New beers on tap: what and why

I write to you this week in something of a state of shock. Oddly, it is shock without surprise. I knew what was coming. I didn’t realise it would be so big, or so illuminated or so… well… so darn attractive. And we’re only two-thirds into the journey!

Some big boys arrived at artisan & vine this week and they’ve certainly made their presence felt. 3ft high Peroni and Erdinger beer taps now tower above our bar; as if to challenge the rows of little artisan wine bottles lined up across the way on our back-bar.

We tried working with organic English beer at artisan & vine, in keeping with the theme for wines. I come to the conclusion that one can only be niche when one offers choice within a niche. We can be niche in local and natural wines because we have over 100 of them for you to choose from. I conclude that when there are only 1 or 2 options, best make it something that most people are likely to know and like. Enter the big beer brands. With Peroni, Erdinger and Moretti, we’ve maintained our commitment to quality and taste.

These new beer taps are more shrines to their hop-fathers than simple drink dispensers. According to beer lovers (of which I apologetically cannot confess to be one), these beers taste as good as the aesthetically outstanding taps and glassware look. Maybe these new beers will even convert me.

Peroni and Erdinger are available on tap at artisan & vine from today. Birra Moretti will be available on tap from Tuesday.

We still have 1 keg of Freedom lager which we’ll be serving on tap all week end if you’d like to have one last taste of England!

Image: our new very ornate pieces of bar equipment

Ale / Lager, Pilsner / Beer, Rioja / Riocka

Last year I underwent an awakening: people like draught beer.

This year, I discovered that while some people like draught lager, others prefer draught ale.

I only served draught lager.

So yesterday I went to visit Duncan Sambrook, of Sambrooks Brewery around the corner from me here in Battersea.

My questions made him pull the face I have to pull when people ask for an Australian Rioja (rioja is their favourite grape). He was confused at my questions, but eager to help.

What did I learn? For starters... here are the answers to some important beer basics:

1. Beer = an alcoholic drink made by the brewing & fermenting of starches

2. Lager = fermenting at cold temps, with "fizz" added afterward

3. Pilsner = a type of pale lager, with predominant hop characteristics

4. Ale = fermented at hot temps, with "fizz" developed during secondary fermentatin (yes, like champagne!)

For seconders, I learnt we really need to be stocking some of this full, flavoursome ale stuff...

At artisan&vine we currently have pilsner & lager on tap... we're now trialling Duncan's excellent local ale by the bottle.

Come by & cast a vote... we're keen for your thoughts!

Image: Duncan's fantastic Wandle Ale... I reckon we're onto a winner...

I heart artisan&vine, Londoners heart draught beer

I heart artisan&vine. My passion for it is pretty much all consuming. I love the eclectic range of local and natural wines that we sell. I love the people that come in and share snippets of their life experiences. I love the pungent cheeses and white chocolate tarts; the ornate wooden back bar and contrasted black chandeliers. I love the mirrors, the lights and the front door that brings me new surprises every day.

Today my front door opened to the engineers who would finally install draught beer at artisan&vine. Since opening on 21 July I've learned A LOT. One of the most important lessons - if embarassingly obvious to everyone but me - is that Londonders love draught beer. And so here we are, almost four months into being open, artisan&vine are now proud to serve beer on tap.

We've kept in theme with the rest of the bar: the beer, Freedom, is made in England (Staffordshire), is organic and most importantly - is delicious! I can't wait to pull my first pint later tonight.

Today also marks my entry into the world of blogging. Genuinely looking forward to pulling a pint of beer is not the expected sentiment after 12 years of corporate life (I had the privelege of working at fantastic companies: BP, IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers & BHP). Yet here I am and I feel as ambitious and energetic as ever. In this blog I'm going to share my experiences of opening and running a wine bar, career change, and of course everything about tasting flavoursome and exotic wines.

For now though I need to log off. The bathrooms need cleaning before opening to customers tonight, and I couldn't feel readier!

Picture: artisan&vine exterior, 126 St John's Hill, Battersea, London, SW11 1SL