Before every railway arch in this city was filled with shiny brewing equipment, before the pub round the corner from your house had an ale menu, back when locally brewed beer meant Budweiser made in Mortlake, a pioneering Londoner had a different vision for the city’s pints. Alastair Hook set up Meantime in Greenwich in 1999, with a plan that clearly went beyond supplying a few barrels to neighbourhood pubs. After 16 years of growth, his beer is available all over the world but is still made in London, now at a purpose-built site in North Greenwich – with a brand-new bar to drink it in.
The address doesn’t sound like an appealing destination, and a bar in a brewery might seem like having a steakhouse in an abattoir – but it’s quite special to try beer mere metres from where it’s made, and combining a visit with a tour offers a glimpse into how impressive the Meantime operation is.
Every one of the company’s draught beers is available here, from the easy-going London Lager to the mysteriously Dark Stout and a specially brewed Tasting Rooms IPA (all cost about £2.10-£2.50 a half pint). What’s not on draught is sold by the bottle, such as the puddingy Chocolate Porter or the Raspberry Wheat Beer.
There’s food, too. Over at Meantime’s bar and restaurant in Greenwich Park – fittingly called The Old Brewery –the modern British food is excellent; it’s excellent here too, with upmarket pub classics such as fish and chips beside fancier dishes, including scallops with artichoke and chorizo.
So dive in to this new brewery tap and raise a glass to a company that has probably done more to kickstart London’s craft beer revolution than any other.