Beers

It’s late morning on Saturday and after a hearty breakfast we are off to tackle the famous London brewery crawl, the Bermondsey Beer Mile. This activity, still very much testosterone driven, is similar to a pub crawl except the challenge is to visit all five breweries running along the 1.5 mile long route south of the Thames in just 4 hours.

Although not quite as hard core as Three Peak Challenge, planning is crucial. Carbs and protein lined stomach, comfortable shoes and plenty of water reserves are highly recommended. And if you want to look the part, skinny jeans, pointy shoes and Ray Ban sunglasses would be perfect.

Undertaking this a second time, I believe the best option is to start at Fourpure. Arriving at 12.30pm and it is packed already with stag parties, hipsters clutching to their pints and a few tourists but let that not put you off. The vibe is friendly and no matter how full the tables are there is always a spot to squeeze your butt.

 

FOURPURE

22 Bermondsey Trading Estate, Rotherhide New Road, SE16 3LL

Taproom opens every Saturday 11m – 5pm

What to drink:

Skyline American Wheat Ale (4.8%) – 60% pale ale/ 40% wheat ale – American Galaxy hops – bready yeasty fresh taste with typical zesty touch of ripe lemon

London Beer City – Pacific pale Ale (4.3%) – bone dry, sour, thirst-quenching, light hoppy taste with floral summery feel
IMG_6253Amber Ale (5.1%) – Willamette hops – light, dry style, toasty, nutty with tropical and spicy notes, malty almost brandy like edge

 

Pilsner (4.7%) – stylish classic golden lager

Session IPA (4.2%) – my favourite session beer, just perfect balance between plenty of flavours yet being refreshing and satisfying
As of 5 September, Kernel no longer serve beer to drink at the brewery. Their popularity has meant that their space just could not accommodate all the beer enthusiasts. I agree with their decision as our experience of 20 minutes waiting for a drink in a humid sweaty dome seemed rather pointless. I truly hope that the plans to create a more suitable space will happen soon as their extensive range of IPAs and Pale Ales rock.

THE KERNEL

Arch 11, Dockley Industrial Estate, SE16 3SF

Taproom closed (temporarily)

What to drink:

Table Beer (3.1%) – the alcohol level ranges from 2.9-3.3% depending on the batch, the best example of low alcohol ale without compromising any of its hoppy flavours, my favourite lunch beer

Export Stout (7.1%) – rich dark chocolate, malty, almost caramel-like thickness with burnt espresso bitterness and sweet touch

Partizan beers are easily noticeable and memorable thanks to their unique artwork (courtesy of Alec Doherty) and ever changing American hop varieties for the IPAs and Pale Ales. They also offer Saisons galore if you like that bone dry sour style using some cool flavours such as Lemongrass, Lemon and Thyme, Raspberry and Lemon, Nelson etc.

PARTIZAN

8 Almond Street, SE16 3LR

Taproom opens every Saturday 11am – 5pm

What to drink:

Pale Ale Cascade, Chinook, Apollo, Willamette (4.5%) – edgy hoppy with zesty twist, fresh oranges, honeydew melon, candied fruits

IPA Mandarina Bavaria (4.5%) – tropical citrusy lift with ripe tangerines and oranges, sweet fruity flavours mingling with bitter hoppy herbal notes

Negroni Saison (6.5%) – was launch in August and unbelievably I have not tried it yet but I have a feeling it will be worth it…

 

BREW BY NUMBERS

79 Enid Street, SE16 3RA

Taproom opens every Saturday 10am – 5pm

What to drink:

Black IPA Yakima Valley (6.1%) – Amarillo, Chinook & Simcoe hops – dark chocolate, malty, sweet coffee, roasted walnuts, spicy

Barrel Aged Traditional Porter (8.5%) – aged in Jim Beam whiskey barrels – incredible intensity and concentration of rich bourbon, burnt caramel, roasted espresso and long strong finish

White IPA Citra Motueka (7%) – bitter grapefruit and lime with creamy bready hoppy mouth feel, very refreshing and satisfying, my favourite white IPA

ANSPACH & HOBDAY

118 Druid Street, SE1 2HH

Taproom opens every Friday 5 – 9.30pm & Saturday 11am – 5.30pm & Sunday 12 – 5pm

What to drink:

The Smoked Brown (6%) – smoky, almost meaty style, malty and sweetly oaky finish

Table Porter (2.8%) – smooth light dark coffee notes, offers bags of flavours despite such low alcohol level

By the time the last drop of beautifully rich and complex Anspach & Hobday Porter was savoured, we were ready for more food. I highly recommend Jose Pizzaro – a sherry and tapas bar on Bermondsey Street.

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Camden Town Brewery

A DAY IN CAMDEN TOWN BREWERY

As a beer lover I usually only make it to the bar – visiting several last weekend in Brussels – but today was different.  James and Christine gave me a little tour of the Camden Town Brewery based underneath Kentish Town West station, only 5 minutes from my house.

Everyone is welcome to visit. In fact, every Thursday they run public tours from 6pm. There is also a Brewery Bar and Street Food Stands on Thu – Sat 12noon -11pm.

At first glance, brewing beer seems like a pretty straightforward process – all you need is water, cereal grains (barley, rye or oats), Humulus Lupulus and Saccharomyces Cerevisiea.  However, a lot can go wrong to affect the final quality of the brew.  But with beer you cannot just say ‘’It was a bad vintage” as you can with wine, we all expect 100% consistency. It is a tough job but the guys at CB do it so well and they produce 2.2 million pints every year.

And here is what you can try on tap now:

HELLS LAGER (4.6% abv) – clean and crisp golden Pilsner with aromas of aniseed and fennel, taste of fresh lemon and white pepper with hoppy finish

PALE ALE (4.0% abv) – rich aromas of meadow flowers, ripe grapefruit, honey and hints of caramel, classic mild bitterness and dryness on the palate with fresh lemon zesty finish

JAMIE OLIVER PALE (5.1% abv) – mild bitter Pale Ale with subtle aromas of honeydew melon, blossom and sweet nutty finish

GENTLEMAN’S WIT (4.3% abv) – Wheat style, one sip can transport you to a café in the middle of Brussels, lemon meringue hazy colour with fluffy snowy cap, aromas of lemon curd, honey, sweet spice and creamy texture with hints of bergamot and orange peel

RYELD (3.7% abv) – made from rye as the name suggests, pale amber colour with haze, aromas of cold tea brew with hints of sliced lemon but juicy fruity palate with toasted caramel and hoppy notes

REDLIGHT WALTZ (4.1% abv) – US hopped amber larger, bitter earthy spicy aromas with hints of dried lemon skin and fresh barley and limey finish

FUKDAHATOR DOPPELBOCK (6.7% abv) – Doppelbock to you and me as no one orders this beer by its full name, well not after a couple of pints anyway. My favourite for its Belgian style of richness and high alcohol.  Dark Madeira amber colour, luscious aromas of mocha chocolate and roasted coffee with more fruit driven and nutty flavours on the palate and sweet spice, toasted walnuts and dried orange peel lingering finish

INK (4.4% abv) – beautiful black liquid with creamy hat, it brings you joy just looking at it, aromas of roasted coffee and bitter dark chocolate with lively sharp palate yet smooth creamy texture resembling Guinness but with surprising hazelnut sweet and popcorn-like finish. Actually the popcorn notes could have something to do with the popcorn machine in the bar. Who knows?

Camden Town Brewery, 55-59 Wilkin Street Mews, NW5 3NN

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