Guinness Open Gate Brewery
If beer is your tipple grab a pint of festive ale with a twist at London’s new pop-up taproom.
Dublin comes to London’s Spitalfields until December 22 with an experimental taproom bringing a taste of innovative beers dreamed up at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in St James Gate, in the Irish capital.
As a loyal Guinness fan, especially in the rugby season, I opted for Chilli Stout. ‘A pint?’ queried the barman. ‘Good on you!’
Verdict: malty with spicy kick.
Son downed Pilsner _ deemed crisp and refreshing _ and Smoked Marzen Lager, which he found warming. And no question that he’d order anything less than pints.
You can also try four tasting beers for a fiver to find your favourite between a juicy American West-Coast style Citra IPA, full-bodied Belgian IPA, malty caramel Dunkel Bier, low alcohol Pure Brew, ridiculously strong Belgian Tripel at 8.5% and good old fashioned Guinness – all £5 a pint.
We perched on bar stools in the window opposite a pop-up Christmas tree shop and ordered dishes of Indian street food paired to your chosen beer. What better than a Red Chana Dal (three chilli warning) and a Keralan Chickpea (just one chilli), ordered by the barman and delivered in rolls or rice bowls by Rola Wala Indian street food restaurant round the corner in Brushfield Street.
Chicken Tikka and Nagaland Lamb cost £6.20 and the three Vegan dishes £5.70. Great value and deliciously crisp and freshly prepared, hence the 30-40 minute wait. So no need for a kebab or burger at the end of a beery night out.
For the seriously beer-curious, Open Gate Brewery’s expert brewers lead workshops and tastings every Wednesday throughout December.
The Open Gate Brewery, at Dublin’s St James’ Gate since 1904, fas been the Guinness brewers’ licence to experiment and dream in beer. Today’s brewers explore new recipes, reinterpret old ones and experiment with flavour to bring new beers to life. The beer taps in the brewery are on constant rotation with guests feeding back on their favourite.
The motto of the creative beer-obsessed brewers is: Anything they can dream up, they get to brew up.
Cheers to that!
WHEN: Wednesdays to Friday 17.30 _ 22.30; Saturdays 12.00 _ 22.30; Sunday 12.00 _ 22.00
WHERE: Shop 11, Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane E1. Near Aldgate and Liverpool Street stations.
WORKSHOPS: visit ogbtaproom.eventbrite.co.uk/
