It all began back in 2014 (or thereabouts) when Patrick Mulligan had a bright idea. His family had been involved in running pubs and he had continued that tradition. He had always bought beer from breweries and wholesalers so he thought ‘why not produce our own beers’?
Patrick set up a tiny brewery in the cellars of the White Hart pub in Whitechapel. It was originally called Mulligans but the address, One Mile End, provided more of an inspiration and the new brewery was in business. The kit was given a once over by John Keeling of Fuller’s fame who said ‘Yeah that will brew beer’. Within a short time it was clear that the brewery did not have the capacity needed to match the demand for the beer and so a search was on for something bigger. Sometimes fate takes a hand. Redemption Brewery were moving into bigger premises around the corner in Tottenham. So in 2016, One Mile End took over their old premises. They have now been joined in nearby units by Bohem and Ora: this little enclave could one day provide the northern equivalent of the Bermondsey Mile!
Pierre Warburton is the current brewer and only the third, following Simon (who went abroad) and then Ollie (who joined Fourpure on the day they were taken over by Lion). Pierre explained how he got there, “I did a masters in geology, focusing on gold production. I came to London to find a job as an analyst but I got talking to brewers. One Mile End was expanding and asked me to join them and that was almost four years ago.”
One Mile End is a smallish operation brewing three times a week with a 12.5 barrel brew length. In running the brewery, Pierre is joined by just Sam, the other co-director and Terry as the sales manager. The brewery has not stagnated since its move to Tottenham. As Pierre explained, “There has been the removal of the open fermenters and a move to closed, conical ones and we are expecting delivery of another two shortly.” Changes have also occurred with the beer sales, as Pierre clarified: “20% is now cask with 20% cans and the rest keg. About 40% of the beer goes through Patrick’s pubs, the White Hart and the Alma, both in N1.”
The beer range has also been tweaked. Patrick explained, “Paler, fruity beers are at our heart. This is why we have dropped the mild (Great Tom); it didn’t really fit with our image.” That doesn’t however mean that all the beers will be pale. “We intend to do a sessionable stout but it will be towards Christmas when this will take off”, added Pierre. Core beers include Juicy 4pm, Snakecharmer, Salvation and Jazz Police but look out for the deliciously strong Pierre de Garde, which gets better and better with age.
Getting hold of One Mild End’s beers is easier than for a lot of smaller breweries. There is a tap room, open on Saturdays, as well as the two pubs which happen to be based near markets: the White Hart in Whitechapel Market and the Alma in Chapel Market. They provide a good excuse for combining some shopping with a good reason to pop into these locally focused pubs and find some tasty refreshment!
Christine Cryne
For tasting notes on all the beers tasted by the London Tasting Panel, visit the brewery page on the Regional website: www.london.camra.org.uk.