In pictures: Inside Beer Merchants’ new Hackney Wick taproom
The Beer Merchants Tap, the new Hackney Wick taproom, bottle shop, training centre and blendery from beer distributors Cave Direct opens its doors to the public for the first time this weekend (24 February).
The Morning Advertiser headed down to the venue ahead of its official opening to take a look around.
The venue boasts an impressive 20 keg lines and two cask lines, serving beer from some of the best breweries in the UK, including Beavertown, Burning Sky and Cloudwater, as well as Belgian and US imports.
Cheese and meat plates
There is also a huge selection of more than 600 bottled and canned beers available to drink in or take away, from fresh US IPAs to aged Belgian lambics.
Food comes in the form of meat and cheese platters from some of the finest UK and European producers, served with crusty sourdough bread and a range of condiments.
The taproom will also function as a training centre for Cave Direct’s customers in the on-trade and as the site of the Good Company Blendery.
On-site blendery
Wild Beer Co, Burning Sky and Duration Beer will all supply the blendery with spontaneously fermented wort from their breweries, as well as offering technical advice on how best to blend it to produce barrel-aged beers.
Good Company Blendery will take the wort and barrel age the liquid for up to three years before blending with younger versions in a technique not dissimilar to that employed by Belgian lambic producers.
Funding for the project came in the form of crowdfunding, in which investors were offered the opportunity to double whatever they spent in the form of a bar tab at the site.
Those who pledged funds to help make the project a reality are invited to a special ‘Pledge Party’ on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 February to start spending their bar tabs.
