The Kernel Brewery

Update: The Kernel no longer sells beer to drink on site during their Saturday open hours — only beer to take away. Nevertheless, Kernel still makes the best beer in London (and some of the best in the world, really), so this is still one of the best brewery visits in London. The staff are great and will give you samples if you ask. The Kernel also still does the occasional special event with on-​site drinking. This is a beer landmark in London, so certainly worth a visit.

The Kernel Brewery is supposed to be the star of the Bermondsey Beer Mile, but I actually thought it was the most disappointing. The three other breweries we went to (Fourpure, Partisan, and Brew by Numbers) all had great outdoor areas, but we rushed them and rearranged our schedule to arrive at Kernel before they stopped serving at 2 PM. By contrast, Kernel is all indoors, and like the others, underway a railway arch so it is like a dimly lit tunnel. The queue is long and the place is crowded, and the beer list is heavy on IPAs, with very little differentiation between the various options. The crowd also tends to be older, and some people seemed to have been there for hours so the task of getting a table or even some breathing room is even more daunting. For anyone planning to do the Mile — if you are deciding between staying at a table in the sun and coming to Kernel, definitely choose the former.

Tucked away under the arches, this is a real gem on a lazy Saturday afternoon. There’s loads of beer on offer, both to drink and to take home in bottles, and all of it is vegan. It gets a bit noisy in the space, but the brewery is absolutely worth a visit if you love craft beer. For something a little different, try a sour beer!

Craft beer paradise. They have 10 taps, plus another 5 – 10 in bottles. They give tours of the (tiny) brewery a few times a day, once enough people have asked. Otherwise there are benches and tables to sit at and drink their excellent beers. Also, next door is a fancy cheese and ham place in case you need a snack. No better way for a craft beer fan to spend a day in London.

I haven’t had one beer from here that I didn’t find delightful. All the pale ales I tried (they seem to favor this type) are rightly hoppy, the stout is almost like a nitro, thick rich, and only the tiniest bit smoky. They’re all about the beer here, no other questions asked, so bring whatever you want (I saw full picnic spreads complete with knife and cutting board) and camp out for as many rounds as you can stand.
Make a Saturday of it. There’s a little place to make multiple visits for cured meats just next door, and/​or Maltby Street Market is a 10 minute walk, where you can get amazing pungent cheeses, fresh bread from St John, or even go hard: pregame with Gin cocktails, pick up some elaborate sandwiches and stash some dessert for drunken delight. Two more mini breweries are just nearby (Partizan about a 7 min walk, closes at 5pm and Brew by Numbers less than 5 min in the other direction, closes at 6). So, when Kernel closes at 4, choose a direction and make a run for it!

Good beers direct from the brewery ! Cheap price ! And you can buy ham and cheese on the warehouse just near !

The beers on their own; amazing, subtle, out of this world.
As an experience The Kernel is becoming a victim of its own success. Huge queues to buy drinks, staff too busy to answer questions and chat and zero chance of getting a table should you arrive after opening.
I’d strongly recommend buying their beers in a pub but for drinks in a brewery I think Brew By Numbers and Partizan (both within a 5min walk of The Kernel) are a better prospect nowadays.

In a lot of cities there’s a certain trend in favor of speakeasy joints, where part of the allure is «discovering» something hidden. But usually what you also discover is snooty attitudes and overpriced drinks.
The Kernel is the antidote. It is kinda hidden (under a railroad arch in an industrial park) so it does require an element of discovery. But once there, the arches are surprisingly large and bright. In fact it’s kind of like being in a big beergarden-​like setting.
The prices are nice, the beers are strong, and there are loads of picnic tables if you want to go with a group. The only negative is that if you go drinking during the day, you might want to nap the rest of the weekend.
Too bad they don’t have cots.

A terrific little brewery tucked into what might have once been a storage location. They let you sample as much beer as you’d like, and if you ask nicely will probably even give you a short tour around. Well worth the visit, buy some beer while you’re there!

Had their IPA at another location — their IPA is an amazing beer.

–went down to Maltby St. today and loaded up on beer, coffee, veggies, and NOT cheese.
I caught the main brew dude of Kernel out having a smoke, and did the whole Wayne and Garth ‘we’re not worthy’ praise to him for his amazing beer output. The IPAs, some much like good ones from back home, are astounding. I had an IPA ‘dark’ that was reminiscent of grapefruit and had a nicely crisp finish. I brought home some IPA and stout for me and the hubs to have later with dinner.
Good beer is good! And, good for me, Kernel is sold locally at Theater of Wine down in E. Greenwich. I’ll be checking that place out soon.
Note: have a glass on site, as they are tapped and ready to pull one, or take-​away the brew in 330ml bottles.

For my money, the best brewery going at the moment. All their beers are either delicious or, at the very least, interesting. They don’t scrimp on the hops and so some can find their beers a little overpowering but I think they are giving British beer the injection of flavour it has long been in need of.
Great way to spend an early Saturday afternoon with a few of their cask or bottled beers on the tables outside the brewery itself. The website says 9−3pm but I think it usually stays open a little after that. Their classic beers are usually there with an ever changing extra selection. Get there before the sun finally gives up the ghost and try the SCANS IPA if they have it. I think it’s £3 or so for a half from the tap or for a bottle.
The entrance to the brewery on Saturday is on the path between Maltby Street and Millstream Road (Millstream end) to the south of the railway line — not on Druid Street.

I didn’t manage to get a tour of the brewery, but I did manage to make a purchase of a few bottles of Kernel Beer from the nice folks under the rail archway. I would have gotten more, but dang it, beer is heavy when you’re lugging it around London in a backpack.
When I got it home and got it chilled. it was excellent. The IPA with Citra hops was heavenly. A sharp tang of grapefruit, it poured beautifully and went down even better. Yummy!
If you have a car, I will be jealous. It would be worth it to pay the congestion charge to drive in to London and make a big purchase here at Kernel. Excellent local beer!

This place is well worth a visit. Tucked in an archway under the tracke, there are a few picnic tables to sit on and sipping your tasty microbrews is a great way to enjoy a weekend afternoon. They have a great variety and are a lovely family to support. There’s local mozzarella and meats and cheeses in the same nook to snack on, and if you get sleep, Monmouth coffe is just down the path without the crazy Borough Market crowds.