So you are into your beers and want to go on a brewery tour while in London. Below we have picked out two of the best breweries in London and compared them for you, to help you make the right decision on which one to visit.
Here’s a quick comparison to give some top line information about the tours, obviously to be able to go on either tour you need to be 18 or over:
| Fuller’s brewery | Camden’s brewery | |
| Location | Chiswick | Camden |
| Admission price | £25 | £25 |
| Tour duration | 2 hours | 75 mins |
Fuller’s brewery tour
Located in Chiswick, which is right next door to Hammersmith and just set back from the river Thames. To get there you are best to go to Hammersmith station and then a bus which takes about 10 mins then you have a 10-15 min walk from there. You can walk from Stamford Brook and Turnham Green stations but not the easiest to get to and depending on time of week, day might not have tubes stopping.
You are advised to get to the brewery 15 mins before your tour starts. You just head through the bar/ shop to the tour desk where you need to sign a T&C’s around the tour and get issued with a high vis vest.
There is then a greeting from your tour guide in the safety briefing room and a short video to watch (around 3 mins).
Starting the tour you have the opportunity to leave your bags / belongings in the place you will end the tour. Before you go on a 1 hour and 30 min tour around the fully functional brewery.
What’s the history of Fuller’s brewery?
Beer has been drunk for thousands of years. Even at times in history preferred to water given the contamination of water and being sterilised with the production process. The start of this brewery starts in the late 1600’s where back in those days it was common for large households to brew their own ales. One of those private brew houses in the gardens of Bedford House on Chiswick Mall. After having different owners and expanding it’s not until 1845 when the true Fuller’s reign began and started which it is known for today.
The interesting part is seeing how the old methods of brewing are still used today even if it has been monetised or automated. You get to see the control rooms now where a lot of those actions would have been done manually years ago. Fuller’s is also only brewed here, nowhere else and transported around the world.
The highlights and best bits of the Fuller’s tour
I think you’ve already guessed this one, it’s the beer tasting at the end. You get 30 mins to drink as many generously sized tasting glasses of the full Fuller range along with some sister brands. You have the choice of cask, keg and even bottled beers.
A very close second was the tour guide for us. He was very informative about the processes and history of the brewery along with having a laugh with everyone and making sure it was a good experience.
The not so good bits
Can be noisy in areas giving it’s a working brewery. In areas of the tour it can be hot or cold depending what actions are being taken in the different parts of the brewery house.
Camden brewery tour
Located in Camden and literally right next door to Kentish Town West overground station. You need to get there at least 10 mins before the tour starts. You can also go to Kentish Town station which has access from the Northern line and Thameslinks and is about a 15-20 min walk away.
The brewery is located under the iconic railway arches. On arrival you need to check-in and get a free half pint of the famous Camden beer while you wait for your fella tour party.
What’s the history of Camden’s brewery?
Unlike Fuller’s brewery this one is very, very young having only been founded in 2010. The founder Jasper Cuppaidge is an Australian, who missed his flight home in the mid 90’s and ended up collecting glasses at a pub in London to survive. 10 years later, he ended up purchasing a rundown pub called The ‘Horseshoe’. He brewed his first beer, named Mac’s beer in honor of his grandfather in 2007 as a birthday to his mother Patricia. The lager was brewed from one of his grandmother’s receipts who used to brew lager in Rockhampton Australia. The brew proved very popular with his customers and started to supply it to his pub owner friends.
In 2009 Jasper decided to pursue a full time career in lager brewing, only problem was Mac’s name was already taken and hence using Camden as it was the borough in which he lived.
2010 and Camden Town Brewery was officially starting to brew beers under the arches.
The highlights and best bits of the Fuller’s tour
As with Fuller’s it has to be the free beer in which you get a half pint on arrival, a full pint of your favourite Camden brew plus 5 tasting glasses as you are told about the differences between the different flavours and how they are brewed.
The not so good bits
Again as it’s a brewery it can be noisy if brewing is going on, but it’s not as bad as Fuller’s as it’s a little more modern.
Which is best: Fuller’s Brewery or Camden Brewery Tour?
For me the better brewery tour is Fuller’s given the history there and I feel a lot more talking points and seeing how brewing has evolved over the hundreds of years. Having said that, my favourite beers are the Camden ones over Fuller’s.
Fuller’s brewery tour is best for: The history of brewing and how it has been monetised with automation over the years but a lot of processes and machines staying the same.
My rating: 4.5 / 5
Camden brewery tour is best for: The brew, I am a big fan of Camden’s lagers so great to taste the samples fresh off the line.
My rating: 4 / 5
How to get discount tickets to Fuller’s Brewery tour
Another good thing about the Fuller’s Brewery tour is you can get discounted tickets as part of the Go City London Explorer pass, plus take your pick from other offerings on the pass, the more you do, the bigger the saving.. For example you can get a 5 choice pass for £99 and then do things like the O2 climb and even St Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey.