Anspach & Hobday’s popular nitro porter London Black has been voted number one in We Are Beer’s Top 50 UK Beer Awards.
Climbing from fifth place last year to the top spot for 2025, London Black is described as a “creamy, smooth, and truly sessionable nitro porter”.
It saw off stiff competition from some of the UK’s best-loved beers from larger breweries, including 2024’s winner, DEYA’s Steady Rolling Man, which is down to third place this year. In the runner-up spot this year is Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.
“The whole team is incredibly proud and grateful for this award,” said Paul Anspach, co-founder of Anspach & Hobday. “London Black is the lifeblood of Anspach & Hobday, and is a distillation of who we are as a brewery and a business.
“As our contribution to London’s rich and diverse brewing scene, we are proud to be reaffirming porter as the original beer of London. Thank you to the team at We Are Beer and all who voted for us this year — it means a great deal to us!”
The awards – now in their second year – celebrate the best-selling, best-made, and most influential beers currently available in the UK. They are run by We Are Beer, who are behind the London Craft Beer Festival, taking place on 18th and 19th July. The awards are voted for by a panel of more than 150 beer experts nationwide.
Trends
Reflecting recent trends and the changing habits of what Brits like to drink at the pub, there has been a continued old school cask resurgence. Three made the top 10 — Landlord at number two, Five Points’ Best at five, and St Austell Proper Job at seven.
https://camdentownbrewery.com/Meanwhile, pub classics such as Harvey’s Best cask ale (number 14) or the ubiquitous Camden Hells (number 12) resonate well with the general public.
Fruit beers are also proving to be popular among beer drinkers, especially young drinkers. Blurring the lines between beers and other drinks, the likes of Jubel Peach (number 15) and Vault City Triple Fruited Mango (number 10) appear high in the top 50.
The Top 50
- Anspach & Hobday — London Black
- Timothy Taylor — Landlord
- DEYA — Steady Rolling Man
- Lost and Grounded — Keller Pils
- Five Points — Best
- Northern Monk — Faith
- St Austell — Proper Job
- Siren — Lumina
- Verdant — Lightbulb
- Vault City — Triple Fruited Mango
- Kernel — Table Beer
- Camden Town — Hells
- Beavertown — Neck Oil
- Harvey’s — Sussex Best
- Jubel — Peach
- Pretty Decent — I could get better at T*sco for a quid
- BrewDog — Hazy Jane
- Tiny Rebel — Clwb Tropica
- Thornbridge — Jaipur
- Adnams — Ghost Ship
- Pillars — Pilsner
- Beak — Parade
- Vocation — Love & Hate
- Verdant — Putty
- BrewDog — Wingman
- Wiper & True — Tomorrow
- Brixton — Reliance
- Pressure — Drop Pale Fire
- Track — Sonoma
- Tennents — Lager
- Utopian — Premium British Lager
- Lucky Saint — Lager
- Kirkstall — Three Swords
- Wiper & True — Kaleidoscope
- Signature — Roadie
- Oakham — Citra
- Cloudwater — Fresh
- Sureshot — Milson
- Braybrooke — Keller Lager
- Polly’s — Floret
- Theakston’s — Old Peculier
- Titanic — Plum Porter
- Left Handed Giant — Pink Lemonade Radler
- BrewDog — Punk IPA
- Round Corner — Steeple Chase
- New Bristol Brewery — Bristol Lager
- Saint Monday — American Pale Ale
- Duration Brewing — Turtles All The Way Down
- Brew York — Juice Forsyth
- Buxton Brewery — Axe Edge
