Specialist beer expert James Hickson today announces the opening of his second We Brought Beer shop – on St John’s Hill, in London’s leafy Clapham. James prides himself on offering an wonderfully eclectic mix of over 400 craft beers from the UK and around the world, and thanks to the success of his first outpost in Balham is now ready to open a second site in early September complete with ‘beer garden’, growlers, home-brew kits and ingredients, bottles, and a private tasting room. Tastings and events are commonplace and hugely popular.
We Brought Beer opens as James reveals some juicy observations that he has about craft beer drinkers in the big smoke, such as:
– More women than ever are now drinking craft beer. James believes the ratio of customers at WBB is around 45:55 women:men
– Craft beer is not just for tattooed young hipsters – around 70% of customers are between the ages of 29 and 40, many of them pushing prams
– Craft beer in cans is becoming increasingly popular – WBB now stocks over 50 different canned beers, compared with just 12 when they opened up.
– Manchester is the next beer hotspot, with new breweries such as Cloudwater and Track Brewing making an entrance into the scene
We Brought Beer is unlike any other kind of craft beer shop. It’s where taste meets expertise, and James believes he and his team offer a wealth of information to appeal to the novice, the expert – anyone who is interested in beer and who wants to start drinking or making it. CAMRA voted the Balham store one of its Top 5 Beer shops in London, whilst it won ‘Best Shop, Balham’ in the Time Out Love LondonAwards, just three months after opening its doors. And only recently, Time Out voted it one of its favourite places to drink outside in London – all down to its jovial and welcoming atmosphere, designed to attract even the most intimidated beginner.
We Brought Beer cordially invites you to our opening party on Tuesday 22nd September from 18.30 to 21.30, at the shop in St John’s Hill. If you’d like to come drop hannah@nourishpr.com a note.
The Beer Garden at the new site will be stunning, and will be heated in winter so that the weather doesn’t deter the beer fanatic. James and his team are gearing up to announce a series of events to celebrate Oktoberfest, which is gaining huge momentum in the UK.
The private tasting room will give James and his team the opportunity to offer smaller bespoke tastings, home-brew demos and classes, cooking with beer classes, book launches as well as the launch of the much anticipated WBB home-brew club.
James’s top five picks for this Autumn are:
- Weird Beard – Little Things That Kill– 3.9% Insanely hoppy session IPA with a constantly changing hop bill. Recently won a SIBA Gold award.
- Roosters – Baby Faced Assassin – 6.1% One of our most popular beers from one of the UK’s earliest craft pioneers. Lots of bitterness balanced out by the fruitiness of the hops, one of the growing number of canned beers.
- Orbit – Neu – 4.7%– One of London’s best new breweries, Neuis a German style Altbier, heavy on the malt, dry & nutty.
- Wild Beer Co – Schnoodlepip – 6.5%A collaboration between Wild Beer Co. (Somerset), Good George (Wellington, NZ) & Burning Sky (Sussex), Schnoodlepip is a wonderfully complex sour/saison hybrid brewed with pink berries, passion fruit & hibiscus, before being aged in barrels.
- Brooklyn Brewery –Sorachi Ace – 7.2%– A dry, refreshing saison (a traditional Belgian style), this beer uses the Sorachi hop which imparts characteristics of lemongrass, verbena, dill and lemon peels.
James says of the opening, “Being able to open a site within a year of opening the first is incredible and shows just how much people are embracing the craft beer movement. The days of mass produced bland beers seem very much numbered, as they are replaced by an avalanche of exciting new brewers offering a mind-blowing choice of beers. We love being able to help people onto their craft beer journey and we can’t wait to get stuck into a new area of South London. We’ve got ambitious plans to grow the business too, so watch this space.”
We Brought Beer opens at the beginning of September 2015. Keep an eye out for news on their social media pages.
www.webroughtbeer.com
Twitter: @webroughtbeer
Facebook: webroughtbeeronline
Instagram: @webroughtbeer
Hannah Norris
Nourish PR
020 8840 0454
07881 805000
www.nourishpr.com
Twitter.com/HannahMNorris