London's Best Beer: Where To Buy The Good Stuff

London has become a hotspot for modern craft breweries, including Beavertown, Gravity Well Brewing Co., Drop Project, and Cloudwater Brew Co. The city's best beer shops include The London Beer House, Caps & Taps, BrewDog, Dusty Dick's Craft Beer Emporium, The Beer Boutique, and Ghost Whale, among many others. If you're looking to buy good beer in London, you're spoilt for choice!

Specialist beer shops in central London

When it comes to buying good beer in London, there is no shortage of specialist shops and bottle shops, particularly in central London. Here is a selection of some of the best:

The London Beer House

This pocket-sized bar and bottle shop, just off Haymarket, is a welcome surprise given the dearth of quality craft beer in central London, especially for take-out. It is ideal for stocking up before a picnic in one of the nearby Royal Parks.

BrewDog

The Scottish brewery BrewDog is known for its flavoursome craft beers and ever-increasing chain of bars. Its first dedicated bottle shop in London stocks its own beers as well as a wide selection from around the world, alongside books and homebrew supplies. Keep an eye out for tutored tasting events.

BottleDog

BottleDog is another offshoot of BrewDog, with 250 bottles and cans (many chilled) and a dedicated growler-filling station for brews from the tap.

Caps & Taps

Kentish Town's first craft beer specialist, Caps & Taps, is a tiny shop with around 300 beers from London, the UK, the US, and beyond. It's a great spot to find rarities, especially esoteric US beers. They also host a calendar of beery events.

The Beer Boutique

The Beer Boutique in Putney sources from an impressive range of breweries from the UK and further afield. In addition to bottles, they offer mini kegs, magnums of beer, and beery books.

Specialist beer shops in north London

Caps & Taps

Kentish Town's first craft beer specialist, Caps & Taps, is a small shop that packs a punch. It sells around 300 beers from London, the UK, the US, and beyond. Beer enthusiasts will be pleased to find relative rarities, such as Burning Sky Cuvée from Sussex and Stone Old Guardian from Southern California. Esoteric US beers are also well represented. With 5 taps of delicious beer, cider, and wine by the glass, you can even enjoy a tipple on-site.

Clapton Craft

Clapton Craft, which opened in 2014, now has four locations in North London, with a fifth outpost soon to open in South London. Each shop offers a well-curated selection of beers from around the world, as well as accessible brews for growler fills.

Dusty Dick's Craft Beer Emporium

Attached to the Harringay Arms, Dusty Dick's offers a strong selection of British and international beers, as well as growler-fill facilities. Themed mixed cases are also available, making it a great spot to find gifts for the beer aficionados in your life.

Holloway Shop

An otherwise unassuming parade of shops in Holloway, this quirky and packed little shop is a magnet for North London beer lovers. Ales from around the world are arranged by country of origin, so you can take a trip to your favourite destinations via your taste buds. Keep an eye out for Odell's 90 /- and 5 Barrel Pale Ale from the US, as well as occasional bottles from Manchester's Marble Brewery or Otley from North Wales. You can also find the full range of Redchurch Brewery, Pitfield, and Bermondsey's Kernel beers here.

Bottle Apostle

While Bottle Apostle is primarily a chain of wine shops, the Victoria Park outpost devotes an entire room to beer, ale, cider, and mead, most of which are sourced from within London.

Specialist beer shops in east London

East London has a lot to offer when it comes to specialist beer shops. Here is a list of some of the best spots to check out:

Bottle Apostle

Bottle Apostle is a small but growing chain of wine shops that also offer a great selection of beer. The Victoria Park outpost, in particular, has an entire room dedicated to beer, ale, cider, and mead, with most of it sourced from within London. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, making it a strong contender for the best bottle shop in London.

Clapton Craft

Clapton Craft, which opened in 2014, now has four locations in North London and one in South London. They offer a well-curated selection of beers from around the world, as well as accessible brews for growler fills. Their original location in Clapton is highly recommended and features ten taps of draught beer to take away in refillable 1-litre bottles and growlers, as well as shelves stocked with brilliant beer.

Kill the Cat

Located next to a cereal cafe, Kill the Cat stands out by organising its stock into three sections, ranging from familiar and accessible beers to the potent and unusual. They also hold regular tasting events.

Borough Wines

Borough Wines is a wine shop in East London that stocks an excellent selection of wines and beers. They have a focus on London breweries and offer refillable glass bottles with barrelled red and white house wines. An informal tasting bar also tends to appear on weekends.

Posh Spar

In Walthamstow Village, the 'posh Spar' offers a comprehensive range of London-brewed beers, including many from Wild Card, a local brewery just around the corner.

Specialist beer shops in south London

South London is home to some of the best craft breweries in London, and the presence of these breweries has led to the opening of some fantastic specialist beer shops.

Art & Craft SW16, Streatham

The first specialist beer shop in Streatham, Art & Craft is a beer shop owned and operated by the Inkspot Brewery. Offering over 500 London and international craft beers from numerous independent breweries, Art & Craft also displays a wonderful mix of urban and contemporary art for you to enjoy while you browse.

The Beer Shop, Nunhead

The Beer Shop in Nunhead is the go-to beer shop in the area. The residents of SE15 are lucky to have this place on their doorstep, with its carefully curated selection of draught beers and knowledgeable staff who will advise on the optimum glassware to use with different varieties of beer, as well as food matching.

We Brought Beer, Balham/Clapham Junction/Tooting

With three shops in South London, We Brought Beer offers a really great selection of craft beers. They also have beers on tap to sip on while you browse or to take away.

Ghost Whale, Brixton

An independent beer and culture shop with a fantastically curated selection of beer.

London Beer Lab, Brixton

The London Beer Lab has one of the widest selections of beers this side of the Thames. Their selection is great, as are the beer-making workshops they host.

Waterintobeer, Brockley

With over 200 different bottles and cans to either drink in or take away, Waterintobeer is one of the finest shops in all of Brockley. They also sell brewing kits and ingredients to brewers of all aptitudes.

Specialist beer shops in west London

If you're looking for specialist beer shops in west London, there are a few options to choose from. One option is a bar-slash-bottleshop with over 300 beers in five metres' worth of fridges. You'll need to mull it over at the bar with one of their juicy burgers and 20 taps of hop-laden delights.

For an exceptional range of beers from around the world, head to a dedicated Fulham beer shop. With over 500 examples of British, Belgian, German, American, Antipodean and other world beers, you're sure to find something to tickle your tastebuds. The stock changes regularly, and the staff will happily recommend new and interesting bottles.

For something a little more low-key, try the family-run operation in East Sheen. They stock an impressive range of international breweries, as well as a strong selection of wines and soft drinks. There are four taps for draught takeouts in one- or two-litre growlers, mostly from London brewers.

This award-winning shop is well-stocked with every conceivable type of interesting beer in bottles, cans and on tap. If you're throwing a party, they offer keg equipment for hire, or you can get brews delivered to your door via Deliveroo.

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