Tag: The Five Points Brewing Company

Guest Post: London Brewers’ Market April Review

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Our latest guest posting is from Rebecca Pate, who is a fledging beer writer, craft beer enthusiast and East London dweller. You can follow her on Twitter (@rpate) or say hello at the next beer event-she’s the six foot tall Canadian.

Not even April showers could dampen spirits at the inaugural London Brewers’ Market of 2016.

Held in partnership with the Independent Label Market on the 4 April, Old Spitalfields Market was occupied by 26 independent brewers from across the capital. Attracting a steady stream of pundits for one afternoon, drinkers and breweries came together to exalt great beer. Brewers eagerly showcased a range of styles, representing the innovative spirit behind London’s growing brewing scene.

With such a dizzying selection on offer, it was a defensible act to overlook a stall. It was equally pardonable if- instead of pushing the boat out- you were tempted by an old favourite. The cold, harsh reality is that it was impossible to try everything on offer.

With that acknowledgement of our individual limitations—whether attributable to time or ABVs—I’ve compiled a list of five beers that were proffered at LBM. These are representative of the spectrum of styles currently in demand in the city.

• The Five Points Brewing Company: Vito’s Brown Ale (Now known as Brick Field Brown)
The most recent version of this brown ale was unveiled at LBM. Although it pours an opaque black, its high carbonation and dry finish made it a highly sessionable choice. It delivered warm malty notes with hints of dark chocolate. Deliciously moreish and undoubtedly one to track down again.

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• Hackney Brewery: Kiwi Thunder
A solid IPA with a clout of antipodean flavours. The New Zealand hops gave it aromas of juicy grapefruit, orange peel and other tropical notes- the taste also delivered the same citrusy punch, balanced with light sweetness from the malt. A zesty IPA that’s worth revisiting.

• Rocky Head Brewery: Pale Ale
An American pale ale from a small brewery based in Southfields, this was a flavoursome and balanced pale ale. Golden, unfiltered and using new world hops, this smooth-drinking pint had aromas of citrus and pine. A hint of sweetness from the malt and a clean finish make this a fruity and pleasant choice.

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• One Mile End: Blood Orange Wheat DIPA
With an ABV of 7.4%, this packed a punch. A complex aroma of marmalade, pepper and citrus, this dark golden beer was intensely citrusy at first sip. The bitter hops then kicked in and the alcohol lent a warming finish. It grew on me, but I didn’t dare go back for a second so early in the afternoon.

• Anspach & Hobday: The Sour Dry Hop
A sour/wild ale that was outstanding. It carried an aroma of acidic lemon and followed through with lip-puckering tartness. It finished with a dry crispness and screamed out for an afternoon session in the sun.

This is by far a non-exhaustive list, but it highlights the varied tastes catered for at LBM and across London more generally. It will be fascinating to see what styles prevail at the next LBM-yet to be confirmed-but we hopefully won’t be kept on tenterhooks for too long.

Tryanuary Round-up of London Brews #2

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We’ve been asking some of our favourite folks around town for their Tryanuary picks from London breweries. Here’s the second instalment of a selection of London beers they think you should try this month.

Doreen Joy Barber, Communications & Events Manager at The Five Points Brewing Company

Doreen dwinks

Doreen Joy Barber is The Five Points Brewing Company‘s Communications, Marketing & Events Manager, as well as the organiser of London Brewer’s Market and the ghost in the shell for other schemes, including Tweeast London (@tweeastlondon). She likes cats and has obscene difficulty in picking just three beers from London breweries she wants people to drink.

Railway Porter from The Five Points Brewing Company
Have a pint of Railway Porter on cask during a bleak January evening, preferably next to a fireplace with either a book or some good conversation, and you’ll be winning all the days. So rich, so tasty–it’s like a roasty, bitter chocolate, beery hug for your soul. I don’t have a favourite of beers we do, but the Railway Porter is a definite comfort beer.

Imperial Brown Stout from The Kernel Brewery
The Imperial Brown Stout from The Kernel has long been a favourite since my days working in a pub in Stoke Newington around four years ago. It’s the ultimate winter warmer with its high percentage, smooth taste and obscene drinkability. There are additionally other barrel-aged versions of this beer, so seek those out for extra Tryanuary points.

Nightwatchman from East London Brewing Company
ELB produce some absolutely stunning beers on cask, so it’s hard to pick a favourite among them. Nightwatchman is a lovely pint of bitter with a nice amber-red hue to it. Slightly sweet and caramel-biscuity but with enough hops to keep it interesting. You must have in a pub that looks after its cask ale really well like The Wenlock Arms. If you can pair it with a cheese toastie, even better.

Chris Hall, Beer Writer and Sales & Media Coordinator for Brew By Numbers

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Chris Hall is a freelance beer writer and beer judge, and works for Brew By Numbers as Sales & Media Coordinator. As well day-to-day sales, Chris manages the growing brewery’s social media (@brewbynumbers), website, blog and external events. You can find him on Twitter @chrishallbeer. His photo was taken by Gavin Freeborn.

Mariana Trench from Weird Beard Brew Co.
Easily one of the most underrated and unsung beers in the UK, never mind London, Mariana Trench is a transpacific pale ale with an utterly sublime juiciness that runs the spectrum of orange, lime, passionfruit, grape and peach. I’ve been blown away by this beer in every format I’ve tasted it in, but none more so than on cask, where the silky mouthfeel seems to really let the juice loose.

London Sour Damson from The Kernel Brewery
Of the many, many beers from The Kernel that I’d recommend to friends, fellow pub patrons and passers-by in the street, Damson Sour (or DAMN, Son! Sour as I call it) is at the top of my list. For one, it’s a beautiful, radiant fuchsia-pink beer that demands to be held up to the light. It’s also a delight to drink, the plummy richness of Damson balanced sharply by its uncompromisingly mouth-popping tartness.

Nico from Orbit Beers
I’ve been hugely impressed by the output of Robbie and the guys at Orbit in 2015. Nico is their Cologne ‘kolsch’-style ale, which is a fantastic gateway beer for those who love lagers and golden ales but want to get into beers with depth and complexity. Nico is a very technically-accomplished kolsch. It’s a style defined by softness, delicacy and refreshment, which Nico has in spades.

Beer Farts, Beer Writer and Lego Legend
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Beer Farts is a “beer writer, blogger, geek or whatever the term is nowadays,” best known for pairing Lego with his beer reviews. He also happens to work in sales for a London brewery, but his enthusiasm for beer extends far and wide. Beer Farts can be found on Twitter and Instagram (@beer_farts) and will soon launch a website: beerfarts.beer.

London Alt from Mondo Brewing
Many well establish brewers have attempted and failed at this style. Even some flat capped punks didn’t get it right. An extremely tricky style of beer to master but Mondo seem to have proven it’s not just the German’s that can brew it well. Full of plum, orange, apple, berries and caramelised nuts. If you’ve never tried an Alt bier before than this is a perfect example of how great it can be.

Hepcat from Gipsy Hill Brewing Company
So many session IPAs lack a punch but not this one from Gipsy Hill. Packed full of tropical fruits throughout with a moreish biscuit body that just makes you want more. These guys never fail to impress and prove that low abv beers don’t have to have less flavour.

Treason IPA from Uprising Brewery
Kieran (head brewer) may be young but he oozes knowledge which is no doubt in part to his dad, Paddy of Windsor & Eton Brewery. For his first brew for Uprising Kieran took the west coast styled IPAs and gave it a posh Windsor accent. Combining pine, orange and mango sherbet all on a rich caramel base. Perfectly balanced with a clean finish.

What have been some of your favourite Tryanuary discoveries from London breweries? Give ’em a shout in our comments.

Anita Lawlor’s photos for London Brewers’ Market, 11 July 2015

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fun times in the London Brewers' Market beer garden

Photographer Anita Lawlor has taken some excellent photos of our most recent London Brewers’ Market at Old Spitalfields Market.

This market was a bit different, as we were perched above the beer garden with brewers inside a disused restaurant space and along a terrace. If you were there, relive that ace Saturday! If you weren’t there, see what you missed and be sure to attend our next one, where we’ll be back alongside Independent Label Market in November.

Tom at Camden Town Brewery

Beer terrace

Brixton Brewery bottles

Partizan and Five Points

London Brewers' Market beer garden

Dot from Beavertown

Crate Brewery at London Brewers' Market

Truman's at LBM

Tim at Howling Hops

Hammerton Brewery at LBM

Five Points from the beer garden

More London Brewers Announced For Field Day

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More breweries for the London Brewers’ Market bar have been announced for Field Day!

London Brewers' Market at Field Day

Crate Brewery, Meantime Brewing Co, Gipsy Hill Brewing Company and Camden Town Brewery have been added to the line-up of featured breweries. Their fantastic beer will be joining brews from The Five Points Brewing Company, Hackney Brewery, Beavertown Brewery, East London Brewing Company, Redemption Brewing, Fourpure Brewing Co, The Redchurch Brewery and Signature Brew.

Be sure to look out for our bar in Victoria Park on the 6th & 7th of June. Not only will there be good brews with good tunes, but also some fantastic street food options from Street Feast and Venn Street Market, plus coffee from Tim Peaks.

See the music line-up for both days and purchase tickets on the Field Day website. We’ll see you there!

Brewtunes from Hackney Brewery, Orbit Beers, One Mile End and The Five Points

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Breweries tend to be noisy places, with the hiss of equipment, the clank of pallet trucks, the bang of mallets onto casks and the whine of pipes as wort moves through them. Another common sound in the breweries of our London brewers is music, often played loudly to be heard over the constant din of brewing and packaging.

Here’s a small selection of what some of our London Brewers’ Market breweries are listening to while brewing, packaging and organising the sales of the beer you’ll be drinking at the next market.

Hackney Brewery’s Jack Landridge 

Jack Landridge at Hackney Brewery

Jerusalem/ Dopesmoker
Sleep
“Immensely heavy drone-rock that soundtracked our Gyle 666 brew.”

Chuck Berry
The Best Of
“Ideal when we’re rocking out brewing up our American Pale Ale!”

Chas and Dave
Anything they’ve recorded
“Look, we’re in the heart of the East End. Our perfect pub has a piano in the corner for a knees-up singalong, pickled eggs on the bar, and local beers made in Hackney available in cask and keg. Gertcha!”

Orbit Beers’ Robert Middleton

Orbit Beers' Robert Middleton

Tricky
False Idols
“Best album since his debut with Maxinquaye.”

Pram
Telemetric Melodies
“Other worldly sounds for chilled out days.”

Pastels
Truckload of Trouble
“Kurt Cobain’s second favourite band’s finest moments.”

One Mile End’s Simon McCabe

Simon McCabe of One Mile End

Gallon Drunk
The Road Gets Darker From Here
“Legendary band keep knocking out amazing albums.”

Antlered Man
This Devil is Them
“Bonkers brilliance.”

Lord Auch
To The Shithouse
“Had to shove one of my own in 😉 Young and Lost Club are at the Independent Label Market, too. Farewell to an amazing label!”

The Five Points’ Doreen Joy Barber

Doreen at The Five Points

Father John Misty
I Love You, Honeybear
“Incredibly wry, but also terribly earnest. Sort of reminds me of growing up in the American South. Maybe it’s the swearing”

Viet Cong
Viet Cong
“We play this album often, as well as Public Strain by Women. It’s just amazing”

Jessica Pratt
Jessica Pratt
“Haven’t had a chance to hear her latest album yet, but her debut LP is aching and magnificent.”

The creativity in brewing often spills over into music, with quite a few brewhands and beer workers in bands and other music projects, as you can see above with Simon McCabe’s Lord Auch, and also Dearjoseph and Echo Lake, featuring Five Points’ Emmanuel Ross and Thom Hill respectively. Signature Brew blend music and together well in their tasty collaborations with artists and record labels.

Beer and music go great together, which is why it’s brilliant to have them both together at Old Spitalfields Market with London Brewers’ Market and Independent Label Market. Ask the brewers what music they’ve been listening to, and chat with the record label folks about what beers they’ve been enjoying!

Guest Post from Peter McKerry: Made in Hackney–London Brewers’ Market

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Peter McKerry is a London-based beer geek whose blog, Drunken Cinema, is soon to be reborn with a fancy-pants new website: Brew Geekery. The revamped blog will continue to document Peter’s increasing obsession with beer, and will feature beer and event reviews as well as commentary on the beery issues of the day. You can follow him on Twitter at @PJMcKerry.

London Brewers' Market

Hackney is synonymous with craft beer in London and is well represented at the London Brewers’ Market this Easter, with beers from Hackney Brewery and the event’s organisers, The Five Points Brewing Co.

I was living in Hackney when the craft beer revolution started to gather pace; it was an exciting time as new breweries seemed to be popping up every other day, and all within walking distance from my house. As well as Hackney Brewery and Five Points, other notable breweries from the borough include London Fields, Howling Hops – based in the Cock Tavern brewpub on Mare Street – and Pressure Drop; and while Beavertown is now based in Tottenham, it started life in the cellars of Duke’s Brew & Que in Haggerston.

Hackney has a rich brewing history too, with Truman’s, originally established in 1666 and closing in 1989, being re-established in 2010, emblematic of the wider London beer renaissance. And there are yet more breweries on Hackney’s borders, such as Crate Brewery in Hackney Wick (officially within the boundaries of Tower Hamlets) and One Mile End in, well, Mile End.

Given the plethora of breweries in Hackney, it’s no surprise that there are plenty of places selling Hackney-made beer. For take-away there is the Stoke Newington branch of Borough Wines on Church Street, Noble Fine Liquor on Broadway Market and Clapton Craft on Lower Clapton Road. The pubs are too many to mention, but personal favourites of mine are the Railway Tavern and Ale House on St. Jude’s Street in Dalston, the Jolly Butcher’s on Stoke Newington Road and the aforementioned Cock Tavern on Mare Street. Hell, Hackney’s so craft you can even drink good beer at the cinema: the Rio in Dalston stocks beers from Hackney Brewery, and the Hackney Picturehouse has beers from Beavertown, Bear Hug Brewing, London Fields and Crate.

But back to London Brewers’ Market. We don’t have a definitive tap or bottle list of what’s on offer, but below are my top five Hackney-brewed beers (in no particular order), including two that we may get to scoop on 28 March. It won’t escape your attention that I have a predilection for hoppy pales and IPAs…

1. Pressure Drop Pale Fire – a gorgeously bitter pale ale which, while the hop profile may alter occasionally, remains a fruity, zesty thirst-quencher of a beer, and recently made The Beer O’Clock Show’s top ten UK pale ales.

Hook Island Red in malt

2. Five Points Hook Island Red – a delicious red rye beer packed with US hops, it’s fruity and earthy with a hint of spice, and one that I particularly enjoy on cask. At 6%, you get significant bang for your buck.

Jon at Hackney Brewery

3. Hackney Brewery Amarillo Citra Pale – a veritable “Juicy Banger” of a beer. Although better known for cask ales, Hackney has recently introduced a keg range, and I stumbled across this gem at The Barge House alongside the Regent’s Canal.

4. London Fields Shoreditch Triangle IPA – at 6%, this is a dangerously sessionable IPA with a beautiful caramel malt backbone rounded by a juicy bitterness that has you downing it in no time.

5. Five Points IPA – with a tropical fruit punch that hits you as soon as you pop the cap on your bottle or are handed a pint (which is probably a silly idea given that it comes in at 7.5%), some have compared it favourably to Magic Rock’s Cannonball – but that’s for you to decide…

If you prefer less “hop-forward” beers, Hackney also does a golden ale and a best bitter, while Five Points’ Railway Porter is a fine take on the style. Either way, I’ll see you at the market. Bunny ears optional.

Hello from LBM’s organisers: The Five Points Brewing Company

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The Five Points Brewing Company

At The Five Points Brewing Company, we have a great enthusiasm for the London beer scene which we are proudly a part of. As individuals, we have enjoyed the beer of London’s breweries since the heady days of Mason & Taylor. As a brewery, we organised a London Brewers’ bar at Leeds International Beer Festival in 2013 and participated in the first London Beer City last year.

We also organised London Brewers’ Market in the autumn of 2013 and held the first ever edition of the Market on Saturday the 30th of November, 2013, alongside the well-established Independent Label Market at Old Spitalfields. We invited along members of the London Brewers’ Alliance to develop an event to showcase the quality and breadth of breweries in the capital that was good for brewers and drinkers, as well as being a lot of fun for everyone involved!

London is home to a number of breweries–currently at least 62 and growing! With the London Brewers’ Market, we at The Five Points want to help introduce Londoners to the fantastic folks behind their local breweries, as well as to introduce drinkers from all over to what the independent brewers of this city can brew.

Five Points at Christmas 2014 LBM

For those of you who are unfamiliar with us here at The Five Points, we are an independent brewery based in Hackney, East London. We’ve been brewing since March of 2013, and we currently have a core range of four beers: Five Points Pale, Railway Porter, Hook Island Red and Five Points IPA.

We’ll have a stall at the next London Brewers’ Market on the 28th of March alongside 21 other breweries, and we’ll be selling beer on draught as well as our bottles. Be sure to stop by The Five Points’ stand to taste some brews, pick up some bottles and have a chat about our brewery and the market. You can also reach us for any questions or feedback at info@fivepointsbrewing.co.uk.