Has the Bermondsey Run lost its luster

Reads 7120 • Replies 76 • Started Sunday, April 12, 2015 4:56:31 AM CT

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imdownthepub
beers 25926 º places 2080 º 04:56 Sun 4/12/2015

We did the Bermondsey mile for a second time a week back. The first time, a year ago, was with the Ratebeer crew and I remember it having families and couples popping into the Breweries, all civilised and very pleasant. Now I’m not sure I had rose coloured spectacles on for the first trip, but this second trip seemed very different. There were huge groups of lads getting pretty drunk, stag parties and a very confused Hen Party, rather over dressed for the occasion.
Has the Bermondsey run become too popular for it’s own good. Huge queues for single loo’s, people urinating in the factory unit areas, The Kernel closing early due to the issues, no family groups that we could see just a few couples clinging together.
The best bar of the trip for us was the Bottle Shop on this trip, much better set up for the hoards.
Not sure that we would bother again.
Just my impressions. Do others agree or not?

 
Theydon_Bois
admin
beers 40215 º places 1239 º 05:09 Sun 4/12/2015

Pro tip Glen ...

You gotta start early ie 9.30 for 10 at Kernel.

When I passed you last week I was just hitting the last venue, whilst I think you’d just started?

Like everything that gets good press it becomes popular and crowded and yes the loos are an issue at times.

That said, you’ll never see me down there after 14.00 so I don’t get these issues.

 
Theydon_Bois
admin
beers 40215 º places 1239 º 05:11 Sun 4/12/2015

btw - the hen party was a bonus, I saw them arriving at Partizan.

I’ll take a bunch of hot chicks over beardy sea faring hipsters ANY day

 
SarkyNorthener
beers 5200 º places 142 º 05:11 Sun 4/12/2015

You make it sound like Blackpool Glen. Is it really that bad? I did plan on visiting a
Sometime in the future, now I am not sure. I dont enjoy places where stag parties are the norm, unless I am part of the stag party.

 
Theydon_Bois
admin
beers 40215 º places 1239 º 05:14 Sun 4/12/2015

Originally posted by SarkyNorthener
You make it sound like Blackpool Glen. Is it really that bad? I did plan on visiting a
Sometime in the future, now I am not sure. I dont enjoy places where stag parties are the norm, unless I am part of the stag party.


No - don’t go , it’s a shit shower !

Or ... see pro tip (above)

 
SarkyNorthener
beers 5200 º places 142 º 05:21 Sun 4/12/2015

Originally posted by Theydon_Bois
Originally posted by SarkyNorthener
You make it sound like Blackpool Glen. Is it really that bad? I did plan on visiting a
Sometime in the future, now I am not sure. I dont enjoy places where stag parties are the norm, unless I am part of the stag party.


No - don’t go , it’s a shit shower !

Or ... see pro tip (above)


Any good places to have a fry up on Bermondsey, pro?

 
imdownthepub
beers 25926 º places 2080 º 05:22 Sun 4/12/2015

I know what you are saying about starting times and yes it is probably the best way to avoid the stag groups, but it’s not easily done to get there for a 10 am start.
I just think it is less friendly and accommodating now and a lot more rowdy in the afternoon.

 
Leighton
beers 33639 º places 1203 º 05:23 Sun 4/12/2015

Has the Bermondsey circuit become too popular for its own good? In some ways, yes, it has.

It isn’t at all surprising to see that Bermondsey has become more popular with ’mainstream’ drinkers. Us serious geeks like to reminisce about the early days, but like all other areas of the modern [craft] beer scene, it’s not just the territory of geeks anymore.

The easy way to avoid the crowds and hassle is to just go early. I, and most of the other London RBers, know that you really need to tour Bermondsey as early as possible. I rarely visit Kernel or BBNo past noon, because I know the places will be rammed.

One of the big issues is how these places have evolved. When Kernel started out with their Saturday open hours, it wasn’t meant as way for folks to come and have a piss-up. Kernel did it to sell beer and connect with customers. On Saturdays, they make most of their money by selling beer to take away, not through people drinking on site. This is one of the reasons why they shortened their opening hours, cutting it back to a 2pm closing time.

Of course, as other breweries have opened in the area, it has become something of a ’crawl’ destination. But none of the breweries is set up to deal with large crowds. And because the breweries are almost exclusively only open on Saturdays, people obviously only have that day to visit them.

This crawl mentality was perpetuated by a short-lived Twitter account a few years ago named the ’Bermondsey Beer Mile’. The account (which allegedly had some affiliation with one of the younger Bermondsey breweries) was just a way to hype up Bermondsey (and one brewery perhaps a touch more than the others). Apparently Evin, founder of The Kernel and a godfather figure in Bermondsey, was not a fan of the account and after some discussion it stopped. But I think that period was sort of the tipping point for Bermondsey.

 
imdownthepub
beers 25926 º places 2080 º 05:25 Sun 4/12/2015

Originally posted by SarkyNorthener
You make it sound like Blackpool Glen. Is it really that bad? I did plan on visiting a
Sometime in the future, now I am not sure. I dont enjoy places where stag parties are the norm, unless I am part of the stag party.


Not quite Blackpool yet Martin, at least the beer is a lot better anyway and you are not in any danger of being blown into the next county. It’s a shame that it has developed into a monster pub crawl so quickly instead of a pleasant beery meander.

 
Theydon_Bois
admin
beers 40215 º places 1239 º 05:28 Sun 4/12/2015

Originally posted by SarkyNorthener
Originally posted by Theydon_Bois
Originally posted by SarkyNorthener
You make it sound like Blackpool Glen. Is it really that bad? I did plan on visiting a
Sometime in the future, now I am not sure. I dont enjoy places where stag parties are the norm, unless I am part of the stag party.


No - don’t go , it’s a shit shower !

Or ... see pro tip (above)


Any good places to have a fry up on Bermondsey, pro?


Fry up ?

It’s not Blackpool !

Artisanal bread, cheese and meats is the way to go!

 
Leighton
beers 33639 º places 1203 º 05:30 Sun 4/12/2015

Also, for the reasons mentioned above, I try to refrain from using the term ’Bermondsey Beer Mile’. It’s partly because I know some of the brewers down there hate it, but also because I disagree with some of the negative connotations it engenders, i.e. that it’s a crawl and that you need to do every brewery. I know it’s an easy and catchy phrase, and that people will quickly understand its meaning. But for me the phrase has to much baggage. I generally just say ’Bermondsey’ or ’breweries in Bermondsey’ and people understand what I mean.