Partizan Brewing

Good craft brewery, I had some of their beers before which I really liked. I had their X-Ale which was fine, I had better beers from them before.

Wow, the Stout is awesome! Don't expect somewhere nice and cozy to sit and drink it. You'll be standing around near wooden pallets and packing boxes under some railway arches. But so what, you'll be drinking an awesome beer for under a fiver! As a self-described beer snob, and a Californian with a taste for American-style craft beers (which are usually more adventurous, more sudsy, and more daring in flavor profile), I have to say Partizan's London-brewed beers are quite tasty. I've tried several, from the Saison to the Porter, Pale Ale, and IPA, and enjoyed them all. But the Stout is by far the most impressive!

I came to Paritzan Brewery after having a drink at Kernel just up the road. While wandering around Maltby Street Market, a beer seller had told me about Partizan, and how it was only a little farther down the railway arches should I be interested in trying their brews. I'm not a huge fan of very hoppy ales, it has to be said, and Kernel's pale ale, IPA and table beer are like a bouquet exploded in a glass. So, a bit let down by my Kernel pale ale which I drank amdist loads of other Saturday market-goers, my friends and I decided to seek out Partizan. It wasn't a completely straightfoward journey from one brewery to the other, and Partizan is definitely in a more industrial area than the Bermondsey arches Saturday sellers up the road (there will be no ham and cheese seller or bakery for you to pick up your bits, so get sustenance before should you want it . But at Partizan's railway arch, there was cold beer in abundance. Cold, (cheap! delicious beer. I tried three of Partizan's brews, and they were all steller. The Mosaic (at 7+ abv and £2.80 a bottle was the standout, but I also tried two of the Grisettes (sage and citrus at 4+ and £2.30 a bottle , and they were entirely too quaffable. I could have spent all afternoon sitting on the benches that were set up outside the arch, drinking beer and sun-soaking on the hottest day of the year to date. The clientele at Partizan was made up of long-beards and real ale aficionados, rather than the yuppie middle-aged Londoners you tend to find at Kernel. Well worth a special journey on a Saturday if you're a fan of craft brews.

Partizan is, for me, the jewel in the crown of Bermondsey brewers. An established player with great beers and good prices, yet to be invaded by the society masses that The Kernel seems to attract, Partizan remains a stronghold of proper beers drunk by proper fans. Their Saturday openings are perfect for trying the menu (written haphazardly on a torn off piece of cardboard) whilst mingling with the locals. I'm yet to visit Partizan and not have ended up sharing a beer and conversation with complete strangers; an all too uncommon experience in London these days.

Pretty simple set-up. This place is open to the public on Saturdays, at which time they set up they have a simple bar set up for keg pours, and they also sell bottles. You can drink on site or take away. Prices are very good. The beer can be very good, although the quality across beers can vary. There's little in the way of atmosphere or amenities; during nice days they set up some temporary tables, but on many Saturdays it's just standing. The brewery is only about an eight-minute walk from The Kernel and stays open until 5pm or so. A good place to visit if you are doing the rounds in Bermondsey, but perhaps not the place for a protracted drinking session.