Beer #4955 – Laine Sonar Hazy IPA @ Billy Frank’s Jerky Craft Beer Shop (Bermondsey Beer Mile)
Mission: 50 Beers to 5000
Beer #4955
Location: Billy Frank’s Jerky & Craft Beer, Bermondsey, London
Beer: Sonar Hazy IPA – Laine Brew Co
Vibe: Tiny taps, massive flavor, Midwest accents, and jerky that slaps
Mood: Grinning at fate’s perfect pairing of beer + meat
Every crawl has that magical pivot point — the stop where you realize the beer gods are smiling on you. For us, that was Stop #3 on the Bermondsey Beer Mile. After soaking in The Barrel Project’s wall-to-wall barrels (and a bachelor party dressed in tulle), we strolled next door into Billy Frank’s Jerky & Craft Beer. Because sometimes fate decides you need to follow beer with flavored meat.
🍺 A Shop with a Mission
Billy Frank’s isn’t your typical taproom. The vibe is more “specialist outpost” than sprawling beer hall. Just four beers on tap — but each one carefully selected, like they were curating the crown jewels of English brewing. It wasn’t quantity; it was quality.
And then there was the jerky. This wasn’t the sad gas-station strip of leather you grab on a road trip. No, this was handcrafted, low-sugar, flavor-punching jerky that came in bold varieties. Texas Barbecue was the star of my afternoon — smoky, chewy, and impossible to ration responsibly.
🇺🇸 A Story with a Twist
The real surprise? The owners themselves. Friendly, chatty, and full of stories about the shop and the brand. The kicker was one of them being from the U.S. Midwest. There I was, halfway across London, drinking a hazy IPA, and suddenly hearing a voice that could have been my neighbor back home. You don’t expect a Bermondsey Beer Mile pit stop to come with a side of Midwestern hospitality, but hey — life’s full of enjoyable twists.
🌞 The Beer: Solar Hazy IPA
For my unique #4955, I chose the Sonar Hazy IPA from Laine Brew Co in Sussex and Brighton. And it didn’t disappoint: hazy, citrusy, and smooth as a Kyle Tucker home run swing. I dropped it a clean 3.75 rating. If this beer were on Tinder, it’d get a confident swipe right. Maybe even a cheeky second date.
🥩 The Genius of Beer + Jerky
As much as I love the Mile’s diversity — from historic arches to sleek barrel rooms — Billy Frank’s carved out its own lane (pun intended). Beer is great. Jerky is great. But beer plus jerky? That’s next-level crawl engineering.
Stop #3 verdict: Sometimes the smallest places leave the biggest impressions. With a Sonar Hazy IPA in one hand and Texas Barbecue jerky in the other, I knew this crawl was only going to get better.
