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If there’s one thing people have made the most of during lockdown, it’s indulging in the food and drink they love. And London’s breweries have made it even easier to want to drink lots of beer while staying safe at home. Not only is buying directly from local breweries a great way to support them (their main customers typically being pubs, all of which closed their doors on Friday March 20), you could also be contributing to a good cause.
Proceeds from the following special brews are going to charities supporting a number of initiatives, from rewarding NHS staff to giving the hospitality industry the help it needs right now.
Buy the NHS a Pint: Gipsy Hill Brewing Company
Gipsy Hill Brewing Company has come to the rescue with not one, but seven new beers brewed for charity. The range includes a load of IPAs and sours, plus a table beer and a pilsner, which can be ordered in mix-and-match cases. For each 12-pack purchased, the brewery will be putting a pint on its tab for NHS staff to redeem at the bar of its south-east London taproom when the time comes. www.gipsyhillbrew.com, from £36 for a 12-pack.
Nightingale New England Pale Ale: Signature Brew
After the Manchester Punk Festival this beer was supposed to be served at got cancelled, the good folk at Walthamstow’s Signature Brew decided the best thing for it was to dedicate it to the efforts of our NHS heroes. So £1 of every £3.70 beer sold will go to NHS Charities Together, ‘because no one deserves support right now more than those on the front line,’ says the brewery’s co-founder Sam McGregor. www.signaturebrew.co.uk, £3.70 for a can.
Isolation IPA: Villages
The Deptford brewery was one of the first to get in on the home-delivery act when this all kicked off. Now it’s brewed up something so special for charity, it’s sold out already. But Isolation IPA’s second batch is incoming, and in the meantime, if you’re desperate for a drink that does some good too, you can snap up a can from a host of local south-east suppliers listed on Villages’ website instead of going direct. All proceeds will go to the National Emergencies Trust. www.villagesbrewery.com, £3.30 for a can.
All Together IPA: Mondo
As part of a worldwide initiative, Battersea brewery Mondo has created a 6.5 percent IPA. Each 440ml can purchased raises £2 for Hospitality Action’s appeal, supporting those in the restaurant and bar world left out of work right now. www.mondobeer.com, £4.90 for a can.
Heroes Thank You Lager: Camden Town Brewery
Okay, this one’s not entirely new, but Camden Town Brewery has revamped its famous Camden Hells to make it into Camden Heroes. The snazzy blue packaging is a nice enough homage, but the really good bit is that NHS staff can claim a free six-pack by using their NHS email address and quoting HEROESFORHEROES at checkout. Plus, proceeds of every can sold to the general public will go direct to NHS-related charities. Crack one open for the next Clap for Our Carers. www.camdentownbrewery.com (back in stock on Monday May 11).
And last but not least... some yeast: Brixton Brewery
You can’t drink this one, but it’s nice to see Brixton Brewery rise to a national yeast shortage in such a clever way. The brewery is selling 30g packets of dried yeast ordinarily used in the brewing process to bored bakers at home struggling to get their hands on the stuff. Packets cost £5, including postage, and money raised from the project will go to local food banks. www.brixtonbrewery.com.
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