The Camden-Islington Line: A Guide

It’s the Tube line you never knew you needed and it’s a thing now (as of today, due to this article).

Camden and Islington rent is expensive so having a brewery here isn’t as obvious as setting up in a location like Leyton, for example. Despite this, some breweries have done so, and conveniently in a nice straight horizontal trajectory. Therefore, I introduce to you the Camden-Islington Line and yes if TFL ever create a real version of this I will sue.

This crawl can be done in the order I give below, or backwards if you want to be a contrarian. The geography speaks for itself.

Werewolf Beer
It’s a brewery themed around horror movies, what more do you want?
Good For: Amazing insta pics; American vibes; Small batch beers.
Things To Note: Werewolf is tiny and unique, they sometimes have a food van outside and are very communicative about their releases and events on Instagram so check that out before your visit.
Beer: It is really small batch, so great quality without a huge amount of options. Brewer and owner Rich knows what he’s doing, and every batch is delicious.
Vibez: A real mixed crowd here given its Camden locale, mostly you’ll find it chilled and sociable and on event days it will be way busier. It is also really, really well decorated. Go and see.
Price: Decent situation for Camden and small batch, though not cheap.
Warmth: Rich or one of his team is always on hand to talk beer, chat about the aesthetic or generally hang out; this is one of the warmest brewery taprooms in London.

Two Tribes
A snazzy outfit, given that it was set up by former brewers at other London craft breweries looking to create something more mainstream. The space has come on leaps and bounds in the past couple of years so if this is your first time there you’re in for a treat, and if you last visited in 2019 you should go back because they’ve matured like a fine cheese.
Good For: Cool music; Friends who don’t think they like beer; Being warm.
Things To Note: It books up days in advance, so you have to get a little organised. The whole thing is outdoors and it boasts heaters galore so don’t worry about being cold – if it rains, you may get wet.
Beer: This isn’t really the reason you’re here. The selection of their brews has diversity for the discerning craft beer lover, yet it isn’t the highlight.
Vibez: This is the highlight. Two Tribes has put a lot of thought into service, music, atmosphere and the likes and comes up with the goods for a great night out. The only issue is that this is a brewery crawl so you will need to leave to hit the other spots on the list.
Price: Not bad, not great. You’re in Islington.
Warmth: Everyone working there was delightful but this is a slick destination brewery, not a rustic haunt where you hang with the brewers behind the scenes.

Hammerton Brewery
Sort of the opposite of Two Tribes, Hammerton speaks with its beer rather than its vibe. The two options it provides are different, however: the brewery itself lends itself to an industrial, laid back, sparkly fairy light vibe and the flagship pub 800 metres away is more of a scene with pub quizzes and creative food choices. Either way, you have to get the cake stout. More on that later.
Good For: Cake Stout; Fairy lights.
Things To Note: The brewery is what we are talking about here, though the pub they own on Holloway Road is a great option too and has more of a contemporary vibe to it. They have a small, slightly unpretty outdoor area but the real win is inside.
Beer: Hammerton does two things really well: their flagship pale ale, N1, and stouts. N1 deserves to be seen as a London classic, a pale ale that gets non beer drinkers saying “mmm this isn’t that bad yknow!” and should win awards and be revered. The rest of their beer is fine, until you get to the Stout choices, which are frankly ridiculous and led by the exquisite City of Cake which is possibly the best Stout in England.
Vibez: After Two Tribes this is going to be marginally low key; the decor is fairy lights and cool scaffolding but it is a calm spot with calm people getting drunk on the cake beers.
Price: Islington.
Warmth: Servers are friendly and will attempt with futile, almost apologetic, failure to explain the differences between the stouts on offer. You won’t get to hang with the brewers. This is a fairly large operation and you know why: Cake Stout.

Highbury Brewhouse and Kitchen
This spot is on the H&I roundabout. There is only one rule here: Don’t go when Arsenal FC (a small and fairly irrelevant football club who are famous for their delusions of grandeur) are playing at home or it will be full of fans and you won’t get in
Good For: Small batch craft; Mixing with locals; Proximity to transport.
Things to note: This is a brewpub in the purest form. Don’t be tempted by the international or macro fare on offer – they brew their own stuff and it is really quite decent. A cute garden out front is optimum in the sunshine, and if it’s winter the inside is large and spacious too.
Beer: As above – decent brews that have travelled about 5 metres to get to your glass.
Vibez: As above – it depends when you go. Usually the garden is a delightful relaxed environment despite being on the Highbury roundabout and inside is a rustic experience, if a little dark. On a matchday just avoid it.
Prices: As above – the beer doesn’t have to travel far, so despite it being Islington the local stuff is very reasonable.
Warmth: The brewers roam around and this is not a cult of the personality. With weekly brewing classes and brewery tours, the venue leans heavily into the fact it makes its own stuff and is transparent about its process, ingredients and more. We appreciate that.

Bonus Stop 1: The Lamb
Just North of Brewhouse and Kitchen on Holloway Road, The Lamb is a dark, atmospheric pub with a fantastic independent beer list and a really friendly team. They don’t do food, but this is an old school venue serving new school beers and we highly recommend it if you want something classic and unpretentious.

Bonus Stop 2: Indiebeer
A great option 10 minutes walk north of any of the above breweries, this is one of London’s premier bottle shops. Holloway Road isn’t exactly known for its boutique storefronts but Indiebeer is a revelation, a bookcase-like row of fridges stretching out like a library of deliciousness. Sofas and tables provide a cosy drink-in experience and the super knowledgeable husband-wife team of Clare and Owen are always on hand to guide you through the various styles. Four taps of hard-to-find beers on keg behind the counter are the finishing touch to this Beer Biblioteque.

Do you know an independent craft brewery in this part of Islington that isn’t on the list? Let us know in the comments below – we’ll visit every suggestion and if it fits the bill, we’ll add it in!