Meet The Brewer | Werewolf Beer Rich White talks London’s newest brewery

AN AMERICAN BREWERY IN LONDON

WEREWOLF BEER WILL BECOME THE NEWEST ADDITION TO LONDON’S BUOYANT BREWING SCENE WHEN IT OPENS LATER THIS YEAR. WE SPEAK TO ITS FOUNDER, RICH WHITE, ABOUT HIS EXCITING PLANS FOR THE BREWERY, HIS LOVE OF BREWING CLASSIC AMERICAN STYLES AND WEREWOLF BEER’S VERY OWN…. GHOST TRAIN.

We’ve all been there, right? You know, travelling the best part of 3,500 miles across the Atlantic to go and see one of your favourite musicians play live in the company of a stranger. Well, that’s exactly what Rich White chose to do back in 2012. Flying from Syracuse in New York State to London, England, in order to see singer-songwriter Frank Turner play a triumphant set at the capital’s Wembley Arena. In doing so, he would not only meet his future wife, but also find himself in a country he’d soon call home.

And with a wealth of brewing experience under his belt, he’s now ready to go out on his own with Werewolf Beer. A new brewery he’s set to open in Camden, London, later this year.

But first, let’s take a step back. As the saying goes: Travel broadens the mind. For Rich White, the founder of Werewolf Beer, it did more than just that.

“I had just got my passport sorted because I sure as heck wasn’t going to be one of those Americans that never travelled,” White told us back in 2018.

And as a big fan of Frank Turner he really wanted to go to that Wembley show. So he went online and through the musician’s message board, offered to buy the drinks that night if anyone would show him around London.

Thankfully somebody took him up on it.

That person was Laura. But such was her nature, and her mutual love of good beer, that she offered to buy the beers and also show Rich all that was worth seeing in London. The weekend started with the gig and turned into a few days of getting trollied at The Euston Tap, going for a curry, enjoying a West End show and drinking themselves silly in BrewDog Camden.

Oh, and getting matching tattoos, too. That tattoo fittingly combines the date the couple met up and the UK pint symbol.

At this point, it’s probably not surprising to hear that Laura and Rich ended up getting married at a Frank Turner gig in the USA several years later. But that’s a story for another day.

It’s nearly nine years to the day since that all-important gig and in the time since, White has become part of London’s brewing fabric. Carrying out a range of roles in beer across the capital, White has also been the head brewer at London Brewing Co.

However in 2021, he’s on the verge of realising his dream of opening up his own operation with Werewolf Beer, a new brewery and taproom in Camden, London.

But as the saying goes - no pain, no gain - and White knows there’s a lot of work to be done before finally opening those doors.

“The last few weeks have been something that’s all I can say. Everything that I’ve planned and worked for over the last two years is coming to fruition,” explains White. “But it’s all at once. It’s exciting, of course, but I think the correct term is squeaky bum time.”

For White, that has mean securing a lease on a location in Camden, London, engaging in a crowdfunding campaign,

MEET THE BREWER

liaising with Camden Council to obtain a premises license and much, much more. While the Syracuse native is currently spinning all kind of plates, he has previous experience of working on major projects.

“I’ve done a lot of fairly big things before. During my time at London Brewing Co I had a big hand with the expansion into the Bohemia (the pub where the brewery is located) as well as involvement with projects around supplying Mitchell & Butler,” he recalls.

“And during my life back with Credit Unions, I was working on mergers and the like. But I had a support team with me! You know, the right amount of people is really helpful and too many is just inefficient. But the right amount does a lot of good things. And I have less than the right amount of people to pull this off smoothly…”

He adds: “I’ve done stuff like this before, but to do it from scratch is a whole different animal.”

Despite taking on the bulk of this project alone, White is also grateful for the help and assistance he has been receiving along the way.

“I’ve had Suzanne Currid from Business of Drinks to kind of help get me going and get the business plan together,” he explains. “I’m also working with Tasha Wolf from Crafty Beer Girls on marketing and promoting our crowdfunding campaign. Having an extra set of hands to connect the dots has been amazing. Senan (Sexton, owner of London Brewing Co) has always been there for me when I have any questions.”

White is also appreciative of the help he’s had from Hammerton Brewery, Two Tribes, the London Brewing Alliance, as well as the Rose and Crown pub in Kentish Town, where he has been brewing in their cellar on occasion. But such is White’s drive to make Werewolf Beer a reality, you get the impression he’d work 24/7 to ensure it happens. But why was now the right time for him to go out on his own?

“A big part of it is age, and moving to London. I’ve always been part of a team, and had dreams to do this. Having a clean slate of moving to a new country without some of the issues that arise from being an entrepreneur or unemployed person in the US such as healthcare) opened a lot up for me,” he muses. “So with that in mind, it was really time to go out on my own.”

White says he “might not always be the best employee” but believes he’s a pretty reasonable people manager. Going out on his own allows him to manage his own schedule, but is also aware of the increased commitments that such responsibilities will have on him, too. However, being able to express himself through a brewery of his own has been the overriding factor.

He says: “I’ve spoken a lot previously on the burnout issues that exist in the brewing industry. One of the things I’ve learned when working with a business coach, who’s a dear friend of mine, is that I’m probably a bit of a repressed creative.

“Of course, we all have a creative side. But I look back to growing up and my time at university, when all I wanted to do was draw, paint and sculpt. I dreamt about publishing my own comic books. And I think that brewing is a very creative outlet. Being able to express myself in this fashion, which is also very visual, is a healthy way for me to propel things forward.”

To move forward White needs beer. And he’s has been heartened by the early response to beers he brewed on his pilot kit in the cellar of the Rose and Crown.

“Every brewer should probably start out with a Pale Ale, especially when you’re testing a new piece of equipment. So on the pilot kit we brewed Psychobilly, which is our American Pale Ale. That first keg sold out in about half an hour, which I’m very happy about,” he recalls.

Going forward, White is keen to brew the types of beers he used to enjoy during his formative years in beer over in the US.

Advocate festivals in Boston and visiting places such as Brewery Ommegang things in Cooperstown, New York,” says White. “There I’d enjoy classic American craft beers that are clear, balanced and bitter. Along with having a really, really good mouthfeel.

In addition to Psychobilly Pale Ale is Rye IPA Horrorshow show, a rice Lager called Moonstomp, Stray Cat, which is a citrus session pale and Creepster, an American Brown.

“An American brewer living over here told me the range sounded like every US brewpub from the 90s and you know what, I’m perfectly happy for that to be the case!” he laughs. “I want Werewolf beers to be based on quality recipes, producing clean, accessible beers. I’m also keen to experiment with striking one-offs, too, but keeping things approachable is key.”

These beers will be served at the Werewolf Beer brewery and taproom in Camden, London. And if things go to plan, the venue will have its own distinct, spooky feel.

“I have friends that are into the same things I’m into, and they’ve probably had to listen to me go on and on about Werewolf Beer concepts ad nauseam. And it’s nice to know that people are listening because my friend Emily in Norwich, sent me a message and said, I found something I think you should see,” he recalls.

White adds: “And in Norwich, there is there’s a spot called Magdalen Street, which is just rows of antique dealers and junk shops. And it’s basically just a flea market, which is my favourite place in the world.

“Emily she sent me a picture of a front window of a shop called Aladdin’s Cave. It was full of neon coloured skulls, mummies and monsters. The owner, Graham, had got hold of the train cats, panels and wall hangings from inside an old ghost train,” he says. “My wife Laura and I decided it was an excellent investment so I had to go ahead with it. It’s currently sitting in the barrel store of Norwich, CAMRA, so thanks again to the team for looking after it!”

And when the time comes, those furnishings will be heading down to London to their new home in Camden. For White, the location of the brewery and taproom was non-negotiable.

“The location trumped everything! he laughs. “And I’m really glad that it seems to be working out because getting emotionally attached to a property is bad. I was helping out at London’s Hammerton Brewery and got really, really excited about having a 14 minute walk to work.

“If I walk fast, I can get to the Werewolf Beer site in 12. We’re across the street from Camden Road overground station, about five minutes from Camden Underground station and something like three minutes walk to the canal path for Regent’s canal. It’s ideal.”

Until then, the work continues behind the scenes, with White hoping to open sometime this summer

He explains: “Based on construction estimates, I’m hoping to get going sometime between July and September. Unfortunately, the railway arch we’re going to occupy has been derelict for a very long time, and didn’t have water or drains or three phase electric, or toilets. The lot.

“Effectively, the contractors have to shut down a road for whatever amount of time to run all these things into it and completely refurbish it. So (at the time of writing) we’re waiting on mainly things like UK power networks for the whole project to proceed.

“And once we get in there, it’ll be around a month or two to get brewing with everything installed and sorted. Then it’s a case of organising the taproom.

Thankfully we have our premises license, which means we are ok to have people on site on Friday evenings and all-day Saturday.”

An American brewer living over here told me the range sounded like every US brewpub from the 90s and you know what, I’m perfectly happy for that to be the case! Rich White, Werewolf Beer

Beers will be served on-site and for take-out. Having observed the impact the global pandemic has had on breweries, White has opted to start out with a canning line from the off.

And he recently turned to a successful crowdfunding campaign to help make that a reality, offering up a raft of one-off and rare rewards for those backing the campaign.

White is, understandably, raring to get brewing again. Until then, he knows he just has to wear many, many different hats to get things over the line.

“My life involves site visits to specify toilet facilities to working with Camden Council so they understand what we’re doing,” he says.

“Then it’s engaging with the community, contacting the press, approving canning designs, reconnecting with distributors and pub landlords. You could say I’m living a little on LinkedIn right now!”

Award Winning Supplier of Natural Flavourings to the Craft Drinks Industry

Uncle Roy’s have been lovingly hand-crafting award winning, natural food flavours for over 20 years. With over 140 fantastic flavours, Uncle Roy’s is the natural choice for craft drinks brands. All our flavours are available to trade customers of all sizes with no minimum or maximum order amount.