Food & Drink

Wandsworth brewery grabs London Beer Festival ‘By The Horns’

A Wandsworth microbrewery plans to intoxicate (responsibly) ale enthusiasts at Wetherspoons’ London Beer Festival.

Summerstown-based By The Horns Co will showcase old favourite Mick the Miller and new tipple Bison across London as part of the festival.

By The Horns have heady high hopes for their new beers as they won best brewer in 2013.

The festival runs for four weeks and visits Wetherspoons pubs in north, south, east and west London, aiming to broaden beer-drinking horizons across the capital.

Managing director Chris Mills said: “We’re hoping to recreate our success of two years ago.”

“We like to do festivals all over the UK and have recently done ones in Sweden and Norway. They give us the chance to people buying our products who we wouldn’t usually get to speak to.”

Mick the Miller is an amber ale that weighs in at 4% while the 4.8% Bison, an American pale ale, is a completely new brew.

Fellow managing director Alex Balls said: “Mick the Miller is made using lightly roasted malts to give it a nicely rounded base – it’s a really good, quaffable beer – you can have a good few of them.

“We’ve kept Bison really clean and simple and the main hop, Chinook, shines through with fresh pine and citrus notes.”

The brewery is eagerly anticipating the council’s decision on whether Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium across the road will be sacrificed for redevelopment of the area and a new home for AFC Wimbledon.

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The track forms part of their heritage – Mick the Miller is named after a former racing greyhound – yet regeneration would bring significant business benefits.

“It would be a shame to lose it but it would be great to see the Dons come back here,” said Mr Mills.

“New affordable housing next door to us will obviously help us expand our customer base.”

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