Hosting a beer tasting at The Wigmore pub

It was a great pleasure to host a Beer Tasting Event at The Wigmore pub in central London
for Transform UK and Winmark. The idea was to give the assembled guests a run through of a variety of beers – with different styles. They were paired with the excellent food from The Wigmore kitchen
overseen by Michel Roux Jr who likes pubs and knows how to produce high quality food to
complement beer.

For those people interested in the detail – here’s the card:
Beer 1 – Augustiner Helles Lager (5.2%)
Munich’s oldest brewery dating back to 1328 when monks had a license that allowed them
to make beer for their own consumption as well as to sell it tax exempt for profit.

Beer 2 – Yonder Brewery – Wigmore Saison (5.1%)
[Served with Red Pepper hummus and padron peppers)
Yonder is based in the Mendip Hills of Somerset. It is described as a Modern Farmhouse
Brewery where the brewers take inspiration from their surroundings and there is a focus on
local ingredients, including wild and foraged. These find their way into the brewery’s beers.
This theory works well for Saison style beers.

Beer 3 – DEYA Into the Haze IPA (6.5%)
[Served with Masala spiced Scotch egg]
DEYA brewery was formed in 2015 in Cheltenham and made a name for itself creating beers
of the hazy New England IPA style. These are heavily dry-hopped, fuller-bodied and
smoother than the regular varieties of IPA. They are low on bitterness and have a heavier
mouthfeel from the addition of oats or wheat.

Beer 4 – Siren Brewery – Suspended in Experiments
[Served with the Wigmore cheese & Mustard Toastie]
Siren Brewery is based in Wokingham, Berkshire, and is typical of many brewers today who
want to constantly experiment. One of its ongoing experiments is with a series it calls
‘Suspended in…’ These are all sessionable hazy pale ales at 4% with each containing
different hop varieties.

Beer 5 – Siren Brewery – Broken Dream (6.5%)
[Served with Wigmore soft serve ice cream – which is lemon flavour with soft meringue]
Siren Brewery again for the final beer. Broken Dream back in 2018 was judged Champion
Beer of Britain at CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival. It’s called a Breakfast Stout, which is not because it is recommended you drink it in the morning but because it is packed with coffee and lactose.

I’d like to thank Transform UK and Winmark for having me involved in what was a great
event and I look forward to next time.