Hammerton Brewery

When we imported the idea of the brewery taproom from the US craft movement, we spent years trying to copy what made those spaces great. It rarely worked. The years of lockdown sharpened our appreciation of the traditional pub though, and the sense of community it engendered, forcing us to reappraise what we actually wanted in these new drinking spaces. 

Today’s British taproom still has many of the trappings of US craft – exposed brickwork and an industrial aesthetic, an abundance of taps, a pizza oven roaring away in the back – but with the locality and community sensibility of a pub. Hammerton’s taproom in Islington is in many ways the embodiment of this welcome trend; a place that puts super-fresh, interesting beer front and centre, but which also feels stitched into the fabric of its neighbourhood.

Housed inside the brewery on Roman Way, Hammerton’s taproom opens straight onto the brewing floor, with a mezzanine scattered with sofas and broad tables that seem to invite leisurely afternoon sessions (an impression reinforced by the collection of board and pub games around the place). Parents bring their kids at weekends (children are welcome until 8pm, and even eat free pizza at lunchtime), dogs curl up under benches, and the staff look like they’re having as good a time as their customers.

Relaxed, lived-in, and thoroughly authentic, this is a taproom for everyone, and one of the UK’s very best.