London Beer

I turned 21 a month and a half before coming to London and loved exploring Michigan's craft beer culture. Beer in London is certainly a different creature than beer back in the US. On the one hand, it's a much more casual social tool. Thanks to open container laws, it's exceedingly common to see people spilling out into the streets from pubs with beers in hand or some people drinking a bottle of beer going down the street. Because the drinking age is 18, everyone at university can drink and it's not uncommon to see our student pub entertaining a few patrons at 1:00 in the afternoon. In addition, the random beer you might get in the typical pub is moderately better than what you'd randomly get in the US. However, craft beer has not spread in the UK (or Europe in general) like it has in the US. The beer hits a quality ceiling very rapidly. A pint in London is also much more expensive than it is in the States, but that goes without saying.

Craft beer is not completely nonexistent in jolly old England, however. With the help of my fellow K student here at LSE, I've been exploring the brews over at The Kernel Brewery. Kernel is only open on Saturdays from 10-3 in a little archway under a train tunnel. The area is home to a number of other enterprises set up under the train tunnel, including fresh meats, cheeses, vegetables, and honey, but Kernel's beer is clearly the main attraction. My first sip of Kernel's Chinook Pale Ale was unlike anything I've had since before I left for Europe. About ten minutes from Kernel is Brew by Numbers, which features some pretty good stuff. Also worth stopping in is the Scottish brewery Brew Dog, which has a few pubs in London. The Draft House is a nearby pub that is always serving up an eclectic collection of craft beers.   Next on my list is the new Weird Beard Brewing Company. Also of interest is the uniquely European Ales by Mail (which is exactly what it sounds like).

I still miss my old favorites from home, but there is still plenty of beer for me try here in the UK! It's too bad exams are coming so quickly...