As the craft beer craze continues, Sophie Farrah meets the brothers behind Barnes’ new microbrewery, Jeffersons
South West London has long-standing links with the amber nectar, and as the historic brewery site at Mortlake approaches re-development, local brothers George (24) and Freddie (26) Jefferies are taking on the Barnes brewing mantle for a new generation of beer lovers.
“I bought a home brew kit about six years ago when I was at sixth form and the results were awful,” explains George.
“But I loved the mysterious process. So I decided I wasn’t going to make another beer until I was making it from grain, from scratch. The passion for beer took hold!”
And so, after much research, further experimentation and a detailed exploration of hops, the Jefferies brothers put together a beer-tight business plan, applied for a loan through a government scheme and set about building a 200ft purpose-built commercial brewery at the bottom of their parents’ garden.
“It took a bit of persuading… they had just bought a new shed so they weren’t overly pleased,” laughs Freddie.
Jeffersons Brewery officially launched at Barnes Fair in July to much acclaim, joining the ranks of other successful local breweries such as Twickenham Fine Ales, the Kew Brewery and Sambrook’s in Battersea.
“We sold around 23 out of 25 kegs at Barnes Food Fair, so it went better than we expected,” beams George.
“It was the first time we had sold beer commercially, and to see people enjoying it was such a great feeling.”
Jeffersons’ range includes one seasonal special and two core beers known as the Thirsty Eagle (4.2%), a thirst-quenching American Blonde Ale, and the Big Ocean (6%), a full-bodied Transpacific IPA. Both are delicious (I had to try them for research purposes, of course) and packed with carefully chosen hops from around the world.
“That’s our spin really – we’re intrigued by hop origins and we’re all about hop exploring geographically around the world. We start with a country, choose a hop and then choose a style of beer that suits it best,”explains George.
“We only use four ingredients – water, malt, yeast and the all-important hops. Our beer is unfiltered, unrefined and there are no additives at all. And all brewed in Barnes!”
Both Freddie and George will be back behind the bar at Barnes Food Fair later this month to launch their new seasonal beer, an autumnal amber ale called The Backpacker, made with hops from Australia and New Zealand.
- Barnes Food Fair is on Saturday September 16, 10am-5pm, Barnes Green. Tickets are £5 each, free for under 16s, barnes-ca.org/food-fair. For more info on Jeffersons, visit facebook.com/jeffersonsbrewery
September's foodie news – Brilliant boozer
For more great beer head to the brand new Royal Oak in Twickenham where you’ll find East London brewery Truman’s first tank-ready beer, RAW. Served from two impressive copper tanks suspended over the bar, this unpasteurised and unfiltered Kölsch-style lager is the freshest pint you can enjoy outside a brewery. The interiors are quirky, stylish and comfortable, and the tasty menu features all the usual pub classics as well as more inventive plates and foot-long pizzas with plenty of imaginative toppings. There’s also a lovely al fresco terrace – perfect for soaking up the last rays of September sunshine.
- The Royal Oak, 13 Richmond Rd, Twickenham TW1 3AB; theroyaloaktwickenham.co.uk
All the fun of the (food) fair
Barnes Food Fair is back for another year and once again the line up of cookery demonstrations is impressive: highlights include Ian Salmon, Head Chef of Rick Stein Barnes, cooking up some of Rick’s classic dishes from the restaurant menu; Paul Merrett, Chef Director at The Victoria in East Sheen, rustling up some Asian flavours and Michelin-starred Phil Howard with seasonal dishes inspired by the menu at his smart Chelsea restaurant, Elystan Street. All this, plus over 100 food stands in a spacious marquee, live music, outside picnic area and a cocktail tent hosted by stylish local tearoom, Orange Pekoe.
- Barnes Food Fair is on Saturday September 16, 10am-5pm, Barnes Green; barnes-ca.org/food-fair
Steak and wine make you feel fine
The award-winning M Restaurants in Victoria and the City is renowned for two things – its fun and futuristic electronic wine tasting machines that offer more than 120 premium tipples, and superb steak cuts from around the world, including the best Wagyu from Australia and Kobe from Japan. What’s this got to do with SW London? Well this month sees a more casual version of the group’s pioneering steak and wine concept open in Twickenham’s Brewery Wharf development, overlooking the River Crane.
- Opens mid-September, 11am-11pm, mrestaurants.co.uk/twickenham
Tasty Treat
Chic new neighbourhood restaurant Minnow opens its doors in heart of Clapham Old Town overlooking the park. Offering seasonal, modern European cooking from breakfast through to dinner (with a healthy dose of weekend brunch and cocktails thrown in for good measure) tempting dishes include baby octopus with curry leaf paste and charred green mango, whole roast poussin cooked on the restaurant’s special Robata grill, and caramelised watermelon with a blood orange and Campari sorbet. Inventive cocktails take inspiration from local heroes and landmarks including The Clapham Sect and The Temperance Fountain.
- Minnow, 21 The Pavement, Clapham Common, SW4 OHY; minnowclapham.co.uk
Tooting Foodival
Riccardo Sai
The award-winning food festival organised by Transition Town Tooting is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and the organisers are promising an event not to be missed. Expect to see and taste a wonderful array of locally grown produce, and there’ll be a selection of boutique market stalls and live entertainment. As per previous years, local growers can donate their home grown fruit and veg the day before the Foodival at local community centre Mushkil Aasaan, and local cooks will choose from these ingredients and rustle up a mouthwatering dish to be enjoyed by all at the festival the following day. There’s also a cookery competition, cultural food tours, live cookery demos, and an ‘ugly fruit and veg parade’.
- Sat Sept 16, 11am-5pm; tootingfoodival.blogspot.co.uk
Time for tea
Behold, the Brew Tea Pub! This brilliant little place that has combined two of the things that define us a nation – tea-drinking and pubs. It has the warmth and welcome of a good old-fashioned boozer but with pots of top notch tea served instead of pints of beer. Choose from Real Bergamot Earl Grey, Fresh Masala Chai, Morrocan Gunpowder Mint or try an alcoholic tea cocktails. Fancy an Earl Grey Gin and Tonic or perhaps an English Breakfast Martini (that means I can have it for breakfast, right?)?
- Brew the Tea Pub, 114 Tooting High Street, SW17 0RR; brewteapub.com
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