A selection of topical updates from the front page, that aren't topical any more.
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08/05/2021 - Frequently Asked Question (well, twice)
A couple of recent questions in the comments - well, both the same question, sort of, and one that a few of you may well be thinking about.
Firstly from James: "Hey, great guide. So I've tentatively started organising my brothers stag do and thought the beer mile would be a fun thing to do on it. However after the crap year we've all had im wondering if you've heard any news about when/if theyre all reopening. The stag do wouldnt be until July so there's plenty of time so fingers crossed. Just wondered if you'd heard any news."
And more directly to the point from Joey: "Any idea if this is open at the moment?"
First of all, just a warning that all the information I'm about to give you has come from the Twitter feeds of the bars themselves, which may be incomplete or out of date by the time you read this. (I've put links to the Twitter pages of the bars in the list on the front page so you can check the latest details for yourselves.) But right now, Joey - as of May 8th - it looks like the vast majority of the bars are operating on Saturdays. Brew By Numbers and Fourpure haven't explicitly said they're open, but everyone else is exploiting whatever table space they can grab outside, so I'd be surprised if they weren't too. Some of the bars may need you to book a table in advance, and all of them are going to be limiting numbers, so bear that in mind.
As for a stag in July? That's a bit harder to predict, James. We should have at least two rejigs of the lockdown rules between now and then, so nobody can say what'll be possible after those. Being slightly pessimistic here, I suspect there'll still be a degree of social distancing required even after July, so you might have to pick a few favourite bars and book tables in advance, and there might still be limits as to how many of you could be in one place at the same time. But who knows? So keep an eye on the news, be prepared to have to plan this a little more than you would have in the past, get yourselves all vaxxed up in good time, and bear in mind we're not quite out of this just yet. Keep looking after yourselves and each other, everyone, and hopefully full-blown crawls could be back on the menu in the future.
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21/02/2021 - The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (just might be an oncoming train)
Sorry for the six-and-a-half month gap since the last update on here: you know how it is. Back in August 2020, we were able to report on how the Beer Mile bars were slowly coming back after what we were foolishly calling ‘the lockdown’, when we should have been referring to it as ‘the first lockdown’. As we wait for news on how we’re supposed to make our way out of the third one, we thought it was about time for a recap on where the breweries are currently.
Obviously, all the bars are shut at the moment. But many of them are operating some sort of delivery service, or taking orders for click and collect. If you need some beer in the near future, maybe consider giving Tesco’s a miss and throwing a few quid in the direction of your favourite Bermondsey vendor. See their individual sites for what’s available.
At some point, we hope, many of these bars will be back in business to some degree or other. Sadly, though, we have to report on a few more permanent status changes. We’ll update their pages on here once things have settled a bit, but in brief:
- Hiver/All Good Beer should now be just referred to as Hiver. That’s because All Good Beer, as mentioned back in August, have moved their pop-up out of Bermondsey and now operate solely out of their shop in Hackney Downs, where their online order business appears to be doing pretty well. Though it should be noted that the alcohol-free beer advent calendar we bought from them last Christmas had a bit too much kombucha in it for our liking (i.e. it had some kombucha in it).
- Anspach & Hobday have moved their brewing operation out to Croydon: the taproom is still on the Mile, though, and has now been rebranded as The Arch House (when it’s open, anyway).
- London Calling Sweden is using lockdown as an opportunity for a bit of a rethink. According to this shonkily-translated article from beernews.se, expect it to become more of a general Swedish bottle shop when it eventually reopens.
- Secret Goldmine is still operating as a café for takeaways (primarily for food, though the Yeastie Boys connection is still there). They also appear to run a popup food stall opposite Clapham Common.
- Affinity have moved out of Bermondsey, as previously reported, and are now operating out of the basement of the Grosvenor Arms in Brixton. As also previously reported, Three Hills Brewing have taken over their site on 7 Almond Road, and hopefully when things perk up again we can tell you what that’s like in practice.
- Mash Paddle Brewery are rumoured to be planning a move into Almond Road, and are currently crowdfunding to set up an open brewing site – presumably a bit like what uBrew used to do, but hopefully without the catastrophic financial problems.
Apart from that, we know as much as you do about the future of the Bermondsey Beer Mile. If you want the latest news of what people’s re-opening plans are, keep an eye on the social channels for the various bars and breweries (which tend to get updated a bit more frequently than their websites). In the meantime, stay home and drink lots of ordered-in beer. If God is willing and the R number don’t rise, we’ll hopefully see you for a pint in the near future. Well, maybe a schooner.
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06/08/2020 - The Unlockdowning, stopped counting the weeks now
Current status of all the bars, according to their socials. Includes brief news of two actual permanent closures, which will be documented in the In Memoriam section when we've got time.
- Southwark Brewing – open, limited numbers, no bookings, one in one out
- The Barrel Project – open, taking bookings, online shop available
- Hawkes Cider – open, taking bookings, guidelines on website, online shop available via BrewDog
- Hiver/All Good Beer – Hiver are now open and taking bookings for their taproom. All Good Beer, however, aren't coming back - it was only ever intended as a pop-up shop, it just happened to stay popped-up for four years. They're now permanently based in their bigger premises in Hackney, and of course their online shop is still going
- Anspach & Hobday – taproom closed for renovations, but should be back open on August 14th and taking bookings
- Moor Beer – open for table service and takeaway
- London Calling Sweden – still apparently open for takeaway only, online shop available
- Cloudwater – currently closed, online shop available with click and collect option
- Brew By Numbers – taproom open with bookings and reduced capacity, online shop available
- Bianca Road – open with well-documented restrictions, online shop available
- Secret Goldmine (Old Jamaica Business Estate) – re-opened July 4th, deliveries to London area only
- The Kernel – open for takeaway only (“Until we are happy with our set up we won't be open for on-site drinking”), online shop available
- Affinity – moving out of Almond Road and setting up a brewpub. Site soon to be occupied by Three Hills Brewing
- Spartan – open for drinking in and taking out
- EeBria – open with restrictions, online shop available but for trade sales only
- Partizan – open Saturdays only with table service inside and out
- Fourpure – unclear if it's reopened yet, online shop available
Stay safe, behave yourselves, you know the drill by now. You don't want to end up like Aberdeen, do you?
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08/07/2020 - The Unlockdowning, week two
Thought you might be interested in a graph of our usage stats for the last four months. Our hit count generally peaks on Saturdays, as people take the site out on the road with them and use it to navigate their crawl. The large peak on the left happened on March 14th, the last Saturday before it all hit the fan. The much smaller peak on the right was on July 4th, the first weekend when bars were allowed to open up again. Nature is healing, as they say.
It's not healing that quickly, though, so the following advice still comes with all the caveats we gave last week (see News Archive link below for details) - avoid public transport, stay in your social bubble, don't go spreading your lurgy across every single bar on the Mile just because lots of them are open now. With that in mind, based on the most recent social media posts from the bars, and bearing in mind that a couple of the ones we said would be shut last weekend opened anyway, here's the forecast for Saturday July 11th.
- Southwark Brewing – open, limited numbers, no bookings, one in one out
- The Barrel Project – open, taking bookings, online shop available
- Hawkes Cider – open, taking bookings, guidelines on website, online shop available via BrewDog
- Hiver/All Good Beer – currently closed (Hiver “look forward to joining the fun over the next couple of weeks”), but both have online shops available
- Anspach & Hobday – open for takeaway only (currently being renovated), online shop available
- Moor Beer – open for takeaway only (“hoping to welcome you back to drink in soon”), online shop available
- London Calling Sweden – open for takeaway only, online shop available
- Cloudwater – currently closed, online shop available
- Brew By Numbers – taproom open with bookings and reduced capacity, online shop available
- Bianca Road – open with well-documented restrictions, online shop available
- Secret Goldmine (Old Jamaica Business Estate) – re-opened July 4th, deliveries to London area only
- The Kernel – open for takeaway only (“Until we are happy with our set up we won't be open for on-site drinking”), online shop available
- Affinity – currently closed, online shop available
- Spartan – open for drinking in and taking out
- EeBria – open with restrictions, online shop available but for trade sales only
- Partizan – currently closed (“Keep safe, stay nice, be classy”), online shop available
- Fourpure – currently closed, online shop available
We're not planning on doing this every week, but if there are any major changes to the above list we'll give you another update then. Look after yourselves.
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02/07/2020 - The Unlockdowning, week one
Amy Nightingale asks in the comments: “Hi, does anyone know if the mile is starting to open up again with restrictions easing??”
Well, that’s the big question, isn’t it? Particularly as July 4th is fast approaching, and that’s the day when bars can open up again if they want to. Before we answer that question, maybe you should have a read at this piece by Ben Duckworth, the boss of Affinity Brewing, explaining why he’s in no real hurry to open that day.
Ben makes a very important point: many of the things that people like about the Mile – travelling there from outside Bermondsey, gathering together with large groups of people we don’t live with, visiting multiple venues in rapid succession – are things we’re still not supposed to be doing, even under the newly relaxed Government guidelines. He feels that it’s too early in the lifespan of this disease to be considering pub crawls again, and we agree with him. (As do the folks at Cloudwater and Partizan.)
As it happens, it looks like very few of the bars will be open on that first weekend for actual pints: many will be opening for takeaway sales only (as they have been for a few weeks now), and some will remain shut for the time being. The list below has been compiled from the bars’ various social media platforms, and you’re advised to check with those yourselves before making any plans. If you want to support the breweries at this awkward time, bear in mind a lot of them are currently selling beer through their websites, and a session at home might be a safer option.
- Southwark Brewing – currently closed
- The Barrel Project – planning to re-open July 4th, online shop available
- Hawkes Cider – planning to re-open July 4th, online shop available via BrewDog
- Hiver/All Good Beer – currently closed, but both have online shops available
- Anspach & Hobday – open for takeaway only, online shop available
- Moor Beer – open for takeaway only, online shop available
- London Calling Sweden – open for takeaway only, online shop available
- Cloudwater – currently closed, online shop available
- Brew By Numbers – open for takeaway only, online shop available
- Bianca Road – planning to re-open July 4th with well-documented restrictions: online shop available
- Secret Goldmine (Old Jamaica Business Estate) – planning to re-open July 4th (ticketed event), online shop available (Yeastie Boys beer and pies!)
- The Kernel – open for takeaway only, online shop available
- Affinity – currently closed, online shop available
- Spartan – ‘expect to be fully ready and operational come 4th July’
- EeBria – ‘hope to re-open on the first Saturday after pubs are given the go-ahead’ – online shop available, but currently for trade sales only
- Partizan – currently closed, online shop available
- Fourpure – currently closed, online shop available
We’ll try to keep this list up-to-date as the situation unfolds: if you have any new information on bar statuses, please pass it on in the comments box below. In the meantime, if you feel you have to go out to Bermondsey, stay safe and keep others safe (including the Bermondsey local residents):
- avoid using public transport, and aim to walk or (cautiously) cycle there
- only visit in groups of up to two households, or with a group of six people from different households if staying outdoors
- don’t interact socially with anyone outside the group you’re with
- try to limit the number of people you see, especially over short periods of time, and limit the number of bars you visit
That old gag about ‘please drink responsibly’ is taking on a very different meaning nowadays.
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14/03/2020 - the start of the lockdown
Just a quick warning for you: as a result of the current global viral unpleasantness, Fourpure have announced today that they'll be closing their taproom for the immediate future. It's possible that others may follow, so check with the breweries on social media before heading out. Plus, don't forget to wash your hands for at least twenty seconds, perhaps to the tune of Vatican Broadside by Half Man Half Biscuit.
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21/01/2020 - accessibility and Dry January
To inaugurate this new Bit On The Front Page That Should Hopefully Get Updated More Often Than The Rest Of The Site, let’s answer two Infrequently Asked Questions: one of which is so infrequently asked that we’re the only ones who’ve asked it so far.
First off, Bethany Sinclair asked back in August 2019 (oops) “I was wondering how many of the locations are wheelchair accessible?” That’s an excellent question, and we kept it in mind on a recent trip down the Mile. To be frank, the north half of the Mile (along Druid Street and Enid Street) is ridiculously hard to navigate even if you’re not in a wheelchair, what with the narrow pavements being largely overrun by badly-parked cars. The two bars on industrial estates – The Kernel and Fourpure – are a bit more accessible, though Fourpure lets itself down at the final hurdle with a step leading up to the taproom (they may have a ramp, we didn’t ask), and you should watch out for traffic in both cases. But your best bet appears to be the small clump of bars along Almond Road, which are more or less shopfronts opening out directly onto the street: sure, the indoor seating area in Affinity is up a flight of stairs, but there’s some bench seating outside if it’s a nice day. Partizan round the corner might also be fine, once you’ve got past the heavy iron door that stops the cold getting in.
As we’ve still got ten days or so of January left, this second one counts as a topical query: is there any point in doing the Bermondsey Beer Mile if you’re doing Dry January at the same time? Our research seems to suggest that in most cases, it isn’t: many of the breweries here are too small to dedicate the time and effort required to make alcohol-free beer. Eebria has a few interesting options in its fridge (though the St Peter’s Without was badly past its best before date when we tried it): but as The BBG noted, the two main bars with alcohol-free drinks are the ones with the biggest outside investment behind them. Fourpure currently has a rather tasty 0.5% pale ale called Dry Season on tap, and if it’s booze-free beer you’re looking for it’s probably your best bet. Hawkes, however, is going all out for Dry January: two 0.5% ciders on tap (both variations on Designated Cider), one of which is available to take away in cans, along with a selection of 0.5% canned beers from their masters at BrewDog. And if you’re carelessly doing Veganuary as well like we are, there are some cracking vegan pizzas on offer as well.
In our next major update, we’ll hopefully get around to looking at Secret Goldmine again, now that it’s fully transitioned from café to Yeastie Boys taproom. But let’s note for now that it’s another set of premises on a wheelchair-friendly industrial estate, and their nice New Zealand coffee has an ABV of 0.0%.
Very interested in doing this with a few mates. We live in Lincoln, so would be a full day trip down and back on the train. Ive read here that the breweries are open Saturday afternoon, what would you say is the earliest time you could start and have a succesful run at the majority of places?
PS thanks for all the info, website is great
Posted by: Jonny Sanders | 21/10/2021 at 03:57 PM