Sour Power. 11th day

Kriek Boon

Style: Lambic Kriek (cherries)

ABV: 4%

Size: 250ml (bottle)

I booked my tickets well in advance as I was looking for a reason. And it was for a good cause after all. I left work and my colleague and I made our way to Peckham Rye station. From there it was a 10 minute walk through suburban south London.

Hop Burns & Black – one of London’s premier bottle shops

In its short life, the award winning* Hop Burns & Black has forged a solid reputation in beer circles. Run by passionate Kiwi’s Jen and Glenn it brings together three of their passions; beer (Hop), hot sauce (Burns) and vinyl records (Black). There was a great profile write up in the Evening Standard over summer which is worth a read. The selection of beers was epic and the good part is that you can try what you buy right there in the shop or at the tables out the front – I opted for a can of Moor Beer’s Revival while we waited for the main event to start.

Moor Beers Revival, a 3.8% ABV Transatlantic Pale Ale

I was there for No More Heroes – a tutored tasting and music session with beer writer Matthew Curtis raising money for Mind UK. Matt is a great writer – he contributes to and edits his website Total Ales and is the UK storyteller for renowned beer website Good Beer Hunting (which I love) as well as a number of other beery publications- and is increasingly broadening his repertoire to include speaking and events. More importantly, he is a genuine guy that is passionate about his beer. And somehow he does all this in addition to do full time job!

No More Heroes – a tutored beer tasting and music session

He had chosen 6 beers and a song to accompany each. The one beer that stood out for me was a sour beer from Belgium, Boon (pronounced Bow-n) Kriek Mariage Parfait. An 8% ABV heavy lambic style beer – which relies on wild yeasts and bacteria from the Pajottenland region of Belgium to drive the fermentation with the addition of overripe cherries that spurs a secondary fermentation – Matt had unsurprisingly chose ‘Cherry Bomb’ from the Runaways as his music match. This beer was sour, sour, sour and not to my liking.

Kriek Boon – 100% lambic and with cherries

Matt spoke with such passion about the beer and the brewery I thought I would give them another go. This time I went for something lighter. At 4% ABV Kriek Boon is a blended lambic with added black cherries. The first thing you notice is the colour: the cherries turning the beer a stunning red – almost like creaming soda I used to have as a kid. The second thing is the smell – it is sour with a strong earthy scent of cherries. And finally, the taste. This one is smooth and crisp, not to arresting in its sourness. As an introduction to sour lambics, this is where I would start. In fact with this bottle only being 250ml, it leaves me wanting more.

As good an introduction to sour lambics as you’ll get. The small 250ml bottle left me wanting more

*Won the best shop in Peckham in Timeout’s Love London Awards 2015

 Useful Links and Resources

http://www.hopburnsblack.co.uk/

http://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/hop-burns-black

http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/londons-great-shopkeepers-hop-burns-black-in-east-dulwich-10310788.html

http://www.totalales.co.uk/events-main/nomoreheroes

https://www.justgiving.com/nomoreheroes/

http://www.totalales.co.uk/

http://goodbeerhunting.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambic

http://www.boon.be/en/our-beers/kriek-mariage-parfait

Why do Monks make great beer? 10th day

Westmalle Dubbel
Style: Brown Beer
ABV: 7.0%
Size: 330ml (Bottle)

Why do Monks make great beer? 

According to Wikipedia, the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monastics that follow the Rule of St. Benedict. That probably does mean much to you and me. Unless you know they are commonly referred to as Trappists.  They’re not called Trappist because they are good at trapping things, but rather take their name from Le Trappe Abbey a monastery located in Normandy, France.  

So to answer my opening question; the 48^th chapter of the Rule of St benedict states “for then are they monks in truth, if they live by the work of their hands”. In following this rule Trappist monastaries produce goods for sale to provide income for the monastery. So imagine a Trappist Monastary in a region of Belgium known for producing great beers – that is exactly what the brewery at the Abbey of Westmalle, (or to use its local name, Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle) is famous for. 

Garret Oliver once said when talking about innovation in craft beer: ‘nothing is really new, you’re new’. His point is that brewing has been around for thousands of years. And Westmalle is part of that brewing history. Westmalle only produce two beers. The Trippel, first brewed in 1934 is consider the first ever example of this style – a strong pale ale with a high ABV of 9.5%.  I’ve gone for the original beer from Westmalle, the Dubbel, Legend has it that in 1856 the monks brewed a strong brown beer – now considered the first ever Dubbel.   

Westmalle Dubbel is considered the first of its kind dating back to 1856

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappists
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westmalle_Brewery
http://goodbeerhunting.com/gbh-podcast/2015/8/22/ep-053-garret-oliver-of-brooklyn-brewery-live-at-gbh-studio
http://www.trappistwestmalle.be/en/page/dubbel.aspx

Why is it called Beavertown? 9th Day

Beavertown Heavy Water (Sour Cherry and Sea Salt) Imperial Stout

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.0%

Size: 330ml (Can)

Why is it called Beavertown?

Thursday 3^rd July 2014 was a beautiful sunny day. Being mid-summer 6pm still feels like mid-afternoon. Looking out across the Thames you can’t help but notice the giant white dome held aloft by striking yellow support towers dominating the North Greenwich peninsula. Every time I see it I am reminded me of the opening scene of ‘The World is Not Enough’. I’ve left work and made the short stroll over to The Gun for a ‘meet the brewer’ with Beavertown Brewery, who were introducing some of their beers and extolling the virtues of beer in cans.

If you’ve met Logan Plant, founder of Beavertown Brewery, I’m sure you’ll agree he is a very engaging speaker and storyteller. For about 45 minutes he gave the background to his beer history growing up in the midlands, introduced Beavertown and gave a tutored tasting of 5 of their core beers. He took questions and mingled with the 15-20 people present. That was July 2014.

State of the Craft Beer Panel (L-R) John Holl, Roger Protz, Logan Plant, Steve Hindy, Jasper Cuppiage

In March 2015 I made the trip to Beavertown Brewery in Tottenham Hale for a State of Craft Beer even, part of Brooklyn Brewery’s London Mash Tour. There were hundreds of people there. For me the juxtaposition of a small meet the brewer and a large craft event within the matter of months symbolised the growth of Beavertown.

The award winning Gamma Ray, APA

They have been prolific, having brewed over 100 different beers over the past 4 years, the vast majority of which are collaborations with breweries far and wide. Furthermore they have achieved significant recognition in terms of awards for their beers and brewers. This year Beavertown was awarded two prestigious titles; Supreme Champion Brewer and UK Brewer of the Year in the 2015 International Beer Challenge. Beavertown claiming their cans were critical in ensuring their beers were presented with quality and freshness, spurring them to victory in the blind tasting judged competition. Only earlier this month, Head Brewer Jenn Merrick was awarded the prestigious British Guild of Beer Writer’s ‘Brewer of the Year’

So back to my opening question. I did ask this of Logan at that initial meeting. (Lame I know, but it was best question I could think of at the time). It’s inspired by De Beaviour Town, the part of London where Dukes Brew & Que is located. This is where Beavertown began back in 2011, brewing beers in the basement to serve in the pub.

Heavy Water, a 9% Imperial Stout with sour cherries and sea salt

To be honest, I found it difficult to find information about Heavy Water. I wanted to know more about how it was brewed and the inspiration. While Beavertown’s beers are incredible, their website unfortunately isn’t. I did find something on their blog from back in 2013 referencing Heavy Water as their first experimentation into Barrel Aging. They used 20 year old scotch whiskey barrels, putting the beer in for 45 days with an expected output of ~700 bottles. No mention of the infusion of sour cherries and sea salt in that post, so perhaps this new version is an amended recipe that is now canned rather than bottled.

The can is beautifully adorned with artwork from Nick Dwyer, Beavertowns Creative Director. There is a single illustration of a lady wearing glasses with what appears to be the reflection of an atomic bomb explosion. Standard Beavertown.

Standard Beavertown. Illustrations from Creative Director, Nick Dwyer have helped Beavertown stand out.

The beer is dark and thick, like an imperial stout should be. To be honest I can’t detect the sour cherries and sea salt, but perhaps its because I am no impy connoisseur.

Heavy Water pours dark and thick, like an Imperial Stout should

With recent events we should focus less on what’s been lost and celebrate what we have and Beavertown is worth celebrating.

 

Useful Links and Resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAZWYrSAQ_E

http://www.thegundocklands.com/

http://brooklynbrewerymash.com/london/the-great-craft-beer-debate-with-steve-hindy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Beauvoir_Town

www.dukesbrewandque.com

www.beerguild.co.uk

www.internationalbeerchallenge.com

http://www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/

I am a Hells Raiser (or at least I was). 8th day

Camden Town Brewery Barrel Aged IHL

Style: (Barrel Aged) Lager

ABV: 7.2%

Size: 660ml (Bottle)

I’m a Hells Raiser.

Or at least I was. I have to admit that I handed over some of my hard earned earlier in the year to further Camden’s cause. One of the reasons I did this was because of my first experience of IHL. Camden launched the beer with a ‘7 days of IHL’ celebration back in November 2014.

The 4^th of November was a rainy Wednesday night when my former housemate and I headed to the pop-up Temple of IHL at an art gallery space hired by Camden. The event was dubbed ‘Art of the Craft’ and Camden had brought together Nick Dwyer, the man behind Beavertown’s incredible artwork, longtime Camden collaborator Thomas Slater and Alec Doherty of Partizan Brewing‘s illustrated identity. The first highlight was hearing Alec regale the confused crowd with the story of the Cardiff Giant, a famous hoax from 1860’s America.

The second highlight was the beer. After being lucky enough to meet the ever approachable Jasper Cuppiage, Founder of Camden, some of his effervescent staff and drink 5 cans of IHL I left a big fan of both the brewery and the beer.

IHL is IPA resurrected as lager and then barrel-aged

Camden take IHL and put it in Bourbon and Tequila barrels for 6 months. They have also taken the artwork from the IHL cans and re-imagined it for the bigger 660ml bottles. I vaguely remember trying a very small amount of this at a tasting Camden did with Beavertown and Left Hand Brewing for London Beer Week, but I must have sampled 13 different beers that night and can’t recall my reaction to this one.

This is an excellent beer and if this is what Camden can do with a barrel-ageing program the future could be bright

Enjoying from a full size bottle this beer is excellent. Time in the barrels softens the hop aromas and flavours, adds extra smoothness and ups the alcohol content. If this is an example of what Camden can do with a barrel ageing program, the future could be bright after all.

Note: I did a full post on my views on the Camden Town – AB InBev deal on December 22 and can be accessed using the links on the right hand side of the page

Its summer Down Under. 7th Day

Stone and Wood Pacific Ale

Style: Pale Ale / Golden Ale

ABV:4.4%

Size: 330ml (Bottle)

Its summer Down Under.

More specifically it’s Boxing Day in Australia, which means two things; Cricket and Beer. Both of which I love in equal measure.

The Boxing Day test is an institution of the Australian Summer. It is undoubtedly the biggest day of test cricket in the world. Every year a test match is played, starting on Boxing Day, at the MCG (the home of test cricket) between Australia and a visiting opponent. And living now as I do in London, I miss it. Watching it on Sky Sports in the middle of the night only accentuates the pangs of homesickness.

Australia is undergoing its own craft beer revolution; however Big Beer is more involved than in the UK. Big Beer owns or has stakes in a number of key craft brands including Little Creatures, White Rabbit, Mountain Goat, Matilda Bay, Bluetongue and Malt Shovel (brewer of James Squire). There are however a number of independent craft brewers including Four Pines, Vale, KAIJU and Stone and Wood making fantastic beer. Given the events of the past week, perhaps Australia is a glimpse into the future of the UK craft beer scene?

Stone and Wood is based in the idyllic coastal town of Byron Bay

Stone and Wood is based in Byron Bay, the idyllic coastal town on the far northern NSW coast. Stone and Wood’s Pacific Ale is fast becoming an Aussie staple. It ranked #2 in the Hottest 100 Beers of 2014 and should do well again in 2015 when the results are announced in January. It’s instantly recognisable with its golden label. I have been back in Australia a few times over the past year or so and this has been a revelation for me, along with Four Pines Kolsch (which I couldn’t find it in London) and Vale IPA. Pacific Ale is so light and fruity, with strong grapefruit, pineapple and peach flavours. I’ll be drinking this as a tonic for homesickness!

A glass of cold Pacific Ale is becoming a regular in Australian bars especially over summer

As a sub-note, I was blown away by my trip to Brisbane. My sister and brother-in-law live in Teneriffe, an inner city, riverside suburb previously home to the wool trade that is being transformed into a high density residential area. Within walking distance of their flat is not one, but two craft breweries, complete with impressive tap rooms. The Green Beacon and Newstead Breweries are less that 500m apart and are housed within converted industrial lots. Sadly I could only stay for one in each, but what struck me was the passion for beer by both the brewers and the consumers. A trip to Teneriffe is now a must for any beer lovers who find themselves in Brisbane.

Stone and Wood Pacific Ale on Boxing Day – Cheers to the Australian summer!

Useful Links and Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day_Test

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_breweries_in_Australia

http://stoneandwood.com.au/

http://www.australiancraftbeer.org.au/

http://4pinesbeer.com.au/beers/kolsch/

http://craftypint.com/news/946/Hottest_100_of_2014_The_Breakdown

http://www.greenbeacon.com.au/

http://newsteadbrewing.com.au/

Fullers is London’s brewery. 6th day

Fullers Vintage Ale 2013

Style: Ale

ABV: 8.5%

Size: 500ml (Bottle)

Fuller’s is London’s Brewery.

Or so their website would have you believe. But it’s not that far from the truth to be honest. Fuller’s is an independent brewery founded in 1845 in Chiswick, West London. Their Griffin brewery still stands by the Thames in Chiswick, just over 2 miles from my house, and with the closure of AB InBev’s Stag Brewery in Mortlake could probably now claim to be biggest brewery in West London.

Griffin Brewery, Chiswick West London

If you interested in their history, renowned beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones was commissioned to write a book celebrating their 170 year anniversary. ‘Crafting a Company’ looks at the company’s history, ethos and developments over the years. I haven’t read this, but if you’re interested it’s available from the Fuller’s website.

Back to Vintage Ale.

I first came across Vintage Ale in the Brewery Store back in either 2011 or 2012. After a leisurely stroll along Chiswick Mall with my fiancée (now wife) and her parents we decided to pop in. After perusing the selection, we bought a few Vintage Ales to celebrate Christmas, which is primarily why Fullers starting brewing Vintage Ale back in 1997. In researching Vintage Ale, I came across this great post from Mark Dredge from 2011 which does a great job of explaining what it’s all about.  One thing to add to Mark’s post – it is a limited run packaged in a traditional burgundy cardboard box and comes with a strong reputation amongst discerning beer drinkers.

Vintage Ale packaging with detailed write up on 2013 Vintage

Now, this was the most expensive bottle in my #12beersofxmas list leaving my wallet £16 lighter for the 2013 Vintage, which on reflection is probably the most I’ve ever paid for a beer. To be fair the older they are the more expensive, the 2015 Vintage would set you back £6. Why 2013? This was the year I got married and had my first child so mainly sentimentality.

My bottle was numbered 73023 of the Limited run

Reading up on the 2013 Vintage, there was a less than fruitful barely harvest in 2013, so Fuller’s turned to Pearl malt which was brewed with Admiral and Sovereign hops. The batch is limited edition and the individual number on my bottle was 73023, so there was a least that many bottles, which to me illustrates the scale of Fullers (that a run with this many bottles in considered limited).

Box, bottle and glass – a well presented beer with a nice history

It pours a dark amber colour with a nice creamy head. The aroma reminds me of bourbon and coke but the taste is more like a Christmas pudding. WHich I have no qualms about as I love a good Christmas pud.

Cheers and Happy Christmas!

Useful Links and Resources

https://store.fullers.co.uk/Store/Category/88/Product/NCCFBK.aspx?_ga=1.189121579.1626990074.1450191172

http://www.pencilandspoon.com/2011/10/fullers-vintage-ale-15-year-vertical.html

https://store.fullers.co.uk/Store/Product/BOVA50013BT.aspx

Magic Rock has been my craft unicorn. 5th day

Magic Rock – Grapefruit High Wire & Salty Kiss

Magic Rock has been my craft unicorn.

There are no other beers I have coveted more than Magic Rock’s. I was drawn to their carnival-cum-circus-like beer illustrations and standing within the beer community including the esteem in which their Human and Un-Human Cannonball IPAs were held.

The Magic Rock logo

Founded in Huddersfield in 2011, Magic Rock made a great first impression, being named ‘2nd best new brewery in the world 2012′ on the independent ratings site Rate Beer. They appeared to focus on keg and cask beers to begin with and sadly our paths never crossed.

Until now.

Colourful carnival-cum-circus-like illustrations adorn the Magic Rock cans

The good news is that Magic Rock now sells three of their beers in beautifully illustrated cans to the thirsty masses. To celebrate the festive season I have chosen the Salty Kiss and High Wire Grapefruit whose resplendent pink and yellow and orange cans respectively are equally at home on the dinner table as they are a decoration on a Christmas Tree. I also bought Cannonball, but that went a long time ago!

Salty Kiss

Style: (Gooseberry) Gose

ABV: 4.1%

Size: 355ml (Can)

Salty kiss pours light, almost fruit juice-like

A Gose. Never heard of it, right? Me neither. First brewed in early 2013, Salty Kiss is traditional German beer style, albeit relatively unknown. It was brewed in collaboration with Danish brewer Anders Kissmeyer. As the name suggests, Salty Kiss is brewed with the additional of gooseberries to add tartness, as well as Sea Buckthorn and Rosehips for an added Danish element with the intention of adding subtle flavor and fragrance. And this is a unique flavour – sour, tangy and fruity.

Sea buckthorn, a unique ingredient, shown here in the wild (sort of..)

High Wire Grapefruit

Style: (Grapefruit) Pale Ale

ABV: 5.5%

Size: 355ml (Can)

Grapefruit High Wire is, as the name suggests, a grapefruit explosion

High Wire Grapefruit is based on Magic Rock’s High Wire, a hop forward West coast pale ale, with the additional of Grapefruit. The Grapefruit flavor in beers can be a by-product of Amarillo and Cascade hops, so adding actual Grapefruit is really calling for more zing and this doesn’t disappoint in the zing department. It is a grapefruit explosion!

Based on this rendezvous I am hopefully Magic Rock and I will see a lot more of each other in 2016.

Useful Links and Resources

www.ratebeer.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gose

http://www.magicrockbrewing.com/blog/salty-kiss-gooseberry-gose/

Cloudwater is the new brewery of 2015. 4th day

Cloudwater DIPA

Style: Double India Pale Ale

ABV: 9%

Size: 330ml (Bottle)

Cloudwater is the new UK brewery of 2015.

The Manchester based brewery has won over discerning beer drinkers with their seasonal ranges showcasing some exotic styles, lovely artwork and openness on social media.

At the beginning of the month they announced their new seasonal range that includes such gems as; Dr Rudi Lager, Custard Porter, Small Beer and Winter Light Galaxy.

The Cloudwater Winter seasonal range

Paul Jones, Co-Founder of Cloudwater explains the rationale for seasonality in Episode 122 of the Beer O’Clock Show podcast. The following text is paraphrased from the interview.

Cloudwater were featured in Episode 122 of the Beer O’Clock Show podcast

“We are not focused on traditional beer making, but rather look back through the history books plus forward to the progressive development in the US for inspiration. Seasonality is about putting ingredients first. We view beer as an agricultural product that is different every year. Furthermore fresh ingredients will change month to month.”

A clear example is the crop cycle for US hops and NZ hops will be different and they will aim to get the freshest ingredients possible in their beers.

I have enjoyed following them (@cloudwaterbrew) tweeting about building their brewery. But to be fair I love any brewery that tweets picture of building a new brewery. I always look at new brewery pictures showing new fermentation vessels arriving on the back of a truck and think ‘ooh, a space ship brewery’. Their tone is humble and communication transparent. Yet you get a sense they are strong willed and principled. Its a nice dialogue to follow.

Distinctive Cloudwater logo on the cap and label

Cloudwater DIPA, as the name suggested is a 9% Double India Pale Ale, recognised by a number of beer bloggers as their beer of 2015 in their annual Golden Pints awards. Given all the hype in beer circles, I had to get my hands on it. I visited the team at Caps and Taps Kentish Town to snag a few of the last ones remaining in the wild.

I must confess I have already tried this. I bought two bottles; one for the #12beersofxmas and one to share with my brother when he was visiting from Oregon last week. I always like to show him a few of the UKs finest when he is in town. Of the beers we tried that night, this one stood out. It has that golden, syrupy look and feel and sits well in the glass. The taste is big and bold and the ABV hits you hard after about 5 mins. A good example of a DIPA from a rookie brewery with a big future.

Cloudwater DIPA in all its glory

 

Useful Links and Resources

http://www.beerreviews.co.uk/beer/golden-pint-awards-2015/

@cloudwaterbrew

http://www.beeroclockshow.co.uk/2015/10/episode-122-nz-hopfen-weisse/

(interview with Cloudwater Co-Founder Paul Jones at 38:20)

@CapsTapsNW1

Camden Town Brewery | A modern success story?

‘You need to do what is right for your family’

Tones Lally, 2014

Camden have done very well.

Since launching formally in 2010 Camden Town Brewery have grown to be amongst the leaders in the craft beer segment in the UK. How have they done this? Hard work , good people and good decisions.

My understanding is that they invested relatively heavily to start the business formally back in 2010 (although the wheels where turning as early as 2006) and the growth over the past 5 years has been nothing short of spectacular.

They have differentiated themselves as a lager brewer (the most dominant beer style in the UK) at a time when hop forward craft pales were de rigueuer. They have a distinctive brand and name that plays on the celebrity of Camden Town, a popular, historic and eclectic part of London. Their slick branding and product marketing including the recognisable Hells brand, the successful launch of IHL and the Hells Raiser campaign are most likely the influence of their Chairman, renown ad man Sir John Hegarty and charismatic founder, Jasper Cuppiage.

Camden have built something amazing in their short history. An attractive spot under the railway arches in Kentish Town including a Brewery Bar known for hosting great events. They have a great range of core beers including the highly regarded Unfiltered Hells. They own a handful of their own pubs including the Horseshoe in Hamstead and the newly launched Camdens Daughter in Kentish Town. They have solid trade distribution across pubs in the UK, supermarket distribution with shelf space in both Waitrose (they got Waitrose to put a growler filler in a branch in Kings Cross!) and M&S as well has being in some high street and independent restaurant chains such as Bill’s, The Breakfast Club and Kerbisher and Malt. And they have attracted great, passionate people inspired to the cause.

Now to the numbers.

Turnover in year ending 2014 was £9m forecast to grow to £50m by 2020. Their Hells Raiser funding led to an initial valuation of £75m later reduced to £50m driven by a significant investment from a unnamed ‘Belgian manufacturing family’ that invested £10m into the business for a 20% stake. That was only in February.

And then they ‘sold out’.

Or ‘partnered with’ AB InBev in a deal announced on 21 December, where they became a wholly-owned subsidiary. By my very crude calculations, this deal will value to brewery at around £85m, (later confirmed in media reports) a nearly 70% premium, plus performance add ons over a 5 year period. As a Hells Raiser, this is a fantastic return in a very short period of time.

The rationale for the deal is to achieve the growth aspiration for the business; build the new brewery in Enfield, sell more beer through broader distribution, hire more people. And they will no doubt succeed with AB InBev’s backing. The money raised through the Hells Raiser campaign sadly not enough to do this.

So why all the fuss?

Craft beer thrives on its role as the underdog to the large multinational corporates who are renowned for producing ‘bland, fizzy lager’ through aggressive marketing and distribution tactics and cost cutting.

Furthermore AB InBev are on a roll employing a punchy, aggressive approach buying 3 craft breweries in the past 5 days. The ink is not even dry on their record breaking acquisition of SAB Miller but that hasn’t stopped them pulling out the checkbook for Camden Town, Colorad0-based Breckenridge Brewery and Arizona-based Four Peaks Brewery. Simply incredible.

The aforementioned acquisition of SAB Miller is potentially forcing them to review the SAB Miller portfolio, including Grolsch, Peroni and the recently acquired Greenwich-based craft brewery Meantime. An action that appears futile given the recent spending spree of AB InBev. Meantime’s fate is yet to be determined.

BrewDog, the UK’s largest craft brewer, steadfastly remains a dogmatic follower of the US Brewers Association definition of a craft brewery, dropping any craft brewers beer once an acquisition announcement has been made. They have put a long form statement out on their website today justifying their approach in a typical, colourful manner. https://www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/nailing-our-colours-to-the-motherfucking-mast

But Big Craft can work. In Australia for example, big beer owns or has stakes in a number of key craft brands including Little Creatures, White Rabbit, Mountain Goat, Matilda Bay, Bluetongue and Malt Shovel (brewer of James Squire). Competing alongside a number of independent craft brewers including Four Pines, Vale, KAIJU and Stone and Wood making fantastic beer. Goose Island’s Barrel Aging program is also held aloft as an example of Big Craft working.

Back to my opening quote.

This is wisdom was shared by my older brother and I think its appropriate in this context; Camden Town Brewery is the founder’s business. They have invested in and built this business from the ground up. Yes Hells Raiser have invested too, but guess what, on an investment where the return is not certain, they have received a 70% return in less than a year! That is incredible performance on any level. Yet they only own around 2% of the brewery. The owners did what they thought was best for their family and their business. Can you really begrudge them?

I wish Jasper and the team at Camden all the best for future. They are great people doing what they think is best. Yes a very small minority of their target market is not happy, but you know what, there are millions of customers who aren’t as invested emotionally that just might taste Camden as a result and be converted. And that is all that matters.

Note: Yes I invested in Camden back as part of their Hells Raiser campaign. More to follow in a past after Christmas.

Redchurch was my first, kinda. 3rd Day

Redchurch was my first, kinda.

The Redchurch Brewery, Great Eastern IPA

Style: IPA
ABV: 7.4%
Size: 330ml (Bottle)

 

I first discovered Redchurch Brewery in an article in Timeout in the summer of 2012 and was instantly attracted to the story. In researching this piece I couldn’t find the exact story, but from memory it goes a little something like this; the founder, Gary Ward, had chucked in his job as a lawyer to start a brewery in the railway arches in Bethnal Green. After reading the article I became strangely hung up on trying their beer. 

The only place I could track it down was at the City Beverage Company on Old Street (now Amathus). It felt strange travelling half way around London to find a beer that I had read about in Timeout. Little did I realise this would be the start of a new habit. I bought their Bethnal Pale Ale, Shoreditch Blonde and Hackney Gold. And really enjoyed them all. 

Redchurch is currently located under railway arches in Bethnal Green, East London

A visit to their taproom followed. It’s a mezzanine sitting above their brewery that hosts DJs and live music Thursdays to Sundays. It wasn’t particular busy so we were easily back and forward to the bar to sample their core range fresh from the taps. My relationship with Redchurch was consummated. 

They are currently fundraising on CrowdCube to fund their expansion, which is great to see, although I haven’t invested just yet as I was a little disappointed with the rewards. Petty I know, but with no guarantee of return at least give the punters some goodies! I think they will make a good go of it and perhaps I can invest my Hell Raiser cash (more on that in a later post). They have invested in an experienced team with Mark Hislop (formerly of Brewdog) driving business development and James Rylance (formerly of Beavertown) driving the brewing side and I look forward to seeing how they set about taking Redchurch to the next level.

Great Eastern IPA is decorated in a resplendent ochre label

The Great Eastern IPA is one of their beers I haven’t tried. Like the rest of their range, it’s named after places in East London and decorated with a resplendent ochre label. Launched last summer it promises to be a whopper of an IPA. And it doesn’t disappoint. Great Eastern drinks more like a DIPA; bold, smooth and syrupy, very different from last night’s Halcyon which is very hoppy and fruity. If this is the sign of things to come, time to stump up some cash!

Great Eastern drinks more like a DIPA, bold smooth and syrupy

Useful Links and Resources
http://www.theredchurchbrewery.com/
https://www.crowdcube.com/investment/redchurch-brewery-20772