The brew is made from wild local hops found in Church Street

Local people living near the Fuller’s Griffin Brewery have been invited to sample a special brew later this week.

The brewery is inviting residents to come along to the Mawson Arms on this Friday, 5th October at 5pm for a free taster of ‘Church Street Chiswick’, a limited-edition beer brewed using wild hops from the Church Street garden of Penny Barltrop and David Arnoff.

Penny Barltrop and Derek Prentice, brewing manager Fuller's

The brewery says this invitation is intended to say, “thank you for being great neighbours of ours”, to people who live nearby and there is also an opportunity to meet Derek Prentice, the brewer who created ‘Church Street Chiswick’.

For the rest of the weekend, another barrel of ‘Church Street Chiswick’ will be available at The Cross Keys pub (57 Black Lion Lane, London W6 9BG) from midday on Saturday and Sunday.

This is the second year that the Master Brewers at Fuller’s have created the special brew using hops found in the garden of David Arnoff and Penny Barltrop, Church Street, who moved to Chiswick 24 years ago.

Hops, one of the four main ingredients of beer, along with malted barley, yeast and water, are climbing plants, which can grow up to 20 feet high.  In brewing, it is the hops that give the beer aroma, flavour and bitterness.

“The hop plants were already growing in the garden when we moved in, and they re-seed every year,” said Penny, “We got chatting to the brewers at a tasting event last year and we decided to work on something together.”

“I'm really looking forward to trying this version of our specially created beer, to see how it differs from last year’s, and it’s great to have our street’s name on it again too!”

With the Church Street hops, Fuller’s brewing team used a process called late hopping to add the ingredients into drinkers’ favourite Chiswick Bitter, a 3.5% ABV beer, which boasts a refreshing, highly drinkable flowery and fresh taste, with well-developed hop flavours.

Derek Prentice, brewing manager at Fuller’s explains: “What we do is take the hop flowers and add them to the brewing process during maturation, so that all of the flavours from this unique find come out as the beer develops.”

There were only enough hops for two special barrels of Church Street Chiswick, and one will be available to try in The Mawson Arms, next to the brewery, from 5pm on this Friday 5th October, until close that evening, and Derek will be on hand to answer any questions.

From midday on Saturday 6th October, the other barrel will be available for the rest of the weekend at The Cross Keys (57 Black Lion Lane, Hammersmith, W6 9BG).

So make sure you get along to one of the pubs this weekend to try Chiswick with a twist!

Fuller’s is London’s only remaining traditional family brewer, and have been brewing at their Griffin brewery in Chiswick since 1845, although brewing has taken place on the site for at least 300 years.

October 3, 2012