What could be better than a new craft brewery specializing in unique, big, bold beers in London? Well, it could be in our neighborhood and relatively undiscovered for the moment – although surely a name that will be well known very soon. We visited Partizan Brewing with some friends last week and are already looking forward to a return visit as soon as possible!
Where: Bermondsey, South London. About a 10 minute walk from the Bermondsey tube station on the Jubilee Line. See map.
Partizan beers on display at their brewery site in South London
Why you should visit:
You probably like beer if you’re reading this blog, and almost certainly find some added joy in discovering new beers and breweries. Partizan is a brand new brewery, approximately 4 months old, that is focused purely on brewing great quality beers. It’s small (for the moment anyway) and rough around the edges. The Saturday tasting crowd mingles among crates of freshly delivered bottles with only a few square meters of floor space that is filled waist high with labels, malts, and other assorted ingredients. You almost get the feeling that you’re in the way – and would be if the guys suddenly decided to brew a Saturday batch! But this feeling is exactly what makes Partizan so fresh and exciting – and we can’t wait to see how quickly they find success in the London brewing scene.
Overall comments: Our friends Meredith and Steve visited us in London last week. After a few days filled with tourist-related activities and sights like Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace, we agreed that Saturday would be devoted to a typical London day out for us, filled with some good beer & brewery stops and a walk around the “non-tourist” neighborhoods!
Weeks earlier, we were introduced to Partizan with a big sign at our “local”- Dean Swift. We immediately mapped their address and were happy to discover that Partizan was only a short walk from our flat!
On Saturday, after a tour of the Maltby Street Market and a quick stop at Kernel Brewery, we set off through narrow alleyways and a few unfortunate housing blocks that dot the Southwark neighborhood, before finally emerging on Almond Street beneath a set of railway arches and industrial estates that had me questioning whether Google Maps was right. By this point our friends were completely confused by our route but pleasantly shocked when we came to our next destination: 8 Almond Road, the home of Partizan Brewing!
The beers were amazing, the artwork was fantastic and the folks behind the “crate” were awesome. My favorite beer so far is Galaxy Saison (5.4%) – absolutely delicious and will also be a perfect beer for warmer (hopefully sunnier) days in London. Hopefully the FEDEX distribution center next to the brewery becomes their prime point of deliveries when we move back to the U.S.
What I especially loved:
- Creative beer labels designed by Alec Doherty, a local London artist – they’re thinking about how to stand out in the competitive craft beer marketplace
- For such a short time in operation, they already have an eclectic mix of beer varieties and styles. Proves they’re working hard to create some great, unique beer!
- Reasonable prices for the local customers who stop by and purchase some take-out bottles or have a beer on the premises
I can’t wait to read about Partizan’s future success in the craft beer community as their operation develops.
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