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London's ‘oldest’ independent brewery, Sambrook’s, turns eleven! (and here’s to the next eleven) | By Darie Nani
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ith seven out of ten drinks served in a pub being beer, British beer economy is a £22.9 billion annually. As our thirst for quality craft #CheersToBeer is spanning beyond any expectations, we went to our favourite brewer in Battersea, who is celebrating their 11th birthday this autumn, to find out what is really happening behind the scenes. Duncan Sambrook, founder and managing director of Sambrook’s Brewery (sambrooksbrewery.co.uk), has a lot to be proud of. Launching its first beer in 2008, it is now a multi-award winning, Wandle Ale. In historic terms, 11 years is a very short period but a lot has happened since: there have been lots of changes in the London brewing scene but Sambrook’s has remained at its heart and is now the oldest independent brewery in London continuing to brew a range of British inspired cask and keg beers distributed throughout London.
Heritage photo (1896) from Ram’s Quarter, The location of Young’s Brewery and Sambrook’s new home Wandsworth, London.
Wandle Ale is a 3.8% best bitter which has been awarded bronze at the CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain awards twice. Sambrook’s also brews a range of keg beers of which its Russian Imperial Stout picked up the supreme champion keg beer award at the SIBA brewer awards in 2016. Sambrook’s maintains a rotating selection of 8 beers throughout the year with the current seasonal being a honey infused cask ale inspired by the local area “Lavender Hill”. Beer by the River is Sambrook’s annual beer and music festival and it returns at the heart of the Wandsworth brewing scene at Ram Quarter. Duncan, said: “Our move to Ram Quarter feels like a homecoming. Wandsworth has had a rich brewing heritage and we’re excited to be able to continue this and secure the future of Sambrook’s brewery. It’s a fantastic location for us to expand our retail offering and is just metres from the River Wandle after which our most famous beer takes its name.” Brewing has been taking place at Ram Quarter since at least 1533. Famously the site was home to Young’s until 2006. During redevelopment the Ram’s brewing legacy has been preserved by former Young’s master brewer, John Hatch, who maintains a nano-brewery at the site. The relocation of Sambrook’s will re-launch the commercial brewing from the site and continue the brewing heritage since 1533. Sam Macqueen, Marketing and Events Manager, adds: “The US leads the way in craft beer, with it representing 24% of their total beer market. There, the norm is for people to drink their beer from small, local independents. With larger breweries (AB InBev, Asahi, etc.) unable to grow into this area, their natural pathway to growth has been to purchase younger, high-growth breweries. You can the London craft market following, with Budweiser investing in Camden Town Brewer in 2015 and Heineken recently purchasing Beavertown.
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Duncan Sambrook pursued his brewing passion after a UK-wide tour of breweries. Upon reaching London, he was surprised to find only five breweries in what was once the brewing capital of the world. Moreover, at the Great British Beer Festival that year, only one London brewery was represented. He finished his career with Deloitte in August 2008, and proudly sampled Sambrook's first beer in November of that year. This became Wandle Ale, named after the river running beside the brewery.
