The Kernel Brewery has been operating out of the arches near Spa Road since 2010, and Table Beer is one of its longest-running ideas: a low-alcohol pale ale first brewed in 2012, built around the British cask ale tradition of a beer you can drink for hours rather than one you sip carefully.
Table Beer at a glance
| Brewery | The Kernel Brewery, 132 Spa Road, Bermondsey, London |
| Style | Low-ABV Pale Ale |
| ABV | Around 3% |
| Grain bill | Malted barley and rolled oats |
| First brewed | 2012 |
| Formats | 330ml and 500ml bottles, keg |
| Where we found it | The Kernel’s own Spa Road taproom and online shop |
How it tastes, by the numbers
Table Beer comes in at around 3% ABV, brewed with malted barley and rolled oats and mashed at an elevated temperature that creates long-chain sugars yeast can’t ferment, adding body without adding alcohol. The hop bill rotates batch to batch, in keeping with The Kernel’s habit of treating most of its range as a rolling series rather than a fixed recipe.
The full review
What’s most striking about Table Beer is how much flavour it packs in at 3%. The oats give it a fuller, rounder mouthfeel than a low-ABV beer usually has, so it doesn’t taste thin or watered down the way a lot of session beers do when the alcohol drops this low.
Because the hop variety changes between batches, the exact aroma shifts, but the underlying character stays consistent: a light citrus or floral top note over a soft, biscuity malt base, built for balance rather than a big hop statement. This is a beer designed to disappear into a session, not dominate one.
It’s a genuinely useful beer to know about if you’re doing the whole Bermondsey Beer Mile in one go: slotting one or two Table Beers into a long afternoon of stronger IPAs and porters is an easy way to stay upright until the last arch.
Fuller and rounder than a 3% beer has any right to be, thanks to the oats in the grain bill, with a rotating hop bill that keeps the citrus and floral top notes fresh batch to batch.
- One of the few genuinely full-flavoured beers under 3.5% ABV you’ll find on the Mile
- Oats in the grain bill give it real body, avoiding the thin, watery feel low-ABV beers often have
- A useful pacing tool if you’re drinking your way along the whole route in one session
- Consistent quality across more than a decade of batches, even as the hop bill rotates
- The rotating hop bill means the exact aroma and flavour varies between batches
- At 3%, it’s a beer built for balance rather than a big, memorable hop hit
- The Kernel’s plain kraft-paper labels carry minimal on-pack info, so batch specifics aren’t always obvious at a glance
Who it is for
Table Beer is for anyone doing a long session, whether that’s the full Bermondsey Beer Mile or just a normal evening, who wants something with real flavour that won’t accelerate the night. It’s less suited to anyone chasing a big, hop-forward IPA experience.
Table Beer FAQs
What is Table Beer by The Kernel Brewery?
Table Beer is The Kernel Brewery’s around-3% low-ABV pale ale, first brewed in 2012 and made with malted barley and rolled oats, brewed on Spa Road in Bermondsey.
What does The Kernel’s Table Beer taste like?
It has a fuller, rounder mouthfeel than most low-ABV beers thanks to the oats in the grain bill, with a light citrus or floral hop character that varies slightly batch to batch.
How strong is The Kernel Table Beer?
It’s around 3% ABV, built as a low-alcohol session beer rather than a standard-strength pale ale.
Where can I buy The Kernel Table Beer?
It’s available at The Kernel’s own Spa Road taproom on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, and in bottles through their online shop.
The Kernel’s Table Beer is a UK taproom low-ABV pale ale not sold through US delivery apps. Founders All Day Haze IPA is a comparable US-available session beer.
Where to buy Table Beer
You can pick it up at The Kernel’s own arch on Spa Road, or order 330ml/500ml bottles through their online shop.
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The verdict
Table Beer proves that low-ABV doesn’t have to mean low-flavour. The oats do real work giving it body most 3% beers lack, and more than a decade after it was first brewed, it’s still one of the smartest beers to reach for during a long session on the Mile.