Bermondsey Beer Mile is a well-known unique part of London’s culture.
It developed from a couple of breweries opening up in an untapped location to a ‘mile long’ area where people can come and find all the beer under the sun.
Back then, the mile felt like a well-kept secret — an old trail of railway arches where you queued for a pint poured straight from the tank.
However, since the early days, the area has changed in lots of ways. These rows of tap-rooms characterised by barrels and low ceilings have been given a modern makeover.
The early days
Kernel Brewery opened their doors 17 years ago, back when there were probably only about five other breweries across London.
This introduction of new types of beer to an import-dominated London started something exciting off, and it quickly grew in popularity.
Over the years more and more independent businesses opened up in the railway arches.
Evin O’Riordain, founder of Kernel, said: “We didn’t have the money to fit out a place like we do now, so you’re sitting on pallets, or everybody’s standing up, and it’s just rough and ready.”
However their popularity was undeniable, and by 2020 there were about 40 breweries, tap rooms and bars which made up the ‘mile’ that had become so popular.
The busiest day ended up being Saturdays, where groups would come and attempt to “complete the mile” by seeing how many breweries they could make it to.
Evin said: “Saturdays really had that beer festival thing, and that started attracting bigger groups.”
This beer festival atmosphere was sadly stopped in its tracks by the pandemic in 2020.
The hospitality industry, especially in London with sky-high rent, is faced with constant challenges, however having to close doors for such a long period of time unfortunately led to the closure of many doors.
Some of these businesses have moved their headquarters to places like Kent in order to try and save on some costs.
Ways the mile has changed
Evin suggests that this wave of difficulties ultimately changed the nature of the mile and shaped it into what it can be seen as today.
An influx of different types of businesses followed this included new drinks, taking the original concept of just a beer mile to an area involving cider, mead and sake.
The original mile, Evin said, also used to involve a scattering of food specialists, however now you can find a wide range of food options including a food market.
Evin said: “When we opened up in our original arch, we shared with a ham and cheese importer and a cheese maker”.
These days, food has become a much bigger part of the overall experience of visiting the area, which has subsequently changed the visiting demographic.
Modern ideas
One of these new places that sums up just how much the area has changed and diversified is Kanpai Sake Brewery.
Tom and Lucy Wilson opened the UK’s first sake brewery in Peckham back in 2017, after a trip to Japan, but were eventually able to move to their dream location of Bermondsey.
Sake is a traditional Japanese alcoholic drink, which is made by fermenting polished rice. It shares a similar brewing process to beer.
They have grown quickly, and have also noticed the new kind of crowds that they have attracted alongside their move to the area.
Tom said: “We have group bookings midweek, and people doing anniversaries and birthdays and things like that, and it’s a real nice mix of men and women.”
A new focus
Ben, who has walked the mile every year for his birthday the last four years, has seen these changes firsthand.
Ben said: “The focus is not just on craft beer anymore. This has been clear even in the last 4 years. There are loads of food options, both through food trucks and new restaurants, and a much greater variety of drink options.
“There are just so many options, new wine bars have opened and there are places offering a spritz or other cocktails.
“If you wanted to try each brewery in one day, that’s just not possible now.”
Overall, it is evident that although the Mile area has undergone significant change over the years, positive developments and new ideas continue to emerge
Tom says: “Each year seems to bring a handful of new places in, so it’s not, it’s definitely not stagnating, it actually seems to constantly be evolving and improving.”
Feature Image credit: Ella Nichols
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