The Old Brewery: Meantime Greenwich

The Old Brewery in Greenwich is a modern, sleek and cleverly designed microbrewery/restaurant (in a very old building), evidence of just how much Meantime Brewery has done for the craft brewing scene in London over the past decade!

Photo rights: Ewan M, http://www.flickr.com/photos/55935853@N00/4570759772/

Opened in 2010, the Old Brewery is located in an impressive 17^th century building near the Greenwich waterfront –  surrounded by the Old Royal Naval College and a close walk from the famous Cutty Sark ship.

When Jim and I first visited the bar last spring the outside garden area was full to capacity (despite a somewhat dreary and cold afternoon). If you have the opportunity to visit and the weather is cooperating, get there early – as the seats will fill up quickly.

I recently returned to the Old Brewery while my friends Meredith and Steve were visiting London. We stopped in for a two-hour rest break after a walking tour through Greenwich and a photo-op on the Prime Meridian line.

My friends Meredith and Steve at the Old Brewery in March 2013

Where: Greenwich, South London. Near to the Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich DLR stop (from Central London take the DLR from Bank or Tower Gateway). Alternatively if you take any of the Thames boat services that stop in Greenwich, the Old Brewery is a short walk away. See map.

Why you should visit: A striking display of beer, beer and more beer, the microbrewery uses this theme to create a stylish, memorable space. A portion of the inside dining room is cleverly draped by an impressive display of beer bottles, wired together from the bottle neck, to create a wave-like surface when viewed from below. The bar area (off of the outside garden) is like a museum to beer bottles. It reminded me of the Scotch Whiskey Experience tour we took in Edinburgh – where thousands of vintage scotch bottles are displayed behind museum-styled cases, and illuminated by a soft yellow backlight.  Even the walls are bordered with a brewing history timeline!

Overall comments:  Quality beer and a lively, welcoming atmosphere is the reason I will return to the Old Brewery. But the beautiful, thoughtful design is the reason I will promote it, and introduce other friends and family to the Old Brewery to show off the best of the London microbrewery bars.

To prepare for this post, I read about the brewery’s  history (Old Brewery website) and it’s made me even more excited about Meantime and their passion for beer-making. I love their brewery name, which I’m assuming is a play on the “Greenwich Mean Time”,  a global time standard for telling time that helped make the town of Greenwich recognizable to the world. A few friends started up the business in a small flat in Greenwich in 1999.

In 2001 their first pub opened, the Greenwich Union, and was the “only pub in London (at the time) to sell no national brewing products at all.” They packaged their bottles in 750ml champagne bottles with a cork and wire, setting themselves apart from other brewers.  In 2004, Meantime won medals at the World Beer Cup, the only British brewery that year to win awards. Since then, they’ve continued to expand, develop and improve upon their products and the types of beer they offer to their customers.

Their passion for beer-making is evident and The Old Brewery is a great facility to show that off. The owners have clearly thought about all the little details that take a great business to that next level of excellence.