BRIXTON HEAD NORTH
Brixton Brewery are running out of space at their site in Herne Hill (SE24) and, with the expiry of their lease in view, they have decided to move in with the Beavertown Brewery at their ‘state of the art’ brewery in Enfield (EN3 7SP) which has a brewing capacity of 500,000 hectolitres. This move is facilitated by both companies being wholly owned by Heineken UK. Some Brixton beers have already been produced at Enfield, so the transition is expected to be seamless. Brixton will however be keeping their taproom in Brixton, along with their adjacent original brewery which will be used for small-batch projects. The announcement confirmed that Jez Galaun, one of the co-founders, remains the managing director.
FOURPURE HEAD EVEN FURTHER NORTH
WEBREW’s recent crowdfunding campaign proved to be a great success. Something similar is happening with the Bermondsey based Fourpure Brewing Company. They are owned by the In Good Company (IGC) group who also own Huddersfield based Magic Rock and FourPure will be moving in with Magic Rock. Fourpure’s taproom on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, established in 2013, will close but IGC are looking for another site in London. Fourpure are trading well, with sales up by 41.7% this year against last, and IGC say that the move will ‘future proof the business amidst a challenging time for the craft beer and hospitality industries’.
GERMAN KRAFT GO CONTINENTAL
German Kraft have made their international dreams a reality with the opening in February of their brewery and tap room in Vienna. They are using the same ten hectolitre kit as they use in their London sites, which meant that their UK based brewers were able to assist in setting up the new venture. As in London, they are serving direct from tanks with no bottles or cans. The beer is however unfiltered to meet local tastes and wheat is added to some of the beers. Unlike in London, the brewing liquor (water) comes from the mountains! German Kraft hope that Vienna will be the first of a number of outlets in Europe, although they are still expanding in the UK, with one in Tranmere on the Wirral to be added to their existing sites in Brixton, Mayfair, Dalston and Elephant and Castle. For more details go to www.germankraft.com.
Christine Cryne
GRITCHIE BREWING CLOSES
The Gritchie Brewing Company, founded by Hollywood film director Guy Ritchie, has ceased brewing and will close when stocks run out. The brewery, founded in 2018, was based at Mr Ritchie’s Ashcombe Estate, near Shaftesbury in Wiltshire. In London, the main outlet for the beers, including English Lore and Moon Lore, was the Lore of the Land pub in Fitzrovia. The pub continues to trade.
GREEN HOP SEASON
The hop harvest has been taking place, so look out for green hop beers. These are beers which are brewed with ‘green’ hops, those that are fresh from the bine as opposed to dried ones which is the usual practice. Shepherd Neame launched their version, Hop Pocket (4.5% ABV), in A ugust at the Faversham Hop Festival which they sponsor. One of their brewers helped to pick the hops used at Parsonage Farm, near Faversham, which is owned by respected hop grower Antony Rudgard-Redsell.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Twickenham Fine Ales, who are now London’s oldest independent brewer, celebrated their 20th birthday in August. Director Ben Norman said, “It’s great to be here for twenty years and we look forward to being with you for the next twenty! And we remain proud to be a cask led brewer“.
The photo (L to R) shows Hugh O’Neill, the head brewer, Ben Norman and Max Wiltshire, the second brewer. As part of the celebrations, TFA have brewed a special beer called Vicennial, which means occurring every twenty years. The 6% ABV beer is a collaboration with hop factors Hopsteiner and is brewed with Solero and a new experimental hop called HS16660. The beer has a punchy hop aroma with notes of tropical fruit, rose and citrus.
WINDSOR & ETON ARE WINNERS
Congratulations to WEBREW who did well at the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) South East and London awards on 23 August. They won four medals, bringing their total for this year to an outstanding 17!
The winning beers were:
- Gold Medal – Special IPA’s (Keg) category: Caught By the Fuzz (5.8% ABV);
- Gold Medal – Premium Lagers (Keg) category: Republika (4.8% ABV);
- Silver Medal – Cask Session Dark Beers category: Sligo Bay (4% ABV);
- Bronze Medal – Continental Style Beers (Keg) category: Diablo Rojo (8.4% ABV).
Paddy Johnson, their production director, said, “It’s gratifying to see our beers recognised once again in such a respected competition. Winning across various categories highlights the hard work and skill of our brewing team in the breadth of styles we are known for. Despite being a small brewery, these awards show we are competing at the highest level both in the UK and internationally”. For more news about Paddy, see page here.