London, England

Everywhere you turn in London, history is meshed together vibrantly with the modern world. New skyscrapers are rising from the ground all the time; indeed, many of the buildings of yore are gone, but peek between the new buildings and you’ll still find magnificent and enduring architecture like St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

This clash of old and new is also reflected in the beer scene. Everyone knows the provenance of the London beer scene—cask ale, roaring fireplaces and whiskered old men with red, bulbous noses—but this is changing. The city is one step behind the US as far as embracing “craft” beer goes, but in the last two or three years, the scene has exploded with new breweries like Kernel, Brodie’s, Redemption and Camden popping up alongside our established greats, like Fuller’s, Young’s and Meantime. Reflecting this, the bar scene has also seen an exponential expansion, and all three drinking types in the bizarre Venn diagram that now exists between cask ale purists, craft beer advocates and the standard BMC drinker (or, in our case, SFC—Stella, Fosters and Carling) can find an option to keep them happy.

The Market Porter
You’ll find everyone in here—suits, grubby construction workers, tradesmen from the adjoining Borough Market and lost-looking tourists. They have 12 finely kept hand-pumps, which are constantly changing. Buy a pie or a sandwich from the market or the Posh Banger Boys next door, get your beer in a plastic cup, stand outside and watch the colorful market folk go by.

Utobeer
Utobeer has been selling beer for years and, surprisingly, there still isn’t much competition from other beer shops. Open whenever Borough Market is, come here to get a great selection of domestic bottles as well as international exports, but prepare to jostle with the crowds of curious window-shoppers. (FYI, the bottle of Westvleteren 12 behind the counter isn’t for sale, I’m afraid.)

The Gunmakers
This is a great little (“little” being the operative word) pub with eight taps (four ales, four lagers), all well cared for and carefully chosen by the landlord. The fresh, seasonal food here is exceptional, and the menu changes daily. The only exception to this is that they always do fish & chips on Fridays, and they’re some of the best in London.

The Rake
Owned by the Utobeer crew and located on the edge of the market, the pub is so cramped that folks often find themselves spilling out into the unattractive car park. It was one of the first exciting craft beer bars in London, but has had its thunder stolen by more impressive bars that have opened since. That said, The Rake has a loyal following (especially among brewers) and often holds special events, so shouldn’t be ignored.

The Royal Oak
This is notable for being the only pub owned by the Sussex-based brewer Harvey’s in London, though alongside the five or six Harvey’s taps, they occasionally have Fuller’s London Porter on, due to an arrangement between the breweries. The outside looks unassuming, but inside is like travelling back in time to the age of gleaming copper, lace curtains, etched glass and dark wood. Grab a pint of Harvey’s Best in here to get one of the finest examples of UK session beer available.

The Euston Tap
The sister pub to The Sheffield Tap, this has a fairly small space inside, but has found room for 19 kegs and eight cask taps inside as well as 150 takeout or drink-in bottles. It’s based in a wonderful old guardhouse-style building outside Euston Station, and people tend to spill out all over the pavement. No food, but you can order in pizza from a nearby independent New York-style pizza place.

Jerusalem Tavern
This lovely, rickety pub isn’t as old as it looks, but has lots of nooks and crannies to hide away in while you enjoy a pint or two of the six beers offered by the owners, St. Peter’s Brewery. The food, especially the burgers, is top notch, though only served at lunchtime. (Closed on weekends.)

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
The dark, maze-like pub is one of the oldest in London. All the taps are from Samuel Smith’s, and you get a genuine sense of history seeping from the walls (former patrons include Dr. Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens). It has the unmistakable whiff of over 200 years of an open fireplace. (Closed on weekends.)

The Cask Pub and Kitchen
A CAMRA-commended pub with around 500 bottles, 10 cask pumps and 14 keg taps, this was one of the first great “craft” beer pubs in London. Although the interior is uninspiring, there’s always somewhere to sit, the staff is wonderful, and if you hit them at the right time, they hold regular “meet the brewer” events with a range of domestic and international brewers.

The Dean Swift
A recently opened pub with 11 keg beers and four casks, this place is always brimming with energy, especially in the weekday evenings. Come here for the excellent Sunday roast.

The Craft Beer Co.
When Mikkeller makes your house lager for you, you know you’re doing something right. Managed by the larger-than-life ex-Brewdog Tom Cadden, this is the best of the new craft beer bars to open in London. It has over 300 bottles, 21 keg lines and 16 hand-pumps, and Cadden’s cellarmanship ensures that the beers are always drinking nicely. The emphasis is on the beer, but don’t be afraid to sample the fantastic Scotch eggs and pork pies, served sliced for sharing.

The Old Brewery
The flagship pub for Greenwich-based brewers Meantime. They embrace keg beer more than any other pub or brewery, with rotating special-edition beers changing constantly and a great collection of Michael Jackson breweriana. The food is wonderful, with an emphasis on seafood and game, and the dining room is a copper vat-lined cavern of a room.

Kernel Brewery
Open 9am-3pm on Saturdays only, the brewery looks like the kind of underground meth-lab that Robocop might take down, but the beers are as fresh as they come and their IPAs/DIPAs stand up to any of their US counterparts. Brilliantly, two local producers of cured ham and cheese sell their wares next door, creating a match made in heaven.

The White Horse
A wonderful, roomy old pub with a good amount of outside seating, this is worth the trip to the ’burbs. The clientele is usually young professionals, and the bar often hosts great barbecues and beer festivals. A nice variety of cask taps and over 135 bottles. Get their pork scratchings, served fresh in a paper bag.

The Harp
A delightful little hole-in-the-wall and currently CAMRA’s Pub of the Year 2010/2011, no guide to London is complete without it. Eight hand-pumps are constantly flowing, and they have an award-winning selection of artisanal cider. It’s always packed (although there are quieter rooms upstairs), but this combined with aging décor and beautiful stained-glass frontage makes for the atmosphere of a bawdy Victorian drinking den. ■