OnTap Magazine

34 | Spring 2024 | ontapmag.co.za to 1.070 SG and the weak will end up with about 1.012 – 1.016 SG pre-boil. The hop varieties used in both coppers are exactly the same, but more go into the stronger wort to compensate for the higher sugar ratio.” The important step to remember is the blending of wort. As Charlie explains: “The wort is cooled by a plate heat exchanger during transfer to the fermenters. It is at this point that the strong and weak wort is blended to create various starting gravities depending on the beer [that is] being brewed.” Their unique house-strain of yeast is pitched and the beer ferments for about a week before further conditioning. This single brew gives birth to Fuller’s ESB, with a higher proportion of strong wort, London Pride is more balanced between high and low strength wort and when in season, historically their Chiswick Bitter would take the remainder of the lower strength wort. It all comes down to how it’s blended before fermentation to give the right ratio of dissolved sugars in the correct batches. The beer ultimately must end up at the declared alcohol strength as stated on the bottle and tap labels. “Cask is more artisanal,” Ben interjects, a massive cask beer enthusiast himself with an interesting history in beer. And I tend to agree with his terminology; this process might take place in an enviably high-quality brewery, but the brewer makes a lot of manual adjustments based on the information obtained from sugar measurements taken pre- and post- boil to ensure the consistency of the beer. NEW BEERS IN A BREWERY STEEPED IN TRADITION: How does a brewery with such a rich tradition compete with the craft beer explosion over the last few decades? How easy can it be for such a relatively large business to bring new seasonal beers to market to satisfy the ever-shifting fashions? “It’s market driven,” Ben answers. Charlie expands, “we use [a combination of] innovation, archives and ‘what is doing well’, as our guide.” The pilot system is only about 1,500 litres. The process for launching a new beer goes through a few steps including a trial brew, a tasting by a sensory panel, adjustments to the recipe based on the feedback received from the panel and then eventually the brewer ends up scaling the tested recipe up to the bigger system. The initial research coming from customers feedback determines the success of the beer. The more popular ones will feature again. Pulling on archives, The Vintage Ale is made using three full brews; the first is brewed and aged, then a second batch is brewed with adjustments. A third batch is brewed and then the three batches are blended, bringing the best version of the vintage to market. “Generally, these beers are good the moment we release them, so aging is not essential,” says Charlie. (I briefly consider the bottle of 2015 I have been aging and start planning a special occasion in the very near future…) Another archive beer is the 1845. This is a bottle conditioned ale, which is supposed to lean towards the origin of the brewery. They have a special roast of malt made by Simpsons, that would be similar in character to the malts used in 1845 and try to recreate the beers of the past. John Keeling calls it a “…new recipe inspired by old brews. ” ADVICE TO BREWERS ON THE USE OF HOPS: A conversation that comes up a lot in South Africa is the age and quality of the hops available to importers. Charlie has a freshviewon the topic. Heuses theanalogy that a brewer uses a hop variety, because it might be known to add “pineapple” or “orange” aromas or flavour. Instead, he suggests that, “brewers should not be too hung up on a specific varieties, but rather explore a range of varieties which may give the characteristics you are looking for [in] that year. Adopting this method allows a brewer to adapt when price and availability fluctuate from year to year.” In other words, smell it, taste it and adjust your recipe to use the hops that will give you the best flavours and aroma from the batch that is available to you rather than chasing a specific variety of hops. As our interview comes to an end, I am shown around the many joined houses that has been there since the start. We stop in the boardroom, one that had been occupied since at least 1845. Through the windows facing the brewing yard, you see a thick layer of the oldest Whisteria plant in the UK. The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew’s Whisteria is an off-shoot of this plant and in the interest of preserving the historic value, Kew sends a horticulturalist yearly to ensure the plant is kept in a healthy condition. After Asahi UK bought the Fuller’s Brewery, they had consolidated some other brands, such as Meantime Brewing Company that is also now brewed on the Griffin site. Gales Brewery’s HSB beer is also brewed in the Griffin Brewery, each brand kept true to their tradition, Gales still uses their house-strain yeast, all that has changed is the location. And it is a good thing too, because preserving the past is what informs the future. In the brewing world the Fuller’s Brewery continues to seamlessly balance innovation with tradition, as they always have, as long may they continue to do .