Destination Deptford

An invitation to view Robert Fitzmaurice's Companion Pieces show provided an opportunity to visit the Hop Stuff Brewery Taproom SE8 and Villages Brewery Taproom in Deptford afterwards.

Canada Water Library

A Jubilee line tube ride to Canada Water followed by a 47 bus to Deptford Fire Station and then a walk to No Format Gallery, housed in a railway arch, was my approach to Deptford on Friday 12 October, 2018.

Robert Fitzmaurice

Robert's artworks, including prints, paintings and ceramic pieces were well displayed in the gallery space.

The Albany

My route to Deptford High Street, after crossing to the south side of the railwal line to Greenwich, allowed a stop for coffee at The Albany, Douglas Way. The new theatre / arts centre was opened in 1982 four years after a fire destroyed The Albany Empire in 1978.

Market stalls in a space next to the Albany were being put away as I passed.

One approach to Deptford Market Yard is signed with a huge red arrow mural visible from Deptford High Street.

The wide access also leads to the Carriage Ramp that curves around towards Deptford station. The ramp was built in 1835 and restored in 2015.

Some of the arches under the ramp are now used for independent shops and cafes.

Taproom SE8, the second taproom to be opened by Hop Stuff Brewery, which started out in Woolwich Arsenal in 2013, is on the corner of a new development that faces east and south towards the Carriage Ramp.

Inside, a board lists the Hop Stuff and guest brewery beers available from the 14 taps. On my visit other South London breweries like Anspach & Hobday, Gipsy Hill and Brick were featured as was well as Lost + Found from Horsham and Harry Masters cider from Cidersmiths of Hoxton.

I ordered a pint of Hop Stuff DDH Pale from tap 1 and the first taste of the 5.7% ABV double dry hopped pale ale confirmed this was the right choice for my palate.

The taproom has plenty of seating and tables. From my table, furnished with a zinc plant pot and a glass 'candle' holder, there was a view of the timber fronted bar with metal stools for additional seating.

After finishing my pint, I walked to Villages Brewery taproom at 21-22 Resolution Way, passing The Job Centre (a cafe / bar) at 120 Deptford High Street.
Simon Everitt (on a mission to visit every pub in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide) identifies the Job Centre as an Antic pub in his October 2018 BRAPA blog post featuring interior photos and which also describes his visits to the Dog & Bell and the Brookmill in Deptford. Follow Simey BRAPA Everitt on Twitter to keep up with his progress.

Resolution Way is a narrow road on the south side of the railway line to Greenwich.

The Villages Brewery taproom occupies arch 22.

The simple bar, at the far end, is in front of a tap wall with a board listing the available beers.

My first beer was a half pint of draught Rafiki (4.3% ABV Session IPA / £2) which was not bitter and had a flavour that exceeded my expectations. The beer menu describes it as 'Generously dry-hopped with juicy tropical fruit hops and balanced with notes of pine on a sweet biscuit malt base'. Rafiki is hopped with Falconer's Flight 7C's and Mosaic.

Before leaving I would buy some cans to take home from the well stocked fridge! (£2.30 or 6 for £12).

I could have taken a seat inside or outside the taproom but preferred to stand at the bar and chat with Greg who had served me.

My second draught Villages beer was Rodeo, a 4.6% ABV Pale Ale with grapefruit notes, always a flavour that I appreciate in beer. The American hops used are Cascade, Citra and Amarillo.

Greg explained that installing a new vessel in the brewery, visible through the gap to the adjacent arch, was taking longer than expected. It was obvious that the Villages brewery has been well planned with a quality floor and new equipment.

Although there were only five beers on tap, they were all pale beers and unlike the situation in most taprooms and craft beer bars with a more varied range, at this taproom I would have liked to try every beer available. However, with time for only one more beer, I chose Zinzan, meaning that Gecko (Little Beer) and Whistle (Pilsner) were missed out on this occasion. (The sixth tap, on the right, is for Prosecco!)

The tasting notes on the clipboard for Zinzan, 5% ABV New Zealand Pale Ale read 'A juicy, hazy, full-bodied pale ale. Melon, grape and pineapple on the tongue buds.' Zinzan is hopped with Motueka, Pacifica and Wai-iti. The malt bill is Golden Promise, Carapils and Wheat and it is fermented with Windsor yeast. As this was a seasonal / special beer it was more expensive at £2.50 half pint.
This was the third delicious beer I enjoyed at Villages taproom which makes the brewery one that I will be recommending to anyone who enjoys pale ales.

Archie and Louis Village are the two brothers behind Villages brewery. It was nice to chat briefly with Louis about Zinzan and agree about the white grape and melon flavours.
I showed Louis a Wild  Weather Ales advertisement in a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA's Ullage magazine and suggested that a collaboration brew with Wild Weather Ales might be something to try in the future.

Cumbia music was playing on the sound system during my visit and subsequent research revealed that 'Disco with a generous serving of jazz' is the Village brothers' secret ingredient in creating a successful brew (in a story by Julia Jarvis for Hole & Corner magazine).

On the way back to Deptford station, I passed the Deptford branch of Hop, Burns & Black, the beer and hot sauce retailer, in an archway under the station but did not have time to go inside before catching the train to London Bridge.

Deptford station

Villages Brewery
21-22 Resolution Way, Deptford, London SE8 4NT
Website:
Facebook @villagesbrewery 
Twitter @VillagesBrewery
Taproom opening hours (check before visiting)
Friday     5-11pm
Saturday noon-11pm
Sunday   noon-8pm

Taproom SE8
Unit 2, St Paul’s House, 3 Market Yard, Deptford SE8 4BX
Website
Twitter @TaproomSE8
Taproom opening hours
Mon to Thurs 4pm-11pm
Fri to Sat 12-11pm
Sun 12-10pm

Skaal, Copenhagen

Recent trips to Copenhagen have usually included a (free) visit to the Davids Samling / The David Collection, Kronprinsessegade 30-32, overlooking the green space of Kongens Have.

As well as the Islamic art which the gallery is renowned for, there is an inner room with paintings by Vilhelm Hammershøi that should not be missed.

On Friday 14 September, I was also able to view 'The Hippie Trail' an exhibition of slides and photos by Torben Huss, who first set off eastwards to Afghanistan from Copenhagen in the 1960s.

Leaving after 3pm, with time to fill before Bicycle Brewing opened at 4pm, left me with a choice between revisiting a favourite - Charlie's Bar (one minute by bike) or a first visit to Skaal Beer & Food, which opened on 21 September 2017 (two minutes by bike).

Feeling adventurous, I decided to visit Skaal, on the corner of a square, near Nørreport station, at Kultorvet 11. The Skaal tables in the square were fairly busy.

However, there were only a few customers inside when I entered the bar on the first floor.

'Good to see you!'

A welcome sign gives a good first impression.

At the top of the stairs a diagram explains the brewing process.

There are 48 draught beers to choose from with details on the screens behind the bar.
I ordered a 25cl glass of k:rlek 12, the 12th edition of Mikkeller's hazy pale ale, brewed with Mosaic hops, costing 42 Dkr (£5).

From my stool at a table in the dim interior of the bar, there was a view towards the tables by the windows which overlook the square.

Another room provides seating away from the main bar with specially commissioned artwork.

There is a mural on the opposite wall and fridges filled with bottles of beer at the far end.
By now it was after 4pm and Skaal was getting busier so I left to retrieve my parked bicycle and pedal to Bicycle Brewing in Østerbro, which would seem tiny in comparison to Skaal!

This visit to Skaal satisfied my curiosity but my current recommendation for a bar in this part of Copenhagen would be to visit Charlie's which is more like a pub, has cheaper prices and even serves cask ale from the UK!

Charlie's Bar, Pilestræde 33, Copenhagen

Skaal Beer & Food, Kultorvet 11, Copenhagen

Bicycle Brewing, Ålborggade 20, Copenhagen 

Bicycle Brewing, Østerbro, Copenhagen

Returning to Ålborggade, Copenhagen, for the first time in almost 50 years, it was a nice surprise to discover newly established Bicycle Bar, facing towards a window from where I had once observed life in this narrow Østerbro street.

On Friday 14 September, 2018, I had set off on a borrowed bicycle from my friends' house in suburban Værløse to catch the S-train directly to Ryparken station. It was the first off-peak fare service (11.10am) costing a 20.80 Dkr debit to my Rejsekort (approx £2.50) for a relaxing journey of 10 stops, taking 20 minutes.

Ryvangen Naturpark

My plan was to first visit the original site of Tuborg brewery, now housing a waterside shopping development, after a ride through Ryvangen Nature Park. A well surfaced cycle path, with low level lighting at intervals, runs alongside a track for pedestrians and joggers, into the park.

Gateway marked: Tuborgs  Bryggerier

Returning to the street at Tuborgvej, I passed the original entrance to the brewery on Strandvej. This is the entrance I would have used in the 1970s for a free tour of the large brewery followed by a beer tasting. Tuborg brewery closed in the 1990s and the beers are now brewed at Carlsberg brewery.

The next stop on my route was to marvel at Tuborgflasken - the giant Tuborg bottle, designed in 1888 as an observation tower. (On Saturday I would find out that Villy Madsen, my brother-in-law, once a crane operator, was involved in a temporary move from its current site, at the junction of Strandvej and Dessaus Blvd to Rådhuspladsen in 1988 for its 100th anniversary.) 

It was 12.30 when I had the good fortune to spot Bicycle Bar, Ålborggade 20, in the Østerbro neighbourhood, north of central Copenhagen. As the bar was closed I decided to return later, after cycling around the new developments of Nordhavn, and into central Copenhagen for a first visit to Skaal.

On my return to Østerbro the A-sign outside X-Pressen at Århusgade 10 caught my eye. The bar is open from 10am until 1am with special beer prices of 17 Dkr or 21 Dkr (approx £2 or £2.50) between 11am and 3pm. 

At all times, 50cl draught lager is available for 30 Dkr (approx £4) or Ale 16 brewed by Refsvindinge brewery (bottled by Vestfyen brewery) for 35 Dkr (approx £4.50).

Ålborggade - looking west

Århusgade is a broad street with a wide pavement. One street to the south, Ålborggade is a one way street (eastwards) with not much room left for pedestrians after bicycles are parked on the pavement. Street lights are strung overhead.

After parking my bicycle on the pavement opposite Bicycle Bar, the home of Bicycle Brewing, it was 16.30 hrs when I walked inside and found the small bar already quite busy but not full. The magnetic beer board uses Scrabble like tiles for details.

I ordered one of the three draught beers - 4.9% ABV Handlebar IPA (50 Dkr / £6+) which was not especially bitter and very much to my taste. The other choices were 4.8% ABV Fixie Organic Lager and 4.1% ABV Short John Porter. Appropriately all the beers have bicycle themed names. 

When brewer / barman Alex had a quiet moment, I introduced myself and gave him a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA's Ullage magazine. Alex explained that he and his wife Kristina had use of this space for brewing since 2016 but they had only opened it as a tasting room to the public since around July 2018. 

It was interesting to hear Alex explain that because they could not find bar mats or coasters to suit the brand, they had screenprinted their own circular cork mats.

The small bar is tastefully decorated with wheels, 

coloured glass shutters, 

bottles and succulent plants.
The archway into the Bottle Room reveals a tall fridge where 75cl bottles are stored.

The brewing area is in the room behind the bar behind a glass partition with a nice illustration of the brewing process on the wall behind the brewing vessels. The 200 liter brewing capacity stainless steel kit was supplied by Ss brewtech from the USA.

Also in this back room is a colourful display of 1970s era American beer cans including Rolling Rock and Colt 45.
I would have liked to stay longer and try another beer but it was time to head back to Ryparken station for the S-train back to Værløse where my friends' cats would surely be getting impatient for their evening meal!

Bicycle Brewing
Brewery & Tasting Room
Ålborggade 20
Copenhagen 

Thursday  16:00 - 22:00
Friday       16.00 - 22.00
Saturday   16.00 - 22.00

No cash

Facebook: @bikebrewing