BEST WAY TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON...

Visit Date: May 2015

BREWERY NAME: Fuller's Brewery

WEBSITE: http://www.fullers.co.uk/brewery/book-a-tour

DATES: Mon-Fri only, at 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.

COST: £10.00 tasting tour per person

DURATION: 90 mins approx

CONTACT: 020 8996 2000   fullers@fullers.co.uk  Book online is your best bet 

So what to do with an impromptu day off from work? A quick visit to the Fullers website reveals an afternoon slot available for one of their tours, perfect.

Setting off with travelcard and map in hand I head for my destination. After leaving Stamford Brook underground be prepared for a good 15 min walk before being advised (by the downloaded ticket Fullers sent through almost straight away via email) to cross the A4 via a subway, you'll see why when you get there... but across the road and through the trees the Mawsons Arms, or is it the Fox and Hounds...waiting patiently.

Once inside a quick half of London Pride followed by a chat with a member of the bar staff to ascertain the rendezvous point and time to relax and enjoy the afternoon in store. The pub is not only busy with previous tour parties but is packed with plenty of Fullers historical emphera dotted around the walls.

Our guide gathered everyone together and off we all trundled to The Hock Cellar. As expected being a working brewery shoes are well advised, and after we were issued with our visitor high visibility jackets we are taken through the formation and history of the Griffin Brewery.

Our guide went onto explain that they have been brewing beer since 1845. Even though Fullers is situated on the Thames, they have never used it as a source of water. In fact it was more to do with barging in all the primary ingredients.

As well as brewing quality ales, they also manage an estate of over 360 pubs across the South of England. Their range of beers can be found across the UK and beyond in particular London Pride, their biggest selling beer.

Hard to imagine that every single drop of Fullers Beer around the globe comes from the Griffin Brewery

After leaving the Hock Cellar we moved onto the hub of the brewery whereby we discovered some of the early brewing equipment they employed. During the tour our guide Colin, was incredibly enthusiastic and informative. As we stopped at the various stations to observe the workings of the brewery further information was imparted by Colin which brought the unique and enthralling story of brewing and Fullers to life.

My previous brewery tours have mostly been (so far) microbreweries so it was extremey intriguing to gaze inside and wander around a larger brewery, in fact over 20 tonnes of malt is used every single day, and each of the massive boiling coppers hold up to 90.000 pints. One of the things that struck me as we were taken around is how the brewery has grown, every available space has been so well designed and utilised it makes for almost a historical journey through the years of Fullers expansion.

Moving on, we were taken to the bottle, kegging and casking area, thankfully my visit was the day before a bank holiday so it was all very quiet and somewhat peaceful although Colin assured us that is not normally the case.

Our tour concluded by returning to the Hock Cellar, whereby we could ask further questions and sample one or two of their beers, in fact the 45 mins in the tap room afterwards was a joy. On the day of my visit, Gales beers, and the full range of Fullers including my personal favourite (made from American hops) - Wild River was available, others included, the scrumptious London Cab, the refreshing Olivers Island, and the flavoursome Honey Dew, not to mention Chiswick Bitter, ESB and of course London Pride. 

The Hock Cellar plays host to some stunning packaging, which demonstrated the development of their branding over the years, a real insight, into styles and trends change.

In conclusion, a fantastic impromtu day out of the studio - a great way for real beer lovers to while away a couple of hours in London - mind you that walk back to the underground didn't seem half as far...

CRAFT BEER TOUR OF BERLIN

Visit Date: April 2015

BREWPUBS VISITED: Brauhaus Georbraeu, Circus Hostel Brew Co. and Pfefferbräu

WEBSITE:  http://www.brewersberlintours.com/craft-beer-n-breweries

DATES: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday

COST: £25.00 including tasting and tour, per person

DURATION: 3 Hours (starts at 7pm)

FURTHER INFORMATION: An AB travel ticket is needed for the tour (not included).

Berlin has a long brewing history, but many traditional breweries and bars disappeared following World War II and the city’s division during the Cold War. Now, new breweries and brewpubs are reinventing traditional beer styles, and resestablishing Berlin as a brewing city once more. 

Our host Jonathon was a great engaging and knowledgable guide not only to Berlin itself, but also the beer culture and knowledge of the city. We started off with a traditional pretezl before embarking on a short U Bahn ride to Alexanderplatz, where Jonathon highlighted the architecture and history of the old East Berlin. Our first calling point was Brauhaus Georbraeu. Apparently one of the oldest Berlin brew houses, it dates back to the early 1990's! The surrounding buildings reflected the 1980's style of architecture as it was an area built by the GDR to increase tourism from the west and in turn make some money. The brew house is located in Nikolai Quarter, in the Mitte area and right on the banks of the River Spree near museum island - idyllic. Each year almost 1,500 litres of Saint George pilsner are brewed, which is exclusively available in the Georgbraeu. Georgbraeu is a typical large brewery bar which serves traditional German food. The place itself is very nice with a lovely wooden interior, and lots of small alcoves and side rooms. There is a large outdoor area too but it was early March, so no way we could use that! As for the beer, well the dunkel was heavenly, and the food being served looked pretty good as well.

Our next calling point was certaintly in stark contrast the Katz and Maus Tap Room serving the flavoursome pilsner brewed by the newly formed microbrewery - Circus Hostel Brewing Company, located in the Rosenthaler Platz. The microbrewery has only been in existence since January 2014 thus making it one of the most recent addition to the craft beer scene, Heiko the brewmaster only uses the finest hops and barley and adheres to the German Purity Laws of 1516. The bar has a very relaxed and friendly feel with a libaray of books to sit and read, while the walls are decorated with a variety of illustrations demonstrating the brewing process, and if you wish to know anything about David Hasselhoff, then the shrine to him in one of the back rooms is a sight to behold...once again the Pilsner is brewed on site.

Unfortunately we had to move on to our final location. However we were not disappointed as we landed on the doorstep of the Pfefferbräu Restaurant and Brewery Mountain, which has received a lot of press attention and deservedly so being one of the first micro breweries to bring back brewing to the traditional heartland of the Berlin brewing region Pankow

We just had to try the Alt (dark brown colored with a small off-white head, and hoppy finish), the Helles (hazy amber colored with a small white head) and not forgetting the Dunkel, we took great delight in discussing them, and generally had a fun time.

In conclusion the tour is lighthearted with a few set discussion topics, which is what I enjoyed about it the most. Additionally, I would distinguish this from the more-common pub crawls. This was a quieter time that focused more on good beer, good company, and good conversation. So, I would recommend getting on a Brewer's Brewery tour if you ever find yourself in Berlin. It is a great way to see some of the less tourist areas of the city and to learn about the rich brewing, political and economic history of one of the most unusual european cities.

CHILTERN BREWERY VISIT

Visit Date: February 2015

BREWERY NAME: The Chiltern Brewery

WEBSITE: http://www.chilternbrewery.co.uk

DATES: Friday - Saturday 14.00

COST: £13.50 per head

DURATION: 60 mins

CONTACT: info@chilternbrewery.co.uk or call (01296) 613647

Nestled between the villages of  Terrick and Wendover The Chiltern Brewery is easy enough to find, as it is  well signposted from Stoke Mandeville, Wendover and the A4010. On arrival, we appeared to be the first for the tour. Checking in at the small but extremely well stocked brewery shop, we were welcomed by a complimentary glass of the award winning Beechwood Bitter (4.3%), which is mid-amber in colour with a nutty, toffee taste, slightly fruity but a well rounded ale.

As everyone arrived we were asked to take a seat in the tasting room which is plastered with a fair array of awards, certificates and magazine articles pertaining to their history. Our guide for the afternoon proceeded to explain the origins and history of  The Chiltern Brewery.

It was founded by Richard and Lesley Jenkinson in 1980, the brewery is the oldest independent brewery in the Chiltern Hills and Buckinghamshire and is now run by brothers George and Tom Jenkinson. It is housed on a working farm and their aim has always been to source and use the most natural, high quality ingredients available in Britain. It transpired that due to their close proximity to the railway line between London and Aylesbury they are able to easily distribute their beers right up to London.

After a quick visit across the yard to investigate the brew house we returned to discover our tables replenished with a few small pitchers of different ales and plenty of finger food.

The pairing of Chiltern Pale Ale (3.7%) with the locally produced cheese and chutney was an unexpected surprise. We then moved onto the excellent 300’s Old Ale which weights in at 5.0% vol. The selected beers really complimented the local produced food but the best was saved until the end. Bodgers Barley Wine at (8.5%) was simply nectar. The locally produced fruit cake wasn‘t bad either!

The visit concluded with a few questions raised by members of our party, and a final slurp of the barley wine which  all in all, made it a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

The Chiltern Brewery is not that easy to get to on public transport - a nominated driver is advisable, but once you get there, the award winning beers are well worth the visit. .. not to mention the temptation of buying a few to take home and enjoy... Yummy yum.

If however, you can’t make the brewery then a visit to the brewery tap -  The Farmers’ Bar at the historic Kings Head in Aylesbury  is a great place to have lunch and sample some of The Chiltern Brewery’s finest! ... Cheers


CAMDEN TOWN BREWERY VISIT

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.