A few days in London gave me my first chance to visit the Bermondsey Beer Mile, a beery bucket list item. So post a mind bending visit to the Escher exhibition Sheena and I set off on a hot and sunny Friday afternoon, and found the first challenge was to find somewhere open. It seems 3-5pm onwards is the opening time for most venues!
Thankfully the Kernel taproom is open from midday. Not in a railway arch to my surprise, but a modern, plain venue that lacks a little charm, but makes up for it with an extensive beer list (if only one cask beer). Starting sensibly on the very tasty table beer, followed by the Dunkel, a lager style not seen brewed often in the UK.
The next bar was in a railway arch, the Enid Street Tavern, more what I was expecting as a venue, with a list of 10 beers, one on cask, several from Bianca Road Brewing situated in the Beer mile, and only one beer I’d seen before. Their own pale was gone in a flash, always a good sign, but we kept on moving.
Next was a Cidery as I love a good cider. Against the Grain is perhaps just that on the beer mile, but the ‘Heart of Oak’, dry oak cider made on the premises took me back to my youth in all the best ways.
The Anspach and Hobday taproom was the best fitted out railway arch venue we visited, very modern, and plush. I only really knew of their London Black nitro porter, so was pleasantly surprised to find 13 beers from the brewery on, including a cask beer. The cask beer ‘Tack!’ was a collaboration with O/O brewery in Sweden, and Dan Rowe told me it would be worth trying, and I’m glad he did. Tasty, Hoppy, very well kept, and cool on a hot day, an excellent 6.5% IPA.
Final destination was Hiver as Sheena loves Honey beer (and beekeeping). The taproom has a beehive in it, but don’t worry we were never bothered by them, and the three honey beers were all tried and enjoyed, plus some honey to take home.
As a first experience of the beer mile I felt we only scratched the surface, with plenty of venues still to go out. We enjoyed how chill it was, but will go in the evening next time, if only so more of the venues are open.