April: American Ailment, Borough's New Maid & Two Tigers in Lee

 A monthly newsletter about London beer and pubs written by Will Hawkes

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Trumped

AT ONE stage, you could write most London breweries’ origin stories without actually talking to them. ‘Visited the USA, drank craft beer, wanted to make similar beer in the UK’. Evin O’Riordain was the OG in this respect, but it became a well-worn line in the years between 2009 and 2016.

American influence - and, more specifically, American hop flavour - has fuelled London’s brewing renaissance over the past few decades. From Neck Oil to Pale Fire, London brewers have paraded their passion for (and understanding of) Obama-era American craft brewing. American Pale Ales on London bars have become legion. Wham bam thank you Uncle Sam.

The world, though, has changed. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, to elect Donald Trump once might be regarded as misfortune; to do it twice is just fucking stupid. Trump’s introduction of tariffs, the bovine threats to Canada and Denmark, the increasingly aggressive way in which visitors to the USA are being treated: this points in one direction and one direction only. America acknowledges and wants no allies, and that includes Britain. MAGA is unleashed and obnoxious.

This is clearly about more than just beer (I don’t envy those faced with the prospect of disentangling Britain’s security apparatus from America’s, should that eventuality come to pass, to pick one example). But British brewing has been heavily influenced by the USA; so what happens if, all of a sudden, the US and American culture becomes deeply unfashionable? 

There are small signs already. One influential pal in the London beer world told me recently that “it’s hard not to be put off everything American.” People are already less interested in going to America. On the other hand, American craft-beer events remain popular - or, at least, as popular as these things ever are - and I saw an advert recently for a new company hoping to bring in fresh beer from the USA (very 2015). 

Plenty will argue that American brewers are not their government, any more than British brewers are Keir Starmer or Boris Johnson or whoever else ends up in 10 Downing Street. That’s certainly the Brewers Association’s view: Lotte Peplow, the BA’s tireless European ambassador, told me that, “boycotting beer from small, independent breweries is unlikely to sway decision-making in Washington DC.”

She also pointed out that the BA will be lobbying in DC around the subject of tariffs. “The Brewers Association is educating the new Congress and the administration about tariff impacts on small breweries, and talking to our supply chain partners about how tariffs would affect them and their customers,” she said.

And then there’s London brewers themselves. The amount of American-made craft-beer sold in the capital is relatively small, but there’s plenty of American-style beer, either specifically labelled American or made with US hops (& we haven't even got into how tariffs might affect their usage). Will perceptions of that change? Do consumers even think in these terms? Do people worry about the geopolitical implications of their pint?

I spoke to Pete Brown, Forest Road’s Bostonian founder, about this aspect, via email (he’s in Tokyo, or was). Does he think his beer is perceived as American? “I don’t think so at this point, maybe at the beginning when the brand was just me and my van and my dog,” he says. “I’m totally outnumbered now, and our flagship beer is our beloved all-British lager POSH.”

He feels that American craft-beer has “lost its footing” in London over the past 10 years, and that he “really hope(s) that Trump doesn't impact perception of USA craft beer negatively.”

He also points out that plenty of big brands, like Camden Town, have less obvious US links. The most likely brands to suffer a backlash would be the big boys, he says, because that’s what many Britons still regard as “American” beer. “I still find it commonplace with conversations with Brits in London - after telling them I work in beer - hearing "all you have is that sh*t Bud light right?", seemingly unaware of the amazing beers the USA has been producing for nearly 50 years now!”

Aficionados are unlikely to make the same mistake, and they’re the people who flock to the London Craft Beer Festival in the summer. One of the highlights of the festival is the showcase it offers for American craft beer, a showcase the BA is looking forward to putting on again this July. LCBF founder Greg Wells can see that Trump’s government might present problems for US brewers. 

“Beer can be a bit like football, can’t it?” he says. “People like to get behind the local team, and ‘local’ has been winning in beer here for a long time. I can imagine if I was an American brewer, it would make it uncomfortable coming over.”

But will British consumers want to drink it? “I think they will, they want American beer as part of their drinking repertoire,” he says. 

I suspect that’s true, and the BA stand will be thronged as ever come July - but the next few years are going to be interesting. For a long time many Britons have regarded Americans as only semi-foreign, because their products - from McDonalds to Apple Phones - are so much part of our lives, and we speak much the same language. This is a delusion that may not survive the next four years, and there will be implications in the London beer world as much as anywhere else.  

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License To Thrill

Perhaps the most important news of the year - at least as it applies to London hospitality - came last week, with the news that the government has decided to run a trial in London that will hand the Mayor much greater power over licensing.

This has the potential to revolutionise London nightlife. At the moment, licensing is controlled by London’s 32 boroughs, whose priority is (understandably) keeping the people who vote for them happy. Residents don’t want noise, which makes it harder for pubs, clubs and bars to negotiate longer opening hours or other fun things, like outdoor dining. 

The Mayor has other priorities. He wants to support London hospitality, particularly in its historic heartland, Soho. Westminster Council, which controls Soho, could be in for a nasty shock - or perhaps not. Watch this space.

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Hackney Shuts

Sad news from East London: Hackney Brewery has closed. Based on what the brewery has said, it appears to be the result of Covid-19 lockdowns and the subsequent unhelpful attitude of the local council, in this case Waltham Forest. 

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Blue For You

The Blue Eyed Maid in Borough High Street has reopened, as the Blue Maid. The name change is a reversion to a previous name, according to Dav Sahota, co-founder of UnBarred, the Brighton brewery that has revived the pub. 

The pub has a snazzy logo (mermaid, clad in a t-shirt, holding a pint) which is intended to reflect the history of the area. “It’s inspired by The Blue Maid in what used to be Blue Maid Alley/End in the 1500s, and the next alleyway off Borough High St, Mermaid Court where The Mermaid Inn (one of the coaching inns lost in time similar to The George) once stood,” says Dav. 

“The walls are a bit bare as the rest of our illustrations are coming!”

The pub’s reopening is great news for Borough, already one of the best places to drink in London. The Royal Oak, The Rake, The Gladstone, The Lord Clyde, The Ship, The Blue Maid, German Kraft nearby - that’s a great blend of pubs/bars offering different, complementary elements. 

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Masham, SE

Your intrepid correspondent was in North Yorkshire this week, visiting pubs for an ongoing project (which is why this newsletter is late; sorry). Whilst I was there, though, I had the chance to visit Masham, home of Theakston, Black Sheep, Brew By Numbers and Brick. The latter two’s beers have been produced at Black Sheep’s brewery for at least a year, despite packaging that makes a big deal out of their links to SE London.

Is there any sign of their existence in deepest North Yorkshire? Well, yes. I didn’t have time to take the tour, and the on-site bar is all Black Sheep beers, but the shop was selling Brew By Numbers/Brick beer (including Peckham Helles - bet that flies out) and a few bits of merchandise. A Brick Brewery hoodie, yours for £35; a BbyNo tote, a bargain at £4. 

This stuff was tucked away into a corner, but its interesting that its there at all. Is there much demand for it in sunny North Yorks? To be fair, finding and satisfying consumer demand doesn’t appear to have been Breal/the Keystone Brewing Group’s priority since it acquired the brands in 2023.

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Haus of Love

The Malt Haus, Pillars’ latest venue, has opened in Walthamstow. Formerly Wild Card’s Barrel Store, it's now billed as a beer and whiskey bar, and home to barrel aging and pilot brewing. It’s just a few doors down from the Pillars brewery.

Due to my commitments up North, I haven’t made it to Walthamstow yet - but given Pillars’ track record, I’d expect it to be well worth a visit. It’s closed on Monday and Tuesday, and there will be food residences, rotating every three months or so; check the instagram account for the latest news.

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Hop On-line

An interesting nugget from the excellent London Centric newsletter recently. Editor Jim Waterson has wheedled the proposed but rejected Overground names out of TfL, and they include Hops Line, which was (presumably) proposed for the Liberty line.

It was to be named in honour of William Coys, a 16th-century gardener. He worked at Stubbers Garden in Upminster, where (although this narrative is, inevitably, disputed) he grew the first tomatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and hops in the UK. 

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Amelia, Ils T’Aiment

The Park Brewery was among a large contingent of London brewers that enjoyed success at the recent SIBA awards in Liverpool. The awards are run and judged by independent brewers, and are - based on my conversations with brewers - considered the most significant in the industry.

Park won Gold in one of the most competitive categories, ‘Session Pale Ale,’ for its most popular beer, Amelia Pale. Josh Kearns, Founder of The Park Brewery, says, “We were overwhelmed by the win. We know Amelia is a popular beer locally, but winning the Nationals against such strong competition was beyond our expectations. It’s amazing.”

Wimbledon, Howling Hops, Pillars, Hammerton, Hackney Church and 40ft also carried off gongs, demonstrating the depth and quality of modern London brewing. The biggest winners of the night, though, were from Scotland. 

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Two Pubs, One City

Old Tiger’s Head, SE12; and New Tiger’s Head, SE12 (RIP)

Children say the darndest things, don’t they? I’ve always thought that, even when I was a child. A good example occurred recently, when my son and I were on the 122 bus to (his) cricket practice, passing through the neighbourhood of Lee Green.

Said neighborhood has two massive, pleasingly named Victorian pubs, almost facing each other: the Old Tiger’s Head and the New Tiger’s Head. The former has recently reopened, as we’d noted from the bus, and was impressively busy (the Six Nations was on and we saw, through the window, a man in a Wales shirt leaping up and down in joy, a rare sight this year lol). The latter, alas, shut in 2006 and sat unloved and boarded-up for more than a decade-and-a-half until it was converted into a shop.

Anyway, we were chatting away about the two pubs and I could see a look of faint incomprehension appear on my son’s face at the notion of the New Tiger’s Head, given it clearly wasn’t new. In fact, it was so old it had shut. ‘How new is the New Tiger’s Head?’ he asked.

I fudged it (‘late Victorian, a lot of pubs built then, ahem hem’) in a way that seemed to satisfy/be sufficiently boring to forestall further enquiry. It did make me think, though: wouldn’t this be a good opportunity to contrive a ‘Two Pubs’ out of a pub that is still a pub and another pub that isn’t?

Thus it is that, on the Sunday afternoon after that bus chat, I find myself back in Lee, staring at a beautiful tiled image of a tiger on the wall by the entrance to the Old Tiger's Head. The Tiger is looking to the left, but s/he seems to be eyeballing you, and her/his glistening tongue is lolling threateningly between razor-sharp incisors. S/He looks chill but ready to kill. 

It’s one of the nicest things I’ve seen in a pub recently, and presumably Victorian - unlikely anyone would be bothered to make something like this now, is it? The interior is less impressive, but welcoming nonetheless. Busy, too, I’m glad to note. I order a pint of St Austell’s reliable Tribute (good condition, £5.75) and look for a seat. There aren’t many, so the friendly barman offers to put another at the bar - but just in time I spot a small table in the corner. Phew. Almost had to chat to someone.

It’s a modern London pub scene. A young man is sharing a pot of tea with his father, waiting for meals to emerge. A dog is sleeping in the main thoroughfare. A variety of languages are being spoken. One wall has beautiful William Morris-style wallpaper on it. Lighting is dim, produced by steampunk-style bulbs hanging from the ceiling above the bar.

There are big TVs, too, but despite Scotland playing in the Six Nations, they are showing snowboarding. Wales may be rubbish, but at least someone cares! 

All in all, a positive experience. I leave with a spring in my step (by the other door so the ceramic tiger can’t discombobulate me again). 

Across the road, Blackheath Food Centre, which occupies the former New Tiger’s Head, glows with strip-lit possibility. It’s a handsome building, perhaps nicer externally than its former rival, with the sculpted head of a roaring tiger at the centre of the facade (the Old Tiger’s Head has one, too, but much less impressive). The pub sign, rather forlorn, remains.

Inside, it’s … actually a really nice shop. There’s an olive bar, a butcher's counter, hot eastern Mediterranean snacks, tempting fruit, interesting products of all kinds, including an impressive range of corner-shop beer options. There are almost certainly more ales available here now than there ever were when the pub was open.

Still, the best shop in the world is not as good as a pub. You can spend hours soaking up the atmosphere in a pub, but if you spend too long enjoying the vibe in a shop the staff start following you around, and asking if you need any help. Eventually, they make you leave. 

I relayed this acute observation to my son the next time we were passing. He looked at me a bit funny. We chatted about football.

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London Beer City is written by journalist Will Hawkes. Feel free to contact me on londonbeercity@gmail.com. If you like what you’ve read, please share it with your friends; if you’ve been forwarded this email and enjoyed it, you can sign up here. Unsubscribe here.  Help me keep the newsletter free here. Thanks for reading!