December 18, 2018

Golden Pints, 2018

Best Brewery – UK and Ireland

There is, in my opinion, no logical or obvious way to label one brewery the “best”. But if you can find a brewery that is the reassuring arm around the shoulder, the one that gives you confidence in both the core and the new, then you’re onto something good. And like relationships in life itself, it’s something that you shouldn’t take for granted. With that in mind, Northern Monk is that brewery, just as they were this time last year, too.

It came as no surprise that they cruised their crowdfunding campaign. The core range of beer delivers while the Patrons Project offers up diversity and innovation in equal measure. You want a Raspberry Kolsch? You got it. A Lemon, Lime and Coffee Berliner Weisse? No problem. It also helps that brewers Brian Dickson and Colin Stronge are absolute gents, and incredibly talented, too. The rest of the team are bloomin’ fantastic as well. Roll on the opening of their London taproom.

Brian turned up to my birthday this year and wouldn’t leave. Rumour has it he’s still lurking around the South Bank seven months on.

Best Brewery – Worldwide

I have a problem, and I’m ready to admit it. I love New York. Sure, most people do. Right? But a visit early next year will be trip number eight in recent years. It’s somewhat of an addiction. And that’s aided by New York’s fantastic breweries, bars and bottle shops. I reached out (read: email equivalent of cold calling) to Kings County Brewers Collective at the end of 2017 and was able to visit a couple of weeks after. Considering I was effectively a stranger armed with a couple of magazines, I was welcomed like an old friend.

Housed in an impressive space in Williamsburg and armed with an absolutely gorgeous taproom, KCBC was founded by Pete Lengyel (above), Tony Bellis and Zack Kinney, and each brings a different passion to the table. So you’re as likely to see a light lager on offer, a vice of Pete’s, to perfectly executed DDH IPAs or barrel-aged sours. What has always impressed me is the consistency of their beers, and the modesty of their approach. Do yourself a favour and make sure a visit is top of your list when you’re next in town.

Best beer

As 2018 draws to a close, it’s somewhat easier to accept the winter wind and the rain after having proper summer weather this year. It feels like a lifetime ago, granted, but it also feels like in 2018, lager finally came of age in the world of modern beer. And thankfully, unlike the sunshine, it has stuck around. There is a lot of good lager being made in the UK these days, and we’re all the luckier for it.

But for me, Northern Helles from Donzoko, aka Reece Hugill, has stood out time and time again. It’s smooth, it’s malty, it’s delicious. Which is handy because it’s appearing more frequently in the wild, too. (Public service announcement: It’s on tap in BrewDog Shepherds Bush at the mo. I know as I was drinking it last night.) Reece has rightly received a lot of plaudits in 2018 and I expect big things of Donzoko next year. Special shout out to Sean Edgar too, who is responsible for the brewery’s pin-sharp branding.

Brewing heroes

A new category, but what are you gonna do. I don’t want to age them, but John Keeling and Derek Prentice have nearly 100 years worth of brewing experience between them. As in football, where fans frequently say that we’re privileged to watch the game at a time where both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in their pomp, I’d say the same about John and Derek.

Derek gatecrashing yet another Uni fresher’s party.

Through Fuller’s and Young’s, they’ve made an indelible mark on the brewing industry, not just in the UK but globally. There’s plenty of US breweries that started out on their journeys after imbibing quality, perfectly-cellared cask beer here in the UK. Those breweries have, in turn, lit that fire in aspiring brewers in the UK and beyond that have gone on to start their own businesses. It’s a beautiful cycle and the role John and Derek have played in that cannot be underestimated. Make sure to get down to Wimbledon Brewery to enjoy the excellent beer Derek is still producing!

John Keeling greets one of his many fans.

Best Taproom

Space issues and access to resources have long held back many brewery’s lofty ambitions when it comes to creating a retail and taproom space akin to the slick, professional environments they would have experienced in North America and beyond. But let’s be honest, the beer space is more competitive than ever before and if you’re not offering (or planning to offer) consumers the opportunity to buy direct, and immerse themselves in your brewery environment, then it’s a major own goal. One brewery that has long had that string to their particular bow is Battersea’s Mondo Brewing Company. Their taproom is comfortable, it has a great bar, it’s warm in the winter and opens out in the summer. It offers a view into the brewery itself and it has clearly been built with the consumer in mind. Oh, and there’s free popcorn too. Well done to Todd, Tom, Andrew and the team. I look forward to coming down again soon!

Best Beer Festival

Georgina Young, head brewer at Fuller’s and John Keeling, who has been turning up to work every day since retirement. They just don’t have the heart to tell him…

Like a volley hit clean and straight into the roof of the net, the inaugural London Brewers’ Alliance festival to be hosted at Fuller’s was a resounding success. The weather brought its A-game to the June event that was expertly organised by Fuller’s John Keeling, Georgina Young and the rest of the team at the brewery and the LBA. The beers on offer were as diverse the breweries taking part. Camden Town, Fourpure, Beavertown and Five Points complemented Jeffersons, Solvay Society, Kew Brewery and Park. It didn’t matter if your brewery employed 100 or one that day, everyone was equal. And the festival was all the better for it.

Another great event, and another one that was a scorcher (for the most part at least!) was Southern Hopisphere, held at the Two Tribes Brewery in Kings Cross. When you combine some of the best beer from Australia and New Zealand, an excellent venue, and an event that was brilliantly organised, then everybody wins. Hope they repeat it in 2019.

Best Bottle Shop

I’ve spent more time and money at We Brought Beer in Clapham than I’d care to remember. It’s a fantastic place to enjoy a beer, has a great outdoor space and is run by the legend that is Chippy, or Robert Chipchase, to the outside world. It’s a stone’s throw from Clapham Junction station and has a great upstairs space for training, homebrew clubs and the like. Catch Chippy on a good day and he might play one of your requests, too.