This August, London Craft Beer Festival is marking its 5th Birthday with its biggest event yet. The weekend of the 4th – 6th August will see the best breweries from around the world, top DJ sets and some of East London’s best restaurants converge on the Shoreditch Electric Lights Station. Co-founders Dan Sylvester and Greg Wells will also dedicate a bar to their neighbouring brewers in East London, celebrating producers closer to home.
The festival’s inaugural East London Brewers Bar will bring together a select group of 8 local breweries including; Hackney Brewery in Haggerston who champion a hoppy cask ale; 40Ft, based in shipping containers in Dalston; CRATE in Hackney Wick; Affinity Brew Co., the youngest brewery at the festival from Tottenham; and Anspach & Hobday over the river in Bermondsey. These East London breweries will stand alongside a line-up of 45 of the world’s best, including the internationally renowned Dugges from Gothenberg, representing the United States will be Stillwater Artisanal from New York, ‘craft beer godfathers’ Sierra Nevada, and Brooklyn Brewery, whilst venturing south to London, Manchester-based Cloudwater and Huddersfield’s Magic Rock will join the party.
‘We’re lucky to call East London our home and we wanted to showcase the talent on our doorstep. It’s impressive that a line-up of small-scale local breweries can hold their own on an international stage and it represents everything we stand for – bringing together breweries from all over the world for a true celebration of good beer” says festival co-founder Greg Wells. “It’s remarkable how the world of beer in London has changed and this year, we’ve got one hell of a celebration to acknowledge that. It’s more than just the beer, but everything it encompasses; the producers, the flavours, delicious food and the best soundtrack from festival headline-worthy performers” adds Dan Sylvester.
To complement the kaleidoscope of beers, the weekend’s soundtrack will be provided by DJ sets from Hot Chip, Foals, Norman Jay MBE and Metronomy’s Olugbenga. Furthermore, Dan and Greg have gathered the great and good of East London restaurants to fuel festival-goers with Haggerston’s Middle Eastern grill Berber & Q; tapas from Morito; homestyle Indian Kitchen, Gunpowder in Spitalfields and Hoxton Pizzeria Radio Alice. Providing respite from a beer-fuelled weekend, the Barrel & Wheel bar will be on hand, pairing wines from 19 Crimes and the Gentleman’s Collection with some of the finest British cheeses from Neil’s Yard, complemented by a couple of shuffleboards for the more sporting of mind.