Twelve real breweries, taprooms, a sake house and a meadery, all inside a half-mile stretch of Victorian railway arches in Bermondsey, southeast London. This is a stop-by-stop route: opening hours for every arch, a map for each stop, what to order, links to the beers and styles we’ve already reviewed, and an option to book a guided tasting instead of working it out yourself.
What Is the Bermondsey Beer Mile?
It’s an informal trail of independent breweries, taprooms, a sake brewery, a meadery and a cidery, housed in the railway arches of Bermondsey. There’s no ticket, no official map and no single owner: it grew arch by arch after The Kernel Brewery opened the first site here in 2009. On a Saturday especially, you can walk from one open door to the next, drinking beer metres from the tanks it was brewed in.
Getting There
- London Bridge (Jubilee, Northern, National Rail): best for the Druid Street end, where this route starts.
- Bermondsey (Jubilee line): closest to the middle of the route, near Spa Road.
- South Bermondsey (National Rail): handiest if you’re covering the far end on Enid Street.
It’s also a short walk from Tower Bridge and Borough Market, so it pairs well with a wider day out in the area.
The Route, Stop by Stop
This route runs roughly west to east: start on Druid Street near London Bridge, detour briefly onto Stanworth Street, pick up The Kernel on Spa Road, then finish along Enid Street. Treat the order as a guide, not a rulebook: the smartest plan on the day is to follow what’s actually pouring.
1. Southwark Brewing Co. (46 Druid Street, SE1 2EZ)
The traditional start of the Mile and one of the original five breweries that kicked the whole thing off. The taproom is roomy, dog-friendly and geared up for groups, with a range that runs from easy-drinking bitters and lagers to bigger specials on rotation.
2. Kanpai London (48 Druid Street, SE1 2EZ)
The UK’s first sake brewery, right next door to Southwark Brewing. Founded by a husband and wife after a trip to Kyoto, it runs about eight sakes on tap alongside beer collabs, and feels more like a restaurant than a taproom. A good change of pace before you’re back on beer for the rest of the route.
3. The Barrel Project (80 Druid Street, SE1 2HQ)
The most visually dramatic arch on the Mile: hundreds of oak barrels lining the walls, 24 taps of barrel-aged and sour beers, and a food hatch for when you need to slow down. This is a linger-here stop rather than a quick pint and move on.
4. The Fabal Beerhall (88 Druid Street, SE1 2HQ)
Run by the team behind Hiver, this is the newest addition to Druid Street and a dedicated lager taproom in a stretch otherwise dominated by hazy IPAs and pale ales. Worth the stop if you want a clean, cold pint between heavier beers.
5. Anspach & Hobday (118 Druid Street, SE1 2HH (The Arch House))
One of the most respected names on the Mile, with twelve taps of core and seasonal brews in a proper arch setting. Their dark beers are what most regulars order here.
6. Hiver Beers (56 Stanworth Street, SE1 3NY)
A short detour off Druid Street onto Stanworth Street for honey beers brewed with British honey: sweeter than you’d expect and more interesting than it sounds. If honey beer isn’t your thing, they also stock a well-curated fridge from the neighbouring arches.
7. The Kernel Brewery (132 Spa Road, SE16 3AE)
Without The Kernel there is no Beer Mile: founded in 2009, it’s the brewery that started the whole scene. This Spa Road taproom is its fourth (and reportedly final) home, now sharing the space with Yagi Izakaya for gyoza, udon and karaage alongside 25 taps and handpumps. An essential stop, not an optional one.
8. Moor Beer Vaults & Tap Room (71 Enid Street, SE16 3RA)
Bristol’s Moor Beer pours its unfined, naturally-carbonated, vegan-friendly beers at its London home. Both cask and keg quality here are consistently strong, and the skeleton street art out front makes it one of the easiest arches to spot.
9. Gosnells of London (72 Enid Street, SE16 3RA)
The country’s first and only mead bar, right across from Moor Beer. It drinks a lot more like a craft brewery than the word ‘mead’ suggests: sparkling and still versions that are brighter and drier than you’d guess, and genuinely one of the more unique stops on the route.
10. Cloudwater (73 Enid Street, SE16 3RA)
Manchester’s most celebrated craft brewery, with a Bermondsey home that’s usually the busiest arch on a Saturday. World-renowned for its hazy beers, and happy-hour pricing here makes the craft prices elsewhere on the Mile feel steeper by comparison.
11. Bianca Road Brew Co. (83-84 Enid Street, SE16 3RA)
Bold, modern, West Coast-inspired beers: citrus, tropical, crushable: in a lively arch that’s a firm group favourite. Doing well enough that it recently crowdfunded an expansion into another arch on the same stretch.
12. Mash Paddle Brewery (92 Enid Street, SE16 3RA)
London’s only brewing incubator, where small-batch brewers learn their craft: which means the taps here are always experimental and always changing. It’s also the far end of most people’s route, and it runs brewing classes if the Mile makes you want to try it yourself.
More Arches Worth a Detour
The Mile has closer to 20 stops if you count every bar, bottle shop and food vendor. These seven didn’t make the core twelve but are worth knowing about if you’re doing the full route or just want variety:
| Name | Address | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Craft Beer Junction | 86 Enid Street | A wholesaler-turned-taproom with 10+ kegs plus hundreds of cans and bottles, including imports: if you want something specific, they probably stock it. |
| Against the Grain Cidery | Enid Street (former Brew By Numbers arches) | New for 2025, in the arches Brew By Numbers vacated: a welcome cider option since Hawkes closed. |
| Enid Street Tavern | 87 Enid Street | The closest thing to a proper pub on the Mile, with ten rotating taps and a small front garden. A good place to slow down mid-route. |
| Doodle Bar | 60 Druid Street | Floor-to-ceiling chalkboards, burgers, cocktails and craft beer: a more conventional bar option if the group wants a break from taprooms. |
| Hop Kingdom | 16 Druid Street | A community-run addition at the western end with rotating small-batch British ales. Hours aren’t widely listed, so check social media before a special trip. |
| Small Beer Brew Co. | 70-72 Verney Road | Everything under 2.8% ABV, brewed with total seriousness. A short extra walk south of the main cluster, worth it if you’re pacing yourself. |
| Battersea Brewing Substation | 8 Almond Road | Self-described smallest bar on the Mile, open erratically on summer Saturday afternoons: a bonus stop if you’re doing the full route and it happens to be open. |
Where to Eat on the Mile
Maltby Street Market (Ropewalk, SE1 3PA)
Sits right on the route and is the best lunch stop on the Mile: salt-beef bagels, wood-fired pizza and fresh oysters on weekends. See the full trader lineup on the market’s own traders page before you go, since the stalls rotate.
Klementino’s Pizza (69 Enid Street)
Pizza and cocktails out of a converted VW van: mid-crawl salvation on the Enid Street stretch, and increasingly busy on Saturdays. Check their Facebook page for the current pizza list and opening times.
Chez Rapha (48 Ropewalk, Maltby Street Market, SE1 3PA)
A French wine bar tucked under the Maltby Street arches, run by a sommelier, pouring fine and natural wines alongside seasonal small plates: a good sit-down option if you want a break from taprooms partway through the route. See their menu and hours before you go.
Borough Cheese Company (88 Enid Street)
Borough Market’s cheese traders run an arch on the Enid Street end of the Mile, serving cheese toasties and artisan cheese to take away: a solid lining-the-stomach stop near Cloudwater and Bianca Road. See their Borough Market trader page for what they stock.
Top Tips for Doing the Mile
- Start early: mornings are calmer, Saturday afternoons get busy fast.
- Drink in thirds where you can. It’s the only way to sample widely and still be standing at the end.
- Go light to dark: lager and pale first, sours to reset the palate, stouts to finish.
- Build in a proper lunch stop at Maltby Street Market: the day goes much further with food in you.
- Bring card and a little cash: it speeds things up at busy hatches.
- Wear comfortable shoes and a layer. The arches stay cool even when it’s warm outside.
- Drink responsibly and pace yourself: it’s a crawl, not a race.
More Beer Travel
This route is part of our wider London coverage: see the full Best Beer Tours in London roundup for bookable options beyond the Mile, or browse Beer Cities: 100 Cities to Drink Before You Die for other bucket-list breweries around the world.
FAQ
What is the Bermondsey Beer Mile?
It’s an informal trail of independent breweries, taprooms, a sake brewery, a meadery and a cidery, all set in the Victorian railway arches of Bermondsey in southeast London. There’s no ticket, no official map and no single owner: it grew organically after The Kernel opened the first brewing site there in 2009, and more breweries followed.
Where does it start and how do I get there?
Most people walk from the London Bridge end of Druid Street south towards Enid Street and Spa Terminus. London Bridge station (Jubilee, Northern, National Rail) is best for the Druid Street end, Bermondsey station (Jubilee line) is close to the middle, and South Bermondsey (National Rail) is handy for the far end.
What’s the best day and time to go?
Saturday, from late morning onward, is when the most venues are open at once. Thursday to Sunday evenings are quieter but still cover most of the arches on this list: Sundays tend to close earlier, by late afternoon.
How long does it take and what does it cost?
Allow four to six hours if you want to do it properly rather than rush it. Drinking in thirds, a full day including lunch typically runs about GBP 40 to 70 per person, and most people comfortably manage six to nine stops in an afternoon.
Do I need to book ahead?
No booking needed for the taprooms on this list: just turn up. If you’d rather have someone else plan the order and do the talking, a guided tasting tour (below) takes care of that for you.
Is the Beer Mile dog-friendly and family-friendly?
Most of the taprooms on this list are dog-friendly and allow accompanied under-18s during the day, but it varies arch to arch: check with the specific venue if either matters to your visit.
