{"id":3493,"date":"2023-05-25T16:48:51","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T16:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=3493"},"modified":"2023-05-31T12:18:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T12:18:38","slug":"brewery-news-may-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2023\/05\/25\/brewery-news-may-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Brewery news – May 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A VIEW OF THE TRADE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), as reported in the Morning Advertiser (6 April), during the first three months of 2023 there was a net loss of just four breweries in the UK. England lost eight, Scotland lost one, Northern Ireland stayed the same and Wales went up by five! South east England, which I assume includes London, lost four. It is understood that these figures refer only to SIBA members so there may have been others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around the same time, a report from the accountancy group, UHY Hacker Young, as quoted by the British Guild of Beer Writers, said that the 25 top performing independent breweries in the UK had seen their turnover increase during 2022 by 32% (from \u00a3998 million to \u00a31.32 billion). Independent here is defined as not having any significant shareholding held by multinational drinks companies. That said, turnover has not returned to the level seen before the pandemic. It had been \u00a31.57 billion in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As much as this sounds encouraging, the changes from 1 April may yet take their toll. It’s difficult to sell cask beer if there are no pubs left (see the News & Views column).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LONDON LOSSES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, the more recent news has not been so encouraging. The directors of the Mad Yank Brewery have applied to close the company. They were based in Pinner and produced keg and bottled beers which they sold on-line and to local bars and shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 5 May the Justdrinks website reported that both Brick Brewery and Brew By Numbers had given formal notice of their intention to appoint administrators. These legal notices have the effect of preventing any creditors from taking debt recovery action for ten days while arrangements are put in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brew By Numbers was founded in Bermondsey in 2011 and, in 2021, moved to larger premises in Greenwich. Brick Brewery was founded in 2013 in a railway arch behind Peckham Rye station. Brewing was subsequently moved to premises in Deptford, with the taproom remaining on the original site.
Urban Alchemy in Barnet closed their taproom on 26 March. The Chipping Workshop project, of which it was part, was coming to an end anyway. After providing the beer for a couple of local events this summer, brewing will be suspended until the financial situation improves. As they said in a Facebook post, it is \u2018not a good time to be a small brewery at the mo but hopefully will pick it all up again when times are better\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRONX OPEN TAP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Cronx gave up their site at Boxpark Croydon in September 2021, they said that \u2018We are hopeful to be able to welcome you to a new Cronx venue sometime in the future\u2019. That time has come with the opening, over the Coronation weekend, of a bar at 71 High Street, Croydon (CR0 1QE). The site had previously been a Chinese takeaway and a kebab shop. The bar at Boxpark made it into the Good Beer Guide so we wish them well with this venture. Check social media for opening times and other details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FIVE POINTS BREWING CO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April, the Hackney based brewery produced a witbier called At Wit\u2019s End. This was brewed in collaboration with the organisation Women For Refugee Women to mark International Women\u2019s Day and to raise funds to support women who have had to flee persecution and seek asylum in the UK. The beer, a refreshing choice for spring, is 5.5% ABV and pale sunshine yellow in colour. It is brewed with Citra hops, with the addition of coriander, lemon and orange peel, and finished with elderflower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brewery\u2019s XPA (extra pale ale 4% ABV) is now gluten free in cask, keg and can. Greg Hobbs, the director of brewing, said, \u201cI am thrilled that our award-winning XPA is now even more accessible to beer drinkers everywhere. It has long been an ambition to add a gluten free option to our range and to achieve that with our already much-loved XPA is extremely exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FULLER\u2019S CORONATION ALE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April, Fuller\u2019s produced a limited edition 5.5% ABV bitter called Coronation King\u2019s Ale. Alas, I did not find out about it in time for the previous edition and it has probably all gone now! As their contribution to the celebrations, Fuller\u2019s made ten casks of the beer available in an on-line random draw which was open to anyone who had registered with their local council to run a Big Coronation Lunch street party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LONDON BEER FACTORY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LBF have vacated their site in West Norwood and brewing will restart at a new brewery in Norfolk, although this has yet to be commissioned. They have retained a sales office in London and are still involved in the Barrel Project in Bermondsey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MONDO OPEN NEW TAPROOM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few minutes\u2019 walk from Borough Market and the Rake, this new taproom, called Beer & Pizza, was over 18 months in the planning. Based in a vibrant area, it\u2019s a joint venture between Mondo Brewing Company and Joe Public Pizzas. You can watch your food being prepared while you order your beer. The bar has 16 taps, currently all Mondo\u2019s, but Todd Matteson, one of the owners, said, \u201cIn due course, we hope to have some more unusual imported American beer on sale.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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Six of their current beers are dispensed via gleaming copper tanks affixed to the ceiling, as can be seen in the photo. You can get a better view of them from the small upstairs seating area. What however is likely to prove the star attraction in the summer months is the outside seating area. The tap room is currently opening seven days a week but hours are likely to be variable for a while yet so check before going; see https:\/\/mondobeer.com\/location\/beer-pizza\/<\/a>. The full address is Arch 232 Bank End SE1 9FJ.
Christine Cryne<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARTIZAN BREWING<\/strong>
In response to the current economic problems, Partizan have left their site in Bermondsey and have moved to Market Harborough in Leicester where they have linked up with the Langton Brewery. They have taken their equipment with them and plan to continue brewing much as before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIGNATURE BREW<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signature Brew have always had close links to the music industry and this has now been reinforced by a partnership with Rough Trade Records. Signature\u2019s core beer range, Studio Lager, Roadie All Night IPA and Backstage IPA, will be available at Rough Trade\u2019s stores in East London, Bristol, and Nottingham. There will also be a range of specials in cans. The arrangement started in good time for Record Store Day in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TINY VESSEL BREWING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday 7 February, CAMRA\u2019s Richmond & Hounslow Branch visited the Northumberland Arms in Brentford (TW8 8JB, by the canal bridge) for the specific purpose of presenting a certificate to Ivailo (Ivo) Penev, the licensee, who is also of the owner of the Tiny Vessel brewery. The certificate celebrates his beer, Dark Matter (a 4.5% ABV porter), being voted Joint Beer of the Festival at the 2019 Twickenham Beer Festival. Yes, it took a long time but we have had quite a lot of lockdown time since then and Ivo also spent quite a while refurbishing the pub, reopening in October 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n

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The presentation was made at the pub because the brewery, located on Platts Eyot in the Thames at Hampton, is a very small building (shed may be a better description), does not have a tap room and is pretty inaccessible. The island is private and a bit out of the way. As pictured, during a short break in a regular jazz jam session, brewery liaison officer, Andy Pirson, took advantage of the band\u2019s PA system to make the announcement to the assembled company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WIMBLEDON<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brewery continue to collect awards. The latest was in the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) national competition. Common Pale Ale (3.7& ABV) won a gold award in the South of England section (British cask ale category), followed by a silver in the national awards. The latest addition to their \u2018specials and occasionals\u2019 range was Best Bitter (4.3% ABV). A clarification is needed from the last edition. Only the six category winners from the Champion Winter Beer of Britain go through to the Champion Beer of Britain judging at the Great British Beer Festival and unfortunately Copper Leaf was not one of those.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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