The Brewery Boys
Like any young chaps, James Morgan and Michael-George Hemus like a drink or two, but they’re taking their love for beer one step further in an effort to revive an old favourite. The 30-year-old graduates are set to make a name for themselves by bringing back the Truman’s brewery.
Founded in 1666, Truman’s remained East London’s favourite beer for over 300 years. It grew from its home on Brick Lane to serve beer countrywide until 1873, when it was the biggest brewer in the world. But after hitting hard times it was shut down in 1989.
Now, James and Michael-George have re-established it, and are starting with a new beer, ‘Truman’s Runner’ and are supplying a number of London pubs. Over the next few years they aim to rebuild Truman’s to the point where they can start to build a new brewery back in east London. I’ll drink to that…
When and why did your interest in Truman start?
James: ‘For the best part of a decade we’ve both been going to events at the old Truman brewery, working in its shadow. My old office was a stones’ throw away and being in the beer industry I was always fascinated by it.’
Michael-George: ‘My first two offices were in the old brewery and most of my favourite pubs were old Truman’s pubs, so I have always been taken by Truman’s and wondered what happened to it. To me it seemed to stand for all that was best about British beer and pub culture. However, the dream only really started taking shape when James suggested that we look into reviving it.’
Why beer, in particular Truman?
J: ‘Truman’s is an icon of the British brewing industry and it is a real tragedy that it was allowed to disappear. The fact that it was so important to the community in and around Brick Lane and east London makes its demise all the more important to redress.’
MG: ‘For me it is more Truman’s than beer. While I love beer, I would not be interested in reviving any other name or starting a brewery from scratch. For me it’s the history of Truman’s the long relationship it has with the area and the fact that the name has still survived even when the beer did not. There is still a genuine love for Truman’s and it seemed wrong that it brewed no more.’
What is your favourite tipple, beer or otherwise?
J: ‘Other than Truman’s Runner I’m very keen on Crouch Vales’ Brewer’s Gold, I enjoy a good Malbec. I’m interested in English wines and particularly like Chapel Downs’ Pinot Reserve 2004.’
MG: ‘Depends on the time of year. Bitter most of the year round, but in winter I like stout and whiskey.’
Who would you most like to supply Truman to?
J: ‘The Queen.’
MG: ‘The Golden Heart on Hanbury Street. Also the Palm Tree in Mile End.’
What makes a really good brew?
J: ‘Excellent raw ingredients and a superb brewer, our brewer Tom Knox is one of the best.’
MG: ‘Good ingredients, care and attention. It is primarily down to the brewer (I’m reliably informed that brewing is 70% science and 30% alchemy) but also down to the pub and how they prepare and deliver the beer. You can have the best beer in the world but if the pub has a hot cellar, doesn’t let the beer rest and doesn’t clean its pipes then the beer won’t be good.’
What does the future hold for you boys?
J: ‘It’s very much a case of walking before we can run, but we’d like to build a new brewery in east London and bring Truman’s home to where it belongs. That should keep us busy for a while! I’ve been in the beer industry for over seven years and I expect I’ll be in it for many more to come, I love it.’
MG: ‘For Truman’s the first step is to get back to serving pubs all over the capital. We are making good beer again and now we need to get it out there. After that, there will be some new beers, but the main aim is to build a new home back in east London. We think this will take three to four years and we are working hard to make it happen. From there we’ll be working towards making Truman’s east London’s favourite beer once more and rebuilding it on the principles that made it great in the first place.’
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
J: ‘When I was young I thought about going into farming or working as a game keeper. I love pigs.’
MG: ‘Captaining a submarine. I would love to have been an explorer and until we can get further than the moon, the sea is the only place left to discover.’
Where do you live in London and why?
J: ‘I live in Highbury, I moved here to be close to friends. I like the parks, the local butchers and being able to get in and out of central town quickly.’
MG: ‘Clapton. I live there because I found a house that I loved and could afford to buy.’
What would you recommend everyone in London do at least once?
J: ‘I think everybody should walk along the river from the Tower of London to the Houses of Parliament and then up to Trafalgar Square, it’s amazing.’
MG: ‘Spending a lazy afternoon drinking and eating in one of the parks.’
Where is your favourite London eatery/ pub?
J: ‘The Bull & Last near Gospel Oak is my favourite gastro, the Pride of Spitalfields is one of my favourite pubs.’
MG: ‘Tough one. I like The Royal Oak (Columbia Road) and Charles Lamb (Islington), however there are a lot of good gastropubs in London now, so we’re lucky.’
What do you miss most about London when you’re away?
J: ‘I miss good London pubs.’
MG: ‘Our parks.’
What is your best London memory?
J: ‘I pick up my sister when she flies back from Australia, the flight lands at 6am and I drive her through central London down the Mall and along Embankment, it’s deserted and with the sun shining it’s beautiful.’
MG: ‘My 24th birthday. I was working for an art gallery and we did a show in Soho Square. For my birthday we were allowed to close the square off and have the place to ourselves. It was pretty special.’
How would you design a typical ‘London’ beer?
J: ‘A typical London beer should probably be a stout or a porter, they fuelled the boom in London brewing in the 18th and 19th centuries. They aren’t as fashionable as they used to be but we might be able to do something about that.’
MG: ‘The way we did it. Start by looking in the archives and understanding how London beers – particularly Truman’s – has developed. Then, once you’ve sampled all current London beers, you have a good understanding of what it is to be a London beer. From there, we produced a beer that we loved, while always taking into account current tastes and London’s beer heritage.’
Tel: 020 7247 1147
You may also like
About Post Author
