CAMRA’s Greater London Region introduced the annual John Young Memorial Award in 2007 to celebrate the memory of John Young and his impact on real ale and pubs within London. The award is presented to an individual or organisation that the London branches of CAMRA believe has made a substantial contribution to promoting real ale and/or pubs within the Greater London area. Nominations are made by the London branches and voted on by them. The award is not open to volunteers or groups within
CAMRA.
I’m pleased to announce that the winner this year, nominated by the Kingston & Leatherhead branch, is Paddy Johnson, one of the four founders of the Windsor & Eton Brewery (WEBREW) in 2010. Paddy was initially their master brewer and is now production director. He previously worked at Courage’s brewery in Horselydown Lane, Southwark, where he met fellow WEBREW founder Will Calvert. The first beer that Paddy worked on was the iconic (and much missed) Imperial Russian Stout (10% ABV). He went on to become head brewer there, overseeing the production of 528 million pints per annum.
Paddy and Will subsequently helped to found the London Brewers Alliance. The LBA seeks to promote brewing in London and encourage co-operation between breweries. It currently has a membership of over 70 breweries.
WEBREW have gone from strength to strength and offer a wide range of cask and keg beers. Their beer style is ‘hop forward’ and their core cask ales are Knight of the Garter (3.8% ABV golden ale) and Guardsman (4.2% ABV best bitter). Knight of the Garter is a regular beer at the Hope in Carshalton but the beers are widely available in London.
The presentation has been arranged for Sunday 3 November at 1pm and the honours will be performed by Torquil Sligo-Young, John’s nephew. It will be held at WEBREW’s brewery tap, the Unit 4 Taproom, 4 Vansittart Estate, Duke Street. For details and to register, go here.
Trains from Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside station run every 30 minutes and the journey time is just under an hour. There is also a service from Paddington to Windsor & Eton Central, changing at Slough. The walk to the brewery is 15 minutes or 10 minutes respectively.
WEBREW have their own pub, the George Inn in the High Street, Eton. They also supply beer to a community pub, the Swan in Clewer, and to an arts venue, the Old Court. WEBREW offer brewery tours on Saturday afternoons and also offer a range of corporate tour packages. Full details of their venues are available here.
Christine Cryne
