Matthew Curtis ranks The UK’s Top Ten Beer Cities.
How do you define what makes a city truly great for beer?
Perhaps it’s a healthy collection of antiquated boozers, full to the brim with charm, character and perfectly-conditioned pints of cask ale. Maybe it’s a range of cutting edge taprooms serving hazy pales galore within a sparsely decorated warehouse. Or could it be a warm welcome from locals, desperate to show you off-the-beaten-trail boltholes that will have you craving your next visit before you’ve even caught the train home.
We’re blessed in the UK in that it is now difficult to find a city or town without a healthy selection of beer destinations to enjoy. Gone are the times where you had to be in the know, or be friends with someone in the know in order to navigate the various pubs and tap rooms a particular city has to offer. Good beer is now prolific. It is universal.
There’s also something inherently special in picking a destination city, and then choosing to experience it via its pubs and bars. For me there’s no better way of properly getting under a certain place’s skin than through its hospitality culture. It’s here that you find where locals eat, drink and carve out precious time to relax away from their busy lives.
I count myself lucky that my job has allowed me to travel around pretty much the entire country over the past few years. But through it I’ve developed a bad habit of comparing one city to another, considering which one has the better beer scene and why that might be. It’s not a necessary endeavour, but it is quite a fun one. After repeated visits to the country’s best beer cities, I’ve compiled my list of what I think are the ten best in the country, in descending order.
My selections are based on three specific criteria: balance, variety and vibe. When I seek balance it means I seek a mixture of old and new, because I’m just as happy drinking saison beneath a railway arch as I am drinking bitter in a snug, and I want to do both. In terms of variety I’m looking for a healthy mixture of different venues and beer options so that I can easily tailor my experience to suit my mood.
Lastly, I seek vibe. Glorious, intangible vibe. Quantifying this is simply about following my gut and asking myself what brings me the most joy. If I’m being honest, this probably has more influence on these rankings than anything else. I feels important to say that this ranking process is entirely arbitrary, albeit one that has both plentiful amounts of research and copious feelings in the mix.
You can probably guess which city I’ve given the top spot to, but the important thing to remember is that each of these cities is a wonderful place to experience beer and pubs, and this also goes for the places I’ve not included. I just don’t think they’re quite as good as the ones listed here. These are the UK’s top ten beer cities, ranked
10. Leeds
Once the bastion of beer culture in the UK, there should be no question or doubt that Leeds would have topped this list a decade ago. Largely thanks to North Bar, widely considered to be the first modern beer bar in the country, and Vertical Drinks, once an importer of a seriously impressive range, this city truly used to be at the heart of what was happening in British beer. Times change, however, and the West Yorkshire titan is feeling a little more diminutive these days.
This is largely due to a shift in its beer landscape. One where a handful of mid-sized breweries – very good breweries I must add – are now responsible for a majority of the beer options within the town centre. Kirkstall Brewery is at the centre of this, with its acquisitions of Leeds Brewery and North, plus the ownership of several of the city’s best pubs, such as The Cardigan Arms. Via a partnership with Five Points founder Ed Mason (who also owns one of its best pubs in Whitelocks Ale House) it means while the selection is healthy, it’s not particularly varied or exciting. Where once North Bar’s tap list was once positively Neapolitan, more often than not it now feels a little vanilla.
That’s not to say there aren’t signs of life. The city centre is home to a handful of brilliant indies like Brownhill & Co, while much of the more positive changes to the scene are happening in suburbs. Take Farsley, by example, which is well worth a visit for the Amity Brewing tap alone. Don’t get me wrong, Leeds is still immensely good for beer, it’s just not quite the leading light it was a decade ago.
9. London
Like Leeds, London’s beer scene is one on the wane. Largely fueled by a mass exodus of late-30, early-40 somethings seeking a quieter life and a mortgage that doesn’t require a trust fund, the city I called home for 15 long years feels like one in flux. It’s now the playground of a new generation of young drinkers, one that’s still figuring out its place in the world, and where it likes drinking the most.
Crawls like the Bermondsey Beer Mile don’t hold the appeal they used to, largely due to a range of less exciting venues moving in on the turf of what used to be some amazing taprooms from a fresh, exciting selection of young breweries. London still has its vast number of pubs, but finding a good one can be a lottery – a barometer that can be easily tested by walking into any central London pub, ordering a pint of Landlord, and judging its condition. It’s also let down by its size, with many of the city’s best drinking spots separated by considerable distance, making any sort of crawl more challenging than in its smaller, walkable contemporaries.
This isn’t to say there still aren’t brilliant places to drink here, because there are. It has The Sutton Arms, The Harp and The Royal Oak. It has new pubs like The Robin and The Nicholas Nickleby (potentially the UK’s only authentic Czech-style pub.) It also has The Kernel, and it is for this final reason that it just nudges ahead of Leeds, for now.
8. Belfast
You can’t talk about up-and-coming beer destinations without talking about Belfast. I’ve visited the city often over the past ten years, and during those trips I found the beginnings of what I thought could be a truly special scene. For some reason, though, it never seemed capable of kicking on. There’s a good reason for this: archaic licensing laws, expensive pints, and the most tied beer market in the entire world. There’s little opportunity for true independents when the entire market is pretty much controlled by one or two giant multinationals.
On my two most recent visits, however, I witnessed what I considered to be life-affirming sparks of change. Here is a city that is ready to stand among the best beer destinations in the UK. From Out of Office Brewing inside the Ulster Sports Club, to The Sunflower, The Deer’s Head and The John Hewitt, to the Boundary Taproom and Bullhouse East, this is a city demanding beer lovers to pay attention, and you really should, because it’s only going to get better over the next couple of years.
7. Birmingham
Birmingham, I’ve got your back. Often talked down by its residents, I’m of the opinion that Brum is a sensational beer city – one with so many beer destinations it would be difficult to make it around them all in a single day. The city centre is packed with variety, from wonderful, traditional boozers like The Wellington or The Post Office Vaults, contemporary-yet-laid back locals such as The Wolf, Tilt or Kilder, and opulent drinking halls like The Colmore. Birmingham, honestly, you are really spoiling us.
It’s when you step a little further outside the city centre, however, that the sheer breadth of the scene here comes into full view. Over in Digbeth you’ve got new arrivals such as The Woodman (of which I am legally obliged to tell you offers draught Bass) and once you find your way to neighbourhoods like Stirchley – where you could spend an entire afternoon ambling from taproom to micropub quite happily – you’ll realise just how good beer in Birmingham really is.
6. Glasgow
There’s a Burton Union system in Glasgow now, making traditional Scottish stock pale ales you should be falling over your feet in a rush to try at Epochal Brewery, where it resides. It’s just one of the myriad reasons why Scotland’s second city has become the jewel in its beer-soaked crown.
There’s an argument – and by this I mean one I have internally – that Edinburgh is really Scotland’s beer city (and yes, Aberdeen, I hear your cries too) but when it comes to why I would pick Glasgow ahead of both, it comes back to the notion of vibe. Here you can walk into a pub like The Laurieston, and suddenly find yourself making best friends for life while arguing if middle Guinness is better than left or right Guinness. You can amble over to Koelschip Yard and spend a good 15 minutes trying to work out what you want to drink and still not come to any reasonable solution, such is the quality and quantity on offer. Or you can do what I do whenever I arrive in town: head to the Ben Nevis for a pint of Tennents and a dram of Bunnahabhain, before sitting back and marvelling at how fast your worries evaporate into the warm air around you.
5. Bristol
Bristol was the most challenging city on this list to place. It’s not a city I really get on with for reasons that aren’t anything to do with its beer scene. When it comes to the latter, though, there’s no question of how positive and well developed it is. Just the sight of the Left Handed Giant tap room as you cross the Avon at Finzels Reach is enough to demonstrate its wow factor, and that’s barely scratching its surface.
What makes the scene great here is each of its many different layers. You’ve got genuinely world class breweries – the aforementioned Left Handed Giant for starters – but also Lost and Grounded, Wiper and True, and several more besides. Another of its brilliant breweries, Good Chemistry, runs one of its best proper pubs in The Kings Head, while Bristol Beer factory runs another, The Barley Mow (where the sparklers are firmly, and gleefully affixed to the swan necks.) You’ve also got one of those in-between breweries I mentioned before, the vastly overlooked Zerodegrees. If you have the gumption to keep going after this, you’ll find ever more interesting little places tucked away that will satisfy the wanderlust of even the most ardent beer explorer.
The only funny thing about Bristol is that its scene is quite insular. It can be difficult to find a variety of interesting beer that isn’t made in Bristol sometimes, because here is a city that prefers to look after its own. When the offer is as good as that of the breweries I mentioned earlier, however, you can see why it’s one of the best cities for beer in the country.
4. Liverpool
Liverpool, you take my breath away. It’s a city I love visiting, and I love doing this first and foremost for its incredible pubs. The Ship and Mitre is my favourite, the imposing art deco structure reminding me of a tall ship resting in the harbour, awaiting another journey out to sea. I have been here when I am full of energy and bouncing off the walls, and when I am exhausted and ready for my bed, and still it urges me to stay for another beer.
There are lots of pubs like this in Liverpool. Pubs like the Roscoe Head and The Grapes. Pubs that put a smile on your face no matter what might be happening in the world. But there’s more to Liverpool than brilliant boozers alone. Just across from The Ship and Mitre, for example, is Dead Crafty, a specialist beer bar that will subvert even the heaviest scrutiny from beer enthusiasts. Breweries like Carnival, Azvex and (a little further afield) Neptune further demonstrate the sheer breadth this city has to offer. Add in the fact that scousers are some of the most hospitable folks you’ll ever meet, and you’ve got a gold star beer destination in your hands.
3. Newcastle-upon-Tyne
On my most recent trip to Newcastle – or the Toon, if you will – I was told that the beer scene isn’t what it once was. After experiencing joyful lagers at the recently opened Donzoko tap room before sinking Victorian porters at the nearby Free Trade Inn, however, I refute this statement in its entirety. When it comes to beer and pubs, Newcastle remains outstanding.
Yes it’s been through a few changes in recent years, a little like Leeds has, in fact. But Newcastle has a pluckiness that means despite any challenges it may be facing it still manages to put on a brave face, and ensure every beer destination you visit has a wide-variety of rarities and crowd pleasers to wow you and your friends. At the end of my recent trip I finished with a swift half in the Crown Posada before catching my train home. It was 5pm on a Friday night and this attractively-furnished traditional pub was packed to the gills with locals in full voice, sinking pints and telling stories. I could barely bring myself to leave. A friend of mine used to refer to Newcastle as “the capital of craft” but to me it’s more than that these days. It’s the crown prince of beer in the United Kingdom.
2. Sheffield
Sheffield is the best city for proper pubs in the country, and it is impossible to argue with that. Whether it’s a CAMRA-coded bolthole like The Kelham Island Tavern, or something with a little more edge like Shakespeare’s or The Rutland Arms, the sheer depth and breadth of amazing pubs in this city is genuinely awe-inspiring. More recently I have been known to take entire days out of my schedule so I can pop over for a few hours just to soak it all in and still I always leave wanting more. Hell if I am changing trains and have just 20 minutes I’ll still find a moment for half a Jaipur in the Sheffield Tap.
Beyond those pubs, however, Sheffield has one or two extras that really reinforce its lofty beer credentials. Modern beer bars like The Old Shoe and bottle shops like Hop Hideout aren’t just integral parts of its scene, but they are actively pushing it forward by introducing people to new and interesting beverages, and making its beer scene more welcoming to boot. And it has the spectacular St. Mars of the Desert. Find me a better taproom in the country, you won’t.
1. Manchester
Well, what did you expect? But come on, seriously, stop and think about it for a second – is there really a beer city as all-encompassing in the UK right now as Manchester?
Let me break it down for you. We have: a selection of the finest proper pubs in the country, from icons like the Peveril of the Peak to beer palaces like the City Arms. We have some of the best modern beer bars in the country, including Café Beermoth and Port Street Beer House. We are home to some of the best contemporary breweries you’ll find anywhere, including Cloudwater, Track, Balance, Marble, Blackjack and many more. Most importantly, though, Manchester is home to four generationally family-owned, traditional breweries, with a combined brewing experience of more than 600 years between them. And that’s without considering the suburbs, several of which need a full day of their own to properly explore.
No other city offers such a finely preserved example of traditional British beer culture alongside such a well-defined offering of modern beer settings. In fact I would go so far to say that we only have the latter because of the former, with one feeding directly into the other. It’s this that makes Manchester’s beer culture feel so vital, and so very now. Will it always be the best in the country? Perhaps not. For now, however, it remains the undisputed heavyweight champion of beer within the United Kingdom.
— Matthew Curtis
Check out Matthews video on his book about Manchestes Best Beer Spots