Bermondsey isn't the only part of London where breweries have colonised a run of railway arches and light-industrial units. Up in E17, the Blackhorse Beer Mile in Walthamstow has quietly built its own reputation over the last decade, with a handful of independent breweries pouring within walking distance of Blackhorse Road station. We run our own guided tours on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, but we get asked about Walthamstow often enough that it's worth a proper, honest guide — what's actually there, how it compares to Bermondsey, and whether it's worth the trip north.
Where is the Blackhorse Beer Mile?
The Blackhorse Beer Mile sits around Blackhorse Lane and Forest Road in Walthamstow, North East London — a pocket of former industrial units that breweries began moving into as Bermondsey's arches filled up and rents there climbed. It's not a single street the way Bermondsey's Druid Street run is; it's more spread out, with taprooms dotted along Blackhorse Lane and a short walk further towards Forest Road. Expect more open industrial estate and less of the tight, arch-to-arch density you get on the Bermondsey route.
The breweries and taprooms
The line-up shifts as breweries open, close or move (as it does everywhere in London brewing), so treat this as a starting point rather than gospel — always check a brewery's own website or Instagram before you set off. That said, the regulars worth building a visit around include:
- Wild Card Brewery — one of the longest-running names on the Blackhorse Beer Mile, with a spacious taproom and a solid core range alongside seasonal specials.
- Exale Brewing — a newer, hop-forward outfit that's built a following for its pale ales and IPAs among the local crowd.
- Signature Brew — started as a music-industry beer brand before opening a proper Walthamstow taproom and venue, often with gigs and events alongside the beer.
- Big Penny Social — not a brewery itself, but a large taproom-and-events space in a converted Victorian bath house that pours from several producers and makes a good anchor point for a visit.
Compare that with the Bermondsey Beer Mile, where you'll find ten-plus breweries — Kernel, Fourpure, Partizan, Brew By Numbers and more — packed into arches you can walk between in a couple of minutes. Blackhorse is a quieter, more spread-out cousin rather than a direct rival in scale.
Getting there
Blackhorse Road station is your best bet — it sits on both the Victoria line and the London Overground, so it's a genuinely easy trip from most of London. From the station, most of the taprooms are a 10–15 minute walk along Blackhorse Lane and Forest Road; it's flatter and more industrial than Bermondsey's arches, so factor that into your footwear and expectations. There's no need to book trains or plan a complicated route — it's one of the more accessible "beer mile" areas in London precisely because it sits on a direct tube line.
Blackhorse vs the Bermondsey Beer Mile
We're obviously biased, having run tours on the Bermondsey Beer Mile since 2014, but here's a fair comparison:
- Density: Bermondsey packs far more breweries into a walkable stretch, which is why a single afternoon tour can hit four taprooms. Blackhorse is more spread out, so you'll cover fewer stops in the same time.
- Atmosphere: Blackhorse has a slightly more local, community feel, with venues like Big Penny Social doubling as event spaces. Bermondsey has the buzz of being London's best-known beer mile, especially on Saturdays.
- Getting there: Blackhorse Road's direct Victoria line and Overground links are genuinely convenient. Bermondsey is a short walk from London Bridge, one of London's best-connected stations.
- Guided options: As far as we know there isn't an established guided tour of the Blackhorse Beer Mile with beer included at each stop. Our Bermondsey Beer Tasting Tour runs for 2–3.5 hours, visits four taprooms with a beer included at every one, and is led by a local guide who meets you at Southwark Brewing Co, 46 Druid St — it's £49 per person.
If you want to explore independently and don't mind a looser, DIY afternoon, Blackhorse is a good shout, especially if you're already in North East London. If you'd rather have someone else handle the route, the rounds and the running commentary, that's exactly what our guided tour is built for.
Opening hours (read this before you travel)
As with most of London's independent brewery clusters, opening hours on the Blackhorse Beer Mile are generally most reliable at weekends, with several taprooms open Thursday to Sunday and reduced or no hours earlier in the week. Don't assume a brewery will be open on a Tuesday afternoon — always check the individual brewery's own website or social media for current hours before you travel, particularly if you're planning a special trip north just for this. The same rule applies to the Bermondsey Beer Mile, where Saturday is by far the safest day to guarantee every taproom is open.
Food and other things nearby
Walthamstow has its own food scene worth folding into a beer mile day — Walthamstow Market (reputedly Europe's longest street market) runs most days a short walk away, and the area around St James Street and Walthamstow Village has a growing collection of independent cafés and restaurants. It's a good pairing if you're making a full day of North East London rather than just brewery-hopping. Down in Bermondsey, the equivalent stop is Maltby Street Market, which sits conveniently mid-route on the Beer Mile itself.
Tips for visiting
- Check hours brewery by brewery. Unlike a single guided tour, you're relying on several independent businesses each keeping their own hours — build in flexibility.
- Bring a group and split a taxi or bus between stops if you're covering the full spread — it's less walkable stop-to-stop than Bermondsey.
- Eat before and during. Food options directly on the mile are more limited than at Bermondsey's Maltby Street, so plan lunch around the market or bring snacks.
- Card is fine almost everywhere, but it's worth having some cash as backup at smaller stalls if you're combining it with the market.
- Pace yourself — it's an over-18s activity and, as with any beer crawl, drinking in thirds and halves means you enjoy more of the day. Our beginner's guide to beer tasting has more on pacing a group.
Who is the Blackhorse Beer Mile best for?
It suits a fairly specific kind of day out: a small group who already live or work in North East London, fancy a relaxed wander between a handful of independent taprooms, and don't mind planning their own route and checking opening times as they go. It's less suited to larger groups, first-time visitors to London, or anyone who wants a fixed schedule with beer guaranteed at every stop — for that, a guided crawl on a denser mile, like Bermondsey's, tends to work better, since a guide has already done the legwork of checking hours, ordering the route and booking ahead where needed. If you're weighing up North East versus South East London for a beer-focused day, Blackhorse is the DIY option and Bermondsey is the one you can hand over to someone else entirely.
Thinking of a group day out instead?
If Blackhorse sounds appealing for the concept — a relaxed afternoon moving between independent taprooms — but you'd like it organised for you, with a guide, a fixed route and beer included at every stop, that's precisely what we do on the Bermondsey Beer Tasting Tour. We take groups of 6 to 60+ through private tours for birthdays, stag and hen dos and work socials, and it's gift voucher friendly if you're buying for someone else — vouchers are delivered by email and never expire. For the full rundown of our own route, see the Ultimate Bermondsey Beer Mile Guide.