern and consistently excellent — juicy IPAs, pales and inventive specials in a lively arch that's a firm group favourite. Order: a hazy IPA or a fruited pale.
Moor Beer (London vaults)
Bristol's Moor Beer pours its unfined, naturally-carbonated, vegan-friendly beers at its London home. The cask and keg quality is superb and the ethos uncompromising. Order: Nor'Hop or Hoppiness for a hop hit, or Old Freddy Walker if you want something dark and strong.
Affinity Brew Co
A specialist in hop-forward beers and sharp, refreshing sours — a great mid-route palate-reset. Order: a kettle sour or a crisp pale.
Fabal, Hiver & the newer arrivals
Fabal brings contemporary craft to the southern stretch, while Hiver's honey beers are a genuinely different stop — brewed with British honey and well worth seeking out. New names appear regularly as arches change hands, which is part of the fun of returning. Order: Hiver's Honey Beer for something you won't find everywhere.
Bottle shops: taking beer home
Most taprooms also sell cans and bottles to take away, and several double as proper bottle shops. If you find something you love, grab a few to enjoy later — it's a great way to remember the day, and many breweries also ship nationwide.
What to drink: a tasting strategy
With this much choice, a little strategy keeps the day enjoyable:
- Start light: a lager or pale to ease in.
- Chase the hops: work through pale ales and IPAs while your palate is fresh.
- Reset: a sour or saison mid-way sharpens everything back up.
- Finish dark: a porter, stout or barrel-aged beer to round things off.
- Drink in thirds so you can try far more without overdoing it.
For more on tasting styles, see our beginner's guide to beer tasting in London.
Food on the Beer Mile
You'll want to eat. Maltby Street Market sits right on the route with excellent street food, and several taprooms have their own kitchens or visiting traders serving everything from pizza to salt-beef bagels. Build a lunch stop into your plan — it'll keep the day going much longer and much more happily.
How to see the best of them in one go
Trying to hit every great brewery in one afternoon is how people come unstuck. The smarter approach is a curated route that visits a handful of the best in a sensible order. Our Bermondsey Beer Mile Tour does exactly that — six hand-picked taprooms, beer included, with a guide who introduces you to the people and the beers. Planning a celebration? See private & group tours.
Beyond the Mile: more South London beer
If you've worked your way along the arches and still have appetite, the wider area rewards exploration. Peckham's Brick Brewery, the breweries around Spa Terminus, and the taprooms creeping towards South Bermondsey all add to the scene. London's craft beer map keeps expanding, and Bermondsey remains its beating heart — but it's far from the only corner worth a visit. For a broader view, see our guide to the best brewery tours in London.
When to go for the best experience
Saturday lunchtime is the sweet spot: everything is open, the beer is fresh and the crowds haven't yet peaked. Late Saturday afternoon is liveliest (and busiest), while Sundays and late-week openings are calmer if you prefer a quieter pace and a proper chat with the brewers. Whenever you go, pace yourself, eat well and drink responsibly — the best Beer Mile days are the unhurried ones.
Plan your Beer Mile visit
Half the fun of the Bermondsey Beer Mile is that no two days are the same — but a little planning goes a long way. Decide roughly how many taprooms you want to hit, build in a lunch stop, and drink in thirds so you can try as many breweries as possible. If you're celebrating something, or it's a first visit, going guided takes the pressure off entirely: someone else picks the route, gets you served and tells you what you're drinking. Our route and opening times guide has everything you need to plan a self-guided day, while our guided tour bundles six of the best taprooms, with beer included, into one easy booking. Either way, you're in for one of London's tastiest days out — so take your time, talk to the brewers, and enjoy beer the way it's meant to be: fresh, local and in good company.