London is one of the greatest cities in the world. Replete with a storied history and a vibrant populace, England’s capital is also home to some of the finest establishments for enjoying a beer, from centuries-old public houses to sparkling new taprooms that have sprung up all over the metropolis.

While a crisp gin and tonic still might be the most recognizable current beverage for Anglophiles around the world, pubs are better known for their selection of British ales and lagers – as well as the local craft flavor of choice.

On this list of the top 20 places to drink beer in London, you’ll find a variety of different watering holes, including some notable landmarks dotted across London’s striking skyline. There are also multiple historically significant pubs, a few newer craft breweries as well as one notable storied brewery that’s called London home for over 170 years.

Read on to explore The Beer Connoisseur’s list of The Top 20 Places to Drink Beer in London.

(Disclaimer: This list is not in best-to-worst order, as all of these establishments are equally worthy of  visiting should you find yourself in the great city of London.)

Anchor Bankside

Urban Artifact’s home in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, was a house of worship for the first 140 years of its existence. Some would argue it still is, with the brewery’s fruited sour ales earning praise and devotion from the region’s beer faithful. 

Taking up an entire block on an industrial side street, the church property that houses Urban Artifact was built in 1873 as St. Aloysius Catholic Church, though for most of the next century it was home to St. Patrick Irish Catholic. After a short period as a cookie factory, it was purchased by the founders of Urban Artifact in 2014.

“I can’t believe how much the space has changed since then,” says co-founder and chief of strategic development Scotty Hunter as we stand in the taproom in the church basement. “We did all this on a boot-strap budget.”

Baerlic Brewing in Portland, Oregon has announced the release of Punk Rock Time IPA, a fresh hop IPA brewed with Strata hops.

 The full release from the brewer is below.

PORTLAND, Ore.— Baerlic Brewing released Fresh Hop Punk Rock Time IPA release on Tuesday, September 3 at 4 p.m. at its southeast Portland Brewery & Taproom.

About the Beer

This version of our award-winning Punk Rock Time IPA is cold condition’d on 6lbs/BBL of fresh from the farm Strata hops from our dear pals at Indie Hops. Packed full of watermelon and overripe tropical fruit and just the right amount of that fresh hop ‘green’ note layered over a soft and crisp malt body. And damn it if we don’t say, this is friggin’ delicious! 6.2% ABV

About the Process

Fresh hops are best in the Pacific NW because of our close proximity to all the hop farms scattered throughout the Willamette and Yakima Valleys. On the day of hop harvest, we drive down to the farm and pick these freshies right of the conveyer belt that leads to the kiln room—or the room where the hops are dried out to lock in particular flavors/aromas and to create storability for brewing year-round. If not dried out, they will begin to wilt and mold within a short time. And because of this perishability, it is absolutely time sensitive to get the best flavor and aroma in our beer, so we brewers must act quick.

Oakshire Brewing in Portland, Oregon has announced plans to release its Rainbow Sherbet Smoothie IPA for the first time in cans after formerly being a draft-only selection.

More details on the beer can be found below.

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oakshire team is excited to announce the taproom-only release of Rainbow Sherbet Smoothie IPA in 16 oz. 4-pack cans. Prior to this release, Rainbow Sherbet had only been available in draft format during the winter months of late 2018 and early 2019. Oakshire operates two taprooms in Oregon where 60 total cases of this new rendition may be purchased after the 6 p.m. release on Tuesday, September 3: in Eugene, at 207 Madison St. and in Portland, at 5013 NE 42nd Ave. 4-packs of the 6.7% ABV experimental offering are available for $20 each and at a one case per customer limit.

Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, Georgia has announced the release of its newest limited-release barrel-aged sour ale called Mischief Managed.

Mischief Managed is a foeder-fermented German sour ale brewed with guava and passionfruit, helping drinkers to make it through the final vestiges of summer with its equatorial flavors.

The full release from the brewery is below.

MISCHIEF. MANAGED. 
COMING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7:
THE LATEST IN OUR SERIES OF TART, FRUITY, REFRESHING BEERS

Mischief Managed is our series of tart, clean, and crisp Berliner Weisse-style sours from the Garage. Adding fresh fruits to each batch only enhances the desirablility of this drink. 

This time around? We decided to take a trip to the Equator. On Saturday (Sept. 7), Mischief Managed - Guava and Passionfruit arrives. It'll be on tap at the Garage with bottles to go. Look for it in select bottle shops and bars in Georgia next week, and coming to Tennessee and Alabama later this month.

"As we turn the page into autumn, we wanted to keep the summertime party going," said Brewmaster Peter Kiley. "The sweet, tropical, and juicy flavors of these fruits really play well into the base beer, and it's something that you'll be able to enjoy while you're taking part in all sorts of mischief."

Sunriver Brewing Co. in Sunriver, Oregon has announced the release of its first year-round release in 16-ounce cans: Cocoa Cow Chocolate Milk Stout.

The full release from the brewery regarding the beer is below.

Wild Leap Brew Co. in LaGrange, Georgia has announced the release of its newest "transcontinental" IPA called ETA IPA.

This medium-bodied dry IPA features a vibrant flavor profile of grapefruit, pineapple, and pine and is available now across Wild Leap's distribution footprint.

“As we continue to explore new hop combinations and flavor profiles, we wanted to brew an IPA that was medium-balanced and could be enjoyed by a range of craft beer lovers,” explains Chris Elliott, Wild Leap Head Brewer, in a press release. “ETA is a dryer IPA than any we have ever brewed and will fall behind both the Alpha Abstraction series and Chance IPA in sweetness.” 

More details on the beer can be found below.

Wild Leap is flying high with the release of their newest craft beer sensation, ETA IPA. The first class, transcontinental IPA is a medium-bodied, dry IPA, and is available the second week of September.

Brewed with a new hop blend, ETA IPA features a vibrant flavor profile of grapefruit, pineapple, and pine. This delicious combination provides a very smooth, yet juicy brew with an alcohol by volume of 7.5%.