Beer News : November 2015

London is awash with beer. Not just any old beer - great beer. Call it craft beer if you like, but let's not argue about it - enjoy it. And yes, it tends to be more expensive than Stella. Shock horror.

I'm going to speedily run through a load of new places that have opened up recently, and look ahead to a couple of beery events that are coming up before Christmas.

Let's start with three big hitters - Brewdog, Camden Town Brewery and Craft Beer Co. - all of whom have opened up new boozers in November.

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Brewdog Soho - 21 Poland Street, Soho, W1F 8QG

Hot on the heels of launching DogEatDog in Angel, Brewdog have opened up a two-floor beer bar on Poland Street just seconds away from Oxford Street. Each floor has 20 taps (the same lines) full of Brewdog brews and guest beers (e.g. Mikeller, Ballast Point, Stone), and there's a full food menu on offer too.

Brewdog often design stripped back bars, but they let loose every now and then too. The Battersea Rise outpost is particularly funky, and the neon red-lights all over this 5th London site are a welcome nod to Soho. There's even a craft beer sex-line in the basement...

Five Brewdog bars not enough for you? They will soon be launching Brewdog Clerkenwell having taken over the short-lived Fourteenth Colonie restaurant and bar down the road from the Zetter Townhouse. It's due to open on December 11th.

More photos from Brewdog Soho are up on Matt The Tumblr and Facebook

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Camden's Daughter - 289-291 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2JS

Camden Town Brewery started life in the basement of The Horseshoe Pub in Hampstead (now a refurbished CTB outpost) when Jasper Cuppaige started brewing beer for fun back in 2010. He soon moved the operation into seven Victorian railway arches by Kentish Town West station, and never looked back. They are now one of the most successful breweries in London, and you'll probably have seen their beers (especially their cans) all over town.

Earlier this year, they announced that they were taking over the ever-so-slightly dodgy O'Reilly's pub on Kentish Town Road. They have finally finished the refurb and launched Camden's Daughter, a "beer and snack bar" with a focus on kebabs (including a takeaway hatch). Sounds great right? Not to E.Mono kebabs next door, an extremely popular local joint that Giles Coren famously gave 8/10 to back in 2012. All's fair in love and war I guess.

Camden's Daughter has 13 taps, mostly their own beers with a few guests (including Kernel, Burning Sky and Tiny Rebel on our visit) plus more in the fridges.

Lamb, chicken and veggie kebabs will set you back £4.50, and they are fine examples of the genre, if not mindblowing. Tempting snacks include Aubergine Dip + Flatbread and Fried Chicken + Hot Sauce, and the Chips with Lamb Gray & Cheese are hard to resist. There are also set meals (though no prices visible for those yet), kids discounts (£4 for a chicken wrap and chips), and an £8 weekend breakfast served from 11am-3pm Sat-Sun.

On that note, Camden's Daughter opens every day at 11am, serving Crosstown Doughnuts and Caravan Coffee - £4 for unlimited filter coffee and a doughnut from 11am-3pm every day. Not too shabby.

Whilst you are in Kentish Town for beer, you might want to check out Caps and Taps, and Clapton Craft - two specialist bottle and growler refill shops that coincidentally opened very near each other a couple of months ago.

More photos from Camden's Daughter are up on Matt The Tumblr

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Craft Beer Co. St Mary Axe - 29-31 Mitre Street, EC3A 5BU

Craft Beer Co. pubs come in all shapes and sizes. Brixton's quirky outpost with dreadful seats is probably my favourite just ahead of the more conventional Clapham Common pub and beer garden, whilst the Covent Garden site is too thin leading to total carnage at peak times, and has a pretty soulless basement. So what would a brand new Craft Beer Co. right next to the Gherkin bring?

10 cask ales, 18 kegs, and a great selection of bottles for starters. The page dedicated to Lambics is tempting, but high prices for small bottles of Cantillon, Oud Beersel & co. are still off-putting. The décor is very tasteful, both externally and on the inside, and the basement is a cut above Covent Garden. There's plenty of space, atmospheric candles, comfy seats, and eye catching paraphernalia adorning the walls. Great news for City boys and girls, though of course it's only open Mon-Fri.

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The Resting Hare - Woburn Walk, WC1H 0JL

Fans of Holborn Whippet, Pelt Trader and Euston Tap - rejoice! A fourth pub has arrived, just round the corner from the mighty Euston Tap, on Woburn Walk. The Resting Hare has 9 beer taps (and 1 cider) on a tap island behind the bar, plus 4 hand pulls, wine, and cocktails on offer. The beer aims to cater to all with everything from Bitburger to Wild Beer Co.

It's a big site, with outdoor space that will come into its own in the summer months. A large kitchen with a Josper grill is currently being built beneath the bar. They aim to start serving food in January.

N.B. They have also finally got the go ahead for Waterloo Tap which is great news for the area. However, it won't be ready til late February at the earliest. Good things come to those who wait!

More photos from The Resting Share are up on Matt The Tumblr.

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The Other Room Beer Bar - 60 Tower Bridge Road SE1 4TR

My good friends at Bermondsey Arts Club have quietly opened a modest beer bar a few doors down from their basement boozer on Tower Bridge Road. Six taps will be mostly pouring Bermondsey based beers, with three of them permanently dedicated to Fourpure brews. It's a dark, cosy joint, perfect for this time of year, with low-lit booths and some stylish design touches. The plethora of paintings will keep you entertained, as will Thomas the friendly the bartender from Montpelier. They are currently working on a Californian dinner and brunch menu.

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Bottle Shop News

I recently put up a post on bottle shop bars in collaboration with Jezza at Beer Guide London, which we'll endeavour to keep up to date! 

The latest addition to that superior-sub-category is We Brought Beer's second site in Clapham Junction which I finally got round to visiting. As you can see on Tumblr, I was quite taken with their neon blue lights. The new shop is bigger than the Balham original, with a garden out back and a useful tasting room upstairs for ‘meet the brewer’ events and brewing workshops. Once again, there are 4 draft lines for growler fills and on-site drinking, along with 400+ bottles to drink in or takeaway. There’s also plenty of equipment for the avid home brewer.

P.S. They've recently launched an bottle / growler club monthly subscription service - more details here.

Elsewhere, One Mile End brewery have taken over The Alma on Chapel Market (Islington), turning it into a pub / bottle shop / hotel hybrid! And the mysterious Inkspot Brewery have opened up Art & Craft - a small bottle shop and growler station in Streatham selling beer, cider, coffee and art.

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Brewery Taproom News

A year or so go, I was up-to-date on brewery taprooms, but now they are opening at such a rate that I just can't keep up. There are currently 79 breweries operating within the M25, many of which open up to serve their beer fresh to locals and beer tourists. See Jezza's full list on Beer Guide London here. Recently I've been in to Mondo Brewing in Battersea, Canopy Beer Co. in Herne Hill, and Bullfinch Brewery, also in Herne Hill.

Mondo Brewing hit the ground running in the backstreets of Battersea with a massive brewkit and an epic taproom with up to 15 taps (including a couple of guests) in operation. Sit at the bar and chat to the friendly owners who will happily give you a tour of the brewery, or a grab a large table, order in pizza, and settle in. Check opening times here.

Photo Credit : Beer Guide London

Canopy Beer Co.'s taproom near Brockwell Park is part of their brewery railway arch - a no frills , family friendly space with a few fresh beers available on tap or in bottles, plus local cider, gin, wine and soft drinks. Outside, there's some canopy covered seating next to an eye-catching wall of technicolor doodles which you can contribute to if you so wish! Check opening times here.

Bullfinch Brewery built up a loyal following whilst brewing out of Anspach & Hobday's archway in Bermondsey, but now they've settled down in a slightly more spacious arch, not far from Canopy Beer Co. in Herne Hill. It's a really nice spot for a pint, especially as they've avoided the dreaded foldaway "Bermondsey" benches that are not built for beer drinkers. Expect up to 12 beers from 8 kegs and 4 handpumps. Check opening times here.

Elsewhere, Moncada Brewery (Notting Hill), Signature Brew (Leyton) and Brixton Brewery have recently made their taprooms permanent.

Older taprooms still on my to-do list include Wild Card Brewery (Walthamstow), London Beer Factory (Gipsy Hill) and Gipsy Hill Brewing, plus Weird Beard Brew (Ealing) and Hammerton (Islington) that occasionally open. Redchurch Brewery continue to go from strength to strength, and their lovely Bethnal Green taproom round the corner from Mother Kelly's is now open three days a week.

Taprooms in Bermondsey are constantly changing their times, and improving (or scaling down) their offering - Twitter is your best bet for keeping up with them. Kernel recently stopped selling beer to drink in on Saturdays, whilst online shop Eebria have set up a taproom round the corner from Partizan.

Over in Hackney Wick, Crate Brewery have launched Mick's Garage next door to their brewery, with Crate beers, Shukshuk BBQ from Berber & Q, and a fermented tea bar! It's a shame it wasn't up and running in time for my London Fields to Hackney Wick jaunt.

Meanwhile, Late Knights Brewery have quietly opened up a new Beer Rebellion in Sydenham, their 5th pub in London, and 7th in the UK. Sneaky.

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Brewery News

A few new breweries have popped up, and many more are on the way - I'm expecting some to emerge from UBrew soon.

- Maregade Brew Co. is a new brewery operating out of the basement of The Cock Tavern near Hackney Central.  It was recently vacated by Howling Hops after they built an awesome tank bar in Hackney Wick next door to Crate Brewery. Maregade beers are already on offer at the pub upstairs.

- Wimbledon Brewery is a 30 barrel operation headed up by Derek Prentice in Collier's Wood (not Wimbledon!) - a taproom is on the way. 

- Long Arm Brewing Co. - The ETM group (Jugged Hare, The Botanist Sloane Square) created its own craft beer brand at The Ealing Tavern, and their Long Arm Brewing Co. beers are now making their way around London, in bottle, cask and keg form. There are currently four beers to choose from - Lucky Penny pale ale, Birdie Flipper red ale, IPA OK, and Shadow Wolf smoked stout. Click here for more photos from a recent press launch at Flight Club Darts bar in Shoreditch.

Photo Credit : Marcel Le Bachelet

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Beer Events

There are tap takeovers, meet the brewer events, and beer launches almost every day around London at the likes of We Brought Beer (Balham / Battersea), The Rake (London Bridge), and The King's Arms (Bethnal Green). Leighton's London Beer Guide Twitter feed (not to be confused with Jezza's Beer Guide London feed!) does a great job of spotting events in good time. Here's a few that I'm looking forward to:

- 26th Nov - Beer "Speed Dating" - Find your ideal beer at We Brought Beer

- 28th Nov - London Brewers' Market - 26 breweries take over Old Spitalfields Market

- 4th Dec - Carols at Anspach & Hobday - 'tis the saison to be jolly? No?

- 4th Dec - Brew By Numbers 3rd Birthday - Taproom party and launch of Baltic Porter series

- 13th Dec - Weird Beard Open Day - Christmas Cranberry Stouts & Tequila-Barrel Aged beers

I'm actually putting together a choir for the Christmas Carols at A&H on the 4th December. If you are a singer who likes a beer or two, get in touch below. We always need more tenors and altos!

That's all for now folks!

Italo Deli - Craft Beer Co WC1 - Graphic Bar

A quick round up of a few bits and bobs from the last couple of days:

Friday May 9th - Bonnington Square is one of Vauxhall's best kept secrets, a peaceful retreat tucked away just a minute's walk from the station.  Amongst an impressive array of plantlife, you will find Bonnington Café (a charming vegetarian restaurant) and Italo Deli.

Bonnington Café is fairly well known for its rotating chefs (who you must email to secure a booking) and affordable prices (3 courses for £14, BYOB), but Italo Deli deserves attention too.  

I stopped off here for lunch, and found myself surrounded by several familiar products from my Saturday jaunts around Bermondsey.  Coleman Coffee, La Grotta Ice Cream and Kernel Beers sat amongst artisan cheeses & meats, fresh pasta, fruit & veg, pastries & Rococo chocolates.  I took a seat with a Coleman flat white, before filling up with a bowl of Conchiglie with Pork Belly & Creamed Peas.  There were several tempting lunch offerings including Asparagus Soup with Buttered Hazelnuts & Creme Fraiche and the mysterious Salad of beautiful things.

I had such a lovely time chatting away to locals that I found myself returning after work for an al fresco beer with colleagues.  It stays open til 7.30 on weekdays (2pm on weekends) so it is not intending to be a bar, but its a great spot for a couple of drinks.  The beers were sold at retail prices so Kernel bottles were a steal at £2.30.  They have just opened up a large pavement outside so it will really come into its own in the summer months.  Go and check it out next week when they are having a street party!

Vauxhall is very much on the up with railway arches providing the best spaces once again (much like Paradise Row in Bethnal Green).  Dirty Burger arrived a few months ago, Vauxhall have been running a pop-up cinema, and a new VauxWall climbing centre just opened.  In a couple of weeks time Dram & Smoke are rocking up with a Scottish pop-up restaurant in a Vauxhall steelyard, promising scran, bevvy and general flumgummerie - launching 23rd May, book tickets here.

Dram & Smoke Scottish Pop-Up Restaurant coming soon

After a couple of Kernels at Italo Deli, I made my way over to the new Craft Beer Co in Covent Garden, their 5th London site after Clerkenwell, Islington, Brixton and Clapham.  No need to go into great detail - it does what it says on the tin, only this time there are a whopping 45 taps! Alongside the beers is a superb spirits selection and the reliabley tasty Forty Burgers - don't leave without dipping some Bacon Dust chips into a pile of Bloody Mary Ketchup.

It was totally rammed, no surprise given its location.  There are a few tables tucked away downstairs which most punters won't notice though.  It's just down the road from the Cross Keys, one of the two Brodie's Beers pubs in Central London.  We ended up at the other, The Old Coffee House in Soho, after a failed attempt to try out the new Soho Grind espresso & cocktail bar (sister to Shoreditch Grind) which isn't quite ready to open in the evenings yet.  It should be open soon though, with their own coffee blend and a little speakeasy bar tucked behind a sliding door.

I was back in Soho again the next day for some drinks at Graphic Bar, well known for its extensive gin selection and cocktails in paint pots!  I intended to drop into Churchill's Port House pop-up for dinner beforehand but had a rare case of exhaustion and sent along some friends to check it out instead.

Tasty tapas is matched with Churchill ports over 3 floors in Greek Street.  The Salmon Tartare with Avocado and Crusted port in particular got a big thumbs up, as did the atmosphere & service.  I think I might need to go along myself soon...

Anyway, I made it in to Graphic Bar for a couple of drinks. It's a good looking bar with rotating urban art covering the walls. I have popped in during the day when it is nice and relaxed, but it was in full on bar club mode when I arrived - not ideal! That said, they were turning out some impressive drinks to big crowds - a bitter sweet Hanky Panky was particularly delicious, and there was some fun OTT Tiki bartending with smoking skulls and blowtorches.  If you are going for the gin, you might want to head to Juniper Club that takes place every Monday at 7pm.

Finally, as a Battersea local, I'm excited about the Fabulous Feast, starting this week on St. John's Hill:

FABULOUS FEAST

Monday 12 May to Sunday 18 May 2013

St John’s Hill, Battersea 

What? A week long celebration of food & drink featuring exclusive menus for £15 and a food festival event 

When? Monday 12 May to Sunday 18 May 2013 - main event on Saturday 17th May

Who? The Traders Association of St John’s Hill, with support from the Clapham Junction Town Centre Partnership

Where? The bars, restaurants, pubs, cafes & eateries on St John’s Hill in Battersea 

Why? To invite people to enjoy the fantastic collection of eateries which line this popular South London street.

Back by popular demand the third annual Fabulous Feast on St John’s Hill. Reports from diners and traders were so positive, that they are pleased to announce the Hill will be hosting a third feast this year. Since last May, a selection of new food & drink venues have opened their doors on the street, so this year’s event promises to be bigger and even more diverse than the last. This event will take place from 12th until the 18th May 2013, with the big Food Festival event taking place on Saturday 17th. 

In the spirit of collaboration, the traders of the Hill have invited all quality food & drink producers to take part in this year’s event. They may not have local farms, but the brighter borough is full of fantastic food & drink producers and this will be an event that will showcase the delicious offerings from near and far.

This event will also feature the 2nd annual Great Battersea Bake Off. Bring your best baked delights to the Hill on Saturday 17 where award winning master patissier and international baker Eric Lanlard, owner of local cafe Cake Boy, will be judging this year’s winner. This tasty competition will be split into two categories: one for children and one for adults. Enter the children’s category and face this year’s challenge to bake something which celebrates the English strawberry! For the adult category, you must whip up your best Victoria sponge. We were overwhelmed with the amount of entrants last year so have your baking mitts at the ready! 

During the week long “feast”, each participating venue will offer an exclusive £15 menu to its diners. The eateries and drinking spots which line the Hill will use this as their opportunity to showcase their specialities. Each venue will offer something different for £15. A list of these offers will be published on the street website: www.stjohnshill.co.uk. These special menus proved extremely popular with diners and restaurants reported that they welcomed many new customers during that special week. 

On the Saturday, visitors will find the Hill filled with live food & drink events such as cookery demos, interactive classes and tutored tastings. There will also be a wonderful array of quality visiting food & drink stalls, including a selection of London’s well-known street food sellers. Learn to cook the perfect steak, mix a great cocktail and get hands-on with filleting fish alongside the experts from each venue kitchen.  This is the day for discerning eaters and keen cooks to enjoy the special events at the host venues on the Hill and to browse, taste and shop at the wonderful selection of top quality food stalls which will crowd the pavements from 11am til 5pm.