But many of the nation’s most historic, biggest and best-loved breweries have closed over the years.
This retro photo gallery captures life at more than a dozen of those lost breweries around the UK, from Scotland to England’s south coast, where some of the country’s most popular tipples were once made.
It shows employees hard at work inside those breweries, skimming yeast, rolling barrels and, most importantly, taste-testing the end product.
This trip down memory lane also features the much-loved old dray horses, and the centuries-old initation ceremony called ‘trussing the cooper’, in which workers completing their apprenticeship were rolled around the brewery in a barrel containing beer and wood shavings.
Three of the lost breweries pictured were at one time the largest in the world, churning out hundreds of millions of pints a year.
Some closed many years ago and have been demolished but others were lost much more recently and are awaiting redevelopment.
Several of the beers made at these breweries were among the most popular in the UK during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Some are still made elsewhere, but others are no longer available.
Did you work at one of the breweries, or do you know anyone who did, and how many of the beers made there have you sampled over the years?
If you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, you might like our look back at high street stores which used to be huge but have now closed or are struggling.
13. Initiation
G Southeran, an apprentice cooper at Guinness's Park Royal brewery, in London, endures the 600-year-old initiation ceremony of the ancient profession, in April 1949. He is muddied, daubed with shavings, doused with water and rolled around the coopers' shop in a barrel. The Guinness Park Royal brewery closed in 2005 and the site was later demolished. | Getty Images Photo: Fox Photos
14. Tetley's shire horses
Tetley shire horses and dray, at Joshua Tetley Brewery, Leeds, in 1966. The world famous shire horses gave service to the company for 184 years, from 1822, when the brewery was established, until 2006, when the owners decided to retire them due to the rising cost of their upkeep. After lorries began delivering barrels, the horses had been kept on for ceremonial and promotional purposes. Tetley's brewery in Leeds closed in 2011 and was demolished the following year. | Heritage Images/Getty Images Photo: Paul Walters Worldwide Photography Ltd
15. Hoare & Co
A horse-drawn cart and an electric lorry at Hoare and Co's Red Lion brewery in London in January 1922. The brewery, believed to have been established in the 15th century, survived for more than 400 years before closing in 1934. | Getty Images Photo: Topical Press Agency
16. Hour Glass Brewery
The 300-year-old Hour Glass Brewery beside the river in London, in July 1924. The brewery was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War. | Getty Images Photo: Kirby/Topical Press Agency
17. Charrington
The Charrington Brewery head brewer, CF Mackay, pictured at the Anchor Brewery on Mile End Road, London, in November 1957. He is seen pouring a glass of bear from a bottle beside a cask bearing a plaque stating: "HRH The Prince of Wales - March 15th 1932." Charrington Brewery was founded in the early 1700s. Charrington merged with Bass in 1967 to become Bass Charrington, and in 2000, the company's brewing operations were bought by Interbrew. The Anchor Brewery ceased production in January 1975, but it remained the firm's head office. | Getty Images Photo: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive
18. Watneys
Watneys Mortlake Brewery in London is pictured here in around 1975. Watneys was famous for its Red Barrel bitter, also known as Watney's Red, which sold in huge quantities during the 60s and 70s. Watneys closed in 1979 and the Mortlake brewery was taken over by Budweiser, before eventually closing in 2015. | Getty Images Photo: John Minihan/Evening Standard