The Beers of Blackhorse: A Guide

Winning the award for Being Mistaken For Walthamstow since 2007.

Blackhorse Road is one of those tube stations that nobody takes notice of unless they live there. Sandwiched between characterful and busy neighbourhoods of Seven Sisters and Walthamstow (shoutout also to nearby Tottenham Hale, which is literally just a set of retail parks and a train station) Blackhorse Road has never received the praise it deserves – until now.

Home to THE most convenient brewery crawl in the entire city, this itinerary is starting to become well known and it won’t be long before beer tourists and hipsters looking for a good time flock here – so make the most of it before it deteriorates into the mess that is the Bermondsey Beer Mile at 5pm on a Saturday.

This crawl can very easily be done in literally any order given the proximity of the breweries to one another and the ability of all of them to function well as either start or end points, so I will list from north to south, which is also the order of my preferred halves of London.

Wild Card Brewery
Cool branding, cool brewers, cool beers – Wild Card has been on the scene for nearly a decade. The original brewery was around the corner from Walthamstow Village and while it maintains an excellent tap room there, this location is where the fresh stuff now comes from.
Good For: Groups of friends; Bringing a baby or a dog; Beers themed around playing cards; Actually playing with playing cards.
Things to note: Essentially a bunch of wooden benches in an industrial estate car park, you’re not here for the views, although there is a nice mezzanine level inside with a few tables. There are a handful of umbrellas, but you probably don’t want to be caught here on a rainy day. It is open on Fridays from 5pm and all weekend from midday-10pm.
Beers: An eclectic selection, there is something for everyone with a slight focus on creative IPAs (whatever the hell that means. You’ll have to go and see). Many of the beers have a social impact focus, which is very cool indeed.
Vibez: It’s a no frills neighbourhood hangout that is always full of friendly locals who all seem to know each other. Someday, you could be like them.
Prices: Very reasonable – further proof that Blackhorse Road isn’t Walthamstow.
Warmth: Friendly staff and brewers who are familiar with their regular clientele and sympathetic to those here for the crawl.

Hackney Brewery
New kid on the block quite literally – despite being a mainstay in the bottle shops for the past few years, Hackney has never had a taproom to call its own. As of May 2021, now it does and it is literally a stone’s throw from Wild Card, even if you are bad at throwing.
Good for: That amazing peach sour; A big screen to watch sports on.
Things to note: A nice selection of outdoor tables that are often busy gives way to a cavernous indoor space – you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting a seat here.
Beers: So the peach one is absolutely amazing and it turns out they do a whole host more. Possibly one of the better selections on the crawl.
Vibez: Lower key by day, higher key by night, as is the trend throughout this entire stretch.
Prices: Same as above – reasonable.
Warmth: Quite a large setup means it is unlikely you’ll be having a chit chat with the brewers but the servers are friendly as expected.

Beerblefish Brewing Co.
Seizing Hackney Brewery’s coveted and well-recognised title of “Newest Brewery in Blackhorse Road” only two months into its tenure, Beerblefish opened in late July 2021 and is conveniently sandwiched in between the first two and Exale, below.
Good For: CASK BEER!
Things To Note: A smaller, more ad hoc outdoor space should be bypassed for their large interior with the giant high warehouse ceilings ubiquitous to this area. No food served as yet, though maybe in the future.
Beers: As mentioned, this is a long awaited edition to the new wave craft brewery scene – one that focuses almost exclusively on cask beer. The purists are rejoicing, CAMRA members get a discount and the rest of us get to enjoy a great, modern version of something that we may have dismissed.
Vibez: A large space that is still being decked out so the jury is still out as to how this is going to end up looking and feeling. Right now it is very laid back, easy to chat to others and if in doubt just stare at the incredible full-wall art work shown in the picture above. There’s also a pool table.
Price: Something to know about cask beer: it is way, way cheaper than keg beer. Not only that but the prices are a little funky, like £3.62 or £4.38.
Warmth: The owners and brewers are all chilling out at the bar, and they are up for a chat to proudly explain their ethos, their mission and everything you want to know about cask ale. All in all, a very warm and welcoming experience.

Exale Brewing
More of a “destination” feel than Wild Card and Hackney, Exale has a cute, semi-enclosed outdoor space with a creative mezzanine level. The indoor space is deceptively large, with plenty of seating and, get this, a SECOND mezzanine level.
Good For: Drinking very, very late; taking your friends who don’t want to drink beer; chatting to people you don’t know.
Things to note: Exale is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 4pm and on weekends from Midday until basically whenever the last person leaves. Things can start to get enjoyably rowdy once darkness falls. They serve a good few options other than beer, in case you’re on a 12 hour session and at any point feel like some variety.
Beer: The best way to describe the beer at Exale is that it is not the highlight of the experience. That’s not to say it isn’t good – it is very good – but it isn’t the key reason you’re here. They serve an ice cream float in a chocolate stout that is…unique.
Vibez: The reason for the beer comment is that the vibe here is really quite banging, going from buzzing day spot to a night hub that is a little boisterous but very safe feeling. DJs get things going from 9pm and it’s not impossible that people will get up and dance at their table, or at least do a little chair shimmying. Plus, yknow, Beer in the City quiz events!
Prices: Depends what you’re having – the beer is well priced, the gin isn’t terribly priced but just remember it’s more expensive than beer.
Warmth: Lovely, warm humans work here, all very passionate about the community they are building. The brewers are often around and everyone will be up for a chat. A top notch venue on the Blackhorse Road Beer Mile, and also as a one-off night out.

Signature Brewing
One of the adults of the London craft beer world, Signature’s constantly expanding brand now calls Blackhorse Road home. The clue you have arrived here is the gigantic, multi-thousand-litre steel brewing vessel simply hanging out in the carpark.
Good for: Music to all tastes, eclectic crowd, finding a space.
Things to note: There are two large spaces that are across the carpark from one another – one fully under cover and much louder than the other one, which is closer to the food trucks and saved for walk-ins. The indoor space is a small, cosy box with a very 2010’s look to it (you’ll see what we mean). Open from Midday-11pm on weekends and the rest of the week from 4-11pm, so if you accidentally feel like doing 1/6 of the crawl on a Monday, you can.
Beer: They’ve been doing this a while and you can tell, with very solid signature offerings (eurgh sorry). Their seasonal stuff is also good, if not something I’d always sign my name to (ok I’ll stop).
Vibez: They crank the music up but the atmosphere is actually pretty laid back – during the gaps in songs, it’s really not too loud. If you don’t want to have to raise your voice to have a chat, the secondary space is ideal. They often have live music in the early afternoon on a Saturday.
Prices: Similar to Exale above, it’s affordable without being “cheap” and things get pricey if you opt for something other than beer.
Warmth: The bouncer-style staff in yellow jackets outside look a little serious at first glance but are actually very friendly and more concerned with finding you a table than anything else. Other than that, this is a large operation so it’s not familiar in the same way as the breweries above.

Pretty Decent Beer Co.
No, that’s not just a description of what we thought about it because we forgot the name – that is literally what it’s called. A brand spanking new taproom that opened in December 2022, Pretty Decent are all about community spirit, high quality brews, and not taking themselves too seriously. Exhibit A: They’re the ones who named their core beer “I Could Get Better In T*sco For A Quid”, taken from a 1* review they got on Google.
Good For: Groups of friends; IPA selection; Fun beer names; Pizza.
Things to note: Until now, Pretty Decent have resided in Wanstead but this is the start of a gradual and complete move to Blackhorse Road. Also note: the pizza truck outside is there to stay, and it is GOOD.
Beers: This is small batch brewing, so expect very high quality. Most of the beers are IPAs, though with the expanded production afforded by this site, Pretty Decent are expanding the diversity of their beers. Depending on when you’re reading this, it could be an IPA-fest, or you might be sipping a brand new pilsner.
Vibez: With a Very Decent following already, Pretty Decent is set to be busy and buzzy every weekend. The space is large and colourful, with awesome artwork dotted around for you to gaze at while your friend goes to the toilet.
Prices: Pretty Decent (ok we had to). But yeah it’s really not bad, clocking in at £5-6 for most pints.
Warmth: This is a tight knit unit of a brewery, so expect a lot of personality and friendliness from a group that enjoys the community that breweries provide and values their people.

Big Penny Social Club (formerly known as Truman’s)
Is it a brewery? Is it a social club? Is it the largest indoor space you’ve been in since before the pandemic? It’s probably all three. Owned and run by the historic Truman’s Brewery (the original building of which is on Brick Lane and host to all number of events, beer and otherwise), this is a new type of venture for the area.
Good for: Good food, being in giant warehouse, being in a giant beer garden.
Things to note: Not sure if I mentioned already that the indoor space is absolutely gigantic. The outdoor space is also extremely large, though booking is currently essential on a weekend as it is really, really popular.
Beer: It’s ok. Truman’s beer is old school craft so it hits the classic notes just fine, but you’re not going to get anything particularly ambitious. There are a few rotating taps of local guest craft too.
Vibez: This has been built as a destination, that’s for sure. If there’s one venue that is already trying to ensure the tourists and hipsters do migrate up and eastwards from Bermondsey, it’s this. Let’s see if it succeeds.
Prices: It’s not expensive per se, it’s just more expensive than the others.
Warmth: It’s all a bit “unsmiling bouncer at the door, can’t seem to find your name on the booking list and we are REALLY full tonight, oh wait there it is, ok we’ll escort you to your table under very close supervision, you have exactly 2 hours and then you may be forcibly removed”. Don’t get me wrong – once you’re seated and being served the staff are friendly, and for a night out it’s a fantastic experience, but this is a sophisticated setup and not a rustic local brewery.

Bonus stop 1: Pressure Drop
Tottenham Hale, the place that isn’t a place just over the wetlands from Blackhorse Road, does have one feature you might want to check out. This is done by heading west from Blackhorse Road station on a 15-20 minute walk along an odd bridge-of-sorts that is totally fine in the sunshine and an intolerable monsoon in any other type of weather. If Once you survive this, you will reach Pressure Drop – the hypest hype brewery in London for the past year, and with good reason.
Good for: Hazy IPAs, murky IPAs, being disparaging about Beavertown.
Things to note: Wait, what did you just say? Indeed, this is the industrial estate that became one of London’s must-visit craft beer destinations because of the now Heineken subsidiary that is Beavertown Brewery. So, whether it’s open or not, ignore it and go to Pressure Drop. It is only open on Friday evenings and during the day on Saturdays.
Beer: This is some of the hottest property in the city. They churn out a different hazy, New England-style IPA on a weekly basis and while some might say they all taste largely the same, it’s still a fun game seeing if you can figure out the difference given that they’re all delicious.
Vibez: No bookings makes for a fairly random selection of locals, beer tourists and regular tourists who can’t get a space at Beavertown. It’s actually pretty low key in presentation – they let the beer do the talking.
Prices: Their beer is expensive in shops, but at source? It’s actively cheap for what it is (hype style, often high alcohol, hard to drink that many of them without feeling like you are turning into a milkshake).
Warmth: As it has become more and more popular it has become slightly more of a “business”, but it’s still a great local spot with friendly servers who will try their best to advise you what the nuances are between each beer.

Bonus stop 2: Forest Wines
A five minute walk from Blackhorse Road station, perpendicular to the strip that all the breweries are on, lies this bottle shop. Forest Wines has been around a few years and has an eclectic and affordable selection of independent craft beer, with extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff and a perfect option if you need a beer to get you down to Pressure Drop, want a takeaway in the park while you wait for a spot to open up at one of the breweries, or have a long walk home.