Croydon Crackers, Wild Birthday Blend Preview & Natty South African Sunshine!
H E L L O
C L A P T O N C R A F T
F A N S !
We're delighted to be back in your inboxes this week with plenty to shout about as usual! And, taking the top spot this time around is none other than Anspach & Hobday. Pioneers of the London scene, we're thrilled to put the focus on some traditional triumphs alongside some seasonal slammers. Next up, we reveal the first details on our collaborative eight-barrel blend with Wild Beer for our 8th(!) Birthday this April. There's plenty more up our sleeves on that front, but make sure to put the 22nd in your diary ASAP.
Heading over momentarily to some grape juice greats, Baby Bandito return with four eternally hyped natural numbers. Of course, there's also a plethora of pint-ready perfection on the Webshop featuring the likes of Overtone, Boxcar, The Kernel, Vault City, and Siren. Meanwhile, our Manager's sing the praises of Brick, Drop Project, Eric Bordelet, Exale, and more. Now, onto those aforementioned Croydon crackers...
B R E W E R Y
O F T H E
W E E K
Originally born into that brewing hotbed of Bermondsey, Anspach & Hobday, then forerunners of the first wave of craft beer, have now cut their own path, moving the majority of their production to Croydon in 2020. Having become renowned for their innovation but perhaps more importantly their commitment to heritage and traditional styles, they're truly a welcome tonic in the current drinking climate. Making beer, brewers, beer nerds or anyone suffering palate fatigue alike would want to endlessly sup, we have a fantastic blend of their Winter-Spring specials and core range classics for you.
Inspired by the ruinous Californian beers of yore, Anspach prove they aren't all restraint and balance in their West Coast DIPA. Their second interpretation of the style beckons ripe mango, sticky grapefruit, and tropical fruit to the front. Backed up by a bold, firm bitterness with a slightly sweet, caramel body this is straight out the dank playbook. In contrast Eine Kleine Kölschbier reimagines the classic Koln lager completely. A low abv, all-day crusher, this is brewed with the addition of rice to deliver a clean, crispy mouthfeel. With subtle citrus and classic noble hop notes, it's a delicate delight designed to be drunk again and again.
A re-brew of an old favourite, this time in collaboration with the fine folk at Land Chocolate, The Chocolate Brown Ale makes for that lush, comforting beer we all need with dark skies overhead. A rich, complex malt base sets the scene for layers of dark, bitter chocolate with the addition of cocoa husks in the mash accentuating that luxury. Maturation on cocoa nibs smooths the beer out, adding a soft, velvety mouthfeel, further layering more choc goodness.
If that wasn't enough we also have plenty of their illustrious core range in tow. Their Ordinary Bitter is a masterclass of the nostalgic style, balancing hoppy pine, dark fruit, and biscuity brilliance all at once. While, their Table Beer is an effortlessly drinkable number with notes of lemon, lychee, and spice accompanied by a zippy finish. There's plenty more where that came from too with The Pale Ale, The Porter, and The Lager dotted around the shops.
As usual, we're offering up a rather inviting double loyalty points on their beers, plus 10% off six or more beers online. What better time to reacquaint yourselves with these legends?!
B L E N D I N G U P A
S T O R M W I T H
W I L D B E E R
Approaching the grand old age of eight, we set our sights on crafting something a little bit special for our Birthday in April this year. And, like Pilton before we only had one brewery in mind to help bring and blend our wildest ideas to life. Step in the Somerset superstars, who looked after us immaculately on an epic cheese and saison-filled day. Guided by their 'chief barrel wrangler' (a job role made in heaven) we set out to concoct an eight barrel blend, focussing predominately on the final addition to give us that all-important accent flavour.
Excitingly, Wild Beer utilise the rather extraordinary Solera system for such efforts. Here, batches of beer are funnelled into varying vessels of different heritage and are then 'topped up' further after a portion of around a third is removed for each new brew. As such we were able to taste incredibly complex combinations, attempting to balance them with pure palate power.
Opting for beers once housed in European wine and bourbon oak casks. We chose some of their most acclaimed beers such as the annual Coolship release, Amuse Cherry and Fruitbooter, finally adding the finishing touch of Sourbeast, an infinitely complex Sour Stout no longer produced by the brewery that just blew us away on the day. Offering up tasting notes of vinous, vibrant tart cherries with a hint of chocolate and a healthy dose of fresh farmhouse funk, we're incredibly excited to present a blend that matched and exceeded our celebratory ambitions.
Of course, all good things come to those that wait, so you (and us) will have to hold tight until April to taste the finished product. But, rest assured we'll be sure to fill you in as soon as our eight-barrel, Wild Ale baby makes it into sharing bottle!
B A B Y
B A N D I T O
B E L T E R S
Based on the West Coast of South Africa, we've been massive fans of Craig and Carla's, Baby Bandito project for some time now. Originating from Swartland meaning 'Black Land' in Afrikaans, this name refers to the dark grey rhinoceros bush that covers the landscape and turns black after the region's rare bouts of rainfall. Harnessing the arid climate, their vineyards are dry-farmed meaning no additional irrigation takes place.
As a result, only the hardiest of vines survive, lending a superb and intense concentration of fruit. Unpretentious, and embodying pure grape power, with nothing added or taken away their emphasis on vibrancy makes them continually sure-fire bets year-in, year-out. And, this time we're delighted to present a quartet of wines here for a good time, not a long time...
Up first, we have the long-awaited comeback of two Chenin Blanc favourites, the aromatic, dry Keep On Punching and Stay Brave, a 10-day skin contact, full of fresh grippy fun. In addition, there's Carignan cracker Follow Your Dreams, which is full of bright acidity, with notes of cranberry, and sour, earthy cherries. Finally, a relative newcomer in the pack Chin Up is the perfect Cinsault, seasonal hybrid. Heralding from old Swartland bush vines, this juicy number is more Rosato than Red with bountiful aromas of strawberry, pomegranate, floral citrus, and delicate herbs. If there's anything that might transport you to sunnier, warmer times it's these...
M A N A G E R
P I C K S
T H I S W E E K
DAVE - BALHAM
🐦 BEAK 🐦
Blub - IPA feat. notes of candied orange peel & squished clementine.
Jurgen - Impy Stout singing w/ flavours of espresso & cacao salted pretzels.
Parade (On Draught!) - Fresh, bubblegum NEIPA w/ a ripe, oily mouthfeel.
LARA - FOREST HILL
🇨🇱 INACAYAL 🇨🇱
La Patagua - Vivid & aromatic unfiltered Chilean White brimming w/ ripe citrus acidity & textured tropical flavour.
La Cueva - Spicy & floral organic red w/ Pais lending lavender & Carignan giving all delectable dark fruit.
ILARIA - KENTISH TOWN
🧱 BRICK 🧱
Double Strawberry & Cucumber - A Sour Summery slammer, doubled up.
Peckham Helles - GF, quenching, clean & zippy Lager. A no-brainer.
Peckham Rye - A dry, spicy & caramel-tinged treat!
FIONN - FINSBURY PARK
🔧 EXALE 🔧
Bonnie - Exclusive 1st pour of their IWD Table Beer!
Pale - Extremely well balanced, w/ punchy stone fruit succulence.
WCIPA - Resinous, refreshing & classically clean West Coast IPA.
OPHIE - CLAPTON
🍎 ERIC BORDELET 🍎
Sidre Brut - Classic, dry Normandy Cider made biodynamically. Expect lively apple goodness w/ firm tannins!
Poiré Authentique - Enticing Perry bursting w/ tart fruit flavour & underpinned by a subtle sweetness.
MEL - WALTHAMSTOW
✨ MAHRS BRAU ✨
Au - 'Ungespundent' meaning unfiltered, this is a stupidly smooth, full-bodied Lager w/ generous malt character.
Helles - Ever impressive, bready, floral & light Lager. Finishes w/ delicately sweet, lemongrass aplomb!
SERGIO - WOOD STREET
🔗 UNBARRED 🔗
Joosy - Their signature Pale, a juicy, citrus smasher from start to finish & quickly rising to be a cult fave!
California Pale - Bursting w/ a nose of cedar & pine followed by peach & pithy grapefruit this is a throwback crusher.
CHIPPY - ST JOHN'S HILL
🛹 DROP PROJECT 🛹
Voyage - Opulent, moreish & completely pastry-free Imperial Stout.
Pucker - Jammy & thick lingonberry, blackberry & cranberry Sour.
Scoff - Zippy, crushable grapefruit & apricot tasting Table Beer.
W E B S H O P
W O N D E R S
T H I S W E E K
🥤 OVERTONE 🥤
Paradise Crush - Rich, dark & ever-so truffle-like Stout w/ a nutty sweetness.
It's All Nelson - Single hop DIPA w/ saturated gooseberry goodness.
Paradise Crush - Bright, juicy & exotic Sour, sunshine in a glass.
🍹 VAULT CITY 🍹
Fruits Of The Forest - Breakfast pastry fruit medley. Ludicrous & luscious!
Raspberry Coconut Ripple - Velvety smooth, ice cream-inspired Session Sour.
Pineapple Upside Down - Nostalgic cake batter meets puckering fruit flavour.
🏎 BOXCAR 🏎
Dark Mild - Arguably a modern classic. Drinkable, nutty, earthy joy.
Native Place - Polished, punchy & pithy citrus Pale Ale.
Emma's Colour - Bright, intense DDH IPA w/ dank Citra & Nelson Sauvin hops.
🚨 SIREN 🚨
Queen Of The Deep - Red wine Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter! Dark chocolate & coconut aromas meet rich toffee, chewy marshmallow & tart red fruits, before a rousing tannic finish.
💯 THE KERNEL 💯
Bière De Saison Apple - Funky, Farmhouse fave made w/ Oliver's apples.
Brown Ale - Toasty-roasty malt treat w/ just an edge of floral hop fun.
Export Stout Raspberry - Mellow, silky stout w/ 250g/l of delicately tart fruit.
Cheers for joining us on another rather epic lowdown, see you again next week!