Three innovative craft beer breweries in the South East of England to watch

We take a look at three craft beer breweries in Reading, Portsmouth and Brighton that are producing beers which are attracting attention in the South East of England and beyond.

Large parts of the drinks industry suffered significantly over the past few years. Pubs felt the brunt of Covid-19 and the related restrictions imposed by the UK Government. Yet while hospitality was decimated, many alcohol-centred businesses catering to home drinkers were kept going by their fiercely loyal customers. Chief among those were craft breweries.

Many independent batch brewers will have seen their taprooms shut and their pub suppliers put a freeze on orders. While that wasn’t good news for their bottom lines, a little pivoting and a lot of reorganisation and brand loyalty helped cement their places in the market.

Now that we’re all restriction-free again, the South East’s innovative craft beer firms are free to push on once more. Here are a trio of the most interesting craft breweries in our area. Let’s raise a glass and celebrate them…

Phantom Brewing Co.
Location: Reading

Reading is famous for its ‘Three B’s’: biscuits, bulbs and beer. At least it used to be, anyway. Huntley & Palmers, Suttons Seeds and Simmonds Brewery have all long since left the ‘ding. The town’s reputation for beer is flourishing once again, though. And it’s all thanks to some inventive players in the craft beer scene. Reading can boast not one, not two but three excellent craft beer breweries.

Finchampstead’s Siren Craft and Tilehurst outfit Double-Barrelled are both hugely popular both within and beyond the town’s limits. But it’s the spooky lot over at Phantom that makes our list.

First things first - their beers are delicious. More than that, they’ve got real character. There are plenty of craft breweries out there making quality IPAs that pass the taste test with flying colours. Phantom do so while taking risks, ones that seemingly always pay off.

While they brew, can, ship and sell a whole range of beers, these Reading brewers specialise in daring sour beers with big, bold - sometimes quite unusual - flavours. They taste great at home, but even better enjoyed in one of their two huge on-site taproom bars. Why so much focus on on-site drinking? Well, the more beer sold where it’s made, the smaller the company’s carbon footprint.

READ MORE: How Hofmeister Beer was brought back from the dead

Staggeringly Good Beer
Location: Southsea, Portsmouth

If you like beer but love dinosaurs, Staggeringly Good Beer deserves your attention. In business now for almost a decade, the three friends running the brewery are clearly prepared to have fun while operating their rather unique prehistoric-themed craft beer company. This firm is no frippery, though. SGB is a serious brewery making a national - and international - impact.

One of the most innovative and community-minded ventures that Staggeringly Good gets involved in is their merch and associated products. They work with local producers and companies to produce branded items and even consumables, like their own hot sauce.

As for their beers, they’re distinctive, but not as unique as their newly-opened second taproom and event space. We won’t ruin the surprise of The House of Rapture, we’ll just describe it in very basic terms and let you imagine the rest. It’s a ‘dinosaur church’. Complete with pews, stained glass and, of course, plenty of prehistoric lizard monsters.

READ MORE: How English wine shook off its downbeat reputation and is now challenging Champagne 

UnBarred Brewery
Location: Brighton

Loved by unusual beer fans, Brighton scenesters and the craft beer industry in general, UnBarred are giants in their (hop) field.

Founder and owner Jordan Mower oversees the production of a wide range of eminently drinkable and well-liked beers. It’s the fruity IPAs and pale ales that UnBarred are almost unrivalled at producing, however.

Their unshowy but strong branding shines through on the scene. The sheer quality of the beer may be UnBarred's biggest strength, but their willingness to work with other local businesses and creatives help them stand out. As does their collaborations with other local up-and-coming micro and nano craft beer breweries such as Top★Notch Brewing, the Laine Brew Co. and the Holler Brewery.

Cheers!