Craft Beer in Exeter: 9 Taprooms, Bars and Bottle Shops

Exeter's Quiet Craft Beer Revolution

Something has shifted in Exeter's drinking scene over the past few years, and it has nothing to do with cocktail bars or wine lists. The city has quietly become one of the South West's most interesting places to drink beer. Not mass-produced, identikit lager, but properly crafted, locally brewed, flavour-first beer — the kind that makes you pause after the first sip and actually think about what you're drinking.

Devon has always had good breweries. Otter, Hanlons, and Exeter Brewery have been flying the flag for real ale for decades. But the new wave is different. It's taprooms attached to working breweries, micropubs in converted post offices, bottle shops run by passionate obsessives, and bars where the staff can talk you through a hazy IPA with the same enthusiasm a sommelier brings to a Burgundy.

What makes these places special — and the reason they matter to us at Dinners With Friends — is that they're inherently social spaces. A taproom isn't somewhere you go alone to stare at your phone. It's somewhere you sit at a long table, share a tasting paddle, ask the person next to you what they're drinking, and end up in a conversation you didn't plan. Craft beer culture, at its best, is community culture. And Exeter is doing it brilliantly.

If you're new to the city and looking for ways to build a social life, a good taproom is one of the easiest places to start. No awkward introductions, no membership fees — just turn up, order a pint, and see what happens.

The Taprooms

Topsham Brewery & Taproom

Tucked between the River Exe and Exeter Canal Basin, Topsham Brewery's taproom occupies an old stone warehouse that feels like it was built for exactly this purpose. The space is big — capacity for around 160 — but the long refectory tables and the view of the brewing kit behind the bar keep it from feeling impersonal. There's a grassed area outside with seating along the water that catches the evening sun beautifully in summer.

The beer is brewed on site and changes regularly. Expect anything from juicy IPAs and rich milkshake stouts to crisp hefeweizens and session lagers. They also stock keg beers from other local breweries and a few carefully chosen producers from further afield. Food comes via Portal Pizza, a Neapolitan-inspired pizza truck that operates on site — proper thin-crust stuff that pairs perfectly with a cold pale ale.

The taproom is open seven days a week — from noon in summer, and from 4pm Monday to Thursday in winter. They don't take bookings of any size; it's a rock-up-and-grab-a-table sort of place, and it gets busy on sunny weekends, so arriving early isn't a bad idea. The atmosphere is relaxed, unpretentious, and genuinely welcoming — the kind of place where you can bring someone who's never tried craft beer and someone who's been to every brewery in Devon, and both will have a good time.

Exeter Brewery Tap Room

A short walk from Exeter St David's station on Cowley Bridge Road, the Exeter Brewery Tap Room is the kind of place you could stumble upon by accident and end up staying all evening. The brewery itself has been going for years, and lists a Champion Beer of Britain final and a Taste of the West award among its own credentials. The tap room gives you direct access to that heritage.

The bar is fully licensed with a range beyond just their own ales — wines, ciders, and spirits are all available. But you're here for the beer. Look out for their IPL, which the brewery bills as Devon's first organic lager, the rich DarknessKeg, the sessionable EX4, and their cider Sumasider. Food-wise, they serve Tom's Pies with mash, minted peas, and proper gravy — exactly the sort of honest pub food that goes with a well-kept pint. Every last Friday of the month there's a curry night in the tap room, which is worth planning around.

Open every Thursday and Friday from 5pm, the tap room is also available for private hire at other times.

The Holt

Otter Brewery's first pub and restaurant opened in 2025 in one of the most stunning buildings in the city — 5 Cathedral Close, a medieval building dating back to around 1528, originally built as the College of the Annuellars for the minor clergy of Exeter Cathedral. It was later rebuilt into a Georgian townhouse in 1729, cleverly incorporating parts of the original medieval structure.

The beer list naturally showcases Otter's range — their ales and lagers are brewed in the heart of Devon's Blackdown Hills, where the brewery was founded in 1990. But The Holt is more than just a tap for the brewery. There's a wood-fired pizza oven, a seasonal menu built around local ingredients, a secluded garden seating area, and a courtyard that's already becoming one of Exeter's most popular spots in warmer months.

Otter has a long-standing reputation for sustainability, and the beer it sends down the road to The Holt is as good as anything in the county. The Cathedral Close setting makes The Holt feel special without being stuffy, and it's a genuinely lovely spot for an afternoon pint with friends.

The Fat Pig

Hidden at 2 John Street in Exeter's west quarter, The Fat Pig is a freehouse that takes the idea of "local" to its logical extreme. They brew their own beer on site in a cellar brewery, and the kitchen makes a point of smoking its own meat and buying from Devon farms.

The craft ales are European and American in style, and while the brewing operation is modest, what comes out of it is characterful and worth trying. The atmosphere is warm, unpretentious, and fiercely independent. The menu is small but entirely homemade. It's the sort of place that reminds you why independent pubs matter — every detail reflects the personality of the people running it.

Arcadia by Utopian

The newest addition to Exeter's taproom scene, Arcadia opened in March 2025 on Northernhay Place — just a stone's throw from Exeter's historic city walls and Rougemont Gardens. Founded by Richard Archer and Gill, who converted two Devon farm barns into Utopian Brewing in 2018, Arcadia is the brewery's first dedicated bar and restaurant, backed by a community crowdfunding campaign.

The setup is impressive: a long bank of draught lines pouring Utopian's own beers alongside local guest producers, spread across two floors of thoughtfully designed space. Ground level offers bench seating, cushions, and quieter corners; upstairs is more intimate and suits smaller groups. The food is small plates inspired by global flavours, made with fresh local ingredients on a menu that changes regularly.

What makes Arcadia stand out in Exeter's craft beer landscape is its serious commitment to low and no-alcohol options — a genuine draw for designated drivers and anyone exploring sobriety while still wanting a social life. Between the crowdfunded origins and the two-floor layout, it feels less like a bar and more like a community space.

Scapegoat (formerly Tabac Taphouse)

Adjacent to Exeter Central Station at Unit 1, Queen Street, the bar that traded for years as Tabac Taphouse now goes by Scapegoat. It is a compact single-room bar with a European cafe feel — parquet floors, green seating, copper-topped tables, and a drinks selection that goes far wider than most craft beer bars dare. Alongside craft beers and single malt whiskies, expect experimental spirits from Exeter distilleries, absinthe, artisan gins, rums, and wines from around the world.

The setting is small and intimate, which means conversations happen naturally — you are close enough to the bar staff to ask for recommendations, and close enough to the table next to you to end up sharing tasting notes. It is the kind of place that rewards curiosity. If your idea of a good evening is trying something you have never tasted before in a space that does not try too hard, it is worth seeking out.

The Craft Beer Bars

BrewDog Exeter

Located in the Guildhall shopping centre near Exeter Cathedral, BrewDog Exeter brings the chain's familiar formula to the city — a long wall of taps pouring BrewDog's own beers alongside guest breweries from across the globe, served by staff who know their stuff.

The food menu covers burgers, buffalo wings, salads, and a good selection of plant-based options. The multi-level space is bigger than most independent craft bars in the city, which makes it useful for groups.

It's a chain, yes, and some craft beer purists will bristle at that. But the beer quality is consistent, the range is broad, and the atmosphere is reliably good. If you're introducing someone to craft beer for the first time, the range of styles on tap makes it a solid starting point. They run a regular midweek quiz too, which is worth knowing about if you're looking for low-pressure ways to be social — check the bar's own listings for the current night.

Hops + Crafts

Since 2015, Hops + Crafts has been Exeter's only dedicated craft beer bottle shop, tucked away in McCoys Arcade on Fore Street. It was set up by people who thought the city deserved better access to interesting beer, and it has been proving the point ever since.

The shop stocks over 200 different beers from the UK, Belgium, Germany, the USA, and beyond. You'll find local producers well represented — Exeter Brewery, Hanlons, Powderkeg, and other Devon and South West breweries all feature. Open Tuesday to Saturday, with late opening on Fridays until 9pm, it's part shop and part tasting experience. The staff's enthusiasm is infectious, and a visit here is a good way to discover breweries you've never heard of.

The Micropubs

Pig & Pickle

Converted from a former sub-post office on Fore Street in Heavitree, the Pig & Pickle is an independent family-run micropub that does exactly what the format promises: a small space, a carefully chosen selection of drinks, and a friendly atmosphere where conversation is the main entertainment.

There are three handpumps — one for traditional cider, two for real ale — and all three change constantly. The interior is cosy, with a mix of bench seating and reclaimed tables. Food is what they call English tapas: pork pies, Scotch eggs, and snacks. They host occasional vinyl nights and stock a selection of non-alcoholic options for those driving or choosing not to drink.

It keeps micropub hours — evenings in the week, earlier at weekends — so check before you head over. The community feel here is genuine — it's the kind of place where regulars know each other by name and newcomers get drawn into the conversation.

Devon's Wider Brewery Scene

Exeter's craft beer scene doesn't exist in isolation. Devon is home to some of the country's finest independent breweries, and their beers show up in pubs and bars across the city.

Otter Brewery in Luppitt, near Honiton, was founded in 1990 by David and Mary Ann McCaig and remains family-run. Their ales are handcrafted in the Blackdown Hills, and their sustainability credentials are as impressive as their beers.

Hanlons Brewery in Half Moon, between Exeter and Crediton, was originally founded in London with an Irish influence before moving west to a purpose-built Devon brewery, producing excellent real craft beer using top-quality UK barley and hops.

Black Tor Brewery, established in 2013, brews from Dartmoor using the pure spring water of the national park. Their range spans modern and traditional styles, and they've also branched into rum production.

Powderkeg Brewery, just outside Exeter in Woodbury Salterton, has been going since 2014. They're known for pale ales, craft lagers, and low-alcohol options, with a particular strength in gluten-free and vegan beers.

These breweries represent just a fraction of what Devon produces. Part of the joy of drinking in Exeter is discovering beers that were brewed within a few miles of where you're sitting — a direct connection to the landscape and community around you.

Taprooms as Community Hubs

There's a reason taprooms have become the social spaces of the 2020s. They combine the informality of a pub with the curiosity of a wine bar and the openness of a community centre. You don't need to be a beer expert to enjoy them — you just need to be willing to try something new and talk to the people around you.

In a city like Exeter, where staying connected matters more than ever, these spaces serve a real purpose. They give people a reason to leave the house, a place to meet friends old and new, and an experience that's more engaging than sitting in front of a screen.

The best craft beer places in Exeter aren't just selling drinks. They're selling a feeling — the feeling of belonging somewhere, of being part of something, of sitting at a table with people who share your curiosity. And honestly, that's worth more than any pint.

Whether you're a seasoned hop-head or someone who's never been to a taproom before, Exeter's craft beer scene has something for you. Start with one of the places in this guide, order something you've never tried, and see where the conversation takes you. You might be surprised how much sharing a drink can change your social life.

Planning Your Craft Beer Crawl

If you fancy making an afternoon of it, Exeter's geography makes a brilliant craft beer crawl surprisingly easy. Start at The Holt on Cathedral Close for an Otter pint in the sunniest courtyard in the city, cut through the West Quarter to Hops + Crafts in McCoys Arcade to pick up something for later, then head down to the Canal Basin for Topsham Brewery's taproom. In summer, keep walking along the canal towpath to Double Locks for a final pint in one of the biggest beer gardens in the county — a flat thirty-minute stroll with water on either side.

For a Topsham-focused day out, pair Topsham Brewery with a wander around the village's independent food scene — there are excellent restaurants, delis, and the Darts Farm shop, which stocks local beers alongside everything else.

If you prefer your beer with a quiz, several of the bars in this guide run one — our pub quizzes guide has the full weekly schedule. And for something completely different, pair a taproom afternoon with an evening at one of Exeter's live music venues — The Fat Pig, with its cellar brewery and west-quarter setting, is a natural place to start the night.

Craft Beer in Exeter: Common Questions