A selection of topical updates from the front page, that aren't topical any more.
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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%.
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