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Meantime Brewing stacked black barrels outside factory building

Meantime Brewing

Industry
Food & Drink
Beer
Location
North Greenwich, London
Website
www.meantimebrewing.com
Est
1999

Founded by Alastair Hook who was born and raised in Greenwich, Meantime was London's pioneering craft beer business. At its peak, it produced 21 million pints a year.

Meantime Brewing man in orange high visibility jacket and meantime sweatshirt uniform standing in front of stacks of black barrels
Meantime Brewing outside of factory brewery silver metal silos black barrels stacked on the right

The Business

There are now over 150 craft breweries in the capital but Meantime was ahead of this curve. Founder Alastair Hook returned from the States where he had become aware of the craft beer revolution and set up Meantime on his return. London became their 'home market' with 80% of their output being sold in the city, with close connection with their consumers. In 2016 Japanese group Asahi bought Meantime and in 2024 they announced the closure of the brewery site in Greenwich. Production of Meantime beer was transferred to the Asahi-owned Fuller's Brewery site in Chiswick.

Factory Visit

"Breweries have a great mix of history and tradition blended with innovation and high tech machinery - Meantime was no exception. There was plenty of taste tasting and human involvement at every stage but with technology playing an important role including the robotic arms moving the barrels at the end of the production line." Carmel King photographed Meantime Brewing in November 2021 for Made in London.

Meantime Brewing man in orange high vis next to metal silos
Meantime Brewing small glass or bear hand holding glass up to sky branded
Meantime Brewing man in orange high vis jacket and cap on factory brewery floor holding pint glass of beer
Meantime Brewing brown sacks stacked in brewery wrapped on plactic
Meantime Brewing man in orange high vis jacket brewery factory opening large metal door warning signs
Meantime Brewing
Meantime Brewing factory brewing machinery pipes tubes
Meantime Brewing brown bottles of beer on production line conveyor belt
Meantime Brewing brown bottles of beer on production line conveyor belt
Meantime Brewing factory brewery floor employees working in high vis orange jackets and black uniform pushing blue trolley looking in large white vats
Meantime Brewing factory floor stacks of black barrels of beer in the centre
Meantime Brewing outside brewery stack of silver barrels black barrels and wooden pallets to the right
Meantime Brewing white wall with four shelves full of brown bottles of beer
Meantime Brewing large brewery sign grey metal fencing
Meantime Brewing man in orange high visibility jacket and meantime sweatshirt uniform standing in front of stacks of black barrels
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"Time is essential to Meantime's beers. The beer will tell you when it's ready; you don't tell the beer."
Alastair Hook, Meantime Founder
Meantime Brewing row of four brown bottles and four cans of beer different colour on white table
Meantime Brewing beer making machinery fermenting silver metal

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