We got there eventually – we have a Twitter account: TRUMANSBEER. Follow us to find out every new pub to take on our ‘Runner’.
The Haggerston (438 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA) is one of our newest. It is a great pub in Dalston, good for a quiet drink by day and dancing by night.
To celebrate the last bank holiday before the end of summer, they are laying on a free hog roast for one and all this Monday afternoon and Truman’s Runner will be £2.50 a pint for the whole day.
We’ve been brewing ‘Truman’s Runner’ for two months now and certain questions always arise. The most frequent is ‘When will you brew in East London again?’
The simple answer is that we’re aiming for 2013. It all depends on how popular ‘Truman’s Runner’ becomes. The faster it flows, the quicker we can build.
The next question is always ‘where’. On the face of it, the old site in Brick Lane is the obvious place to go. A return to where it all started makes a great story. However, problems with access, planning and cost (very fashionable means very expensive) make it unrealistic. Most likely, the future brewery will be somewhere further east.
‘Why not start with a small plant’ is the other question. We love micro-breweries, but if Truman’s is going to be East London’s favourite beer again then it’s going to need a decent sized brewery.
Speaking to many existing brewers, it was made clear that growing step by step from a four barrel plant to a medium sized brewery is an expensive and difficult process. Time and again they told us the same thing – work with another brewer, sell some beer and then build a decent sized brewery.
As much as we want a brewery to call our own, for now the head rules the heart.
We had a bit of a nasty turn in front of the Golden Heart a few weeks ago. We arrived to find half of their grand Truman’s sign was missing.
Turned out to be blessing. Sandra, the inimitable landlady of the GH, was having the sign repaired so that the neon shown once more. It’s back up now and can be seen for miles.
One day, they’ll have the beer to go with the name.
The Golden Heart is on the corner of Commercial Street and Hanbury Street, right between Spitalfields Market and the old brewery.
Aside from the archives, eBay has been our greatest source of Truman’s history. We’ve found everything from unopened bottles to beautiful pub signs. However, this week we found something that topped even the special edition Truman’s & Jimmy Saville beer mat.
June 23rd is the day that Truman’s officially returns.
It is also the launch of our new beer ‘Truman’s Runner’ and our 344th birthday. So, there is a lot to celebrate. We’ll be having a night in the pub with anyone who cares to join us. More details to follow.
Session testing is very important, and enjoyable, part of creating a new beer.
New beers need to be put through their paces to make sure it drinks well after the first couple and to see what the after effects are like.
Its given us the chance to get a few people together. First up, was the Colchester branch of CAMRA who we joined at Ye Olde Albion in Thank you for your expert feedback and for letting us intrude on your meeting.
Two days later, it was friends and family again. This time it was at the Coach & Horses on Greek Street in London. They drank the pub dry, which is a good sign.
