3 Locks Brewing Company: Guided tasting and brewery tour

The star of this tour is simple: you get to drink beer straight from the tank. At 3 Locks Brewing Company, Camden Market’s first brewery, the 90-minute visit moves from a welcome drink to six guided tasters, a look around the brewhouse, and yet another beer before you leave. I like the generous format and the fact that the beer comes with clear explanations, not just a tray of samples.

I also like the relaxed, funny guiding style associated with Mick and Michael, with Shay adding a warm touch behind the bar. The main drawback is obvious: this is for adults who really like beer, not families or casual drinkers looking for a quick Camden Market stop. Open-toed shoes are not allowed, so wear proper footwear.

Key points to know before booking

• Beer from the tank: One tasting comes directly from the brewery tank, giving you the freshest pour of the visit.
• Six guided tasters: You sample six beers with explanations of the brewing process and what you are drinking.
• A very generous beer allowance: Your ticket includes a welcome beer, six tasters, a brewhouse beer, a tank beer, and a final beer.
• Camden Market setting: You visit the first brewery established in Camden Market, making this easy to pair with time at the market.
• Guides with personality: Mick is praised for his humour and engaging style, while Michael and Shay are also named as part of the friendly team.
• Taproom savings: Everyone on the tour receives 10% off beer and merchandise in the taproom.

Starting with Camden Market’s first brewery

3 Locks Brewing Company gives you a useful setting before the first sip. This is not a distant industrial brewery requiring a separate trip outside the city. It is in Camden Market, so you can fit the visit into a day of food, shopping, music, and people-watching.

The brewery calls itself the first brewery in Camden Market. That detail matters because the tour feels tied to the place rather than added as a generic beer stop. You are learning about the brewery while standing in the market where it operates.

You begin by checking in with the bar team. The first drink is a welcome beer, which gets things moving before the guided tasting begins. The experience is in English, and the full visit lasts about an hour and a half.

That timing works well for a focused brewery visit. It is long enough to explain the beer and show you the working brewery, but short enough to leave time for the rest of Camden. You should still plan your day around the tasting, since the ticket includes several drinks rather than a single sample.

Six beers, with help making sense of them

The central part of the experience is a guided flight of six tasters. This is more useful than simply ordering six random beers at a bar because someone explains what you are drinking and how it connects to the brewing process.

The available information does not name the six beers or promise a fixed selection. That means you should expect the range to depend on what 3 Locks has available at the time of your visit. If you have a particular style in mind, ask the bar team when you arrive rather than assuming one will be included.

I like the six-beer format because it lets you compare several pours without committing to full pints. You can notice differences in colour, strength, bitterness, sweetness, and aroma in a way that is hard to do when you drink only one beer.

The guided approach also helps if you are interested in beer but do not know much about it. You do not need to arrive with a vocabulary lesson already memorized. The guide explains the brewing process in plain terms, with room for humour and questions.

Several comments about the tour point to expert guidance, witty remarks, and interesting brewing details as major strengths. That combination is important. Technical information can become dry fast, while jokes without substance leave you with little more than a pleasant hour. The best part of this format is that the two sides work together.

Inside the brewhouse

After the tasting, you get a beer in the brewhouse and a full tour of the brewing area. This changes the visit from a bar tasting into a look at where the beer is made.

The supplied details do not specify the exact equipment, production scale, or route through the building, so you should not expect a set list of tanks or a detailed engineering demonstration. What you can count on is a tour of the brewhouse and a drink served there.

For me, that beer has value beyond its size. Drinking in the brewhouse connects the flavour in your glass with the work behind it. You are not just hearing that beer is brewed on site. You are standing in the production space while the guide explains the process.

The tone appears relaxed rather than formal. Mick is singled out for an engaging manner, good humour, and strong explanations. Another visit names Michael as a funny and welcoming guide, while Shay is praised for being friendly and generous with the pours. Since staff can vary, the useful point is that the experience depends heavily on the person leading it, and the team has made a good impression.

The tank-fresh pour

The most unusual moment comes when you drink beer directly from the tank. The wording is deliberately emphatic because this is the feature that separates 3 Locks from a standard brewery flight.

A tank pour is not the same as grabbing a packaged beer from a fridge. It gives you a direct connection to the beer at the place where it is being made and held. For a beer fan, that is the kind of small production detail that makes a tour memorable.

The information does not identify which beer you will receive from the tank or how large that serving will be. Treat it as a special tasting included in the tour, not as a promise of a full tank-side pint.

This is also where the no open-toed shoes rule makes sense. You are entering a working brewery environment, so sturdy, closed footwear is required. The rule is easy to meet, but it is worth checking before you leave your accommodation, especially in warm weather.

Counting the drinks and judging the value

The advertised price is $33 per person, while the ticket information gives the local price as £30. The final amount you see may depend on the booking platform and currency, but the key value question is how much is included.

Your ticket covers:

• A welcome beer
• A guided flight of six tasters
• A beer in the brewhouse
• Beer straight from the tank
• A final beer for completing the tour

That is a very large amount of beer for a 90-minute activity. The business even presents it as having more beer included than other brewery tours. I would still avoid treating the visit as a drinking contest. The six tasters may be small pours, but the total number of servings adds up quickly once you include the welcome, brewhouse, tank, and final drinks.

The value is strongest if you want both education and tasting. If you only want one beer in Camden Market, booking a tour is not the economical choice. If you would otherwise buy several drinks and you enjoy hearing how beer is made, the price looks much more reasonable.

There is also a 10% discount in the taproom on beer and merchandise after the tour. That adds value if you plan to stay for another drink or take something home, though you should not count the discount as part of the ticket unless you use it.

The final beer and the pace of the visit

The last included drink is presented as a reward for completing the tour. It gives the visit a clear ending and means you are not walking straight from the tank area back into the market with the experience cut short.

The pacing should feel more like a guided tasting than a long technical class. You move through the welcome beer, six tasters, brewhouse, tank pour, and final beer within 90 minutes. That makes the tour suitable for a first introduction to craft brewing, especially if you want something social and light rather than a full-day beer program.

Still, the pace has a practical effect. Six different tasters plus several additional drinks can make it harder to remember every detail. If you care about the brewing information, take mental notes as you go or ask questions at the point each beer is served.

The guides seem to be a major part of the atmosphere. Mick is described as engaging, funny, and excellent at leading a relaxed tour. Michael is also praised for being friendly and amusing, while Shay is associated with generous pours and a welcoming manner. You are likely to get the most from the visit by joining the conversation instead of treating it as a silent tasting.

Who will enjoy this most

I would recommend this tour to beer enthusiasts, curious first-time tasters, and visitors already planning time in Camden Market. The included drinks make it attractive to people who want a substantial tasting, while the brewing tour adds enough structure for anyone who wants more than a bar stop.

It also suits a small celebration or a relaxed outing with friends, provided everyone in the group is 18 or older. The humour and informal style should make it easy to enjoy even if you are not already fluent in beer styles.

I would be more cautious about booking it for someone who drinks very little. The ticket is generous, but that is precisely the issue. You may find the volume more than you want, especially because the welcome and final beers come in addition to the six tasters.

This is not suitable for children under 18. The available information does not give a reduced non-drinker price or an alternate soft-drink package, so do not assume one is available.

Practical points for your Camden day

The meeting point is 3 Locks Brewing Company. Check in with the bar team when you arrive. The tour begins and ends at the brewery, so you do not need to arrange transport between separate locations.

Starting times are not fixed in the information provided. You need to check availability for the date you want. Since the visit lasts 1.5 hours, leave enough room around it if you also want to eat or browse Camden Market.

Wear closed-toe shoes. This is the one clothing rule given, and it is not optional. Comfortable clothing is sensible for any brewery visit, but the confirmed requirement is simply no open-toed footwear.

The tour is conducted in English. The available details do not list other language options, so English is the safe choice for understanding the guide’s explanations and jokes.

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the activity for a full refund. A reserve-now-and-pay-later option is also available, which helps if your Camden schedule is still changing.

How this compares with a normal taproom visit

A normal taproom visit gives you freedom to choose your beer and stay as long as you like. This tour gives you a set route, a guide, and a much wider tasting.

The tradeoff is flexibility. You do not control every beer in the flight, and the visit runs on the tour schedule. In exchange, you get access to the brewhouse, a tank pour, explanations of the brewing process, and several drinks included in one price.

I prefer the tour if you are visiting 3 Locks for the first time. The tank beer and brewhouse drink are the parts you cannot recreate simply by ordering at the bar. If you already know the brewery well and only want your favourite pint, stay in the taproom instead.

Should you book the 3 Locks tour?

Book it if you want a generous, beer-heavy introduction to a Camden brewery and you like your tasting served with jokes and practical brewing information. The 90-minute length fits neatly into a market visit, and the welcome drink, six tasters, brewhouse beer, tank pour, and final beer make the $33 or £30 price look strong for a committed beer drinker.

Skip it if you are under 18, wearing open-toed shoes, or looking for a quiet single-drink stop. The tour includes a lot of beer, and its appeal depends on enjoying the full tasting rather than picking one pint.

For most adult beer fans, I would book it. Ask about the current beer selection when you check in, pace yourself across the many pours, and save room for the tank-fresh serving. That is the moment that gives this Camden Market stop its real character.

FAQ

Where does the 3 Locks Brewing Company tour start?

It starts at 3 Locks Brewing Company in Camden Market. Check in with the bar team.

How long does the brewery tour last?

The experience lasts 1.5 hours.

How many beers are included?

The ticket includes a welcome beer, six guided tasting tasters, a beer in the brewhouse, a beer straight from the tank, and a final beer at the end of the tour.

Is the tank beer included in the ticket?

Yes. Drinking beer straight from the tank is one of the included parts of the experience.

Is the tour suitable for children?

No. The activity is not suitable for children under 18.

What language is the tour in?

The live tour guide conducts the experience in English.

What should I wear?

Open-toed shoes are not allowed. Wear closed-toe footwear for the brewery visit.