Just across from the Leyton Midland Overground station is Tilbury Road, a narrow thoroughfare lined with railway arches. This is where – rewind nearly half a decade – Leyton’s very own Gravity Well was located in its inaugural days as microbrewery (read about that in our 2019 story here).
Now, occupying exactly the same arch, is brand new brewery and taproom Libertalia. The brainchild of friends Matt and Christos – who met brewing craft beer in Athens – the pair had been looking to open in London for a while when this rare opportunity to take the arch came through.
The taproom and bar will launch initially on the August bank holiday weekend with four taps selling their pick of independent London and UK craft beers, with their own Libertalia beers being brewed from the end of September: expect pale ales, a Helles-style lager, porters and hazy IPAs to take centre stage.
The vibe, they say, is all about being as DIY as possible, whether that’s their own merch or one-off pop-ups: with that in mind, they hope to put on gigs and live nights in the venue – much needed in this corner of the area.
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There are also exciting plans to get neighbouring arches – many of whom operate within the food and drink industry – to team up for pop-up beer, cocktail and pizza nights, making full use of the vast adjoining car park for weekend events.
And finally, why the name? “I always loved the idea of Libertalia, the mythical colony in the 1600s,” says Christos (pictured, above left). “It was a kind of anarchist commune,” adds Matt, with a grin, hinting at their fresh approach to all things craft beer.
With Clapton’s Blondies Brewery also opening in E10 this Friday just 15 minutes’ walk away at Patchworks (read more on that here), Libertalia joins a buzzy little quarter comprising the always-rammed Burnt Smokehouse, top coffee at Perky Blenders, awesome pop-ups at Host, the about-to-double-in-size Gravity Well and, of course, next-level Nikkei cuisine at Bamboo Mat. Libertalia plans to open on Saturday August 25th but follow @libertaliabrewing for the exact date.
And… don’t miss Coccole
This cute Italian-owned coffee shop has been open for a couple of months, but we only swung by for the first time the other day. Joining the colourful Mainyard Studios, it sells some of the cheapest cups in the postcode: our iced americano, for example, was just £2.50. There’s also a small second-hand bookstall for you to pick up a tome (and avoid doom-scrolling) as you sip, a pleasant outdoor terrace to people-watch, and a range of pastries and signature tiramisu pots for the sweet-of-tooth (we have our eye on the pistachio and marscapone for next time). Follow @coccole_tiramisu
Main photo: Stephen Emms
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