Sharp-eyed Truman’s fans will have seen that we have a special winter ale on the pumps. It is a porter called Three Threads.
Truman’s owes a lot to the creation of porter as it was on the back of the Porter Boom that Truman’s became great. The name Three Threads is a reference to the origin of porter, it pays tribute to the role it played in our past (even if our version is not strictly a blend).
Originally, the drink was a blend of ‘ale, beer and ‘twopenny’ (a mild malt liquor of dark colour)’, which was mixed at the bar. Truman’s folklore claims that the it was the landlord of the Old Blue Last who, in 1722, first asked a brewer named Harwood to produce a brew that was a mix of three. The landlord named the drink ‘Porter’ in honour of the market porters who drank so many pints of ‘Three Threads’ at this bar.
It was a big moment in the history of British brewing because porter was the first beer which could be brewed in industrial quantities without any deterioration – a discovery that changed the brewing industry forever.
Three Threads is our first special since we re-established and you can find it at the Ten Bells, The Water Poet, The Carpenters Arms and The Peasant. Enjoy.
We were lucky enough to spending an October morning drinking tea with Tony Jack – war hero, black cab driver and one time Truman’s chauffeur.
Talking to Tony was part of the third installment of Spitalfields Life’s Truman’s series. Prior to meeting him, all we knew was that he was a former chauffeur to the old Directors. By the end of the morning, we understood that Tony has lived the life of several men and achieved remarkable things. We don’t want to give too much away, so read the full story here.
One further tale of interest to those of the beer world was of Cavendish Square. Every year the heads of all the country’s breweries would gather at a house on the square to resolve matters of industry and set beer price for the coming year. Tony could not tell us when this particular tradition fell out of practice.
We’ve been quiet for a few weeks and part of the reason is that we’ve been writing elsewhere.
The Brewery History site was a great resource for us when tracking down old Truman’s pubs, so we were happy to write an article for them about our return.
For all those who subscribe, look out for it in the latest issue. For everyone else, we’ll link to it as soon as the new issue is online.
It’s long and comprehensive, so sure to get yourself a drink before you sit down to read it.
The Water Poet on Folgate Street, E1, is putting on a festival of fine pub food. At the centre of it all is Truman’s Pie of the Day. Today was Beef & Onion, but there is still Wild Boar, Game, Venison and Steak to come.
As part of the celebrations, the Poet are offering a special lunch deal of a Pie & a Pint for £9.50.
Don’t worry if you’re not a food person because ‘Truman’s Runner’ is on at the special price of £3 a pint all week. So, there is something for everyone.
Many former Truman’s employees have been kind enough to get in touch and wish us luck. Some have recited fantastic stories of their time at the old brewery. However, no person has been a greater source of Truman’s knowledge and enthusiasm than Derek Prentice.
The first former employee to taste our new brew, he has guided around the old brewery and through the years that led to shut down in 1989. His help has been invaluable.
Spitalfieldslife.com has written a piece on Derek and his time at Truman’s. It is the first part of a series on old Truman’s employees. To read it click here.
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.
