Anspach & Hobday Oktoberfest Party, Rock Leopard & Cantillon Web Drop!
H E L L O
C L A P T O N C R A F T
F A N S !
We're back on the Newsletter hype train this week and boy do we mean business... South Londoners supreme Anspach & Hobday headline this time around, and to celebrate the crispiest of seasons, we have an Oktoberfest Tap Takeover at our Wood St Depot starting TONIGHT at 7pm! Cult favourites Rock Leopard also make a long overdue return, along with a blink and you'll miss it drop from Cantillon online. That's not forgetting highlights from across the shops including Beerbliotek, Orbit, Pressure Drop and more. Rounding things off there's also a smattering of juicy joy from DEYA, and Alphabet. Basically there's far too much to cram in as we overcompensate in making up for lost time. So then, onto the good stuff...
B R E W E R Y
O F T H E
W E E K
Instigators of the first wave of craft beer in London, Anspach & Hobday have always been a fixture of the scene, not just as a bystander but as an innovator with a true commitment to quality. Blending traditional styles with cutting-edge techniques, there's perhaps no one better suited to take on authentic Oktoberfest action in the UK right now. Proving to be more than just imitation, last year's specials absolutely flew out and we're delighted to have their quartet of festive fun back for a good time, not a long time!
Leading the way is their Festival Lager, a classic Marzen-style Festbier. Here, bold, sweet malt flavours are balanced by noble hop bitterness. Spending over three months in their horizontal lager tanks this has sharpened into a perfectly balanced, clean, celebratory Lager. Next up, a new take on the Leipzig classic. A saline, quenching and lightly tart ale - The Gose adds a fresh hop blend for fruity intrigue in tandem with savoury sour fun. Meanwhile, The Hefeweizen opts for classic, fluffy wheat goodness. Think typical aromas of bananas, cloves and spice alongside a supremely refreshing finish. Finally, The Rauchbier is their homage to the great smoked beers of Bamberg. A real treat for the heads out there, this is dark, rich, and immensely smokey, yet somehow incredibly suppable thanks to a lengthy spell cold conditioning.
To celebrate we've of course got double loyalty points running in store as well as 10% off 6 or more Anspach efforts online. But more importantly... kicking off Tonight at 7pm and running all day and all night tomorrow (Saturday) we’ve got the complete Tap Takeover at our Wood Street Depot. In addition there's Yard Sale Pizza serving up the finest Zas in town, freshly baked pretzels, enough bunting to convince yourself you’re in Munich, plus a soundtrack of German minimal techno and 99 Luftballons on repeat… we’re only maybe kidding about that last part. There's Free Entry across the board, but snag yourselves an absolute steal with limited tokens for any four pours at just £15! See you for a stein or two...
R O C K
L E O P A R D
R E T U R N
Originally facilitating the introduction of Kopparberg to the UK Market, alongside spells at London Fields and Magic Spells, head brewer Stacey Ayeh is no stranger to the UK drinks scene. Determined to rise up after a series of setbacks, he's honed his craft with his own brewery, garnering attention and acclaim from fellow producers (like friends Cloudwater) and fans alike. As such, we're delighted to finally have a comprehensive range from Rock Leopard across the shops and online this week.
Headed up by a lean, mean trio of West Coast numbers in Pale Savage Scene and IPAs Type Here To Search and Elusive collab Pining for Change, there's plenty of the dank and dangerously drinkable in the locker. Blurring the lines between the juice-filled East and the aforementioned West Next To A Mountain plays superbly to both crowds. Lastly, the full tropical transformation occurs with Echo Chamber, a full on NE DIPA of mammoth proportions. Expect fresh citrus and soft, stone fruit succulence though as an outlier in the pack, this is a thankful change up in style rather than just preaching to the converted.
L A M B I C
L E G E N D S
C A N T I L L O N
What's there to say about Cantillon that hasn't already been said before? A veritable unicorn in the Craft Beer world, we're incredibly lucky to have snagged a small drop, and we thought we'd give our subscribers first chance on these! All doused in fleshy fruit flavour, and farmhouse funk we have a trio of sharers available right now, with strictly one per person. From their lip-smacking cherry Kriek, tangy Rhubarb wonder Nath, or essential raspberry-packed Rose De Gambrinus we've been blessed with quality rather than quantity here. As always you can enter code 'COLLECTION' online to guarantee stock for free delivery to any of our stores, however fair warning our next transfer is in another fortnight - think of it as letting them cellar just a little...
M A N A G E R
P I C K S
T H I S W E E K
ELLA - WOOD ST DEPOT
💦 PRESSURE DROP 💦
All In Favour - Tantalisingly tropical NEIPA, w/ a creamy soft body.
Wu Gang - Crisp, light & eternally refreshing foraged herb Hefeweizen.
Espadrille - A summery fruit salad sour dream of peach, apricot & raspberry.
DAVE - BALHAM
🔥 BURNING SKY 🔥
Full Circle - Thornbridge collab! Burgundy BA beer blended w/ mixed ferm saison for a special cellar select.
Elderberry Monolith - Wild Black Beer aged in oak & on local elderberries. Deep, complex, earthy & vinous.
LARA - FOREST HILL
🪐 ORBIT 🪐
Kveik Pale - Zesty & clean Pale w/ fresh lemon peel & herbal character.
Elderflower Ale - Spritzy, gently sour Golden Ale w/ beautifully soft aromatics.
Blackberry Gose - Tart, refreshing Sour w/ a brambly, dry, salty finish.
FRANKLIN - KENTISH TOWN
🏰 BRASS CASTLE 🏰
Bad Kitty - Named for the antics of the original brewhouse cats this is a chewy, chocolate-vanilla porter dream.
Bliss - Gently tart & thirst quenching Feijoa sour, somewhere between a prickly pear & a juicy pineapple.
HANNAH - FINSBURY PARK
🎉 PARTIZAN 🎉
Lager - Delicate Pils made w/ yeast from the oldest operating brewery.
Stout - Roasty, toasty dark beer w/ rich complexity & dry sweetness.
West Coast Pale - Their 700th brew! A celebratory, crisp, resinous classic.
OPHIE - CLAPTON
🍷 SAMMONTANA 🍷
Alberese - Trebbiano & Sangiovese field blend grown on pure limestone soil. A light, elegantly juicy Rosato.
Prunecchio - Tuscan white made w/ Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano & Malvasia. Stoney, saline & peachy.
MEL - WALTHAMSTOW
🇸🇪 BEERBLIOTEK 🇸🇪
Better Late Than Never - Balanced NEIPA w/ notes of mango & grape.
Here Comes the Sun - Juicy Pale w/ apricot aroma & lemon curd bitterness!
Bobek Citra - APA w/ gentle citrus tones & punchy grapefruit goodness.
E V E N M O R E
H I G H L I G H T S
T H I S W E E K
AVAILABLE ACROSS
THE SHOPS & ONLINE!
🔤 ALPHABET 🔤
Ellie Broke The Hydrometer - Sticky, luxurious NE Pale w/ lashings of green hops.
The Boysen Back In Town - Super sessionable sour loaded w/ dark fruits.
I Think We’re Cologne Now - Koln-style Lager. A crispy tangerine dream!
🐊 DEYA 🐊
Best Foot Forward - Fresh, zesty Bitter w/ light caramel & malt biscuit character.
Stranger Still - Snappy, juicy, citrusy & complex NEIPA.
Moving To The Country - Delicious Fruit IPA pairing Peach puree w/ pure hop power.
As usual, we hope you enjoyed this week's lowdown. And, see you at the tap takeover!