hoppist deliver a monthly box of beer for Londoners looking to discover the amazing beer brewed in & around the city. In our ‘Meet the Brewer’ series, we take you behind the scenes to meet the people behind the beer
This time, we spoke with Stuart Medcalf from Twickenham Fine Ales
Who are you and what do you brew?
I’m Stuart Medcalf, head brewer of Twickenham Fine Ales/Old Hands.
Under the Twickenham Fine Ales Brand we brew a core of 4 cask beers; Naked Ladies, Grandstand Bitter, Sundancer and Red Head as well as a further 16 Seasonal/Special cask ales throughout the year.
As of November 2016 we also have a range of keg beers under the sub-brand “Old Hands” alongside our permanent Session IPA we have an ever changing range of experimental brews.
How big is your brewery?
We are a micro-brewery with a 25 barrel kit.
How did you get into brewing?
I began by volunteering at a small brewery in Oxfordshire before moving to a permanent position at a brewery based in Sussex.
What are your brewing influences?
The beer!
Where do you like to drink in London?
My favourite pub is The Hope in Carshalton
How do you go about developing a new beer?
As well as tasting a wide variety of beers as research (hard job, I know), we have a 1 barrel mini-kit that myself and our other brewers experiment on and test recipes.
What’s your favourite type of beer to brew?
Any of our Twickenham Ales, particularly our Champions Ale.
What’s the best beer you’ve ever made?
My favourite is our Old Hands Double IPA.
What’s the best beer (not your own!) you’ve ever tasted?
Hanssens Oude Geuze
What advice would you give to people just getting into craft beer?
Don’t be afraid to try something new! Even if you’re a hoppy pale ale lover, give a stout or a sour ale a go. You never know when a beer might surprise you.
What’s the strangest ingredient you’ve brewed with?
Roasted coconut, it’s also incredibly hard to get out of the fermenting vessel!
What do you think the next big beer style will be?
Though they’re already quite popular, sour ales will go from strength to strength.
Use code ILOVELONDON at hoppist to get £10 off your first box of London craft beer
You can see more about Twickenam Fine Ales at www.twickenham-fine-ales.co.uk/ and about Old Hands at www.oldhands.beer