Craft Metropolis Online Craft Beer Blog

Sour beers used to sit solely in the expert realm of the Belgian specialist or the hardcore beer nerd. But these days, sour beers are bursting into the mainstream more and more – especially as sour beers are no longer just for summer. So with that in mind, in this post we look at some […]

Five years ago, when my online craft beer club (as it then was) first sprang into existence, Craft Metropolis stocked only beers from specialist, London-based craft breweries. It gave the club a new slant on an existing concept. It allowed us to operate as a tiny business in a market dominated by one or two […]

In craft beer circles, every year that unfolds eventually becomes the year of something or other. Certain yeasts, for example. Or certain varieties of hops. More often than not, certain beer styles take the annual ‘year of’ crown – like back in 2018, when everyone seemed excited about brut IPA. I’ve reported before that every […]

It’s grim up north, so they say. So when lockdown eased recently, I did something odd. I left behind my small beer shop down in Penge for a quick pilgrimage north. Y’know, just to check. And the rumours are false! There are plenty of delightful open spaces up north, many of which prove the perfect […]

Without wanting to dwell on the obvious, summer 2020 feels like no summer before. Hopefully as you read this the sun is shining and, while your industrious neighbours busy themselves revamping gardens and installing patios, you’re lazing around in true Idler style. You’ll need good beer to compliment your summer lounging, of course. So I […]

Kveik, Mild, Helles and Brut. At first glance you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled into the travel section of the Idler and were exploring potential retreats to a Scandinavian island. Thankfully not. Kievek, Mild, Helles and Brut are all in fact beer styles, and with brewers gearing up to showcase their takes on rather […]

Sour beers were once the preserve of Belgian specialists and hardcore beer nerds only. Gloriously, in recent years, the style has burst into the mainstream – and it’s recruiting converts with commendable pace. With the sun threatening to shine once again this year, what better time to look at some of the best brewers of […]

Welcome to winter! Chilly nights and falling leaves… I kind of like it. The headline news is we are 4-6 weeks away from the first Craft Metropolis bar in SE20 London! More info to follow on the newsletter but first a quick bit of news about what’s new this month: Our top news for beers […]

Wow August was hot! I hope you enjoyed the summer sun and are ready for a slightly more chilled September? Here’s a quick bit of news about what’s new this month in the world of craft beer online: Our headline for this month is the return of Siren brewery with a load of their beer […]