The Understudy, at the National Theatre, is bringing a fresh touch of character to South Bank this spring with a series of tap takeovers and collaborative craft beer events.
Running from February to June, The Understudy Tap Takeovers will give Londoners and tourists a unique beer experience, showcasing a diverse variety of hops and flavours from emerging UK brewers.
On St Patrick’s Day (March 17), from 6pm, The Boundary, a co-operative brewery from Belfast, owned and run by its members, will be putting on a unique art exhibition courtesy of its own resident artist, John Robinson.
The first brewery from Northern Ireland to fuse modern US styles with the more traditional Belgian and French brewing methods, Boundary offers a distinctly hoppy range of beers. Stop by for a drop of Boundary’s classic GOAT and American Pale Ale, or opt for a limited edition special, bursting with bold and boisterous flavours.
On April 28 and 29, again from 6pm, the launch of the National Theatre’s new Hell beer, brewed with Fourpure, the London-based family brewers will be celebrated. The Fourpure tap takeover will offer beers from signature easy-drinking classics, like American Pale, through to more challenging small batch brews, like Deucebox Citrus Double IPA.
Innovative
Head brewer, John Driebergen, will host a meet the brewer session at 6pm, talking about Fourpure’s unique brewing methods and answering questions about the brewery, named most innovative brewery business at the Society of Independent Brewers Annual Awards last year.
On the Sunday, as well as samples of some of Fourpure’s finest brews, free pints will be up for grabs for guests as they take on their friends in a range of classic board games.
The Understudy is also presenting Zilla Nights this spring, a frenzy of afrobeat, highlife and other assorted genres of the African diaspora, courtesy of resident DJs. Join pan-African vinyl spinner Blondezilla with the retro Afro treats, and D’Vo playing everything from dancehall and afrobeats to hip-hop, while sipping one of London’s finest craft beers and taking in the views of the city.
The Zilla Nights will take place on March 10, April 14, May 12 and June 9.
Jon Traynor, manager of The Understudy, said: “It’s such an exciting time for the craft beer movement in the UK, and we’re really focusing our efforts on extending the offering at The Understudy.
“The Tap Takeover is a fantastic way to showcase some cool, upcoming UK brands to our guests, particularly those who are leading the way in the trend for innovation and modernisation. We are seeing more breweries testing the boundaries and experimenting with overseas styles, and whilst there is still demand for traditional beers, our customers seems to be looking for flavours that are new, daring and adventurous.”
