Set in a highly industrial area and also beside the canal, this modern-looking brewpub presents an interesting contrast to its surroundings. Crate offers a decent but limited range of house beers; on my visit they had, in bottle or on cask or keg, a lager, a bitter, a golden ale, an IPA and a stout - and, as far as I know, that’s pretty much the entire range of beers they’ve made since their inception. The house beers aren’t bad, but neither are they adventurous and exciting. The venue itself is quite attractive. The interior I would describe as industrial chic. Outside there are a few picnic tables, from which you can sit and watch the canal. On my Saturday afternoon visit there were quite a few families here, almost all of them enjoying pizzas - Crate offers a dynamic range of pizzas, which look very good (I didn’t eat on my visit). The staff is friendly and one of the guys spoke to me at length about their house beer. Aside from the Crate beers, the bar offers a solid range of guest breweries, both on tap and in bottle. Not a must-visit spot on the London circuit, but if you’re doing an Overground pub crawl this should absolutely be a stop - Crate is located less than five minutes away (walking) from the Hackney Wick Overground station.

Very buzzy, lots of vibes. A real oasis of beer in Hackney Wick. All their own beers on tap naturally plus interesting guests such as Thronbridge black IPA Raven, and lots of nice things in bottles including Wild Beer company, Belgium. Pizzas didn’t seem that great, and could have done with another minute in the oven to crisp them up, but excellent place nonetheless.

Just love this place, close to the canal :-) It can though be a bit difficult to find, since its in the back of a garage area, but make sure you will find it!! The deco is al recycled stuff a beautiful mixture, and you try to spot what each single parts was before it became a lamp, a table or... Mainly beers on tap from their own brewery, most times in good condition. Friendly staff, great atmosphere and superb pizzas :-) Go there.. for sure I will again!!!

A trendy modern brewpub by the canal.
The Crate is in a former print works and recycling seems to have been the order of the day when it was designed. The bar is built from old railway sleepers, the tables and benches from pallets and crates (appropriately enough) and the bare light bulbs have delicate metal bed or chair springs as shades. Even the pizzas are served on a slab of MDF.
It can be a bit difficult to find as it’s tucked away in an old industrial area where some of the units are now being used as workshops of various kinds. If you’re coming along the canal towpath, look out for the bright urban murals. We arrived at Hackney Wick station on a Sunday morning during the Olympics and were greeted by a friendly volunteer eager to help us find our way to one of the sports venues. The look on his face when we said we were looking for a brewpub was priceless! (Visited 5 August 2012).

Well a bit of a mixed bag here, we visited on a November Sunday afternoon and it was fairly full, so a decent atmosphere. The furniture is home made rough pieces of wood, crates presumably and were basically uncomfortable. The queues at the bar were horrific, it appeared to be one person coping with drink and food orders, but the beers were decent and the food looked good, but again 30 minutes was being quoted for the wait. So a lot to improve but the start looks ok.

Was a bit unsure about checking this place out as the reader comments on Time Out’s site are horrendous. Typical hipster vibe but the space itself is excellent. One of the best laid out of the new craft beer places in London. I wasn’t that impressed with my pizza but the wife raved about hers. Service was quick and friendly although it was a quiet Tuesday night. Selection wise I sampled their bitter and golden ale (the IPA was out) and found both to be very pleasant. So far I think this is the best of the London brewpubs. Also had a Racer 5 and a Mikkeller American Dream which is certainly a large cut above what you will find in most craft beer places outside the likes of CBC/Cask/EustonTap.

Crate Brewery is a cheery brewpub located very close to Hackney Wick station on the Overground (the proximity map below is currently showing an incorrect location in Leighton Buzzard!). Hackney Wick is still a bit of a gentrifying wilderness, and you have to walk past a row of industrial businesses and garages to find the place. But when you arrive, you’re met by a large, well-lit space with plenty of cozy seating, high ceilings, and pleasant views of the canal that’s adjacent to the brewpub. When I visited they had just opened, and only had 2 house beers available on cask, an IPA and a golden ale. Apparently, they’ll more prominently feature their own beer in the future. At the moment, their house beers are decent, if a bit unexciting. Featured bottles included options from the Kernel and Anchor. The food options are limited to pizzas served from a large open kitchen behind the bar. The ambience is very laid back. I ’d recommend coming on a sunny day to take advantage of the outdoor seating along the canal. Overall, Crate Brewery is still finding its feet, but I look forward to seeing how it develops!