What I know about Mysterious Brewing rocking up on Reading's beer scene
Plus bad news for local banana beer fans.
Hello and welcome to Issue 3 of the Beer In Berkshire newsletter. A fortnightly email talking about all things Berkshire beer.
This week we cover:
🕵️ Mysterious Brewing
🌧️ Wild Weather moving on
🍺 Fortnightly recommendation
💷 A special ticket offer
🌳 Pub Shed of the Week
The last few weeks have seen a bit of interest piqued in Reading’s newest brewery and I thought I’d delve a bit and see what I could find out.
First things first. I’ve tried their preview beer - Plan B - and it was really really good. A 5.4% American IPA. So much so I had a couple, and then all three kegs were sold out. Which is almost certainly a good sign.
The next thing to say is they are technically not IN Reading, but in fact just across the border brewing out of Little London Brewery where they’ve leased a bit of space. But who wants to let a little geography get in the way of a good story?
Never fear Little London fans, Hoppy Hilda and Little London Pryde are going nowhere.
So who are Mysterious Brewing? Well it’s been setup by Ken Barker and Adam Sculthorp who’ve joined forces to create a bit of mystery.
They met a few years ago as members of Reading’s growing amateur brewing club, with a shared aspiration to go commercial. Ken you may be more familiar with, having won the Burghfield Santa’s competition to create the delicious Reinbeer of the Mohicans beer. This was scaled up and commercially brewed at Elusive for last year’s Burghfest. That was pretty darn good too.
There’s plenty more to come from Mysterious Brewing as they build up to officially launching in May, with three beers available. It is well worth popping over to the breweries website and signing up for the mailing list here so you can find out when and how to be part of the launch.
And one out..
We can’t have all the nice things. It looks like Wild Weather Ales are leaving Berkshire and their Easter Park home according to this piece from Wales Online.
WW’s owner Dai Evans has now bought Boss Brewing - the brewery that played a part in comedian Joe Lycett changing his name to Hugo Boss that time - in Swansea and it seems they’re going to shack up together in a purpose built venue in the Welsh city.
The bit of interest is from Boss’s operations manager Laura James who said: “We're looking for a new chapter as Boss Craft Brewing Company. Wild Weather will relocate to us, and we're in the process of relocating to a new building within Swansea and its surrounding area. We will be moving from our current site and looking for more of a purpose-built brewery."
Exclusive Offer
Fancy coming along to Bracknell Ale & Cider Festival this year? It’s a festival I co-founded and is now in its 12th year. We raise money for Bracknell Rugby Club and Early Bird tickets are now on sale.
If you head over to the Ticket Store here and use the code FIB10 on adult tickets, you’ll receive 10% off.
If you aren’t in Bracknell and coming from slightly further afield, we put on a very handy shuttle bus from the station which you can make use of.
Recommendation
Keeping it West Berks this week, I was lucky enough to get a bottle of Summerlung IPA out of the latest Berkshire Beer Box.
It’s from Mortimer Brewing Company - a brewery I know next to nothing about to my shame. It was a really pleasant sunny day beer. Really really tasty.
I’m not sure of the best way to get in touch with them as the number on the website is incomplete. I’ve dropped them an email. Any update I’ll add that to the comments below.
The website is www.mortimerbrewing.co.uk | Order your Berkshire Beer Box here.
If you see a bottle of Summerlung IPA anywhere, grab it!
The Outside Bar
A few weeks ago I shared that I am building a bar. Because why not.
There’s been a bit of work since then in creating a concrete base for the space but the bar is still missing. That will come.
But more importantly, I’ve teamed up with an old colleague who runs the very successful Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition and I’m able to highlight an enviable Pub Shed each newsletter.
I’m starting off with The George & Dragon Pub Shed in Maidenhead by George Blackwell.
Description: Rugby memorabilia from both my career and those of friends. Predominantly Welsh theme (Hence the dragon) Home brewed real ale served by handpump located on original workbence complete with 50 years of drill holes, paint and wear.
More pictures and info, including how to enter your shed here.
That’s all for this week. Comments and questions in the comments below! Especially if you spot a Summerlung IPA in the wild.
Update on Mortimer Brewing, the best way to enquire/order beer right now is via mike@mortimerbrewing.co.uk - they cannot on site right now.
I’m hoping to go and see them in the next week and will report back in the next newsletter.