United Kingdom
17
Cities
36
Breweries
148
Beers
Cities in United Kingdom
Alexandria
🇬🇧7
Breweries
1
Beers
Horsham
🇬🇧5
Breweries
6
Beers
Lewes
🇬🇧5
Breweries
38
Beers
Arundel
🇬🇧3
Breweries
28
Beers
Chichester
🇬🇧2
Breweries
1
Beers
Hove
🇬🇧2
Breweries
7
Beers
Uckfield
🇬🇧2
Breweries
9
Beers
Braddan
🇬🇧1
Breweries
10
Beers
Cairndow
🇬🇧1
Breweries
3
Beers
East Grinstead
🇬🇧1
Breweries
7
Beers
Kewaigue
🇬🇧1
Breweries
1
Beers
Petworth
🇬🇧1
Breweries
1
Beers
Polegate
🇬🇧1
Breweries
4
Beers
Pulborough
🇬🇧1
Breweries
4
Beers
Rye
🇬🇧1
Breweries
10
Beers
Sheffield Park
🇬🇧1
Breweries
2
Beers
Worthing
🇬🇧1
Breweries
16
Beers
About United Kingdom's Beer Scene
The United Kingdom represents one of brewing's most historically significant nations, home to ale traditions stretching back millennia and the birthplace of styles that influenced brewing worldwide. From London's legendary porter breweries to the cask ale traditions of English pubs, British brewing combines deep heritage with innovative craft production that has reshaped the global beer conversation.
Brewing History
British brewing history encompasses some of beer's most influential developments. Medieval monasteries and London's commercial breweries established the foundation for industrial-scale brewing. The 18th century saw the creation of porter—the world's first truly industrial beer—which fueled the working class during the Industrial Revolution. Pale ale and India Pale Ale emerged as brewers learned to produce lighter, hoppier beers that could survive long voyages. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), founded in 1971, sparked a real ale revival that preserved cask traditions and inspired craft movements worldwide.
Signature Beer Styles
British brewing has contributed numerous foundational styles to the world's beer repertoire. Cask-conditioned ales—served living and slightly warm through hand pumps—remain uniquely British. Bitters, from session-strength ordinary bitter to premium and ESB, offer varying intensities of hop and malt character. English mild, once the nation's most popular style, provides easy-drinking malt-forward refreshment. Porters and stouts, from dry Irish-style to sweet milk stouts, originated in Britain. Scottish ales emphasize malt with less hop character, while barley wines offer vinous strength and complexity.
Brewing Traditions
British brewing traditions center on the pub as brewing's natural home. Cask conditioning—where beer completes fermentation and matures in the cellar before serving—requires skill and care from publicans. The "tied house" system, where pubs belong to breweries, shaped British beer culture for centuries, though reform has expanded consumer choice. Regional brewing identities remain strong, with Yorkshire, the Midlands, Scotland, and London each claiming distinctive brewing heritage. The tower brewery design, maximizing gravity flow in Victorian-era facilities, influenced brewery architecture worldwide.
Beer Culture
The British pub remains the heart of social life across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. These establishments serve as community centers, meeting places, and repositories of local tradition. Cask ale, served at cellar temperature through hand pumps, provides a drinking experience unavailable elsewhere in the world. The rounds system—where each person in a group takes turns buying for everyone—reflects beer's social role. Beer accompanies the Sunday roast, football matches, and celebrations of all kinds. The modern British craft movement has added keg-focused breweries and taprooms while the traditional pub culture endures.