Boxcar Brewery
Good news and bad news. In February, Boxcar had to close their taproom in Bethnal Green, which led to the company going into administration. However, the administrators have helped the owners restructure the company and so Boxcar Brewery still exists. They will continue brewing with the help of other brewers and, in the long run, are looking to have their own premises again.
Exale Brewing
Following the success of their taproom in Walthamstow (part of the ‘Blackhorse Beer Mile’), Exale have progressed to opening a pub. This is the Three Colts Tavern at 199 Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green (E2 0EL). Both craft and cask beers will be available in what Exale hope will be a welcoming inclusive space based on the traditional East End boozer. There will be weekly DJs, quiz nights, tap takeovers, live music and more. Pizzas will be available at weekends. This is the first of what Exale plan to be a chain of five pubs, with one opening every year for the next five years. For more information, go here.
Meantime Brewing
As reported on CAMRA’s What’s Brewing website, Meantime Brewing, owned by Asahi Breweries, played host to an event for this year’s International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day. IWCBD is a worldwide annual event, open to all women who work in the sector or are interested to learn more about beer and brewing. This is its tenth year. Fifteen brewers were invited to participate in the brewing of 2,000 pints of a custom recipe lager using the brewery’s pilot kit. It is understood that the brewing of Dark Star beers, all except Hophead, is to be moved to the Greenwich site.
One Mile End
Having reported on their collaboration with Bohem in the previous edition, I was surprised to learn, just as we went to press, that OME had closed. It has now been confirmed that they went into liquidation on 11 January 2023.
Orbit Beers
Walworth based Orbit Beers have released a cask ale, English IPA (5.2% ABV). They normally produce European style beers but this is the first in their White Label range, intended to test the market for cask ales. It is a development of a beer first brewed in 2022 using three English hop varieties, Emperor, Jester, and UK Chinook. Orbit’s general manager, Robbie Sykes, commented, “We have produced wooden casks in the past for events such as Society for Preservation of Beer from the Wood Festival and Craft100 but, having such a talented brew team with experience gained in well-established, cask-focused breweries, we’ve decided to dip our toes in the water a little further this year and expand our offering.” English IPA will be available at Orbit’s taproom (233 Fielding Street) and from a number of well known pubs that specialise in cask beer.
Sambrook’s
Sambrook’s have announced that they will be releasing a new beer every month throughout 2023. These will be featured at their New Brew Nights to be held at the brewery taproom on the last Thursday of every month (from 5pm to 8pm). The beers will not be announced in advance. February’s beer was a cask version of their Bloc Party IPA (5.5% ABV), previously available only in cans or keg.
Wimbledon Brewery
More awards! Copper Leaf (4% ABV) won the London & South East regional round of CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain in the Red & Brown Ales, Old Ales and Strong Milds category. It now goes forward to the national judging at this year’s Great British Beer Festival. CAMRA’s South West London branch took great delight in presenting the certificate in January. The photo shows Martin Butler, CAMRA’s brewery liaison officer (second left), making the presentation to brewer Michael Prentiss (left) with colleagues watching on.
This was followed by Wimbledon’s flagship bitter, Common Pale Ale (3.7% ABV), taking the gold award in the ‘Cask British Bitter (up to 4.3% ABV)’ category in SIBA’s South East Independent Beer Awards 2023. The brewery are about to release a new beer. Called Best Bitter (4.3% ABV), it is described as being malty and floral with some spice.
We would like to offer our congratulations to Wimbledon’s Master Brewer, the legendary Derek Prentice, who was given a Lifetime Achievement award at last year’s Brewer’s Congress, organised by the Brewers’ Journal. He is seen here putting his prize, a silver tankard, to good use.
Out of London brewery closure
On 1 March, Epic Beers Ltd, who traded as Pitchfork Ales, announced that they were entering voluntary liquidation. They were the successors to RCH Brewery (founded 1982) from Weston-Super-Mare and continued brewing most of RCH’s beers (PG Steam, Old Slug Porter, East Street Cream).