Must Visit Uk Breweries

[JonnyAnchovy]

So I'm heading to UK and Europe (volcanoes permitting) for a conference in Cardiff in a few weeks. I'm planning on spending a few days in London, then driving to Cardiff, then driving over to Cologne in Germany to stay with a friend for a week, then on to Amsterdam for another week with another friend.

What are the must-see breweries along or close to this route, particularly between London and Cardiff? What can I absolutely not miss?

 

[Will88]

Whilst in London, definitely visit the Meantime brewery:

http://www.meantimebrewing.com/

 

[bconnery]

In Amsterdam head to Brouwerij t'IJ. Cool brewery pub in a windmill just out of the main drag. Check for opening hours as they are limited.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Meantime was on the list, but I couldn't see any details of brewery tours on their website.....

 

[Bribie G]

When in Cardiff see if Brains do a tour. Dont forget to sink a few pints of Brains SA Gold for me while you are there Also on the way over, if you get anywhere near Wadworth of Devizes, they are one of the last fully intact Victorian 'tower' gravity fed breweries and a tour there, if available, should send you back on a hundred year time trip.

Edit: Yes Wadworth tour looks awesome but they warn about the stair climbing etc.
Sadly no Brains tour available.

 

[Northside Novice]

So I'm heading to UK and Europe (volcanoes permitting) for a conference in Cardiff in a few weeks. I'm planning on spending a few days in London, then driving to Cardiff, then driving over to Cologne in Germany to stay with a friend for a week, then on to Amsterdam for another week with another friend.

What are the must-see breweries along or close to this route, particularly between London and Cardiff? What can I absolutely not miss?

mate take detour via the yorkshire dales, only bout 6.5 hours direct (london to yorkshire 3hrs to cardiff 3.5hrs ) but you would need at least 2/3 days/nights to really get into it. Masham, (near leeds/york) just off the a1 is home to theakstons and blacksheep breweries both have good tours and samples mmmm I would highly recomend! Plenty of pubs n bb's to stay in, then a slight detour back down to nottingham for a quick pint in the olde trip to jerusalem (englands oldest inn) where the soon to be crusader knights had their last tipple befor their long journey to infinity and beyond! then over to bury st edmunds (including englands smallest pub the nutshell)to see green king brewery and its fantasic tour including all you can drink sampling mmmm arghh and just round the way is adnams brewery tour for the proper southwolds tastes hm mm then make your hungover self towards cardiff but this is only what i have seen and i know for sure that there is more cool as breweries all over that little island than stars in the sky (well almost) and just stumbling upon one is half the fun! sorry for not informing you on breweries between london n cardiff but masham would be 1st on my list.
as for the other side of the chanel... well where do you start?!! i would consider the type/style of brew/beer you want to chase and research and plan as best you can to make the most of your time . camra have some very good pub/brewery guides covering everything beer like in europe so i would check them out and go from there
Hope this helps and hope you have a fkn great time!
:icon_cheers:
yeah the blue slate yorkshire squares are something to behold!

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Wadworth sounds fantastic. I'll make sure I get there.

 

[brendo]

Out of your way, but I agree that Black Sheep @ Masham (yorkshire dales) is well worth it - they still have some old slate yorkshire squares and also more modern round yorkshire "squares".

If you end up in that neck of the woods, York Brewery in York is also pretty good for a small brewery - their beers are pretty tasty too.

 

[Bribie G]

Wychwood Brewery does Weekend Tours (Hobgoblin, Breakspear) so if you are staying over on the way over to Cardiff, say at Devizes :icon_cheers: you can head up the M40 as if heading for Birmingham, peel off to Witney in Oxfordshire for the Hobgoblin tour, then work your way down through Swindon to Devizes for the Wadworth tour, then onto the M4 to Cardiff.



If you have never been to the UK before, Devizes is spittin' from Stonehenge, stand in awe.

Edit: you can always stay at Swindon at an Arkell's brewery pub and quaff their products. No tour, but there's a virtual tour on their site. If it were me, I'd never make it to Cardiff :lol:

Final edit: mate I've got to get away from this post, I'm onto my second box of kleenex already. :unsure:

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Wychwood Brewery does Weekend Tours (Hobgoblin, Breakspear) so if you are staying over on the way over to Cardiff, say at Devizes :icon_cheers: you can head up the M40 as if heading for Birmingham, peel off to Witney in Oxfordshire for the Hobgoblin tour, then work your way down through Swindon to Devizes for the Wadworth tour, then onto the M4 to Cardiff.

If you have never been to the UK before, Devizes is spittin' from Stonehenge, stand in awe.

Edit: you can always stay at Swindon at an Arkell's brewery pub and quaff their products. No tour, but there's a virtual tour on their site. If it were me, I'd never make it to Cardiff :lol:

Final edit: mate I've got to get away from this post, I'm onto my second box of kleenex already. :unsure:

Excellent! this is precisely the kind of info I was after.

I'm planning on picking up the latest CAMRA good beer guide, and will be calling in on as many cozy pubs as time allows while I'm there.

 

[Scruffy]

Unfortunately a lot of the breweries I would recommend have been forced to close, relocate or merge. That would've included Boddingtons Strangeways brewery in Manchester (and Robinsons in Stockport...), The Ram in Wandsworth

Until its closure in 2006, the company's Ram Brewery in Wandsworth was claimed to be Britain's oldest brewing site in continuous operation, with a history dating back to the 1550s when a Humphrey Langridge, "beer-brewer at Wandsworth", leased the Ram pub.

Smiles in Bristol...

All gone...

However, there's bleedin' hundreds!!!

I've been drunk at this place,

and this place - you haven't lived 'till you've had an old peculier hangover...

Fullers is OK but commercial.

Steam driven brewery...

Old brewery?

Beer has been produced in Faversham for over 850 years and Shepherd Neame Brewery, set in the centre of this historic market town, is now open to visitors who wish to discover more about this proudly independent family company and its wide range of award winning... blah blah...

And, just for a laugh (though it hasn't got the holy grail... Timothy Taylors... Only kidding!!!) This innocuous little link! - please wait for it to load - I can mail the map to anyone interested? PM me.

 

[Scruffy]

Timothy Taylors have a little gadget/clicky thing (bottom of page...) that allows you to download maps that load into the most popular Sat Nav boxes in the UK... The maps list all the pubs you can get a TT...

Look!

Pass me the tissues Bribie!!

 

[sinkas]

dont forget the white horse,a dn parsons green,dn the rake at borough market, london

 

[Bribie G]

:icon_offtopic: Scruffy, Robinsons of Stockport is still going strong at the Unicorn Brewery AFAIK

On topic,

If you finally get to Cardiff with your liver intact, for the best real ales rather than the wanky town centre pubs a great option in Cardiff is to head out a bit to the suburban pubs where the locals drink. My watering hole used to be the Heath Hotel, about 4k north of the city centre. BribieG reaches for another box of kleenex.
A wonderful range of ales on handpump and just a short ride by cab or bus. It's a typical Brains Estate Tied House from Edwardian times and there are similar all over the inner suburbs.



Heath is about the equivalent of Erskineville, Enmore, Camperdown and miles of Victorian terraces to match, you'll be right at home

 

[Howlingdog]

Bribie, how long since you where there? Landlords change and pubs turn to shite overnight.

HD

 

[Bribie G]

Bribie, how long since you where there? Landlords change and pubs turn to shite overnight.

HD

Longtime - however in the case of Brains I know they are onto the landlords like a ton of bricks (my best mate was a shift manager at the Heath Hotel) - being a family brewery they make their money from the pubs, not from supermarket sales like the Megas. Last time in the UK, I found the tied houses I knew were either the same or much improved since I was last there, and the only problems I found were with a couple of "free houses" that had been bought by obvious idiots buying themselves a job.

 

[roger mellie]

A bit closer to London - just off the A3 near Guildford is the Hogsback Brewery.

Their T.E.A. is available out of their bright tanks - regularly takes out the top award at the CAMRA show.

The brewery tour is well worth it - very friendly bunch - you need to book - its popular.

RM

 

[Howlingdog]

Just been talking to my daughter in Greenwich. They use this site whenever they need to find a pub away from their area. http://www.beerintheevening.com/ . Has reviews which will help and also notes if the pub has closed. Searches top right of page. Greenwich Beer and Jazz festival on end of May - only 200 beers.

HD