Last week was for the proper London tourists, whom I clued into a few sneaky spots for scoring premium takeaway beers in areas they’d likely visit. Now, for the dedicated beer connoisseurs happy to go a little further afield to get the (really) good stuff, I look at a few fantastic bottle shops around London with knowledgeable staff peddling proper craft beers in great quantities.
Further introduction is unnecessary, so let’s get to it.
Hop Burns & Black
Glenn, the Kiwi co-owner of this slick little shop in East Dulwich, told me that a commonality between the disparate goods he and business parter Jen sell — craft beer, well-sourced hot sauce, handpicked vinyl — is that they’re all “mood-enhancing things” (and, of course, things the two enjoy themselves). True enough; I’d add that Hop Burns & Black, itself, considerably brightens the otherwise depressing strip mall in which it’s located, about two blocks west of Peckham Rye Park.
There’s ample reason to linger here. Beer is the main attraction and, appropriately, the UK is the focus, with the shelves and a few packed fridges here well-stocked with hundreds of bottles and cans from the cream of the country’s craft-brewing crop, including Beavertown, Wild Beer Co, Siren Craft Brew, and Weird Beard Brew Co. There’s a fine selection of American beers, too, and a recent announcement that the annual Rainbow Project will in 2016 pair New Zealand and UK breweries will surely heighten interest in HB&B’s tidy NZ (and Australia) section.
The impressive hot sauce aisle, tucked away towards the back of the shop, features both locally made and imported products. Most notable might be the range of condiments from Bristol-based GingerBeard’s Preserves, some made in collaboration with local breweries like Moor Beer Company and Bristol Beer Factory. According to Glenn, HB&B are the only shop in London stocking GingerBeard.
Interesting beers consistently flow at the five-tap flagon station, and it’s worth keeping tabs on HB&B’s events page , too. All in all, Hop Burns & Black’s clever spin on the traditional beer shop model works well–I won’t be surprised when current and future competitors diversify similarly. Hop Burns & Black , 38 E. Dulwich Rd., 020 7450 0284.
Mother Kelly’s Bottle Shop
Mother Kelly’s Bottle Shop
That’s not to say HB&B is the only beer shop in town hawking products other than booze. At Mother Kelly’s Bottle Shop, a classy joint in the heart of Hackney, a small library of beer books and a cooler filled with appetizing artisanal cheeses help differentiate it from the crowd. The eight-tap growler station, too, is one of the biggest in London, and sweet beer dreams are made of the well-chosen bombers and 750s filling one of MK’s front-room racks.
Related: In London, Five Sneaky Spots for Proper Take-Home Beer (Tourist-Friendly Version)
What puts this place over the top, though, is the size of its cold room–and the deep selection therein. All the usual UK suspects are here in abundance, but you’ll also find one of London’s better Dutch sections and plenty of tasty American beers, including a few winners from the increasingly prevalent Founders Brewing Co, which I hear now has a full-time sales rep based in the city. Prices are generally competitive, and in some cases somewhat lower than competitors. For example, £9,20 is the best price I’ve seen for Violet Underground , the elegant 2015 Rainbow Project collaboration between Firestone Walker Brewing and Wild Co; the asking price is upwards of £15 elsewhere.
That’s in stark contrast to the eye-popping bottle prices floated at Mother Kelly’s otherwise ace Tap Room in Bethnal Green, where a 330ml bottle of, say, Wild Beer’s BrettBrett Double IPA runs nearly £8 for onsite consumption (less, blessedly, for takeaway). Fortunately there’s really no need for such tomfoolery with high quality beers flowing from 20 taps. Mother Kelly’s Bottle Shop , 186 Well St., 020 8525 9851.
Clapton Craft / Caps and Taps
Clapton Craft is one of two reasons all those lucky Kentish Towners could smile even more in 2015.
A spinoff of the original shop on, you know, Lower Clapton Road (in Hackney), this craft-beer specialist just opened up this past summer. In these early days it’s been particularly popular with the area’s commuter set, a mob that goes wild, wild, wild between 5:30pm and 7:30pm and, according to staff, favors the “brand-name” London breweries most: Camden Town Brewery, Beavertown, The Kernel, Brew By Numbers, etc. There’s a lovely assortment of craft brews from elsewhere in Europe, as well, with a particular focus on Belgians, and nine taps of draft beer fill one-liter bottles and growlers.
Clapton Craft
Caps and Taps
Just down the road, a short walk from Kentish Town West Overland station, Caps and Taps is another much-welcomed KT tenant who set up shop in mid-2015. They’ve just recently added the “taps” component (and have worked through a few minor hiccups with the system) to the caps and tabs, most of which are conveniently refrigerated. Many of the beers that aren’t chilled, however, are those lining the back shelves with proud RateBeer rating tags hung as proudly as the plaques in your dentist’s office. This is a good place to look for something special. Clapton Craft , 326 Kentish Town Rd., 020 3643 2669. Caps and Taps , 130 Kentish Town Rd.
BottleDog
These days there’s little to nothing “punk” about corny BrewDog, “the alternative small business” that banked nearly £30 million in 2014, has more than 40 bars and bottle shops around the world, yet still turned to multiple (ongoing) rounds of crowdfunding this year to fund further growth because, you know, it’s punk. Kudos to them, however, for realizing how many people will lap up and defend whatever cornball shit they’re selling and for, in the words of co-founder James Watt, “chasing down every cent and pimping every pound.”
Barf.
Brand fatigue aside, no quibbles with the beer — and to be clear, I do like the bars, even if they’re starting to feel a bit dated, Camden-style — and there’s no denying, too, that BottleDog was a little ahead of the London curve when it opened in 2014. Located on Gray’s Inn Road, not too far from King’s Cross and St. Pancras International stations, BottleDog predictably offers the full range of BrewDog beers, loads of UK and imported craft brews, four growler taps, and some homebrew supplies. Beyond its expansive BrewDog selection, BottleDog also stands out for its impressive (and pricey) variety of rarities from around the globe. BottleDog , 69 Gray’s Inn Rd., 020 7242 7808.
Also Check Out:
+ The Bottle Shop : The Bermondsey branch of this Canterbury import (and online retailer) is particularly bangin’ on Saturdays, when Anspach & Hobday, Fourpure, Brew By Numbers, and other area breweries hold court .
+ Kris Wines : There are some rare, surprising finds hidden in the packed shelves of this remarkable little shop, though I often see a number of bottles well past their recommended “best by” prime–check before buying.
+ Ales by Mail : This is my second shout-out to one of the UK’s best online craft beer retailers. Shipping within the country is a flat £6,99 for boxes of up to 24; hat tip to these lovely folks for filling two empty spaces in my last order with complimentary bottles from their own Discworld Ales collection.
+ Jack’s: This unsuspecting Stroud Green off-license (178a Stroud Green) stocks a fantastic range of craft brews born around the UK and abroad. I do worry about some of the beers’ exposure to semi-direct sunlight in the window, but no complaints on anything I’ve purchased thus far. Not worth going out of your way, but Jack’s is quite handy indeed for those in the Upper Holloway / Crouch Hill vicinity.
