The London beer that was just crowned the best in Britain for 2025

Congrats to Bermondsey-based independent craft brewer Anspach & Hobday, whose ‘London Black’ has come first place in the Top 50 UK Beer Awards.

The nitro porter was praised for its ‘sessionability alongside amazing flavour and quality’, and it climbed up to top spot from fifth place in 2024. The awards are run by self-proclaimed ‘beer experts’ We Are Beer and are now in their second year. 

‘This nitro porter has quickly become a fan favourite with drinkers, buyers and the brewers themselves,’ said We Are Beer. ‘The resurgence of stout and popularity of Guinness have no doubt helped to drive its success.’

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Last year’s winner – Deya’s ‘Steady Rolling Man’ – was third in this year’s top 50, with Timothy Taylor’s ‘Landlord’ came in at number two.

Speaking about the win, Paul Anspach, co-founder of Anspach & Hobday, said: ‘The whole team is incredibly proud and grateful for this award. London Black is the lifeblood of Anspach & Hobday, and is a distillation of who we are as a brewery and a business. As our contribution to London's rich and diverse brewing scene, we are proud to be reaffirming porter as the original beer of London’.

You can raise a glass of London Black at the London Craft Beer Festival, run by We Are Beer, from July 18-19 at Magazine London in Greenwich.

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