If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the past few months glowering at the clouds and wondering if the sun still knows how to shine.
But now the blue skies are finally creeping in, the days are stretching out, and London is slowly becoming a bit more bearable. Which means one thing. We all need to be at this legendary vegan pub, dining in their beer garden.
Do you like beer? Do you like making positive choices for the planet as a consumer?
Well, say hello to your new vegan beer supplier!
Launched in March 2021, Really Good Beer is all about sourcing beer from small breweries and chaneling partial profit to good causes.
That sounds EXACTLY like my drop of amber.
What is the ethos behind Really Good Beer? The gang over there says:
Our mission? To create gorgeous beer that helps solve important problems whilst you’re drinking it. Clever huh? OK, not Einstein clever, but we like to think we wouldn’t be kicked out of A-level business studies.
After realising that the five largest mega-brewers in the world make nearly 60% of all the beer on Earth, Really Good Beer jumped into action.
What was the plan of action to make sure they could make a difference to the world of beer and the world in general?
First: we brewed our first beer in a shared space in Hackney but we realised the better model was to get our beer brewed at existing small breweries (who really know their stuff).
We spent a long time (and tasted a lot of beer) finding the right partners and now work with several; they are all small, independently owned, focused on sustainable production, and (pretty much) all award-winning.
And second: we track down the most impactful projects and charities seeking to solve some of the planet’s biggest problems to pair with each of our beers; then we think of a low-key genius name that brings together the beer, cause and charity partner.
The beers are never mass produced and Really Good Beer are committed to giving 2.5% from the sales of all their beer to initiatives that tackle the biggest problems facing people and the planet.
Really Good Beer has just been named in the Top 12 IPAs in The Independent Best Buys and named as “Best Beer with Purpose”. Amazing! (read more about that here)
You can also read about some of the small charities each beer supports online here.
It sounds like a winning situation all round. Beer from small producers and money for charities… and I almost forget to mention that all the beer from Really Good Beer is vegan!
Click here to buy through the web shop (soon to be in bars and stores) and follow Really Good Beer on Instagram.
I think you would be hard-pressed to find an industry struggling as much as independent brewing right now.
What an absolute sack of shit year it has been.
The bars and pubs that breweries rely on for moving most of their stock have been closed or are themselves on the verge of closing forever. Taprooms at breweries, normally a direct line of selling, have been closed on and off all year.
I decided to treat myself to a delivery from my favourite vegan beer producer as an act of solidarity during this unprecedented time… and I’d like to think of few people reading this will do the same thing!
Brass Castle is an independent brewery in Yorkshire.
If you ever attended any of my Vegan Beer Fest events around the UK, you’ll remember Brass Castle as a regular trader. They even ran the jumbo bar at the London outing of the event a few years running.
Every single beer produced and sold by Brass Castle is vegan, including all the gorgeous cans in their 12 Days of Christmas beer advent calendar!
This box is a 12-can selection pack of various Brass Castle faves, hidden behind advent calendar-style doors. All the beers are vegan-friendly and certified gluten-free.
The pack comprises:
Pilsen Thrills 3.9% Pilsner (440ml can)
Hoptical Illusion 4.3% Citra/Comet Pale Ale (330ml can)
Well Wisher 4.5% Citra/Columbus Golden Ale (440ml can)
Dune Bug 4.7% Lemon & Samphire Gose (440ml can)
Fruit Lupe 4.8% Mosaic/Blueberry Pale Ale (440ml can)
I got a taste of Brixton delivered to my house a few days ago and it was delicious!
Brixton Brewery sent me a few cans of their Coldharbour Lager and they went straight into the fridge to chill. They didn’t survive too much longer.
Do you like beer? Keep reading.
What do the Brixton Brewery style/taste notes say about this vegan beverage? It’s a lager that is crisp, clean, and floral. It is fresh, vibrant, and alive with flavour. The ABV is 4.4%.
You can order online for UK delivery and get free shipping for orders over £30. You can also buy takeout from the Brixton Brewery Taproom on Station Road, right in the heart of Brixton.
Welcome to Vegan Quarantine: Day 80. This daily video series is my way of keeping spirits high within the vegan community while also supporting independent business, charities, and musicians.
Links for everything discussed are included below.
Plant Power Fast Food is a vegan food chain in Southern California and they have a limited edition Peach Milshake! You can also donate money via the comapny’s website to help them feed at risk people in Los Angeles: https://www.plantpowerfastfood.com/
The team that founded Young Vegans Pie Shop – London’s only vegan pie and mash outlet – have opened a new pizza restaurant in Bethnal Green, East London.
Young Vegans Pizza Shop opened its doors to the public for its launch on Wednesday the 13th of November, 2019. The restaurant contains 30 seats, a licensed bar, and a dedicated takeaway/delivery counter.
The Pizza Shop began life as Death By Pizza, a small pop up based out of a ramshackle hut with clay pizza oven in Hackney serving up highly rated wood fired vegan pizzas. One year later and the company has rebranded it to Pizza Shop, aligning itself with the Pie Shop, and relocating to a much bigger space in Bethnal Green.
Young Vegans has always proudly produced all ingredients at their prep kitchen in Camden. These include mock meats and vegan cheeses, and the vegan mozzarella used at the Pizza Shop.
The revamped menu retains previously popular pizzas such as the Devil’s Coglioni (seitan pepperoni, mozzarella and marinara sauce) and the Holy Ghost (ricotta, mozzarella, marinara, red onions and spinach) as well as new favourite Horror Show (butternut squash, caramelised onions, mozzarella, marinara, walnuts and rocket). What’s new is the full set of starters and desserts, from mac ’n’ cheeze and mozzarella fingers to cheesecake and a cookie dough pie.
Alongside the much expanded food menu, Young Vegans Pizza Shop serves a range of cocktails, wines, and local craft beers from Hackney Brewery.
The restaurant’s weekly opening hours are Wednesday to Friday from 5pm-10pm, and Saturday and Sunday from midday-10pm.
You can follow Young Vegans Pizza Shop on Instagram.
You can see the exact location of the restaurant thanks to Google Maps.
Hop & Hemp Brewery Co have just launched the first vegan CBD low-alcohol (0.5%), low calorie beer. Wow!
The brewery describes the beer as great tasting, low in alcohol, low in calories, full flavoured, and vegan. Each beer contains 8mg of hemp-derived CBD.
Are you excited, UK friends?
The two drinks currently available:
Easy Times IPA (0.5% ABV): a full-on IPA that delivers aromas of grapefruit and lemonade from the triple addition of American hops. This then doubles down on the fruitiness and brings in flavours of biscuit and honey (not that type of honey, vegans). It’s big on taste, without the alcohol.
Lowdown Lager (0.5% ABV): a crisp, golden pilsner style lager that hits the palate with a gentle, spicy hoppiness and follows with notes of citrus and a lingering sweetness.
The brewery assures me they use only best-in-class CBD from the very reputable folk over at The Drug Store – it contains absolutely 0% THC (the part that makes you high) so it’s completely legal.
Find out more on their website. Follow Hop & Hemp Brewery Co on Instagram.
What is CBD?
Also known as cannabidiol, CBD is a safe, legal, naturally occurring compound found in hemp and other strains of the cannabis sativa plant.
If you have made the choice to live a vegan life, you would have made some changes to how you eat. You will also be exploring personal care products that are animal free and household cleaning products not tested on animals.
But have you considered how your beer choice can be more compassionate?
Freedom Brewery has been brewing vegan-friendly beers since 1995 and is now enjoying fantastic success as more and more consumers realise they can enjoying a drink without harming fish!
Yep, all Freedom beers are certified vegan.
How do they do this you may ask?
Well, believe it or not, a lot of beers are filtered through isinglass, which is made from ‘fish guts’. At Freedom they don’t do this, instead using a mechanical process which employs a natural filtration process to ensure they still achieve ‘bright’ beer.
This is particularly important for the brewery as they do not pasteurise, but rather naturally carbonate, during the brewing process (they let their beer mature for longer – up to 6 weeks vs. 10 days for some other brewers). Not using isinglass (taken from fish bladders) to filter their beer is just the tip of the iceberg!
Freedom Brewery is very close to my heart and I’m grateful for them being one of the most visible vegan-friendly beer brands of the past decade.
Did you know that Freedom gifted us with cases of beer to enjoy at the first ever London Vegan Potluck? Or you must have been one of the countless people to order a pint of Freedom at tibits restaurant over the years, especially when it was the home of London Vegan Drinks.
2019 finds Freedom Brewery doing all it can throughout January to inspire people to #GoGutless with their beer enjoyment.
They currently have a Veganuary 20% off promotion live across the full range. Yes, 20% off vegan beer! To claim, customers need to enter the code: VEGANUARY when they reach the checkout.
Click here to browse the entire range and buy vegan beer at a discount.
Competition time
Freedom Brewery has kindly made five gift packs available and you might just win one of them!
Each gift pack comes with three beers and a branded Freedom Brewery pint glass. If you win, the brewery will ship it directly to you.
How do you enter
Freedom isall about going gutless and saving our fish friends, so you can enter the FGV/Freedom giveaway by posting your favourite fish joke on Twitter.
That’s correct. We want fish-friendly jokes. Example joke: What do you call a fish that needs helps with its vocals? AutoTuna.
Rules (they are very loose)
There is no limit to how many fish jokes you can enter (one joke per tweet)
Each entry tweet must include the hashtags #GoGutless and #FreedomBrewery
Jokes referring to fishing or fish being harmed/eaten are instantly disqualified
You have until midnight UK time on January 31, 2019 to enter
Five winners will be picked and winners must be prepared to supply their contact details to Freedom in order to receive their prize
The decision is final and there will be no drama or arguing that your joke was better… it’s just a bit of fun!
It goes without saying but I suppose I should say it for legal reasons… you can only enter this competition if you are of legal drinking age in the UK
Prizes can only be delivered to mainland UK addresses
Jokes combining beer AND fish are extremely encouraged
BRASS CASTLE – Session – 3.6% ABV (cask) – Mini IPA. Fulsome, hoppy, but easy on the conscience
BRASS CASTLE – Sunshine IPA – 5.7% ABV (cans) – SIBA 2013 ‘Champion Beer for the North East of England’
BRASS CASTLE – Yorkshire Lavender – 4.0% ABV (cans) – oatmeal pale with Yorkshire lavender
BLACKJACK BREWERY – Dragons’ Tears – 5.2% ABV (keg) – Golden saison. Ella hops and Dragons’ Tears jasmine green tea
GIBBERISH – Murky Mersey – 6.2% ABV (keg) – Dank, juicy New England IPA from this Liverpool brewpub
MARBLE BREWERY – Lagonda IPA – 5.0% ABV (keg) – Contemporary classic IPA with citrus and floral hop character
SHINDIGGER – Summer – 4.8% ABV (keg) – Lager blended with watermelon. Perfect for a hot summer day!
TINY REBEL – AK47 – 4.7% ABV (keg) – Kvass style rye beer with strawberry, lemon & mint
TINY REBEL – Bucky – 4.8% ABV (keg) – Amarillo, Citra & Mosaic hopped American amber ale
WYLAM BREWERY – Hickey The Rake – 4.2% ABV (keg) – ultra pale with lime, lemon and pineapple notes
All Brass Castle beers are brewed gluten-free. All of their cans and the Hoptical Illusion keg beer are certified gluten-free
OUTDOOR BEER MARKET
BAD SEED BREWERY: award-winning, hand-crafted vegan brews from Malton, Yorkshire
Become The Legend – 3.9% ABV (keg) – Collaboration with Wild Weather Ales. Rhubarb & Hibiscus Grisette. Rich peach colour with huge Rhubarb sweetness mellowed with lemony character from the hibiscus. Dry Belgian yeast stops this beer being too sweet and makes for a fun flavour combination
Code Blue – 5.0% ABV (keg) – Blueberry Wit brewed in collaboration with the Rook and Gaskill to celebrate our 5th birthday. A huge hit of blueberries meets a soft wheat and oat base in this American style wit beer. A taste of summertime!
Funk Vol II – 6.2% ABV (keg) – The second generation of our blended barrel aged sour. Aged on wood with brettanomyces, pediococcus and lactobacillus. Then blended back to a complex rich and distinctive sour character
Murk Merchant – 5.8% ABV (keg) – Ultra hazy, ultra hoppy crushable IPA. Super soft bitterness with a pale malt and oat base and huge juiciness from Mosaic, Cascade, Chinook & Columbus. Similar to a NEIPA style but drier. A huge hit of US hops with big tropical fruit characteristics
Rule The Roost – 5.6% ABV (cask) – Espresso stout. We cold steep the beer on the delicious Tonto espresso blend from Roost Coffee in Malton, just down the road from the brewery. A bewitching blend of two rich, roasted flavours. Dark and complex
Session IPA – 4.0% ABV (cask) – Easy drinking abv, full on hop flavour. Bravo, Comet and Azacca hops combine to give flavours of citrus and tropical fruit with a grapefruit aroma
Short Stop – 3.0% ABV (cask) – Hoppy Table beer. All day abv, big hop character. Notes of grapefruit & citrus from Centennial, Columbus, Cascade & Comet hops. Soft malt & oat base makes for a big mouthfeel and perfectly delivers a juicy beer
CLARKSHAWS: microbrewery in Brixton, London doing modern takes on classic British beers
Gorgons Alive – 4.3% ABV (bottle) – golden bitter, summery, spicy and refreshing
Hell Yeah! Lager – 5.3% ABV (keg) – award winning flavourful craft lager with a sweet honeysuckle and elderflower taste
Hellhound British IPA – 5.5% ABV (keg) – strong and spicy with hints of citrus orange and caramel
Session IPA – 4.5% ABV (cask) – Mandarin and tropical fruits deliver a sweet taste with a lightly bitter finish. A classic US style IPA made with UK grown hops
Steam Beer – 3.9% ABV (keg) – Clean and crisp taste as light as lager but with a hoppy kick
Strange Brew – 4.3% ABV (bottle) – our award-winning pale ale with a hoppy floral flavour from UK cascade hops
Vegan Milk Stout – 5.0% ABV (cask) – properly milky, although without lactose! A vegan take on a favourite classic
HALF CHOP: classic brews from Stourbridge in the West Midlands. Check out their hop randall!
Grapefruit IPA – 4.2% ABV (keg) – we took our rock solid recipe for the Session IPA and had some fun adding the zest from fresh grapefruits to add to the already fruity flavours and aroma added by the hops. Seriously Summery
NEIPA (DDH) – 4.8% ABV (keg) – New England IPA brewed with a generous amount of late addition hops. Dry Hopped at two stages with Citra & Mosaic, a high percentage of oats in the grain bill to give a signature to give a full bodied and pillowy mouthfeel
Raspberry Wheat Beer – 5.5% ABV (keg)– American Wheat Beer, paired with the finest sweet British raspberries to give a tart bite to this crushable summer number
Session IPA – 4.2% ABV (keg)– Sessionable beer where Citra & Mosaic hops are allowed to shine in all their the glory using a grain bill & yeast that back up the hop combo, allowing you to appreciate the refreshing bitterness, zesty aroma & flavour of your favourite stone fruits
MONCADA: Ingredients are sourced within 100 miles from London for this Notting Hill brewery
Apricot Sour – 2.7% ABV (keg) – tart and fruity with apricot sweetness throughout to balance out the sour flavours. This is both a staff and customer favourite
NottingHill Pale – 4.5% ABV (keg) – American style pale ale with subtle hop bitterness & citrus notes. Wonderfully easy-drinking
Pink Grapefruit Sour – 2.7% ABV (keg) – strong flavours of pink grapefruits blended with mellow sourness make for a real thirst quenching beer
So Sorry Julio Saison – 4.8% ABV (keg) – classic take on the crowd-pleasing Belgian style. Hints of fruity, spicy and floral flavours are all present in this refreshing summer beer
MOOR BEER: Bristol-based all vegan brewery focussing on modern real ales
Claudia – 4.5% ABV (keg) –Hefeweizen, banana and lemon cloves with herbal and citrus hop character
Do It Together – 5.2% ABV (keg) – a luscious pale ale infused with mango tea from Canton Tea, brewed with the Basque rock legends Berri Txarrak
Hoppiness – 6.5% ABV (keg) – crossover IPA with rich caramel malts and a burst of tropically fresh and fruity hops
Nor’Hop – 4.1% ABV (keg) – ultra pale ale balancing rich British floor malt with citrusy Northern Hemisphere hops
Stout – 5.0% ABV (keg) – dark, smooth and rich with roasted barley and bitter chocolate
OFF THE WAGON/SIGNATURE BREW: A converted trailer serving brews from Leyton, East London
Backstage IPA – 5.6% ABV (keg) – an ambitious and noteworthy IPA with a myriad of tropical flavours, including passion fruit, tangerines and berries. Crisp with pine and citric notes
Banfi – 3.8% ABV (keg) – a powerful grapefruit sour brewed in collaboration with London pop alt band Banfi. Defined by its pleasant bitterness courtesy of the zest and juice of 281 grapefruits
Festival Saison – 4.8% ABV (keg) – a delicious dry hopped saison with big mosaic hop flavours. Brewed with wheat, oats and a spicy Belgian yeast character
Roadie – 4.3% ABV (keg) –refreshing road dog of a beer. This all-night IPA has notes of citrus including grapefruit & lime
Studio Pilsner – 4.0% ABV (keg) – the highest quality European noble hops are amplified by the simple clarity of water, yeast, malt and rye resulting in unmistakable floral hits and a pleasingly bitter finish
White Keys – 4.7% ABV (keg) – A classic Hefeweizen styled beer, flavoured with blackcurrants and lemon thyme. Pleasingly cloudy and brewed at a low temperature to develop sophisticated clove notes
THREE HILLS: Small batch nano brewery based in Northamptonshire
Black: Salted Caramel – 9.0% ABV (keg) – an imperial stout brewed with additions of treacle, demerara sugar and caramel flavor. Viscous, rich with a boozy hit and loads of stouty umami
Braybrooke Keller Lager – 4.8% ABV (keg) – brewed to the purity law using all German hops, malt and yeast; Braybrooke Keller lager is light amber in colour and refreshing with a rich malt body
Brut IPA – 7.5% ABV (keg) – a new style IPA hailing from San Francisco. It’s fermented dry with champagne yeast and dry hopped with Mosaic, El-dorado, cryo-citra, Vic Secret and Nelson sauvin. A refreshing change to the NEIPA style
In Pursuit V3 – 6.0% ABV (keg) – a New England IPA classic double dry hopped with Cryo Mosaic, Cryo Citra and Galaxy. Juicy, Hazy, hoppy with low bitterness
Pepperberry Saison – 5.5% ABV (keg) – a fruity and spicy Saison infused with Strawberries and Pink peppercorns. Dispensed through our randall full of fresh strawberries!
Session IPA – 4.8% ABV (keg) – dry hopped with Citra, Mosaic and El dorado, this sessionable India Pale Ale is packed full of citrus and tropical fruit aroma with a well balanced piney back bitterness
South Pacific Wheat – 5.5% ABV (330ml bottle) – a vibrant and refreshing Wheat beer using two hops hailing from the South Pacific region: Nelson Sauvin and Vic Secret
Tangential Thinking – 4.5% ABV (keg) – a Rauch Rye Pale Ale: subtle smoke meets spicy rye with a trio of piney hops (Chinook, Zyphos and Ekuanot)
Thai PA – 5.5% ABV (330ml bottle) – an aromatic and light Pale Ale infused with Lemongrass, Ginger, and Kaffir Lime
Trium Florum – 6.0% ABV (750ml bottle) – farmhouse saison infused with a blend of Hibiscus, Marigold & Elderflower. The appearance is bright pink and palette delicately floral, fruity and spicy
TWISTED BARREL ALES: Coventry-based brewery mixing modern and classic styles and methods
Detroit Sour City – 4.0% ABV (can) – this was a crowd favourite at least year’s beer fest! A dry hopped sour, lemon sherbet paired with mango Mosaic hop flavour
Doom of Valyria – 6.0% ABV (keg) – a sweet, smokey, spicy dark brown porter
I Am The Muffin – 5.5% ABV (can) – a Belgian Blonde ale, light body with floral hops and a dry finish
Kazan – 5.5% ABV (keg) – an incredibly juicy pale ale brewed with Citra, Mosaic and Amarillo hops
Naido – 5.0% ABV (keg) – New England style pale ale, plenty of oats and wheat for a thick, soft body combined with Mosaic, Azacca and Cascade hops
Raspberry Ripple Sour – 3.5% ABV (keg) – an ice cream sour, brewed with bags of oats, vanilla pods and raspberry puree
Sine Qua Non – 4.5% ABV (can) – citrus and pine hop flavours layered on a light biscuit base
The Great Went – 4.0% ABV (can) – a traditional German style wheat beer
Wrapped In Mosaic – 7.0% ABV (can) – a New England style IPA brewed solely with Mosaic hops, with a soft, juicy body and huge stone fruit and peach flavour and a sweet finish
Outside the karaoke room
BUMBLEBEE CIDER: made from British apples, paying homage to the bees doing all the hard work!
Hard Cider (original) – 4.5% ABV (500ml bottle) – medium-dry, lightly sparkling. Robust and complex tannic structure, rolling from sweet to dry with a sun-baked West Country aroma
Regatta Strawberry & Mint Cider – 4.0% ABV (500ml bottle) – medium Somerset cider twisted with strawberries & a hint of garden mint. Unmistakably cider – with a summer twist. Enjoy chilled, for a real treat, add ice and chopped fruit (available)
BumbleBee Dab21 – 5.5% ABV – still, cloudy, medium-dry. Made with 21% Dabinett for the perfect amount of zing!
BumbleBee Gribble – 4.8% ABV – Medium-dry easy drinking still somerset cider, inspired by long, lazy days in the Westcountry