London Brewers unite for Capital brew

Seven of the capital’s brewers met at the Redemption Brewery in Tottenham in late August to brew a porter. The seven brewers were Brodie’s in East London, Camden Town Brewery, Fullers, The Ha’Penny Brewing Company, The Kernal Brewery, Meantime Brewery and Redemption Brewery.

The new brew will be a modern take on the historic dark beer style, which originated in nineteenth-century London and was a popular drink among the workers at Billingsgate and Smithfield markets.

The 2010 creation blends classic English and American hop varieties, bringing citrus notes to the porter’s classic chocolate aromas.

“We want to stun the world with the diversity of London brewers — in size, age and style,” said Redemption Brewery’s owner and brewer, Andy Moffat. “It’s incredible what we now have in London and it is a relatively recent phenomenon.”

Mr Moffat explained that by tackling the myth that the London beer scene is behind the times, compared to that in other capitals, the London Brewers Alliance strives to show that London has both a beer heritage to be proud of and its finger on the pulse of contemporary brewing trends.

The London Brewers Alliance is a relatively recent set-up. Its homepage has no entry under “history”. Never mind. The important thing is that nine breweries, small and large, have come together to put the city on the map as a place where punters can sample special brews too – and not just big mainstream beer brands.

The Alliance already has another collaborative brew in the pipeline, and it also plans to hold a London Beer Week in 2011.

Funny, though, that CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has not latched onto these events yet.