Truman’s comes home to the East End
New brewery opens in Hackney Wick
Truman’s, one of the greatest names in British brewing, makes its comeback this September with the opening of its new London brewery after a 24 year absence.
Part of East London’s history for 350 years, an investment of £1million has seen the company re-establish its roots in Hackney Wick, just a stroll down the Roman Road from the original brewery in Brick Lane.
After years of planning, the opening of the new 10,000 sq ft brewery – named The Eyrie, the term for an Eagle’s roost – sees the company once again spread its wings. Specialising in traditional cask ale, the new 40 BBL brew house makes Truman’s the biggest cask ale producer in East London.
James Morgan, managing director, commented: “I am just delighted, and not a little humbled, to be able to return Truman’s to East London. We are producing brilliant, flavour-packed ale from our new brewery and are working hard to ensure that Truman’s Beer is once again a great name in brewing.”
Founded in 1666, Truman’s was once a heavyweight of British brewing – by the late 1800s it was the world’s largest brewer. It fell victim to the merger mania of the 70s and 80s, after which the pubs were sold and the brewery closed. The company was revived in 2010 with the intention of making Truman’s a great name in brewing once again.
The team has also recovered the original yeast strain – ‘the beer’s soul’ – that was used at the Brick Lane brewery in its heyday. Preserved in liquid nitrogen since 1958 at temperatures of -196c, the yeast will ensure that the beer produced is authentically Truman’s.
Truman’s is launching with two core products – Truman’s Runner (a Bold Best Bitter) and Truman’s Swift (a Gorgeous Golden Ale) – as well as a number of special editions and archive releases. The third permanent member of the range is being created with the help of the customers of leading cask ale specialists, Nicholson’s. The Great Truman’s Taste Test, which sees two competing beers continuously refined according to drinkers’ feedback, is taking place throughout the autumn, with the winning beer taking pride of place in the line-up.
Ben Lockwood, Assistant Brand Manager at Nicholson’s Pubs added: “We are particularly delighted to be supporting the revival of one of the UK’s biggest names in brewing. “