Taproom & Festival Reviews

Makemake Taproom - Unit 1.2, Central Point, Kirpal Road, Portsmouth PO3 6FHLocated near Milton Common in Portsmouth, Makemake Brewery & Taproom is a hidden gem for craft beer enthusiasts on the south coast. Nestling in a sleek industrial unit, this superb local...

Phantom Brewing Taproom, Units 2 & 3, Meadow Road, Reading RG1 8LBPhantom Brewing is just a 5 minute stroll from Reading railway station, a hub of the UK rail network. When they first opened their doors in late 2019, they occupied a single large modern industrial...

Howling Hops Tank Bar, Queens Yard, White Post Lane, Hackney Wick, London E9 5ENThe Howling Hops Tank Bar is located near to the canal at Hackney Wick, close to Old Street Brewery and The Merchant’s Tap, making it a must stop for the craft beer lover. It's just a...

The Wee Vault Tasting Room, 7A W Maitland St, Edinburgh EH12 5DSThe Wee Vault Tasting Room and Bottleshop is one of the more unique and interesting taprooms in the UK. Situated in central Edinburgh just a 2 minute walk from Haymarket Station. The taproom is tiny -...

Moonwake Beer Co. Brewery & Taproom, 6A Tower St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 7BYThe Moonwake Beer Co. brewery and taproom is located on an industrial unit in Leith, North Edinburgh, just a minute away from Leith Shore. Through the entrance and up some step finds you in...

Porty Vault, 243 Portobello High St, Portobello, Edinburgh EH15 2AWThe Porty Vault Taproom & Smokehouse is located on Portobello High Street, Portobello in Edinburgh and is just a few minutes walk from the Vault City Brewery, the home of Modern Sour Beer. The TWICB...

Cafe Beermoth, Brown Street, Manchester M2 1DAI think it is fair to say that, we do a lot of Craft Beer drinking in the UK in fairly basic or rustic surroundings. Don't get me wrong, I have never sat in a Taproom drinking fresh Craft Beer that didn't please me....

Tilt, City Arcade, 2 Union St, Birmingham B2 4TXThe TWICB Team were out in force in Birmingham earlier this month to attend Beer Central (review in last week's Issue 133). However, before the festival started we enjoyed an hour or so in this fascinating little bar....

Radio City Social, 35 Viaduct Road, Chelmsford CM1 1TSRadio City Social is the newly opened taproom owned by Dan from Radio City Beer Works - the local craft brewery in Chelmsford. The name owes its roots to Guglielmo Marconi who developed the concept of radio at the...

Thornbridge Brewery Taproom, Riverside Brewery, Buxton Rd, Bakewell DE45 1GSYour intrepid reporter found himself in Bakewell in the Peak District a couple of weeks ago on a beautiful sunny day. After walking around this delightful market town for a while it was...

The Grumpy Goat Taproom, 7 Union Street, Reading RG1 1EUEvery week on the TWICB Podcast, I ask the Guest (mostly Brewers) to give a shout out to a "Little Guy". Almost without exception, the Guest will mention one of more local bottleshops, who were instrumental in...

Bewdley Brewery Taproom, Unit 7, Bewdley Craft Centre, Lax Lane, Bewdley, Worcestershire DY12 2DZBewdley Brewery is a micro-brewery set in the heart of the Severn Valley, alongside the River Severn. It was established in 2008 by a small group of dedicated...

Pegasus Taproom, 86 St Dunstan's Street, Canterbury CT2 8ADThe Pegasus Taproom and Gin Palace is situated in the heart of Canterbury at St. Dunstans Street a few hundred yards from the famous cathedral. It advertises itself as an upmarket, eco-friendly tap room, a...

Small Bar, 31 King Street, Bristol BS1 4DZ The Small Bar is a little gem of a find, tucked away on King Street, in the south west area of Bristol City Centre. The bar has been pouring great beers since 2013 and is a little haven for Craft Beer lovers. From outside to...

FLOC.Brewing Co., Wincheap Industrial Estate, Cotton Road, Unit 7A, Canterbury CT1 3RBThe TWICB Team visited the Floc Brewing Co. Taproom last Friday afternoon when the weather was gloriously hot and sunny. The Taproom is situated in the south west area of Canterbury,...

Left Handed Giant Brewpub, Hawkins Ln, Redcliffe, Finzels, Bristol BS1 6EUAlthough the TWICB Team were in Bristol last weekend for the Bristol Craft Beer Festival it would have been sacrilege not to avail ourselves of the delights of the Left Handed Giant Brewpub....

Old Street Brewery & Taproom, Unit 1 Queen's Yard, Hackney Wick, London E9 5ENOld Street Brewery & Taproom is located near to the canal at Hackney Wick, close to Howling Hops and The Merchant's Tap, making it a must stop for the craft beer lover. It is just a...

The Printworks, Surrey Quays Rd, Rotherhithe, London, SE16 7PJFriday marked the official start of summer for TWICB, as we attended our first Festival of the season, at BrewLDN. Originally known as Craft Beer Rising, BrewLDN has stood the test of time, as one of the...

ABYSS Brewery + Tap, Unit 3, The Malthouse, Daveys Lane, Lewes BN7 2BFSince Abyss Brewing opened their Taproom in Lewis in 2021, a TWICB visit had been high on our priority list. We finally managed to get there on the first weekend of April, and we’re very glad we...

Town Mouse Ale House, Basement, 11 St Mary’s Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7PGThe Town Mouse is to be found on St Mary’s Place between The 5 Swans Wetherspoons pub and ‘Get Stuffed’, and is a 3 minute’s walk from both Haymarket and Newcastle City Hall. When we...

Beak Brewery & Taproom, Unit 14 Cliffe Industrial Estate, Lewes BN8 6JLIn the last twelve months there are few Craft Breweries in the UK who have generated more excitement around their IPAs than Beak. Based just outside Lewes town centre, Beak are just a short, ten...

Full Circle Brewery & Taproom, Hoults Yard, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 2HLFull Circle Brewery was established just over 2 years ago in late 2019 and quickly made a name for itself. The brewery was awarded 2020 Best Newcomer by Beer52, and ranked in the top 10 new...

Fownes Brewery, Unit 2, Two Woods Trading Estate, Talbots Lane, Brierley Hill, West Midlands DY5 2YXFownes is a 3-barrel brewery established in 2012 by brothers James & Tom Fownes. They have the aim of bringing together finely crafted ales and porters with...

New Invention Brewery, Unit 2, Pinfold Industrial Estate, Bloxwich, Walsall, West Midlands WS3 3JSNew Invention Brewery was set up by Karol Kawecki in 2019 in an industrial unit just behind Bloxwich town centre to the north of Walsall. Karol’s background is as a...

Green Duck Brewery, Unit 13, Gainsborough Trading Estate, Rufford Road, Stourbridge, DY9 7NDGreen Duck Brewery was formed by three friends in 2012, and hasn’t looked back. It’s now run by Alan, Alex & Nathan, and they’re just celebrating their eighth birthday at...

Unit 4, The Shires, Essington Close, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS14 9AZTrinity Brew comprises three like-minded individuals with the aim of bringing you World-class craft beer from the heart of England. Set up in 2020, Rob, John & Mike brew a range of beer styles in...

Unit 3, Baldwin Road, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire DY13 9AXBrothers of Ale is an independent micro-brewery close to the heart of Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, dedicated to creating modern, experimental and vibrant craft beers. What started as a hobby...

Unit 9, Long Lane Trading Estate, Blackheath, West MidlandsWhen a mad cyclist’s passion for beer grew so much….he set up a brewery! Fixed Wheel Brewery has just celebrated its seventh birthday, after being set up in 2014 by cycling and brewing enthusiasts, Scott Povey...

The Delta Lounge Taproom, 1 Forth St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3NZThe City of Newcastle is blessed with a great selection of Brewery Taprooms, which are mostly located in the Suburbs. Coming out of lock-down this summer, a new name has been added to the list. The...

Brew York Taproom & Beer Hall, Unit 6, Enterprise Complex, Walmgate, York YO1 9TTIt’s an old adage that the only thing that really matters when it comes to real estate is location, location, location. As you approach the superb Brew York facilities in York, it is...

GlassHouse Beer Co., Waterside Business Park, Unit 6B, 1649-1652 Pershore Road, Birmingham B30 3DRThe GlassHouse Brewery and Taproom is close to the canal at Waterside Business Park near Stirchley in South Birmingham. However, it can be a tricky place to find. Indeed,...

Attic Brew Taproom, 29B Mary Vale Road, Stirchley, Birmingham B30 2DAJust a short walk from Bournville Railway station (a 13 minute train journey from Birmingham New St Station), can be found The Attic Brewery and Taproom. The entrance is a tiny walkway from the road,...

Boxcar Brewery & Taproom, Unit 1 Birkbeck Street, London E2 6JYThe Boxcar Taproom is situated right next to their brewery in Bethnal Green, London – tucked away in an atmospheric railway arch which is just a two minute walk from Bethnal Green Tube Station. Although...

Docks Beers Taproom, The Church, King Edward St, Grimsby DN31 3JDDocks Beers are found in an impressive converted church not far from Grimsby’s historic docks. The taproom is situated within the same building as the brewery, overlooking it and granting great views of...

The Tap House, 10 Byard Ln, Nottingham NG1 2GJIn the heart of Nottingham City centre is an ancient narrow walkway called Byard Lane. Here, tucked away among small shop fronts and various eateries, can be found a Tap Room which is real gem for Craft Beer lovers....

Hopsters, Beach Street, Felixstowe IP11 2GNThe Essex and Suffolk region is short of decent Craft Beer venues, so it was great to discover the new Hopsters Bar at ‘Beach Street’, Felixstowe. Hopsters are well known to local Craft Beer lovers for their drink-in bottle...

London Craft Beer Festival, Tobacco Dock, Tobacco Quay, Wapping Ln, London E1 2SFAs you know, we at TWICB, believe that a Craft Beer Festival is the pinnacle of the Craft Beer industry, and there’s little doubt that a huge driving force in the UK behind Craft Beer...

Hop City 2021, Northern Monk, Sydenham Road, Leeds LS11 9PLIt’s no exaggeration to say it was the wonder of a full Craft Beer Festival Experience which inspired us to start TWICB. It’s also true that memories of Cloudwater Friends & Family (February) 2020, were a...

Yonder Brewery Tap, Rookery Farm, Radstock, Somerset BA3 4ULThe Yonder Brewery Tap is situated at Rookery Farm, in the heart of the Mendip Hills of Somerset, which is an area of outstanding natural beauty. The location is remote, so a trip needs planning, but the...

Pipeline Brewery & Taproom, Great Western Railway Yard, St Agnes, Cornwall TR5 0PDThe Pipeline Brewery and Taproom is tucked away at the end of a light industrial estate not far from the small town of St Agnes, on the North Cornwall coast. It’s a quaint, quiet spot...

The Outpost – Three Hills Brewing, 7 Almond Road, Bermondsey, London SE16 3LRWhen TWICB first interviewed Andy from Three Hills for the Podcast in October 2020 he had just got the keys to their new Bermondsey Beer-Mile Brewery and Taproom (a railway arch formerly...

Mother Kelly’s, 27-30 Victory Parade, London E20 1FSOpened in late 2019, Mother Kelly’s Stratford was the fifth and most recent Taproom to open in the popular Mother Kelly’s London chain. It is situated overlooking a vast pedestrianised precinct amongst new apartment...

The Alexandra Hotel, 203 Siddals Rd, Derby DE1 2QEThis was a pilgrimage nine-months in the planning! When I interview Joe from Pentrich on our podcast in Oct 2020, he convinced me that I really needed to experience Pentrich Pales and IPAs on cask, but the long winter...

The Kernel Brewery Taproom, Arch 7, Dockley Road Industrial Estate, LondonThe Kernel Brewery Taproom is situated in a snug railway arch towards one end of the iconic Bermondsey Beer Mile, and is a few minutes walk from Bermondsey Tube Station. Inside there are 6 or 7...

Red Hand, 36-38 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, London N16 7XJThe Red Hand is a pub / bar in Dalston, North London serving keg craft beers from around the world, cask beer, cocktails, fine wines and spirits. It’s situated on the busy Stoke Newington Road just a short...

The Experiment, Unit 19, Bohemia Place, London E8 1DUJThe Experiment opened in 2018 as a joint venture between two of the most celebrated names in UK Craft Beer, Verdant Brewing Co. from Falmouth, Cornwall and Pressure Drop Brewing Co. from London. Open on Wednesdays...

Beer Merchants Tap, 99 Wallis Road, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LNThe Beer Merchants Tap is a Craft Beer Bar and Bottle Shop in Hackney Wick, East London, just a few minutes on the overground from Stratford Station. It boasts an impressive array of 20 craft beer keg...

Staggeringly Good Brewery, Unit 10 St George’s Ind Est, Rodney Road, Southsea, PO4 8SSStaggeringly Good Brewery is based in a large industrial unit, less than 100 yards from Fratton Park, home of Portsmouth FC. They have so many cool plans, it is hard to know how to...

The Ale House, 24-26 Viaduct Road, Chelmsford CM1 1TSHoused inside two railway arches a few yards from the city centre train station, The Ale House is one of the best craft beer venues in the area. Considering its location, it’s surprisingly spacious with lots of...

Sit & Sip, 8 Peach Place, Wokingham, Berks RG40 1LYSit & Sip opened in Wokingham about 18 months ago, on a very pleasant pedestrian courtyard, close to Wokingham Town Centre. They have 14 draft taps, which typically pour a selection from local breweries such as Siren...

The Crafty Taproom, 77 High Street, Marlow SL7 1ABI would struggle to think of a more ideal High St in the UK than Marlow, upon which to open a Taproom. Marlow is a vibrant and prosperous small town on one of the most picturesque reaches of the River Thames. The High...

London Beer Factory – The Barrel Project, 80 Druid St, London, SE1 2HQLocated towards the Tower Bridge end of the Bermondsey Beer Mile, The Barrel Project looks similar to most of the other slightly claustrophobic railway-arch based Taprooms in the Capital. However,...

The Weather Station, 19 Eldon Terrace, Reading RG1 4DXWild Weather have been offering can sales and growler fills from their brewery in leafy West Berkshire since shortly after they opened in 2012 (the year before Siren Craft opened, and practically “before records...

A Hoppy Place, 11 St. Leonards Rd, Windsor SL4A Hoppy Place opened in the autumn of 2019. Pleasantly situated in Windsor and just a few hundred yards from the castle, it nestles quietly amongst other small independent businesses and is always hoppy to invite you in....

Wylam Brewery & Taproom, Exhibition Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PZFounded in Newcastle in 2000, Wylam have executed the tricky manoeuvre of spanning both the cask and keg markets more successfully than any other UK brewery, and would now be ranked on most people’s...

Craft Inn Jewellery Quarter, 166 Warstone Ln, Birmingham B18 6NNAlthough it might be overshadowed in the public consciousness by Cities such as Manchester and Leeds, the Craft Beer Scene in England’s second city of Birmingham has been absolutely thriving for a number...

Double-Barrelled Brewery, Unit 20 Stadium Way, Reading RG30 6BXAs a West Berkshire local, I came across the news that Mike and Luci were planning to launch Double-Barrelled Brewery almost a year before the doors opened. During that intervening period, I exchanged...

Junkyard 12 Bridlesmith Walk, Nottingham NG1 2HBThere are very few Cities in Britain right now with a more dynamic and vibrant Craft Beer Scene than Nottingham. The remarkable Nottingham Craft Beer Week, which culminates in the Nottingham Craft Beer Festival, listed...