Brewery visits
Pioneering Zero Degrees retains its relevancy
Way back in 2000 was around the time I recall visiting Zero Degrees brewery in Blackheath, on the edge of London, after its creation by some pioneering nuts. It was only recently that I made a (seriously belated) return visit. So much water has passed through the mash tun since then that the scene today…
Read MoreSpa town-based Buxton Brewery punches well above its weight
To say it punches above its weight is an understatement. It employs only eight people, who produce a very modest 3,800 hectolitres of beer per year, but these brews are recognised globally as some of the best in the world. We are talking about the gem that is Buxton Brewery. If ever there was a…
Read MoreDerek Prentice – not a common brewer at Wimbledon
Wimbledon Brewery is fortunate in not only having a committed owner, who has had the necessary resources to create something of substance, but to also have the services of Derek Prentice. As London continues its brewing renaissance through an explosion of new craft breweries setting up shop Prentice is one of the few people who…
Read MoreHammerton Brewery nailing it in North London
Brewing seemed like a good idea when boredom set in with the office job for Lee Hammerton in 2012 and it looks like he made a decent decision as the beers coming out of his brewery in North London are of a consistently high quality. At the time he reckoned Islington, despite its high number…
Read MoreFire in the belly at Moor Beer Company
Justin Hawke It seems is a man who likes a challenge and a bit of a scrap. Since setting up Moor Beer Company almost a decade ago he has taken on a number of battles – all in the name of producing full flavoured, consistently high quality, drinkable beers. From the outset he championed cloudy…
Read MoreArgos blenders killed in Strawberry Hells Forever production
Friday afternoon at Camden Town Brewery in North London looked like the scene of a serious crime. The strawberries picked earlier in the week for the second annual batch of Strawberry Hells Forever were splattered on many surfaces and on numerous people’s clothing. It was also an actual crime scene – certainly for the basic…
Read MoreTo expand or not to expand – that is the big question
Like many of the generation of British craft breweries that set-up during the early stages of the current beer renaissance The Kernel Brewery in London’s Bermondsey area is now contemplating whether it should put a lid on future growth and remain at its present size. It is driven by an unusual aspect of brewing in…
Read MoreBeavertown growing up while still mixing it up
There’s an underlying theme at Beavertown brewery in North London – a keen appetite to mix things up. This includes lots of cross fertilisation of ideas through collaboration with other brewers, hosting massively successful events that bring the beer community together, and more recently a mixing of cultures in its fledgling barrel-ageing programme. This thinking…
Read MoreInnovation is not just black and white
General consensus seems to be that innovation belongs to the young and agile while the old timers are all past it. Brewers are deemed no different in this polarised view. While the young craft brewers are pushing the envelope, the larger brewers are viewed as pushing up the daisies. Charles Wells is a brewer of…
Read MoreLooking to satisfy high expectations at Cloudwater
Cloudwater Brew Co. opened with something of a fanfare having built things up with a fair dollop of hype. There were great expectations and they’ve delivered on some areas but are still working on others. There is no doubt that this is a classy brewery. From the attractive hazy artwork on its bottle labels to…
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