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What: “Craft beer” is a U.S. term, but it’s catching on like wildfire in London and the rest of England, where more and more beer drinkers have made it clear they want more than just mass-market brands and the usual-suspect real ales at their local pub. Though there are no exact guidelines for what constitutes a craft beer here, they are generally defined by being handmade in small batches by small (micro)breweries, with more experimental tendencies in flavor and strength. In London proper, a handful of terrific craft brewers have appeared on the scene in the last decade, including Meantime Brewing Co—now pretty much a fixture on any good restaurant’s beer list—The Kernel, Brodie’s, and Camden Town.

A note about craft beer vs. real ale: It’s a bit of a messy distinction, actually, because all craft beers are, by definition, small-production and handcrafted, and some are even brewed just like real ales: unfiltered (or lightly filtered), unpasteurized, re-fermented in a cask or bottle before consumption. The difference is that those craft beers not coming out of a cask are happily carbonated and served cold (though not ice-cold); moreover, craft beers in general tend to be much more experimental in flavor and style—after all, they’re not tied to any particular tradition. But while some craft-beer connoisseurs claim that real ale is no longer relevant in the U.K.—the term was coined in the ’70s to separate traditional, natural beer from big-brewer processed beer, the very same opponent that craft beer is up against today—we think the relevance lies in the word traditional. Real ale from a cask may not be any more “real” than a keg-pumped handcrafted microbrew, but it is essential to the U.K.’s gastronomic heritage. There’s something wonderful to be said for going to a pub and having all the options: old-school real ale, experimental craft brew, and, uh, mass-produced crud.

Where: While some of the breweries are open for visitors (see below), a good beer bar—several of which have recently opened in London—is a great way to try several microbrews in one go. We liked the two-floor Mason & Taylor (51-55 Bethnal Green Rd.) for its friendly and knowledgeable staff, modern industrial-chic setting, and quality, regionally focused beer list, which you can helpfully sample in flights.

When: Mon-Thu, 5pm-midnight; Fri, 5pm-1am; Sat, 11am-1am; Sun, 11am-midnight. The basement bar is open till 2am on Fri and Sat.

Order: While you can always ask for a taste before ordering, it’s fun to do flights of the (approximately) dozen draft beers on offer, which encompass both craft brews and real ales. You can order three or six one-third pints as a flight; prices will vary depending on your choices. There’s always a nice variety of London craft beers—usually a Camden Town beer or two on tap and a few good Kernels and Brodie’s among the 40 bottled offerings—among others from all over the U.K. (BrewDog, Thornbridge, Magic Rock, Bristol Beer Factory, Dark Star, etc.), plus some Belgian, German, and American beers. We particularly enjoyed the insanely smooth, rich 10% ABV Brodie’s Superior London Porter (£5), which M&T’s owner helped to brew. This bar also boasts a nice selection of traditional ciders.

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Visit a brewery: Every Saturday you can visit The Kernel (98 Druid St., map) between 9am and 3pm; it makes a lovely stop at the weekly Maltby Street market, when the area’s other artisanal vendors open for business (see also: cheese toastie). Brodie’s (816 High Rd., map) has a 16-beer tap room (King William the Fourth) next-door to its brewery in Leyton; email or call to schedule a free tour of the brewery. Meantime (Blackwall Ln, map) offers regular tours every Tuesday night for a fee, and Camden Town (55-59 Wilkin St. Mews, map) plans to offer brewery tours and an on-site bar in December 2011.

Other good beer bars: Opened in spring 2011, the Craft Beer Co. (82 Leather Ln, map) in Clerkenwell has quickly gained a reputation among London beer drinkers, with 16 casks, 300-plus bottles, and what it clams is the U.K.’s largest keg selection; while the bar does a lot of importing, London and U.K. independent microbrewers are always well represented. Its sister bar, Cask Pub & Kitchen (6 Charlwood St., map) in Pimlico is likewise a good bet, as is U.K.-microbrewery-focused The Southampton Arms (139 Highgate Rd., map) in Kentish Town (near Hampstead Heath). We’re fans of Euston Tap (190 Euston Rd., map) at Euston train station, a tiny beer bar with big ambitions (and a heated garden) awesomely situated in a stone lodge-relic of the original 1830s-built station. Draft House (multiple locations including 206-208 Tower Bridge Rd., map) near Tower Bridge is another solid beer bar that lets you taste in third-pints.