It’s fair to say that 2015 was a pretty incredible year for events in our Balham shop and indeed our new Clapham Junction shop. We welcomed brewers and food producers from across the country (and indeed the globe) and, as we begin to fill up our 2016 events calendar, we thought it would be good to take a moment to look back on a few of the highlights of last year.
By The Horns – 4th March

Harbour – 18th March
Harbour are seriously cool guys. Don’t believe us? Beside the fact that they’re brewers, they all surf and have a mini skate park in the brewery. Pretty awesome, right? Joe, their Developmental Brewer, travelled up from Cornwall to take us through their pale ale, IPA, light ale as well as a few specials, incuding an imperial stout to finish off the evening. The state of most people’s heads the next morning was a testament to how good a night was had.Belgian Beer Tasting – 15th April

Lervig – 22nd April
From Norway came our most well traveled brewer, Mike Murphy. An American, he had brewed around the world before settling down at Lervig, Stavanger, in 2010, a brewery that had been started in protest at the closure of the area’s local brewery by Carlsberg. Originally a lager only brewery, Mike turned them around by producing more American style beers and they have now collaborated with some of the best breweries in the world – from Magic Rock to Evil Twin. That night we were taken through the Johnny Low, a 2.5% session IPA, Lucky Jack, Hoppy Joe and their single-hop Galaxy IPA. Aside from the fantastic beers, it was also great to hear about Norway’s beer culture. Despite having incredibly strict alcohol laws, Norway is teaming with quality craft breweries, largely driven by their belief in quality over quantity. We’ve tended to keep Lervig as a permanent fixture at the shops ever since this tasting and we’re hoping to have them back again in 2016.American Beer Tasting – 13th May

Orbit – 10th June

Weird Beard – 15th July
Weird Beard have always been a favourite with the WBB staff and customers and their branding is amongst the most unique out there, with the individual skulls, “Lupin”, changing to suit the personality of each beer. From their 2.5% milk stout, Dark Hopfler, to their 200th batch triple IPA, Defacer, they consistently hit the mark. What’s more, they have a particular desire to use the Japanese hop Sorachi Ace at any given point and it just gives some of the most wonderful characteristics to a beer. Gregg and Chris (you’ll hear more about Chris later!) came down to guide us through a selection of their range, finishing up with a side-by-side tasting of both the barrel-aged and non-aged versions of their imperial stout Sadako.Brooklyn Brewery – 12th August

Mondo – 26th August

Brick – 2nd September

Celt – 9th September
For our first Welsh Meet the Brewer, Tom and Ellie from The Celt Experience came down from Caerphilly and provided us with one of the funnest MTBs that we’ve ever hosted. Oh, and there was also cheese! Having tasted a mix of core & seasonal (including a gooseberry saison!), we finished the night with an 8.5% chocolate rye porter, 614 Annes, and a pungent blue cheese. If you’ve never tried a Celt beer before, get down to the shop and pick some up, because they’re awesome and Tom, their head brewer, is one of the most infectiously enthusiastic people in the industry. If you missed the last one, fear not, because there’s no way we won’t be getting them back down!London Beer Lab – 23rd September

Beer & Pie Matching – 30th September
Any pub worth its salt serves a decent pie – there is something intrinsically wonderful about having a great pie with some beer. In MyPie, we had someone who makes some of the best pies going. Starting with a Steak & Ale Pie paired with Fourpure’s Beartooth, we moved onto a Rabbit & Pork Belly Ragu with Northern Monk Pear & Hawthorn Wit, Chickpea & Pumpkin Curry with Saison Dupont before finishing with an Apple & Pear pie matched with Redchurh’s gorgeous Old Ford Export Stout. Chris, Mr. MyPie, is an exceptional cook which made choosing these pairings nice and easy. If you ever see him crop up an event, be sure to head straight to his van, because you’ll be getting some quality grub.Five Points – 7th October

Cloudwater – 21st October
There are few breweries which got beer drinkers as excited in 2015 as Cloudwater! Their branding, beer background and future plans meant there was a lot of hype around them, leaving them with some big expectations to live up to. Thankfully, Cloudwater nailed everything, their seasonal approach to their beers providing them with a pointed note of difference to most other breweries. We were lucky enough to have Paul Jones, one of the co-founders, come down to the shop and take us through their Autumn range with their two lagers, Motueka and Vienna, and their NZ Hopfen Weisse and IPA all sampled on the night. Overall, I think what impressed people the most were their lagers. Whilst it’s a style that can often be forgotten in the current climate of producing beers that destroy palates with hops, it’s important to remember that there’s a reason why lagers became the world’s most popular beer style – when done well, they’re damn good! We might not see it for another year, but the Vienna Lager is a beer that will definitely be gracing our shelves once more.Pretty F****** Good Toast – 4th November
Pretty F****** Good Toast pretty much does what it says on the tin; David is a guy who makes some awesome toast! Rabbit confit, chocolate shavings and parmesan was paired with Orbit’s Rauch; asparagus, marmite and Lincolnshire Poacher with Anchor’s Big Leaf Maple; Wild Beer Co’s Schnoodlepip with a pastrami, caramelised onion and Cornish Yarg and finally Sambrook’s Russian Imperial Stout finished the night off with some smashed avocado, black truffle and goats cheese. The first beer and food event in our new shop, it was an awesome way to kick start everything there, setting the bar very high for future food events!London Beer Factory – 4th November

Fourpure – 11th November
Our first Meet the Brewer in the new shop, and we were delighted to not only be able to invite Fourpure back after their brilliant turn in our Balham shop, but also be one of the launch sites for their Winter seasonals, Northern and Southern Latitude. Taken inspiration from the differing seasons in each hemisphere, Northern Latitude was a rich, deep warming red rye IPA, whilst the Southern Latitude was brighter and lighter, reminding you of the hot weather down under. Co-founder Dan came down and talked us through their core range beers, as well as these seasonals and their sour beer, Hoptart. It’s fair to say everyone was impressed and left feeling slightly merrier for the tasting.Home Brew Club – 17th November
Ever since We Brought Beer opened, we had always wanted to host a homebrew club. Most brewers start out at home and the experimentation and dedication of these guys is really one of the reasons why the craft beer industry is so forward looking. When we met Chris and Emma, two award winning homebrewers, we realised we had found the perfect people to run the club. Combined with our upstairs space in Clapham Junction it became clear that November was the perfect time to launch the club. With a packed out and fully engaged audience, Chris and Emma took us through the basics of homebrewing before those who had brought along their own brews shared them around for appraisal. This was the first of many nights that will be running, more info on the next one can be found here.And Union – 18th November

Sambrook’s Brewery- 18th November
Staggeringly, when Sambrook’s first opened back in 2007, they were one of only four or five breweries in London at the time. Now that London can count over 80 there’s no doubt that Sambrook’s really did show the way for a lot of people. We were lucky enough to have Duncan Sambrook, the founder of the brewery, down to take us through both their more “traditional range” and their newer, “craftier” offerings. A particular highlight was the 10.4% Russian Imperial Stout, loaded with full roasted, molasses and rich chocolate flavours. Aside from a slight warmth on the back of the throat, there is very little hint as to the ABV of this beer. This was a great evening hosted by one of the pillars of the London brewing scene.Gipsy Hill – 9th December
