The geography of London's recent beer brewing revolution

Abstract

In this paper we examine the recent rapid growth of new breweries in London and the reasons behind it. At the turn of the millennium, just a handful of breweries was operating in London, but by 2016 this number had risen to over 85. Using open data from the Companies House database augmented with other online and printed sources, we show that the rapid growth of breweries, particularly since 2011, has exhibited spatial patterning. Ripley's K analysis reveals that as soon as we see new breweries emerging, they are clustering in space. Cluster analyses reveal that Bermondsey and Hackney are particular locational hotspots for brewing. Closer investigation of the Bermondsey cluster highlights the importance of a number of interacting physical, social and economic factors in helping foster this growth. We show that the railways and the spaces they have created, the general atmosphere of cooperation and sharing surrounding the industry in the city, macro‐economic and fiscal changes, foreign influence, technology and markets have all played their part in the recent spatial and temporal evolution of brewing in the city.