You'll find good beer all over Britain. Photo / Getty Images
You'll find good beer all over Britain. Photo / Getty Images
Having a grown-ups-only holiday in the UK? Make your way around the country's best craft breweries, micropubs and traditional inns.
The UK is home to one of the world's most vibrant beer cultures, with close to 2000 breweries and thousands of great pubs, bars and brewery taps. The renaissance ofthe past 20 years means it's more diverse than it once was, too, although traditionalists need not fear: there's still plenty of nut-brown bitter.
Bermondsey London's brewing explosion (there are now about 110 breweries in the capital) was inspired in large part by The Kernel, founded in Bermondsey in 2009. Now Bermondsey boasts 10 breweries and many other beer bars; on Saturdays, when most are open to drinkers (The Kernel offers off-sales only), it becomes the capital's most popular bar crawl. Don't miss:Brew By Numbers, Enid St
The Black Country If Bermondsey represents modern British beer, the Black Country is a taste of time-honoured tradition. Its appeal rests on the understated excellence of the local beer, particularly Bathams Bitter, which has beguiled locals and visitors alike for generations. Don't miss:The Vine, Brierley Hill, West Midlands
East Kent Micropubs are gradually creeping across the country (there are more than 300 now) but East Kent, where the first one opened in 2005, is the movement's home. These drinking spots are essentially repurposed shop units, but the focus on chat and well-kept beer makes them a godsend in the midst of these dark days when many independent pubs are closing down. Don't miss:The Butcher's Arms, Herne, Kent
Sheffield This unpretentious city has many welcoming pubs, where well-kept beer is the rule rather than the exception: The Fat Cat and Kelham Island Tavern, close to each other in Kelham Island, are the best-known, but there are many. Don't Miss:The Sheffield Tap
Leeds There's everything you need in Leeds: classic pubs like Whitelock's, craft-beer venues such as North Bar, and excellent restaurants where beer plays a central role, including Friends of Ham and the marvellous Bundobust, which majors in vegetarian Gujarati grub. Don't Miss:Bundobust
