So, summer is over apparently. However, the sun has put his hat on again today and Kew is basking in glorious sunshine. A suitable time to look back at our summer fun.
July saw the family Davies head back Stateside to see Wifey’s Mum and Dad and assorted siblings, nieces and nephews. This presented me with an ideal opportunity to re-acquaint myself with the US craft beer scene and I managed to fit in 6 breweries while we were there.
Those breweries were Mad Fox, Falls Church Vermont, Hellbender and 3 Stars Washington DC, Denizens Maryland, Earth Bread Philadelphia and Eastern Shore St Michaels Chesapeake Bay. A real mix bag of beers ranging from excellent saisons and golden ales to some mediocre versions of classic European styles. However, everyone I encountered was charm personified and it was a real pleasure to meet brewers and fellow beer enthusiasts from across the pond.
Back in the UK we had the Great British Beer Festival to enjoy. I was scheduled to work one of the day shifts there but some late bookings at the pub meant that couldn’t be spared. However, I managed to get over to Olympia for Trade Day to catch up with some friends from Wales over a pint or 2 of Brains. I arrived after work at about 6pm yet my friends had been at the festival all day so were a little worse for wear! Pointing them in the direction of the tube, I headed over to last year’s Champion Beer of Britain, Tiny Rebel of Newport. I love the ice cream van!
It would have been rude not to have headed over to the Fuller’s bar so off I went to catch up with a pretty large group of work colleagues – all of who also looked as though they had been there all day! The beer was gratis which was a bonus and after a couple of pints of excellent London Pride, we all trooped off to the Fuller’s pub across the road, The Hand and Flower. Another free tab so I grabbed a pint of the collaboration with Yeastie Boys, Double Summer along with a couple of Kona’s beers.
One night after work I heard that the Express Tavern, Kew Bridge was holding a blind tasting of Wadworth’s beers. Now, as a lad my friends and I used to hunt down the legendary Wadworth 6X when one of us had their parents’ car for the night so it was a must-do. The beers tasted blind were 6X, Swordfish, Horizon and Bishops Tipple. Apparently I won a night for 2 in one of Wadworth’s pubs. I’ve yet to see evidence of this prize though…
The same evening I headed over to Real Ale in Twickenham where Todd Nicholson, chief of New Zealand Craft Beer Collective was giving a tasting of the new and exciting Kiwi beers that have hit the London market recently. It was great to catch up with Todd following our meeting at the Collective’s 1st anniversary a few months ago at Hop Burns & Black in East Dulwich. Todd had brought with him Guannamatta by Yeastie Boys, Tuatara’s APA, 8 Wired’s Wild Feijoa, plus another one of Yeastie’s their I Am Extra Pale Ale. Also on the growler was the wonderful 3 Boys Bogan by London’s Gypsy Hill. A truly top night.
Our summer wound up with Wifey’s birthday which we celebrated in typical style. Party in the Tap on the Line and then off to Belgium the next morning for 3 days in beautiful Brugge. A lovely time helped by warm, sunny weather. Old haunts and old friends were visited while new haunts were explored. We spent a lovely afternoon cycling the old canals to Damme and then on to Hoecke where we found a great pub with an amazing list. Good food got a look in when we weren’t catching up with friends at the many bars that we now know so well. We even spent a lovely couple of hours on the roof terrace of a fellow beer head, Ed Waller who I met via a Facebook Belgian beer forum. And, yes we did visit another brewery, the recently opened Bourgogne de Flandres and I would recommend a visit if you are in town.
We bid Brugge a sad farewell – we are always unhappy to leave – but comforted in the thought that it wouldn’t be long before we are back enjoying draft Straffe at ‘t Terastje, or trying to ignore Tom’s microphone waving at Volkscafe St-Jakobs. Until then…
So now Autumn is with us and the slow slog to winter begins….. Oh, did I tell you that I applied for a new role at Fuller’s? Well I got the job but more news about that next time.
Beer Sommelier Kew 