Beer and cider deliveries: Which shops you can order from during lockdown
While beer and cider is not an essential item, an ice-cold bottle is a refreshing way to ring in the bank holiday weekend.
Since your original plans have probably been scuppered amid the lockdown we're currently in, it doesn’t mean you can cheer on the weekend, the end of a working day or just for a pick-me-up at a strange time.
Avoid going to the supermarket, however, and instead support the big and small businesses by shopping online.
There are places such as Beer Is Here, a newly launched platform from Simply Hops that’s partnered with local breweries across the UK to help customers search for the nearest brewery to them to buy from.
So far, 3,759 breweries have signed up with around 16,000 people using it.
For more of our tried and tested reviews of wine, spirits, beer and food go to our IndyBest food and drink section here.
Here are some of the shops still available for home delivery while you’re safely self-isolating indoors.
You can trust our independent roundups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Beer Hawk
Craft beer specialists Beer Hawk offers multipacks, kegs and homebrews to enjoy across its site as well as glasses.
It has an extensive gifting range too, starting from £20, so if you’re missing out on seeing your mates for a birthday celebration or a family get together, we're sure they'd appreciate receiving a beer bundle in the post and you can celebrate a virtual drink over Zoom.
There are more than 1,000 different types of beer to shop, from real ales to wheat beers, coming from everywhere from Germany to New Zealand.
Delivery is free on orders more than £50.
Beer52
Beer52 is a craft beer subscription service, created to be an online beer club that anyone can join.
The subscription is a mixture of eight dark and light beers – or light only if you prefer – a magazine and snacks, all for £24, and with free delivery we think it's a steal. Each week there's a new theme so you’ll never get lumped with the same boring stock.
It’s an ideal subscription if you’re looking to experiment and are feeling more adventurous than the shelves of your supermarket have to offer.
Beerwulf
Spread across Europe, Beerwulf is a craft beer specialist, with more than 600 beers, kegs and beer taps in its online shop.
There’s something to suit every budget and palette, with prices starting from £1.99 and a selection of vegan, organic, gluten free, low alcohol and non-alcoholic options.
While it has seen a surge in demand, it is still completing home deliveries, although there is potential for slight delays. Typically if you place an order before 4pm, it aims to deliver it by the next day, except for Sundays.
Honest Brew
Honest Brew allows for individual beer orders, but we’d recommend signing up to a subscription of six, nine or 12 beers to get the best of new and interesting craft ales.
A 12-box will cost you for £36.90 a month, and there’s plenty of browsing to be had online, where it has categories such as beers under £3, staff picks and the newest releases. It does warn of delivery delays of up to eight days.
If you sign up to the Honest Brew Bank too, you’ll also be able to get your hands on exclusive offers and discounts.
Harviestoun
Scottish brewery Harviestoun is a family run business based in the Ochil Hills.
Offering barrel-aged beers to light lagers, there’s free delivery on all orders over £30.
Prices start from £1.79 so you can shop as frugally or as lavishly as you like. Perfect if you’re isolating alone.
It has the IndyBest sign of approval for its bitter and twisted golden ale created by Amy Cockburn, Harviestoun head brewer, who oversees its core range of award-winning beers.
With a lemon-sharp, citrus finish, it’s perfect if you want something lighter than a typical English style ale.
Hop Burns & Black
While its Peckham and Dulwich stores have shut up shop due to the coronavirus outbreak, it is still taking orders online and delivers across the UK. If you're in London, it's also offering a same da delivery.
With more than 350 beers from around the world to try, there’s craft cider, mead and small batch spirits on offer, too and delivery is free on orders over £75.
Keep an eye out for its book too, The beer lover's table: seasonal recipes and modern beer pairings, if you plan on enjoying your new purchases over dinnertime and are seeking inspiration.
Flavourly Craft Beer Club
With no minimum order to qualify for free delivery, Falcourly Craft Beer Club is great for smaller orders – although there's a hearty selection of beer cases to stock up on – there are delays of up to five days,.
Its aim is to make the best of craft beer accessible to everyone, without needing to leave your kitchen table or breaking the bank to do so.
All the beers available on site are made to order so they’re as fresh as possible by the time they get to you.
For a kick of something sweet, try the lost monster 20 case, which has rave reviews from customers on-site and a blend of dark fruits and cocoa to keep your taste buds happy.
Shop at Flavourly Craft Beer Club now
Master of Malt
While not strictly limited to beer, Master of Malt is also home to whisky, rum, gin and cocktail making equipment.
However, the selection of beers isn’t one to miss, from classic cans of Guinness and Hop House lager to lesser-known names such as Leeds brewery Northern Monk.
Delivery starts from £6.95, with £1 from every order going to people in the hospitality sector affected by COVID-19, thanks to a partnership with Hospitality Action. So far it has raised more than £27,000.
Bristol Cider Shop
Selling more than 100 varieties of cider, everything the Bristol Cider Shop sells has come from within 50 miles of the city, from traditional cider farms, so in each bottle is 100 per cent fresh-pressed juice.
It delivers across the UK and all of its products are vegetarian, vegan-friendly and gluten-free.
Delivery costs £10 per 20 kilos, and you’ll receive your order within five working days.
Shop at Bristol Cider Shop now
Thatchers Cider
Somerset-based cider company, Thatchers Cider, is not only continuing on its online shop but it's also offering to help collect shopping and other odd jobs for locals who may need assistance or be unable to leave the house during lockdown.
We’ve got our eye on the Thatchers Rosé, for a refreshingly fruity, dessert apple-based cider that will pair nicely with a spot of sunbathing in the garden (we're hoping for sun over tha bank holiday weekend).
There’s a minimum of 12 per order to shop online, delivery starts from £7.96 for 0-20 kgs first class.
Read our guides on the online wine shops still delivering here
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