August 2023

14
Wanstead Village Directory
Ale brewing has a long and illustrious
history throughout the UK. Well into
the 20th century, many a workingclass
Londoner would have ‘enjoyed’ a
few weeks of hop-picking in Kent, which
served as a kind of paid holiday (for a good
account of what back-breaking work it
actually was, George Orwell’s A Clergyman’s
Daughter is a pretty good read).
By the 1960s, brewing had become a rather
miserable affair. The advent of the pressurised
metal keg, which could be transported more
easily than the traditional larger wooden
cask, and the disappearance of small local
breweries in favour of the huge national
corporations, meant that almost the only
beer produced commercially in the UK was
insipid, gassy and tasteless. However, this
homogenisation also led to a brave backlash
amongst those who wanted to save local
brewing and preserve the ancient recipes and
methods that brought subtlety of taste and
significant variety to real ale. Nowadays, there
is a huge flourishing of small breweries, many
of them in London, and new technologies
have meant both keg and cask ales have come
a very long way from the dark days.
As anyone who has ever watched Father Ted
knows, clergy and alcohol together can be
something of a mixed blessing, even if it is
also a combination almost as old as the art
of brewing itself! Monks were often master
brewers when brewing ale was a healthier
alternative to the often-brackish water that
was available to drink. In later years, church
bellringers became famous for storing casks
of ale in their towers, which they consumed
during services. I’m partial to a real ale myself,
and as our very first Wanstead Beer Festival
is due to be held in the parish halls at Christ
Church in October this year, I thought I’d see
what good beer Wanstead has to offer.
My first stop was at the newly renovated
Cuckfield for a pint of Neck Oil, an IPA that
has become so popular in the 10 years since
its inception that it can now be found canned
in supermarkets. Brewed by Beavertown, just
down the road in Tottenham, this is a beer
to make the purists howl (particularly as the
brewers have recently sold out to the mighty
Heineken). Whilst Neck Oil might not truly
qualify as a real ale, it is undoubtedly a quality
beer: it’s light and citrusy, with an aftertaste
of mango that strikes all the right notes on a
summer’s evening.
Next stop was The Duke, a pub which always
has a great community feel and lots of events.
Here, the pint of choice was Hopspur, a cask
ale from Redemption Brewery Co, again
Tottenham-based. Another citrusy ale, this
time with a delicious grapefruit taste which
seems to be all the rage at the moment. Not
everyone likes their ale as sweet as this but I
thought it was definitely worth its apparent
Gold Medal.
Sadly, the best beer in Wanstead cannot be
purchased from any of our public houses, for
it is brewed by the ‘Wanstead mystery brewer’.
Famous for their beer deliveries on Oak Hall
Road, the mystery brewer apparently regularly
delights residents with free gifts of a range
of home-brewed ales to rival any artisan
brewery. Fortunately, the rector of the parish
was able to sample a selection and can attest
to the quality! We can see why house prices in
Oak Hall Road are on the up!
It’s clear there is a strong demand for good
beer in Wanstead. If you like tasting fine
ales, do come along to the first Wanstead
Beer Festival. There will be an opportunity to
savour a wide range of ales as well as other
drinks, and to collect a Wanstead Beer Festival
pint glass (no doubt soon to become highly
collectable). Tickets will be on sale soon, so
watch this space.
On a more serious note, it should, of course,
be acknowledged that a lot of people
do struggle with alcohol, and if you’re
reading this and wondering whether your
drinking has become a problem, Wanstead
Alcoholics Anonymous meet regularly (call
020 7407 0700).
The Wanstead Beer Festival will take
place in the halls of Christ Church on
14 October. For more information, email
beer@wnstd.com
To advertise, call 020 8819 6645 or visit wnstd.com