This London beer is officially the second-best in the UK

It’s been a good couple of weeks for the Big Smoke’s beer scene. In June, three London boozers were deemed to be among the nation’s prettiest pubs, according to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), and now one of the city’s breweries has taken the silver medal in the 2026 Top 50 UK Beer Awards.

Each year, the Top 50 UK Beer Awards taste and rate the best selling, most influential and best-made beers in the country. Now in their third year, the awards are organised by insights and events company We Are Beer, which gathers over 150 beer experts and over 6,000 drinkers and hospitality professionals to put Britain’s brews to the ultimate test.

The results of the 2026 competition are now in. The first prize was picked up by Cheltenham-based independent brewer DEYA for its Steady Rolling Man New England Pale Ale, which reclaimed top spot this year following its 2024 win in the inaugural awards.

As for the silver medal, that accolade went to a beer brewed right here in LDN. Hackney’s Five Points Brewery took second for its Five Points Best, a single-hopped bitter brewed with local Maris Otter barley and Kentish Fuggle hops.

And it wasn’t the only London brewhouse to win big at the awards. In fact, half of the top 10 on this year’s list came from the capital. Forest Gate brewery Pretty Decent Beer Co’s I Could Get Better At T*sco For A Quid climbed from number 16 in 2025 to fourth place this year. Bermondsey’s Anspach & Hobday came in fifth for its London Black porter. Pilsner brewed by Pillars in Walthamstow ranked seventh, having come in at number 21 last year, and Saint Monday’s American Pale Ale, brewed in Hackney, climbed from 47th to 10th in just 12 months. 

Thirsty yet? Yep, us too.

The 10 best beers in the UK 2026

1. DEYA - Steady Rolling Man (Cheltenham) 
2. Five Points - Best (Hackney, East London)
3. Thornbridge - Jaipur (Bakewell, Derbyshire) 
4. Pretty Decent Beer Co - I Could Get Better At T*sco For A Quid (Forest Gate, East London) 
5. Anspach & Hobday - London Black (Bermondsey, South London)
6. Titanic - Plum Porter (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire)
7. Pillars - Pilsner (Walthamstow, East London) 
8. Verdant - Lightbulb (Penryn, Cornwall)
9. Timothy Taylor - Landlord (Keighley, West Yorkshire)
10. Saint Monday - American Pale Ale (Hackney, London)

🍻 Time Out’s list of the best breweries and taprooms in London.

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