Umbrella Brewing has opened, housed in a formerly fire-damaged Victorian industrial building in Holloway, North London.
It is headed by cocktail expert and master brewer Matthew Armitage, working in collaboration with Alastair Tatton, Andy Kerr and Stephen Thompson, the trio behind much-loved East End bars Discount Suit Company and The Sun Tavern.
The team have created a refreshing ginger beer made from natural ingredients: fresh-pressed ginger, hand-squeezed lemon, cane sugar, malted barley, yeast and water. The product is brewed in small batches, using great care to achieve the perfect balance of flavours, with a pressed ginger root sediment, and its fiery flavour, left in for a fiery kick. The beer is 5% ABV.
The project has been self-funded and a real labour of love for the group, who have worked tirelessly on every aspect, including the restoration of the original building, formulating the recipe, and all elements of graphic design and packaging artwork.
The packaging and label aesthetic of the newly-launched ginger beer will constantly evolve through a series of collaborations with artists. The current branding is inspired by the striking graphic designs on vinyl sleeves of the 60s and 70s. A style loved by all of the co-founders, the concept came about through Steve’s fascination with The Rolling Stones, who feature prominently in his record collection.
Umbrella Brewing Ginger Beer is available through distributors or can be ordered direct from the website. Current distributors include Nectar Imports, The Beer Collective, The Sun Tavern off-licence and Bottle Shop, No Half Measures and The Real Ale Collective.
