food & drink

London Beer Week 2015

beer festival, london, kettlemag, leah marten
Written by LeahMarten

A £10 wristband allowed drinkers to enjoy £3 speciality beers and £5 boilermakers across a hundred bars in London as well as free tasters, master classes, tours and even brewery beer parties.

Despite the classic British wet weather over seventy people arrived to kick off the week’s events with a 5km fun run around St. James’s Park.

But as it was London Beer Week, the runners weren’t offered water at the end but instead an ice cold craft beer.

With a 7pm start it took just twenty minutes for some runners to complete the course that lasted twice around the park and past Buckingham Palace to receive their ice cold motivator.

The fun run finished at London Beer Weeks Soho pop up shop which included both an underground and over ground bar for runners to order their free drink.

Two Fingers Brewery were on hand as partners with Drink Up London to organise the run to raise awareness for Prostate Cancer UK and not just celebrate the golden liquid we all love.

The week itself offers discounts and free samples for those with wristbands across participating restaurants and bars and is the third festival launched by Drink Up London aimed to celebrate craft beers, ales, lagers and ciders.

The festival even saw Cam Dawson, Jack Daniels UK brand ambassador, hosting beer cocktail master classes on Wednesday.

Accompanying Cam Dawson, a very British compilation of shoe shiners, cut throat barbers and a clothing expert from Sharp and Dapper took over the famous Union Street Bar in The Craft of Gentlemen event.  

The weeks headline partners include Guinness, Sharp’s Brewery, ibis, Woodford Reserve and Craft Beer Rising.

Through teaming up with Craft Beer rising, Drink Up London coordinated a four day weekend of events to finish off the week that took place in Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

All of the events aimed to say a big Cheers to London’s breweries and pubs and organisers have assured it will be returning next year and it’s definitely an event not to be missed.