The Times | The 8 best breweries in the UK — and the beers to try
Out of the country’s 1,600 breweries, these are the ones Pete Brown comes back to again and again
Pete Brown, The Times resident beer expert has picked out the UK’s top 8 breweries (from a mere 1600) – and the beers to try from each. And we’re over the moon to learn we made the list!
He writes:
Choosing my eight favourite breweries in the UK isn’t easy — there are about 1,600 — but what a nice problem to have. UK breweries account for about 30 per cent of beer sold in Britain — the rest is made by five big multinational corporations — AB InBev, Heineken, Molson Coors, Carlsberg and Asahi.My favourite breweries tend to be newer — and smaller, which means they’re often more creative. They are also committed to nailing beer styles. It’s infuriating when you hear brewers saying, “Yeah, we’re not quite happy with it yet, we’re still working on it,” about a beer you’ve just given them six quid for. Or worse, “We decided to brew your favourite beer style — with a twist!” These twists, like a bad band covering a great song, rarely add anything positive.But the eight breweries here do things properly. To my knowledge they have never released a bad beer between them. There are many more breweries I adore but these are the ones I can’t live without.
Honoured to be up there with friends Lost & Grounded – Bristol, Thornbridge – Bakewell, Anspach & Hobday – London, Utopian – Devon, , Bullhouse – Belfast, Burton Bridge and Heritage Brewing Co – Burton on Trent, Fyne Ales – Argyll
Here’s what Pete had to say about Duration…
This brewery, on a farm in west Norfolk, sits inside the ruins of a converted 10th-century barn. It has been here since 2019 but already feels like part of the landscape. The married couple Miranda Hudson and Bates (just Bates) are a perfect team. She’s the business head, the charismatic and tireless outward face. Bates brews and keeps his South Carolina drawl under his trucker’s cap, letting his beers do the talking: a shrewd combination of the kinds of lagers and pale ales that are popular in craft beer bars — barrel-aged, spontaneously fermented and drawing on local ingredients and inspiration.
Try: Turtles All the Way Down
Tropical fruit and soft bitterness make this IPA as refreshing as it is flavourful.
durationbeer.com
You can read the article and plan your next few trips around the full list HERE
Pete Brown was also kind enough to put us in his Financial Times piece the The Unlikely Chic Saviour of Real Ale and included some of our beers in his book on Beer By Design | The Art of Good Beer Branding and his more recent book Tasting Notes The Art and Science of Pairing Beer and Music and Sunday Times UKs 8 Best Brewery Taprooms and Sunday Times Six Fruit Brews that Shouldn’t Be Forbidden.
Curious to check out our taproom for yourself?
Our Tap Days with fresh beers and local food trucks runs every weekend from March-December with a bar in our barrel store and lots of seating inside and in our huge sun trap of a courtyard. We are dog and family friendly – lawn games and high chairs available and we’re fully wheelchair accessible.
See the beer and food line up HERE
Our very popular brewery tours are on the first Saturday of each month with a brewer or founder-led guided tour of our state of the art brewhouse followed by a tutored tasting session of 4 beers. Read more about what else is included and make a booking HERE
Or why not make a trip for our legendary 3-day Oktoberfest Beer Festival with 15 unique beers, bands and DJs. Games, prizes and more in a big marquee . Tickets on sale now HERE
We hope to see you in Norfolk soon! Be sure to look on our FAQs for lots of local tips too!
