Beer is among the most popular beverages in the world, right after water and tea. It is a fermented combination of water, malt, hops, and yeast. While the process to brew beer is pretty much the same all around the world, the beer world is quite diverse.
Here are some popular beer styles around the world:
• English Mild/Bitters.
• American Wheat Ale.
• American Blonde Ale.
• India Pale Ale.
• Belgian Dark Ale.
• Black Lager.
• Japanese Rice Lager.
With an alcohol content of about 4%-7%, beer is the most popular beverage in bars and festivals. Owing to its light and refreshing effect, beer is widely considered the best drink for relaxing and socializing.
Even though the UK’s craft beer market is seeing increased competition, its popularity continues to soar. A craft brewery is a microbrewery that typically produces small amounts of beer compared to a traditional large scale brewery. These breweries are usually owned independently. What makes these breweries more exciting is their emphasis on experimenting, creating brewing techniques, varied flavours and passion.
London, the capital city of the United Kingdom, has a long history when it comes to beer. London boasts some of the very best brew pubs and tap rooms in the country.
When in London, these are the breweries that you should definitely visit for a fresh pint of beer:
The Old Brewery:
The old brewery is in fact, built on the site of an old brewery. The ales from this place are quite famous and can be found in most of London’s pubs. With a small and old school style interiors with wood furnishing with seating stools under a brick arch. The old brewery boasts of a huge yard which accommodates over a hundred seats. It also features a café restaurant area and offers tasting boards to its customers.
German Kraft Brewery:
Refreshing brew served in the authentic German tradition, is what defines the German Kraft Brewery. This place is wildly famous for its brew being full of character. If you’re a fan of good German beer, this is the place for you. This hip spot in London serves some of the best quality brews served without any preservatives or additives. These beers don’t have a very long shelf life and are served fresh from the tank exclusively.
People’s Park Tavern:
Popularly hailed as one of the best hackney pubs in London, the People’s Park Tavern is a huge park pub near Victoria Park. This microbrewery is well known for its wide range of ales. The New Zealand Pale Ale here is the most famous and highly recommended. Most of the ales served here are brewed on site.
Brewhouse and Kitchen Islington:
Brewhouse and Kitchen are located right behind the Angel tube station. It’s a perfect spot for catching up, whether it’s a relaxing session with colleagues after work, a fulfilling lunch with friends or celebratory dinner. One of the first things that you will notice is the gentle smell of hops brewing in the pub’s on-site microbrewery. The craft beer here is as fresh as it can get. This place features a wide array of local brews and bottles from all over the world. Some of the signature brews served here are Crumbleholme Stout and Cerne Abbas Giant IPA.
Long Arm Pub and Brewery:
The Long Arm Pub and Brewery is arguably London’s very first fully sustainable microbrewery. This place looks to set an example by having a fish farm filled with tilapia that fed on the waste generated during the brewing process. The waste produced by the fish is then intended to be used as fertilizers. The fish are eventually served as food. This happening microbrewery features the famous Shadow Wolf stout, with oozing coffee flavours. Another speciality served here is the Mexican style Cerveza. This place is also wildly famous for some of the best burgers in town.
If you’re a fan of freshly brewed, light alcoholic beverages, these are the hotspots in London you should not miss.