South Hams Craft Beer and the Microbreweries Worth Visiting
The South Hams has quietly built one of the most interesting craft beer scenes in the South West, with a tight cluster of independent breweries producing everything from organic session beers to bold modern IPAs. Many run taprooms, tours, or at least open days, and the local pub scene rewards anyone willing to ask what is on the local pumps. Here are the breweries worth seeking out.
New Lion Brewery, Totnes
New Lion is a 100 percent community-owned cooperative founded in 2013 in Totnes itself. The brewery focuses on organic, environmentally minded brewing and has built a strong reputation for craft, award-winning beers with proper character. Look for the Lion’s Roar pale and Black Lion stout, alongside seasonal experiments that often draw on local ingredients. The taproom and brewery space in Totnes runs occasional open evenings, and their beers turn up at many of the better pubs in the area. The community ownership model means most of the profit stays in town, which is a quietly radical thing for a small brewery to manage.
Bridgetown Brewery and the Albert Inn, Totnes
Bridgetown began brewing in 2008 in the outbuildings of the Albert Inn in Bridgetown, just across the river from Totnes town centre. Seven regular beers and a rotating seasonal line keep the bar interesting, and the Albert Inn itself was voted South Devon CAMRA Pub of the Year for 2025. A pint of Bridgetown ale at the Albert is one of the most authentic small-town pub experiences in the region. The pub is gloriously unmodernised, with proper bar stools, a real fire in winter, and locals who genuinely talk to each other across the room.
The Totnes Brewing Co.
The Totnes Brewing Co. is a brewpub on the High Street that has been brewing since 2014, supporting the Barrel House Ballroom music venue upstairs. The beers are made on site, the room is informal and friendly, and the gig calendar regularly turns the place into the heart of Totnes nightlife. A useful first stop on any Totnes beer crawl, particularly if you can time it for a band. The kitchen offers solid pub food to soak up the beer, with a strong vegan and vegetarian line as you would expect in Totnes.
What to ask the bar staff
South Devon pubs that take beer seriously tend to display tap badges or chalk boards listing the brewery and beer. If the bar can tell you who brewed it, where, and how strong it is, you are probably in a good place.
South Hams Brewery, Stokeley Barton
South Hams Brewery has been producing award-winning craft ales for more than two decades from a hilltop farm overlooking Start Bay. They have grown from a converted milking parlour into a purpose-built brewery with American kit, and their range includes the Devon Pride bitter, the Stumbling Block strong ale, and a rotating cast of seasonals. Their beers are widely stocked across the South Hams, and the brewery occasionally welcomes visitors by appointment. The view from the brewery itself is one of the most scenic of any production site in Devon, taking in Start Bay and the coast beyond.
Salcombe Brewery
Salcombe Brewery started in 2016 on a decommissioned reservoir just outside Salcombe, and built a name on coastal-themed beers with a maritime identity. Shingle Bay is the flagship session ale, while Seahorse and Devon Amber expand the range. The brewery is SALSA accredited and supplies pubs across the South Hams, with a particularly strong presence in Salcombe itself, where you can find their beers in waterside bars within minutes of the harbour. The Devon Amber pairs unusually well with a Salcombe crab sandwich, which is one of the small pleasures of a sunny day in town.
Bays Brewery, Paignton
Bays sits just outside the South Hams in Paignton but supplies pubs across the region with its multi-award-winning craft beers. The flagship Bays Gold and Topsail bitter are stalwarts of South Devon bars, and the Devon Dumpling pale has steadily built a following. A family-run operation with deep community ties, and an easy beer to order in any decent local pub. Their dark beers, particularly the Bays Stout, deserve more attention than they often get, with a smooth, coffee-led profile that suits winter evenings by the fire.
Festivals and tap takeovers
The South Devon CAMRA branch runs an annual beer festival that brings most of these breweries together under one roof, and several pubs around Totnes and Kingsbridge run regular tap takeovers featuring guest casks from across the region. Worth checking local listings before a visit, particularly in late spring and autumn when the calendar is busiest.
Building a South Hams beer day
A satisfying day might begin in Totnes at The Totnes Brewing Co. for lunch, walk over the bridge to the Albert Inn for a Bridgetown pint, then drive down to Salcombe for the Salcombe Brewery beers in a waterside pub. For visitors with more time, a longer loop takes in a South Hams Brewery pub somewhere near Start Bay, perhaps the Tradesman’s Arms at Stokenham, before heading back to Totnes for a New Lion session in the evening. Public transport links some of these stops, but a designated driver or a cab is the safer plan.
For a region this small, the South Hams punches well above its weight on beer. The breweries are independent, the pubs are real, and the beers reward anyone willing to look past the obvious brands. Pull up a stool, ask what is on, and you will be drinking some of the best ale in the country before you finish the first pint. Take a couple of bottles back to the cottage too, since most of these breweries sell direct and the holiday evenings reward a proper pour at home.