I wrote yesterday about some of my favourite pubs in London and said that I would write today about some of the actual beers I have enjoyed in those pubs. However, having done some extensive research today into the history of London beers, I found it all a bit complicated and overwhelming. The city has been a hub for beer brewing for over 350 years and many companies have come and gone during this time. Giants such as Fuller’s, Truman’s, Courage, and Charrington’s have merged with other breweries and/or have been taken over by much larger corporations. The old Truman brewery in Brick Lane is now a business and leisure complex. Young’s brewery was founded in 1831 in Wandsworth but its beer is now brewed in Bedford in partnership with Charles Wells’.
However, recent years have seen the emergence and proliferation of craft breweries, and many can be found in London. Meantime, based in Greenwich, produces some nice craft ales. So does Camden Town brewery, with its famous Hells lager, Pale Ale and Eazy (a hazy IPA). Craft breweries are characterised by their adherence to traditional brewing methods but with a flair for experimentation in terms of flavours and ingredients. They tend to be small scale producers compared with the big guys and independently owned – although Camden is now owned by the giant Anheuser-Busch InBev and Meantime is owned by Asahi UK. For reference purposes – I can confirm that I have drunk these beers in London.
And speaking of Asahi, one of my favourite beers I feel compelled to drink in London (and everywhere else) is Fuller’s London Pride. As a special treat and where available, their ESB (Extra Special Bitter) is particularly flavoursome at a lovely 5.9% ABV. Fuller’s was founded in Chiswick in 1845 and is now owned by the Japanese company Asahi (who also own the brands Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Grolsch, among others).
The featured image today is of the Crate Brewery situated on the River Lea at Hackney Wick. This is one of many breweries I have had the pleasure to visit. My first was the Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen. That was quite a treat because I remember it was a good shelter from the heavy rain – I was camping on the outskirts of the city at the time. There is a large Carlsberg brewery in Northampton – it used to be where they brewed their infamous Special Brew (7.5% ABV), developed in 1950 to honour Winston Churchill when he visited Copenhagen. It was a favourite of street drinkers in the UK. I remember one client who used to turn up for his counselling sessions looking dishevelled with his dirty Special Brew t-shirt – quite an advert for the product! The brewery also produces another favourite of mine – Hobgoblin! I like the ruby version best.
At the other end of the scale and a few miles down the road from Northampton, I have visited the Pot Belly Brewery in Kettering. This is a microbrewery producing a range of real ales. I enjoyed a lovely evening there – lots of different beers to try and fish and chips delivered from the local chippy! Mmm, I think that’s enough for now. Until tomorrow, keep safe and well.
Alcohol Trivia Quiz
Yesterday’s answers:
1. The Barley Mow in his work Beer Street.
2. Alannah Myles.
3. It was a kind of large punch bowl that guests dipped their glasses in.
Today’s questions:
1. What is a Black Velvet? [Bonus point – a Poor Man’s Black Velvet?]
2. What brewery has a griffin as its emblem?
3. Who said “Too much of anything is bad but too much Champagne is just right”?
Understand Yourself Better 