With a history stretching back to 1845 and always the need to look after hordes of thirsty Londoners, a tour around Fuller’s was always going to be interesting. And so it is. With upwards of 12,000 visitors per year, this is a welcoming, well-run operation. It offers an insight into the days of old, when workers had their daily ration of beer to ease them through their hot, sweaty days, to modernity, as epitomised by the bottling hall’s recent recruit, a £2.5m robot.

It’s a fast-moving tour that begins in the friendly brewery tap, The Mawson’s Arms, around the corner, and ends in the Hock Cellar, where you can taste up to half a dozen brews while browsing the extensive collection of fascinating memorabilia. And afterwards? I would head back to the Mawson’s Arms for a bite to eat, or venture river-wards to The Dove.

Silverware

• London Porter – World’s Best Porter, 2011 World Beer Awards
• Golden Pride – Gold, 2011 International Beer Challenge
• Regional Brewer of the Year 2011 – The Publican Awards

Community

Fuller’s supports Cancer Research UK, Help for Heroes, Seafarers UK, The Royal British Legion and numerous local charities, including Chiswick House and St Mary’s Convent & Nursing Home

Clubs

Fine Ale Club

Trade bodies

BBPA, BII, CAMRA, SIBA, Visit London

Last visited Spring 2011