Boris Says Beer

London Mayor, Boris Johnson, officially opened the new Discover Greenwich centre yesterday and with it Meantime's new bar-brewery, the Old Brewery.

In an uplifting and characteristically Borisian speech, he proclaimed Greenwich his favourite place to take his family in all London. He went on to conclude that the lesson that he had learned from looking around the exhibition space was that Britain owed its maritime prowess, not to the discovery of the sextant, not to Henry VIII's foundation of the navy, not even to Greenwich's lucky situation on the Prime Meridian. It was, he said, entirely down to beer. Consequently it was hugely fortuitous that a brewery had been laid on as part of Disvover Greenwich to enable visitors to celebrate this incredible fact.

So saying he then departed to pour an official mayoral pint of London Pale Ale in the Old Brewery bar, before being shown the new brewing plant by Meantime founder and brewmaster, Alastair Hook.

The culmination of a 15 months gestation, the Old Brewery, is Meantime's flagship venue, expressly designed to remind Londoners and tourists alike that London was once the 'brewing capital of the world', and that London's beers not only travelled around the globe but shaped the face of brewing the world over.

This is made plain in the very fabric of the building, with the three story brewery against the north wall being flanked by a timeline detailing the history of brewing in London.

In addition to its regular houise beers - Hospital Porter and Kellerbier - the The Old Brewery will be home to the College Beer Club, a fixed membership connoisseurs' club dedicated to 'forensic brewing' in order to resurrect extinct beer styles, rediscover lost brewing techniques and recreate beers made with long forgotten ingredients.

If you would like to register your interest in becoming a member of the College Beer Club please email info@collegebeerclub.com.