A little history first; Hammerton Brewery was opened in the spring of 2014 by Lee Hammerton who’s distant ancestors owned the original Hammerton Brewery that was located in Stockwell, South London and sadly closed in the late 1950’s. Lee has come a long way since his initial idea of opening a brewery just a few years ago. Bored of working in IT, a mundane 9 to 5 with all the other city workers, he decided to jack it all in and open his own brewery. When doing some background research he discovered that there had already once been a Hammerton Brewery in London but it was only when discussing this with his grandparents that they confirmed he was related to the original brewing family. Not being an egotistical fella, Lee was not initially keen on using the Hammerton name, but encouragement from friends and family convinced him that it was a good idea. When I heard this story I had to agree. Knowing that they had brought back a historical name in London brewing (as well as brewing some beers using the original recipes) makes this brewery just that little bit more magical.
Upon seeing the brewery you could be forgiven for thinking that it was started some years ago, when the craft beer scene first took off. Not because it is looking run-down, quite the opposite actually. The brewery is state of the art and modern. The size is larger than many other well established London brewers. And the set-up and use of space is very efficient and well thought out.
Lee hasn’t been naïve in his approach to the start-up either. While he did have some home brewing experience prior to opening the brewery and knew the type of beers he wanted to brew, he admits that he is not an expert and so brought in outside help from experienced brewers (such as James Kemp, formally of Buxton and Thornbridge) and others in the brewing industry that he has built relationships with. This is something that I think other brewing hopefuls could learn from. Just because you love your beer doesn’t necessarily mean you will make a great beer. I am happy to say that Hammerton have an adventurous and yet solid line-up of brews.
The Beers;
Islington, Unfiltered Steam Lager 4.7%
A light citrus lemon aroma with a slightly grassy edge. Taste has hints of cereal, grapefruit and honey with a clean, crisp finish. Extremely refreshing and very thirst quenching. Exactly what a good lager should be.
N1, Pale Ale (Cask) 4.1%
Tropical fruit aroma, lots of mango and pineapple. The sweet tropical fruits continue in the taste with biscuit malt and a herbal yeast that comes through at the end. Having this on cask was a real treat. Light but packed full of flavour.
N7, West Coast IPA 5.2%
Big, complex tropical/citrus fruit aroma with punches of pine needles. Taste is a blend of bittersweet citrus fruits and floral hops with a dry, crisp finish. This IPA holds up very well and there is no compromise on flavour despite being a slightly lower ABV than most IPAs of this style.
Pentonville, Oyster Stout 5.2%
An oyster stout actually brewed using oysters. That’s right!! Brewed using the original Hammerton recipe from the 1930’s, Wild Maldon oysters are dunked in the boil. I’ve even heard that the brewing team get to eat the oysters once they’re cooked. This has a roasted coffee and earthy hop aroma. The taste is packed full of espresso, sweet caramel, straw and a burnt finish that leaves you wanting more.
Baron H, Earl Grey Black IPA 5.8%
The latest and limited release. This has been brewed using earl grey tea. In fact, Lee had to buy a bed sheet from a nearby market to then create his own giant tea bag to add during the fermentation process. It worked! The brew has been dry-hopped with a blend of 6 different hops that give an intense aroma of ripe tropical fruit, a great blend of grapefruit, orange peel, mango and pineapple with a soothing background of herbal tea and floral pine. The taste brings lots more tropical fruit, orange, pine and a slight charred coffee edge that is still smooth and works brilliantly. Unlike some other Black IPAs that struggle to find the balance between light and dark malts while including hops of big impact, these guys have created a brew that gets it spot on. Big on tropical fruits and bittersweet as you would want from a great IPA but with just a little dark edge to remind you that this is a Black IPA.
Hammerton Brewery have open days on the last Saturday of every month. If you are in the London area I highly recommend a visit. As well as their fantastic line-up of beers that promise to keep all variations of beer drinkers happy, they have a great taproom. Doubling up as a bottling room during the week, the bar is quirky, raw and reminiscent of the taprooms on the US West Coast that everyone loves. I certainly plan a return visit this summer!
A special thanks to Will for the invite, showing me around and taking care of me.
Friday night's line-up
Inside the brewery bar
Very good idea to stick with the Hammerton name
Behind the scenes
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