It’s incredible how Blackhorse Lane has changed over the past few years. One of our particular favourite recent additions is the Exale Brewery and Taproom where, since lockdown eased, we’ve spent more than a few sunny Sunday afternoons.
The location is pretty handy, too: just ten minutes’ walk from Blackhorse Road station in the now-vibrant industrial estate, home to a handful of brewery bars and cafes, and also a short stroll from leafy Walthamstow Wetlands.
Converted from a super characterful old furniture factory, the bar, which opened in 2019, is a beautifully decorated space nestled next to the brewery itself – and a far cry from your average London taproom. For a start, expect plants, cloud lights, neons, mezzanine and even a treehouse for relaxing in, as well as an outside beer garden that’s covered and heated – but also big enough to fit around a hundred thirsty punters (plus heated loos: trust us, you’ll thank them as the seasons change).
And so to the innovative beers. Firstly, there’s a core range of full-flavoured, but always balanced, lagers, and hop forward pales and sours. There are also cocktails made in house by E17-based Victory London, beer slushies, frozen margaritas and even beer ice cream floats using gelato from neighbours Hackney Gelato.
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In addition to this the team really push the boundaries with experimental brews and collabs, including wine beer hybrids, mixed fermentation and putting unusual ingredients and processes at the forefront of their experimentations.
3 Exale beers you must try
PALE ALE
Hazy, hoppy, sessionable and perfectly balanced: this is a 100% fave here at Leytonstoner HQ. Buy/ more info.
KRANKIE IRON BREW SOUR
As mad & wonderful as its sounds, a beery take on the classic Scottish drink. Buy/ more info
BREWSCO (Coming soon)
Every grape harvest, Exale make wine beers: this one is made from Italian grapes from new neighbours Renegade winery and pays homage to the sparkling reds of the region.
Hungry? There are always streetfood vendors outside, and don’t forget Exale is a late night venue with DJs until 2am every Friday and Saturday night, plus beer launches, events, bands and special tasting events throughout the year. Woop.
Yep, one things for sure: these guys know how to host a party, so you can hire out part, or all, of the the taproom for events: despite the relaxation of Covid rules, let’s face it we’ve all still got lots of catching up on that front to do.
And thankfully this is an eco-friendly brewery too. Exale are a 1% For The Planet business, which means 1% of their sales goes directly back to saving the planet. The environment is at the forefront of everything they do, with side projects to help reduce their footprint, including using waste products to convert waste beer into vinegars for pickles and hot sauce, making soap from leftover beer, and offering used grain to a local farm to feed the cows.
Finally, it’s also worth mentioning that the whole Blackhorse Lane area is set to receive an impressive £1.1m boost from the Outer London Fund, matched by £321,000 from Waltham Forest, to support the rich local economy of manufacturing industries and businesses bringing it back to life and creating better public spaces.
Based in Leyton or Leytonstone? Exale is only a couple of stops on the Overground, or an easy forty-minute walk to really get that thirst peaking. Cheers.
This is a sponsored post in association with Exale Brewery. If you’re a business wanting to access tens of thousands of East Londoners across our Weekly newsletter, website and social media network, please email info@leytonstoner.london
