Sambrook's Brewery Wandle Ale now available

Brewed using traditional methods and materials sourced locally from English producers. The brewer is proud to use Maris Otter malt from Warminster Maltings, one of the few remaining floor maltings in the country. There is a combination of traditional Fuggles and Goldings hops varieties, together with the more modern Boadicea hedgerow variety to flavour our beers. All of the hops used in the brewing process are whole leaf which give Wandle its distinctive hoppy taste and aroma.
A well balanced thirst quenching session ale. Try this new fine London bottled real ale.

Duncan's story

"City accountant to brewer in three months – a fairly radical shift? I guess on the face of it, it is, but if the truth be told this has been longer in the making than the time between finishing my career with Deloitte in August and sampling our first beer on 26th November 2008.

So where did it all start? Earls Court, Great British Beer Festival, 3rd August 2006.

Simon and Glen, two university friends, and I sat together searching the huge list of beers on offer for a beer brewed in London (other than in Chiswick). To our surprise there was not one to offer. So after (a few too many) beers that day we hatched a plan to bring brewing back to the heart of London. Six months later and still fresh with the novelty of our exciting new idea, I took my first step to becoming a brewer, purchasing three second-hand tanks of a five barrel brewing plant from an ex-brewer. That is when I learnt my first lesson and quickly discovered that three tanks do not make a brewery. Despite my best efforts to get this five barrel plant operational it never saw any brewing during its lifetime with me.

Twelve months on and I decided it was time to take this venture more seriously and found myself signing up for a week long course in Brewing Fundamentals at the University of Sunderland. It was an excellent week and despite the lecturers’ best endeavours to dissuade the class from venturing into the industry, I came out unperturbed and re-focused on what I needed to do – find myself premises.

It was while I was looking for premises that I had the opportunity to meet a successful brewer by the name of David Welsh, previously managing director of Ringwood Brewery. Having been brought up in Salisbury on a staple of Ringwood Best Bitter, the chance to meet him was priceless.

Shortly after our first meeting David dropped a bombshell; he was interested in being involved but only if the plant was four times the size! In retrospect it all made sense but at the time I didn’t quite know what to say...

... So I said yes and here we are, an unlikely partnership, with a fully operational twenty barrel plant in Battersea, marketing our first pint Wandle Ale.

I do hope that reading my story has interested you in our venture and that you will come along to visit us at the Brewery and become a part of bringing brewing back to the heart of London."