Bexley Brewery in Erith started up in 2014 and it’s great to see how hard work, commitment and community have seen them since develop and thrive.
Cliff is another brewer who came from the world of IT but wife and partner Jane was a primary school teacher and so both brought different skills to setting up and running a brewery. These days, they are joined by the next generation, son Cameron and his partner, Becky. Ciiff said, “After completing his A levels, Cameron didn’t know what he wanted to do, so he joined us at the brewery and is still here ten years later. He does our sales and takes charge of our graphic design, such as producing our labels and posters.”
Becky too contributes additional skills. Cameron met Becky just before Covid. She was an events manager but lost her job because of the pandemic. Jane and Cliff offered her a role at the brewery and with her planning skills she takes the lead running their micropub, among other roles.
Becky’s recruitment wasn’t the only change that Bexley made during Covid. As Cliff explained, the brewery had to adapt; fortunately, Bexley had their own bottling line. “At our peak, we were delivering to 150 people, many were just pleased to see someone and not just for the beer!”. Cliff reminisced about ‘circular’ drinking, “When we could open the brewery, we had people standing in a big circle with beer at their feet and having much needed conversations.”
There was also an upside to Covid. Bexley were able to get a grant that they used to pay for a cooling system for their tanks. This enabled them to produce their lager, Arnsberg (4.5% ABV). This is lagered for four to six weeks, and, after being in production for over two years, it is now their biggest seller. Bexley are also one of the very few London brewers who regularly produce bottle-conditioned beer. Cliff explained that they supply a lot of outlets where he suspects that bottle-conditioned beer would not be poured correctly, so that keg lager is safer for those outlets.
All of Bexley’s beers are gluten free, being produced using an enzyme at the start of the fermentation. To ensure the beers are compliant, they get them tested every six months. Cliff explained, “It costs £100 per test but we want to be safe.” They brew two to three times a week on the same kit they started with (1,000 litres) but the number of fermenters has now increased to six.
Besides the lager, the beer range is a mix of regulars: Golden Acre, Red House, Bexley’s Own Beer (4.2% ABV), Bursted (3.4% ABV) and Anchor Bay. These are complemented by seasonals, including May Place, Black Prince (porter) and Spike Island Stout. There are also specials, including a green hopped beer and one-off batch beers under the Howbury range. The beers are named after local landmarks or have links with the area. For example, Red House, their red ale, is named after the house in Bexley where William Morris lived while Anchor Bay, their golden ale, is a bay on the Thames at Erith. The lager, Arnsberg, gets its name from the German town with which Bexleyheath is twinned.
Bexley sell their beers predominantly in the local area through farmers’ markets, pubs, bars and restaurants. They also have an on-line shop. Although the brewery does have a small tasting area (alongside the brewery) that is open on a Saturday morning, their primary outlet is their micropub, the Bird & Barrel (DA7 6HG). Opened in 2018, it is very close to Barnehurst station. Over the years, Bexley have invested in this small but light and airy bar, adding an outside seating area and renovating a room at the back. The pub has helped embed the brewery in the community; the back room is used for a number of regular events from life drawing and a camera club to quarterly pub quizzes and beer festivals.
Although Bexley has a future with Cameron and Becky, neither Jane nor Cliff have any intention of retiring soon and they are still thinking about future developments. Cliff wants to improve the efficiency of the brewery, including reducing the brewing time, “making the brewing day a bit more accessible”. Bexley might also consider a second pub but their ethos is ‘focus on what you need to do and be consistent; stick to your guns’. Visit the Bird & Barrel and you can see why micropubs, and this one in particular, are so popular but, if you can’t get there, try visiting their on-line shop for probably the best range of bottle-conditioned beer in the capital. Go to www.bexleybrewery.co.uk. For tasting notes from London’s Tasting Panel, go to the regional website, www.london.camra.org.uk.
Christine Cryne