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Going sober for October? Then look away now. Here are five tempting tap takeovers happening around the capital across the month.
Burning Sky Brewery: tap takeover at The Rake, October 5
For one night, The Rake will relinquish its taps to Burning Sky, a brewery located in an old Sussex Barn in the South Downs. This is a brewery where imagination runs wild and production isn’t restricted by convention, time or cost of ingredients. They’re currently in the process of an extensive ageing programme, where beers are matured in foudres – large wooden vats usually reserved for the maturation of wines. Seeing as it will take a few more years before these are ready for the drinking, why not enjoy some of their other beers now? They’ve got some juicy pale ales and IPAs to quench your thirst. The Rake, 14 Winchester Walk, Borough Market, SE1 9AG. Oct 5, 5pm-11pm.
100 Craft Beer Festival at The Craft Beer Co, October 6-9
What’s better than a single brewery tap takeover? How about a tap takeover with a multitude of breweries? The Craft Beer Co Clapham brings us The 100 Craft Beer Festival, which showcases over 100 beers from an impressive list of breweries from the UK and beyond. London brewers Beavertown, Redemption and Partizan are all taking part – but that only scratches the surface of what’s on offer. You might want to clear your weekend schedule for this. Craft Beer Co, 128 Clapham Manor Street, Clapham, SW4 6ED. Noon Oct 6–11pm Oct 9.
Oktoberfest at UBrew, October 8
This year has seen a glut of Oktoberfest celebrations, so it would feel wrong to not include one here. This event at UBrew promises to be a corker, with the taps pouring Bavarian beers and some special selections brewed by their members. UBrew is an open brewery, giving members the opportunity to perfect their homebrew recipes with proper kit under a railway arch. There are no threats of lederhosen or oompah bands, but three of their own beers can be purchased for £10 on the day. UBrew, 24 Old Jamaica Road, SE16 4AW. Oct 8, noon–7pm.
Wild Horse Brewing Co: EeBria tap takeover, October 15
Online craft beer retailer EeBria has a taproom that throws its doors open to the public each Saturday. It's a platform to buy directly from some of the UK’s most exciting breweries, so it’s hardly a surprise that their tap takeovers focus squarely on some relatively unknown – but entirely excellent – names. This month, get ahead of the crowd and sample some beer from Wild Horse Brewing Co, a small craft brewery based in Llandudno, North Wales. They’ve been brewing up a storm since 2015 with a focus on unfiltered and unpasteurised beers using Snowdonia water. With beer as natural as that, it’s only polite to drink deep. EeBria, 15 Almond Road, SE16 3LR. October 15, 11am–5pm.
Purity Brewing: tap takeover at The Duke’s Head, October 28
Head over to The Duke’s Head in Putney to spend an evening with Warwickshire’s Purity Brewing. Since 2005, Purity has been delivering beer with a conscience, using the most environmentally friendly methods possible throughout the brewing process. The evening is the perfect chance to work through their range and – given the brewery’s commitment to sustainability – feel pretty virtuous about it. The Duke's Head, 8 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1JN. October 28, 6pm–10pm.
For more quality booze, head to one of the best craft beer pubs and bars in London.