Visit Date: October 2014
BREWERY NAME: Camden Town Brewery
WEBSITE: http://www.camdentownbrewery.com/brewery-tours/
DATES: Thursday 6.30pm booking tickets via Eventbrite
COST: £12.00 per head
DUIRATION: 90 - 120mins
CONTACT: ashleigh@camdentownbrewery.com
Now then, a tour to Camden Town Brewery! What great evening in store...
After checking out the location on the map, I discovered they are under the arches of Kentish Town West Overground, so I left work early and off I trundled for a 6.30pm start. Arrived a wee bit early only to be advised that the beer was plentiful during the tour, so even though I was a bit thirsty I opted for a half of Camden Pale Ale.
As I sat down outside the brewery the waft of beautiful street food emernated from the stall to my right, which was just scrumptious. As I was just about to delve into my pocket for a few coins to purchase a snack, our guide arrived asking us to congregate in the main bar area.
No sooner than I had sat down with the rest of the party of about 15 of us, a small glass and a large pitcher of Camden Hells Lager appeared - fab.
Pete, our guide for the evening arrived after a full day teaching nearby, in fact he looked in need of a brew himself. We later discovered that he hails from Boston USA and works regularly at the brewery, in fact for almost the last two years.
Camden Town Brewery was concieved at The Horseshoe Hampstead (the brewery tap) by its owner Jasper Cuppaidge. He discovered there was a distinct lack of quality beers on offer locally, and therefore decided to brew his own. From the humble beginnings in North London it wasn’t long before the need to find larger premises became a priority. In 2010 a new location was required, and the right site was found under the arches where they now reside and it wasn’t long before brewing began with great gusto.
First off , As you would expect we were taken into the Mash Room where Pete described the first stages of the brewing process. However, what struck me immediately was both his enthusiasm and passion. His description of the brewing process was succint and to the point, expertly explained without being overwhelming with chemistry or science - (I was never very good at chemistry when at school). Ever so often he recapped the process when we looked blank or appeared a bit puzzled.
Throughout the whole tour we stopped to take in a few more sips of their lovely beer not to mention ask continuous questions regarding keg beer versus cask, how they distribute, and the their unique process. One thing that was highlighted was the use and installation of the digitally automated process, which sounds a bit mechanical, but far from it, it allows the brewery to concentrate more on the process, ingredients or experiment with different recipes which lessens their time on painstakingly cleaning, and sterilising the all the equipment.
During our tour it is worth noting that protective spectacles are required (supplied by the good folk at the brewery). The brewery is extremely compact and a fair few hoses and obstacles are scattered around the floor - so best to leave the high heels and sandals in the wardrobe, still I think we only went up some stairs once to view the mash tun and its aromatic ingredients, so no trouble with vertigo. Their main brew is Camden Hells (4.6%) named after the famous German Helles variety, in fact a lot of their kit and influences stem from Bavaria. We also sampled their Camden Pale Ale (4.0%). Their popular Camden Ink stout (4.4%) which is an absolute delight while the Unfiltered Hells Lager (4.6%) rounded off the evening nicely.
We concluded our tour, passing 'mother superior ' in full flow ( the xtra dispenser for further hop addition) then finally visiting the bottling and canning area. The canning line was going hell for leather (no pun intended) with a few unfortunate souls hand packing them into outers ready for shipping.
Having visited the brewery in Kentish Town almost over a year ago for a quick drink, I can see how they have expanded but as Pete reaffirmed, they are at maximum capacity within their original space and will have to move in order to carry on with their continued growth.
Camden Brewery is not just a great brewery with a variety of beers but they really champion local food and businesses, and when I was there both the courtyard bar and the bar itself were packed. Their beers are now distributed around a variety of London pubs and both their cans and bottles can be found in increasingly more specialist beer shops and high street supermarkets. If you are ever in north London I strongly recommend a visit, their staff are both helpful and informative and I do like their branded material.... keep up the good work fellas.