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In search of Blighty’s finest, we sampled beers from South London to Glasgow
In the last decade, the craft beer scene in Britain has exploded – with an estimated 2,000 operating breweries creating the latest and greatest in beer.
London is renowned for its historic Bermondsey beer mile – with breweries nestled in Victorian railway arches; while Manchester packs a punch by hosting modern names in beer, with modern beer styles to boot. There’s no denying the length and breadth of Britain is home to some of the best beer (and breweries) in the world.
But it hasn’t always been this way. While beer has been brewed and enjoyed in the UK for thousands of years, medieval ales probably tasted more like liquidised bread – with hops only estimated to be introduced as a preservative in the 15th century.
At one point in time, beer was a simple, homemade drink that was safer to consume than water. Today, things couldn’t be more different, with Britain pumping out popular styles such as IPAs, hazy pales, juicy DDH beers, lagers, stouts, sours and saisons that are far from simple. Lately, there’s even been a resurgence of classic, creamy English styles, such as milds, brown ales and bitters, as the younger generation returns to cask beer.
We don’t know about you, but we think it can be easy to feel beer FOMO – with an overwhelming amount of breweries offering up countless tasty beers for your drinking pleasure. Where do you begin with all that good beer? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with our round-up of the best British beers of 2022 – all in one place, and not thousands of miles apart.
Over the course of a month, our tester tried a range of styles from across the country, with the help of a very thirsty, grateful husband. They used their knowledge as beer judge and beer writer for the Guild of British Beer Writers to judge each beer on its aroma, taste, appearance, body and mouthfeel (literally, how it feels on your tongue). They chose beers that were fine examples of the style associated with it.
They also considered each beer’s value-for-money and its ABV (percentage) when it came to scoring them out of five. They also threw in one of their favourite alcohol-free beers, and tried to consider beer that was both easily accessible and affordable.
Considering the rise of staycations in recent years, they choose a range of beers from each region and major beer city – hopefully to help you on your way to exploring some of Britain’s best beers.
For us, the best beer in Britain is awarded to Hackney’s own Five Points Brewing Co. Its core range is second-to-none, and the brewery excels at brewing classic styles, for modern tastes. Its delectable jupa took our top spot for best beer overall, while its take on the best bitter was a fantastic showcase of perfecting much-loved English drinks.
If you’re looking for a brewery that can do it all, we’d recommend York’s-own Brew York. Its range of pastry stouts, dessert beers, and cracking sours are a beer-lover’s dream (just don’t blame us when payday comes round and you have a ‘to-buy’ list as long as both arms put together).
We’ll drink to this round-up of the best beers brewed by women – from IPA’s to alcohol-free tipples