Thursday
the 18th
of October saw the launch of the Fownes Dwarfen Brewery. Based at The
Jolly Crispin, a pub on the famous Gornal run, I looked forward to
sampling what enthusiastic brewers, and brothers, James and Tom
Fownes, had to offer. The genesis for their brewery began back in
2010 in the very same pub and two years down the line their half
barrel plant is pumping out elixir for the masses. Their plan is to
increase to a 2 barrel plant by the end of 2013.
The
evening got off to a great start and was attended by members of local
CAMRA branches, pub regulars, other local brewers and the local
press. Before long the Crispin was heaving with drinkers enjoying the
liquid offerings supplemented by beer biscuits, a four tier cake in
the shape of a leather Tudor tankard and professional storyteller
John Edgar who performed tales
created for the beers by the brewers themselves. It's the latter part
that makes the Dwarfen Brewery particularly interesting. The brothers
both have a passion for fantasy gaming and immersive stories and have
combined this with their love of fine ales to develop a brand that
pulls together traditional fantasy stories with the great industrial
heritage of their Black Country setting to bring back the ancient
tradition of story telling in taverns.
Beers
So
far I've managed to sample the following from their stable:
Crispin's
Ommer 4.1%, a house beer brewed specially for the Jolly Crispin. This
pale coloured beer uses malted wheat and Cascade hops to provide its
citrus, bitter flavour.
Gunhild 4%, a honey ale made with pale and speciality malts with 20% of the grist coming from Blossom Honey and hopped with Cluster and Saaz. Flavours are of natural unsweetened honey with a creamy biscuit background and a caramel finish.
Goat Rider 4.8% is an amber coloured ale with pumpkin pie spices and smoked malt.
Frost Hammer 4.6% is a very bitter pale ale using Summit hops to provide a citrus aroma.
King Korvak's Saga 5.4%. This beer has been my favourite Fownes so far. A whole range of malts complimented with a light hopping of Fuggles provides a smoky, dry flavoured porter. I'm a big fan of dry porters and the richly roasted, smoked flavour really works well in this moderately strong brew.
Dudley Winter Ales
Fayre 2012 and into 2013
The
brewery plan to have their “Leviathan” 7% spiced winter warmer
ready for the popular Dudley Winter Ales Fayre which runs from the
22nd
to 24th
of November and then have it on sale at the Jolly Crispin throughout
the month of December so make a note in your diary!
2013
should also prove to be an exciting one with the brewery planning to
produce a “Best of British” range showcasing British hops in
conjunction with Charles Faram hop merchants and Ali Capper from the
British Hop Association.
Microbreweries
have proven to be a 21st
century British success story and I hope to see James and Tom go from
strength to strength. Cheers!
