Brewery tap rooms from Bethnal Green to Walthamstow - part 2

Part 2 - South Hackney to Walthamstow

Hackney Central - View from top deck of 55 bus

As well as visiting Signature Brew for their 5th birthday party, my tap room trail on Saturday 29 October, 2016, included Redchurch Brewery, Forest Road Brewing Co, Wild Card Brewery and Pillars Brewery.

After leaving Forest Road Brewing Co (see Part 1) it was soon possible to ride northwards on the top deck of a 55 bus with destination Leyton (Bakers Arms).

Clapton Pond

Madina Mosque Trust (Clapton)

Once past Hackney Central station, the bus continues to Clapton Pond and passes the Clapton Madina Mosque at Lea Bridge roundabout before following the Lea Bridge Road over the river Lea.

River Lea, Lea Bridge Road

At the Markhouse Road stop, I got off the bus at the junction and walked southwards down Church Road, past the closed Antelope pub and then right into Wiseman Road.

Signature Brew

Now I could see the Signature Brew 5th birthday party throng inside Leyton Business Centre. Signature Brew started brewing collaboration beers for musicians in 2011. After crowdfunding, Signature Brew were able to establish a 10 barrel brewery here in 2015. This party was a (free) ticketed event and after giving my name at the gate I went straight to the outside bar.

As well as keg beers, there was a good choice of cask ales on stillage including some guest beers, all at £4 pint. I chose a half pint of Signature Pale, the brewery's flagship beer. Now tt was possible to wander around the temporarily expanded area with my plastic glass.

It was bad timing for catching any music from the high stage - stage diving not recommended!

I ventured inside the brewery itself and went upstairs to the 'Backstage Bar' which has a window looking down at the mash tun.

Only Signature brew keg beers were served here and I chose a half pint of Roadie 'all-night' Session IPA (4.3% ABV) which won Gold in the Small Pack Standard Bitters & Pale Ales category of SIBA's South East Independent Beer Awards 2016.

A variety of rock memorabilia items adorned the walls of the bar which is lit by overhead lamps. Half casks, painted white inside, form repurposed lamp shades.

Hourly brewery tours were offered during the afternoon and looking down from the bar window I could observe one in progress, led by Tibor.

The Earl's Serious Sandwiching food truck was doing a good trade just outside the brewery. Thanks to Signature Brew for laying on this party. I look forward to next year's!

Returning to Church Road, you can catch a 58 bus back to Lea Bridge Road and on to Walthamstow Bus Station. From there walk or transfer onto a small W12 bus towards Woodbine Place (Wanstead). In this direction, the bus is able to drive down the restricted one way part of Orford Road which passes Walthamstow village shops and pubs. Soon afterwards I rang the bell to get off in Addison Road.

Turning left into Shernhall Street you soon reach the entrance to Ravenswood Industrial Estate and a sign for Wild Card Brewery at the gateway.

In the main section of the estate you will find Mother's Ruin Gin Palace (the blue building on the right), Chris Bracey's God's Own Junkyard with a huge selection of retro signs including many colourful neon signs (further up on the right), Pillars Brewery (the green building on the left) and Wild Card Brewery (further up and around the corner to the left).

www.godsownjunkyard.co.uk

I had time for a quick browse inside the neon wonderland that is God's Own Junkyard. There is a cafe inside with coffee, cakes and seating.

Wild Card Brewery

Wild Card Brewery is obviously a popular destination as the benches and tables outside the brewery were full of people with beers from the brewery or pizzas from the gazebo set up just outside.

Inside the layout is informal with a simple bar at the far end and an area for DJs in another corner. The stylish Wild Card t-shirts and take away Wild Card bottles are on sale.

The brewery vessels can be viewed at the near end of the building.

Beers are reasonably priced with Wild Card cask ales £3.30 pint and keg beers £4.00 pint. Guest beers are £3.80 pint cask and £4.80 pint keg. There were four handpumps for cask ales and my choice was a half pint of Sir Thomas Gardyner - a session IPA by Brick Brewery and named after a 17th century Peckham orchard owner. Fortunately, I was able to find a place at the end of a bench on one of the shared tables outside and watch as more people arrived from a side gate leading to Summit Road.

Pillars Brewery

Sat 29th October, 2016, was the second day of taproom opening for Pillars Brewery, previously named Four Pillars Brewery.

Inside, the blackboard over the bar lists only lagers, including Untraditional Lager, a 4.5% ABV session IPL, which was my choice (£2 for 1/2 pint). It seems likely that Pillars Pilsner (4.5% ABV) or Amarillo Fest (5.6% ABV Oktoberfest lager) would have tasted better to me on this occasion.

The branded pint glasses were used for serving pint and half pint measures. The tap room was busy and my glass must have just come out of the dishwasher but the cold lager soon chilled the warm glass.

From a stool at the end of a narrow metal table, I was able to observe the recently painted decor of the main seating area with emphasis on the word 'Untraditional' picked out in orange and aqua letters against a dark blue background. There was music playing but it didn't sound very clear in this room.

After looking around, the reason for the poor sound quality became obvious. There are brewery vessels separating the main bar area from a second area on the other side with DJ equipment and futher seating which is where the music was coming from.

Pillars Brewery - DJ area and additional seating at rear

The Simatec brewery equipment, manufactured in Vaie, west of Turin, looked new and impressive with various accessories and controls.

For the shortest walk back to Walthamstow Central, I left the estate by the side gate leading to Summit Road and then turned right along Orford Road passing The Nags Head.

The Nags Head, 9 Orford Road

The Ancient House

A little further along at the Church Road junction, it was a pleasant surprise to find The Ancient House, one of several preserved buildings in the Walthamstow Village Conservation Area.
Church Path is a pedestrian link from Church Lane to St Mary Road which passes behind Vestry House Museum.

With time to spare I turned south into West Avenue when some street art caught my eye. Subsequent research shows that 'Not all those who wonder are lost' is a work by Lilly Lou and part of a 'Paint Your London' festival. On reaching Orford Road, I turned left and headed back to the Walthamstow village shops seen earlier from the W12 bus.

The Queen's Arms on left side of Orford Road

There was time for a final drink in Walthamstow but neither the Queen's Arms

or The Village Pub in Orford Road had the beer I was looking for.

Sign to The Castle, Eden Road, Walthamstow Village

Instead I followed a sign at the junction with Eden Road pointing south to The Castle.

The walk had been worth it as I was able to enjoy a half pint of Hackney Brewery American Pale Ale in pleasant surroundings.

St Mary Road - Street Art by local artist, Mark McClure

On the way back to Walthamstow Central (Victoria Line) I stopped to get a photo of another piece of street art from the 'Paint Your London' scheme at St Mary Road, approaching the junction with Hoe Street.

With four pubs in Walthamstow Village and the two brewery taprooms at the nearby Ravenswood Industrial Estate, all within easy walking distance, there would seem to be the makings of a good trail, just within this interesting conservation area, for another occasion.

Brodie's Brewery

If the Signature Brew 'Backstage Bar' is not open, an alternative brewery tap room trail would be to substitute it with the King William IV, 816 High Road, next to Brodie's Brewery in Leyton. The pub is open daily from 11am (noon on Sundays) and serves the largest range of Brodie's beers.
Note that bus W16 (towards Chingford Mount) stops on Lea Bridge Road nearby and also stops on Shernall Street (Addison Road stop) conveniently for Wild Card & Pillar Breweries in Ravenswood Industrial Estate.

Brewery tap rooms from Bethnal Green to Walthamstow - part 1

Part 1 - Bethnal Green and South Hackney

As well as visiting Signature Brew for their 5th birthday party, my tap room trail on Saturday 29 October, 2016, included Redchurch Brewery, Forest Road Brew Co, Wild Card Brewery and Pillars Brewery.

St John's Church, opposite Bethnal Green tube station entrance

 

Redchurch Brewery

Starting from Bethnal Green (Central Line) tube station, it was only a short walk to Redchurch Brewery, situated in railway arches at 275 / 276 Poyser Street.

South end of Poyser Street from Cambridge Heath Road

North end of Poyser St from Old Bethnal Green Rd

Take the Cambridge Heath Road (West) exit from the tube, head north until you reach Poyser Street or look for the signs where the elevated railway crosses Old Bethnal Green Road.

The illuminated sign makes the brewery easy to find. Take the steps on the left up to the tap room on the mezzanine level.

This is a big bright space with plenty of wooden furniture. The hard surfaces are softened by the use of billowing hessian fabric. The audio equipment produces a good sound and snooker player Steve Davis is one of the DJs who provide the musical background for evening events.

Redchurch Brewery Paradise Pale on resin bar surface.

There are 10 taps behind the bar serving the full range of Redchurch Brewery beers.These are listed on the blackboard next to the bar and include Brick Lane lager (4.7% ABV), Bethnal Pale (APA - 5.5% ABV) and Old Ford Export Stout (7.5%). The surface of the bar includes a 'r b' logo formed from hops and grains and covered in clear resin.

By arriving at opening time (noon) I had the benefit of Kieran's kind offer of samplers of the saison style beers from taps 8 (Tartelette - mixed fermentation Berline Weisse - 4.5% ABV), 9 (Dry Hopped Sour - with Cascade - 5.4% ABV) and 10 (a refreshing low alcohol Grisette made with Lemon Thyme, Chamomile and some Cascade hops). I would recommend all of these but instead chose a half pint of Paradise Pale (3.7% ABV). Prices are reasonable e.g. £2.30 (1/2) or £3 (2/3) for the low and medium strength beers.

 Cartons and Chilled bottles of Redchurch Brewery beers are also available to take away.

As I was still the only customer, I took the opportunity to give Kieran a copy of Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA beer magazine and inform him about West Berkshire Brewery and Wild Weather Ales from the Newbury area. We also chatted about some breweries we both know - East Sussex based Franklins Brewing Co and Andy Parker's Elusive Brewing. We agreed that beer and music go well together and learned from each other that End of the Road festival (Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset) and the Kelburn Garden Party (near Largs, west of Glasgow) are good festivals for music and arts in natural surroundings. 

Although, we could have chatted longer, it was time for me to go in order to visit the four further brewery tap rooms on today's 'mission'. Kieran recommended a visit to the nearby Kings Arms in Buckfast Sreet, near Bethnal Green Road on any future visit. Before leaving I was able to get photos of the brewery and bottling line on the ground floor

Bottling line - Redchurch Brewery

 

Five Points Brewing Co

After a walk or a short bus journey (106 or 254 north owards Hackney) and crossing the Regent's Canal, you will pass the Five Points Brewing Co warehouse and distribution centre. (The Five Points bar is Mason & Company at Here East - Technology Innovation Centre, Olympic Park, Hackney Wick. The brewery itself is at Institute Place, near Hackney Central station, and tours can be booked on the second Saturday of each month.)

 

Forest Road Brewing Co

Soon after, turn west into Westgate Street and just before the railway arches, on the south side, is the gated entrance to Netil Lane, the location of Forest Road Brewing Co.

Take care not to trip over the base of the gate and you will see the green painted Forest Road Brewing Co tap room located in one of the railway arches which opens on Saturdays.

 There is seating outside and parking for bicycles.

Inside, I would find Rudder serving at the bar and a mixture of seating options including a sofa, a bench for a low table and stools at the bar and at a high table.

 

Rudder explained that Work, the Forest Road Brewing Co beer is currently brewed by Pete in Flanders, Belgium by Brouwerij Van Eecke, the Poperings hommelbier brewery. The flags behind the bar include the Massachussetts flag, Pete's home state. The other beers available were SAS Pils from the same Belgian brewery group, Partizan Saison Lemongrass and The Kernel Table Beer. Current beers at the tap room can be found on the website.

Forest Road Brewing Co - Work

A half pint of Work was £3 and served in a plastic cup. My Work, a 6 grain unfiltered IPA (5.4% ABV), tasted good but had a hazy appearance and was more fizzy than a cask ale.

An indented bottle of Work, just under the Forest Road sign, caught my eye on the chipboard wall opposite my table. Noticeable from his accent, Rudder is from Alabama and he may have chosen the Southern style music playing on the system during my visit. Before leaving, I was able to purchase 2 chilled 33cl bottles of Work to take home for £5.

From Mare Street, I would catch a 55 Bus to take me near Signature Brew. See part 2 for further details.

London Fields Brewery

Another possibility would have been to include a visit to the taproom at nearby London Fields Brewery tucked away between Mare Street and London Fields park at the south end of Mentmore Terrace, just under the arches, which is open until midnight, seven days a week.

End of the Road festival 2016 ciders

I have been visiting the End of the Road festival at Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset every year since 2007. The quality and variety of beer and cider on offer has been improving over the years.

Most of the bars at the festival are run by The Really Good Bar Co.. In 2016, most of the festival bars, like the Black Crow, near the Woods stage served draught Symonds cider and local ciders.

Every year, the Somerset Cider bus brings Burrow Hill cider and is parked in the Tipi area near the campfire and the Tipi stage.

This is the best place to find hot spiced cider before sitting by the campfire or enjoying live music from the Tipi stage or some dance records in the smaller marquee tent next to the cider bus.

The hot spiced cider is served in doubled cardboard cups for extra insulation and strength.

Big Thief - Tipe stage

In 2016, the late night music to go with this warming cider was provided by Big Thief from Brooklyn featuring Adrianne Lenker (Friday) and The Big Moon from London (Saturday).

2015 - Bob Chaplin - Copse House Cider

Copse House Cider from Sandley, Dorset was available at the festival in 2015 and I met Bob Chaplin the cidermaker at a tasting event in the Bear Tavern then.

In 2016, boxes of Copse House Landshire medium cider were available at several of the festival bars including the bar at the back of the Tipi stage tent.

Seratones - Tipi stage

I was lucky to enjoy Copse House Landshire cider with the last Tipi Stage Surprise Show acts of the night from Weaves from Toronto (Friday) and Seratones from Shreveport (Saturday).

For more details of music at End of the Road festival 2016 - see my Tumblr blog eotr2016

For details of beer at the featival - see blog post End of the Road festival 2016 beer bars
Addendum:

Chris of Really Good Bar Co writes:
I think we have one of the best cider selections at a music festival, all tip top and possibly the best 3 cider makers in the country, but thats just me and I would say that. Bob at Copse House and the Temperleys at Burrow Hill are cider legends and Bill at Cranborne Chase is the young kid on the block making waves and winning lots of awards with his excellent cider.

Bill (Cranborne Chase Cider) - End of the Road festival 2014 (photo from @reallygoodbars Facebook page)

You should mention Bill at Cranborne Chase Cider, he makes it a few miles down the road from the festival. It is great oak conditioned real cider, very tasty. Check his facebook page for details as he won some awards in Somerset this summer.

End of the Road festival 2016 beer bars

Model of the End of the Road festival site - not to scale!

The first End of the Road festival at Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset was in 20016. I have been to the festival every year since 2007.

List of beers outside the Bear Tavern

The quality and variety of beer and cider on offer has been improving over the years.

There have been previous experiments with returnable plastic glasses for a refund and heavy duty souvenir plastic glasses but recently flimsy plastic disposable glasses have become the norm. See Chris Corry's explanation of why these are best for outdoor festivals at the end of this post.

Simon outside the Black Crow - the bar for the Woods stage

The Really Good Bar Co runs most of the festival bars including the Black Crow near the Woods stage and the real ale festival bar at the Bear Tavern, situated near the Big Top stage and the festival merchandise store.

On Saturday 3 September there was a brewing demonstration by the Brew Shack, Wimborne, at the side of the Bear Tavern tent.

Adam Bascombe with 'Ullage'

 It was a pleasure to meet Adam Bascombe, the brewer of 'Naturally hazy unfined ale made in small batches'. Adam advised that the brewery will be increasing capacity soon from 1.5 BBL to 4.5 BBL. A true small batch brew was in progress using a pilot plant with an electric element heating the brew kettle.

Brewing ingredients, including several varieties of malt and hops, were on display. Adam and his colleague answered questions about brewing from interested festival goers.

The Brew Shack - 9 Grain Porter

This was a good opportunity to order half pints of their beer from the casks on stillage behind the bar. 9 Grain Porter (5% ABV) was a good start to the day with coffee and chocolate notes. Later I would also enjoy 5 a day IPA (5.5% ABV).

Anderson East - Woods stage

After watching an excellent set from Anderson East on the main Woods stage, it was time to return to the Bear Tavern for shelter as it started to rain more heavily. From a place at the far end of the bar it was possible to observe the bar staff at work.

A different Adam, who I had chatted with on a visit to Wakefield Beer Exchange in March, was busy tapping and spiling some casks on the scaffolding stillage behind the bar. It was fortunate that he was wearing glasses as beer spurted out at his face with a couple of the livelier casks. All the time, the bar staff were serving customers in a friendly and helpful way.

Watching them stoop or crouch to pour beer from the lowest casks made me wonder if their job could be eased by having these casks raised higher in future. Once the casks had been tapped, Chris Corry appeared to observe and taste the newly tapped beers to see if they were ready for serving.

This year I didn't get a chance to chat with Chris but hopefully he will have found one of the copies of West Berkshire CAMRA's Ullage magazine which I left with Adam.

In 2015, some keg Beavertown beers were also available at the Bear Tavern. In 2016, a new dedicated Beavertown bar, near the Singing Theatre and Garden Stage catered for craft beer enthusiasts.

Whitney - Garden stage

Visiting the bar on Friday, only Neck Oil was available on draught and I purchased a can of Gamma Ray (£4.50) to enjoy while watching Whitney on the Garden stage.

On Sunday, more draught beers were available including Lupuloid IPA (6.7% ABV) which had been launched officially at the festival on Saturday.

Thee Oh Sees - Garden stage

I ordered a half pint (£3) and drank this while watching the start of the set from Thee Oh Sees on the Garden stage. Until now Gamma Ray has been my favourite beer from Beavertown but Lupuloid IPA tasted even better!

For more details of music at End of the Road festival 2016 - see my Tumblr blog eotr2016

For details of cider at the featival - see blog post End of the Road festival 2016 ciders

Addendum 

Chris from Really Good Bar Co advises:

EOTR is the only music festival I've been to this year where they encourage us to go and find good quality, interesting, local produce for the bars. Hence why all the ale is local as well.

We went with the current plastic glasses as previous versions caused us problems. The current ones work directly with the mechanical recycling kit at the depo and so gets packaged up and reused. The glasses also split once, when trodden on, so they flatten. This is very important as it stops the cups breaking into multiple bits. When they do this and it is wet the small bits disappear in to the mud and then reappear when livestock is on the land resulting in lots of problems and big vet bills. So although they are a bit flimsy for us beer drinkers they actual are the best all round solution for outdoor events.

We tried washing hard plastic ones, but these caused lots of grey water issues and a potential problem for bar service when the washing machines broke down onsite. The also split into multiple shards of hard plastic when trodden on so very dangerous all round.

Paper cups - you can't see if its a full pint or settled and finally corn starch cups although in theory are great as they reduce to compost, have a tendency to contaminate batches of plastic cups destined to be reused & recycled.