Truman’s Brewery Back in London
After a gap of nearly 24 years, Truman’s Brewery is returning to London with the opening of a new brewery in September. The name Truman has been associated with the history of East London for the last 350 years.
This time, an investment of over £1 million has been made to refurbish the name and image of the brewery that finds itself being re-established in Hackney Wick, a place that is a stone’s throw from the original site of the first brewery.
The new brewery has been named The Eyrie, another name for eagle’s nest. The sprawling 10000 square feet facility will produce over 10000 pints of cask ale with every brew and will become the largest manufacturer of ale in east London.
Founded in 1666, Truman’s was once a heavyweight of British brewing – by the late 1800s it was the world’s largest brewer. It fell victim to a hostile takeover in the 80s, after which the pubs were sold and the brewery closed. The company was revived by two local beer lovers in 2010 with the intention of making Truman’s a great name in London brewing once again.
The iconic eagle logo has been given a new lease of life and the new company is being built on the principals that once made Truman’s great, starting with making excellent beer and having a profound respect for pubs and pub culture.
The team has also recovered the original yeast strain – ‘the beer’s soul’ – that was used at the Brick Lane brewery in its heyday. Preserved in liquid nitrogen since 1958 at temperatures of -196c, the yeast will ensure that the beer produced is authentically Truman’s.
Managing Director James Morgan says “The return of Truman’s to London’s East End is one of the most exciting initiatives in ale brewing we’ve seen in decades. We are producing brilliant, flavour-packed ale that is simply a pleasure to drink and we’ve been working hard with the pub community to secure distribution across the UK to ensure that Truman’s Beer is once again a great name in brewing.”
Truman’s will initially be offering two permanent beers – Truman’s Runner (a bold best bitter) and Truman’s Swift (a gorgeous golden ale) – as well as limited edition beers and historical recreations from the Truman’s archive.
In a first of its kind initiative, the third permanent member of the range is being created in conjunction with the customers of Nicholson’s pubs, one of the UK’s leading ale specialists. In what will be the UK’s largest ever co-creation exercise in the ale category, two competing beers will be on the bar from mid-September, with Nicholson’s guests asked to vote and comment on the two ales. The recipes will be continuously refined according to the feedback given. The winning beer will be announced in November and will then take pride of a place in the line-up.
Despite its closure in the late 1980s, the historic brand has never disappeared from London. You will find its name is still proudly displayed on local pub walls, while the old brewery is today the heart of East London’s creative scene. With its roots firmly re-established, the new brewery will be holding a number of events on the premises to support the local community.
Truman’s, The Eyrie, 2&3 Stour Road, London E3 2NT
Follow Truman’s on Twitter @Trumansbeer or visit http://www.trumansbeer.co.uk
