World Heritage Site's Frothy History Reborn after 140 Years Dry
- Giant Copper Vessels Put To Work In Greenwich -

17 February 2010: Eight giant copper brewing vessels have been installed at The Old Brewery, part of Discover Greenwich at the Old Royal Naval College, the new £6m contemporary cultural venue opening on 23 March 2010. Discover Greenwich will unlock the history of Maritime Greenwich for over a million visitors a year and becomes the starting point for understanding and appreciating this World Heritage site and international tourist destination. [Press preview with Dan Cruickshank on 22 March, details below].

The Old Brewery, run by the award winning Meantime Brewing Company, is a new restaurant, bar and cafe containing a micro-brewery creating historical and modern beers. The Old Brewery continues the ancient tradition of brewing on the site that dates back to Tudor times. Henry VIII built a brewhouse for his Royal Palace and in 1717 a brewhouse was created to supply the Royal Naval Hospital with beer. The Old Brewery is located on the exact spot of the 1832 brewhouse, built by architect Joseph Kay to supply the pensioners of the Royal Naval Hospital with their three pint daily ration of beer. It was piped direct to the Pensioners' Dining Room in the Undercroft of the Queen Mary Building. The brewhouse was partially destroyed by fire in 1843 and became redundant in 1870.

Newly installed, the eight majestic1000 litre copper clad tanks dominate the main hall of The Old Brewery. From their unique vantage point the Main Hall diners will be able to witness the activity around the copper vessels, the focal point of this extraordinary experimental facility. Here Meantime's brewers including Brewer of the Year and founder of the Meantime Brewing Company Alastair Hook, will tinker, trial and test their new beers evoking the spirit of the brewhouse in a wholly contemporary way. The brewing process in the copper vessels will commence in the next few weeks.

The new brewhouse's amazing high-tech design means The Old Brewery will be an intriguing balance of the new and the old. Master Brewer Alastair Hook and his team will be reviving ancient recipes that used ingredients such as 'bog myrtle' or 'wormwood', whilst also brewing avant garde beers specifically crafted to match the flavours and aromas of modern contemporary cuisine; Mojito Pilsners and Juniper Pale Ales, for example. Each copper tank will hold 1,760 expertly brewed pints.

The brewery construction, too, reflects this contrast. The copper of yesteryear is integrated with today's plasma welded polished stainless steel. The opening of this brewery, in such a magnificent, historical setting, gives the brewers at Meantime new ways to innovate and define the contemporary whilst remaining acutely conscious of the great London brewing tradition in which we are steeped and which Meantime in particular champions.

The Old Brewery will be a cafe by day and a restaurant by night, maximising the magnificent surroundings of the Grade II listed building and the tranquil courtyard of this new destination.

Duncan Wilson OBE, Chief Executive, The Greenwich Foundation, the charity that manages the Old Royal Naval College, says: "Brewing has been part of Maritime Greenwich since Tudor times. Henry VIII palace had a dedicated brewhouse, a tradition continued at the Royal Naval Hospital and I am delighted it is part of Discover Greenwich. The Old Brewery provides the new destination with a unique visitor experience, not least the vast array of award winning beers created by Meantime Brewing Company - including the beer to be brewed on site."

Alastair Hook, founder of the Meantime Brewing Company, said: "It is always a special moment to see a new brewery installed. Especially in London, home in the 14th century to some 1,300 breweries compared to only seven or eight today. The previous brewery on this very same site closed in 1870, and in two weeks time we look forward to firing up the 'coppers' after 140 years."

The old brewhouse building is architecturally and historically significant. Not only is it a 19th century building still functioning in the 21st century but more importantly, the cellars contains unusual and rare 'fish bellied' beams that are of great interest in the history of cast-iron building structures in England. These cellars will once again be used to store beer.

Discover Greenwich is run by the Greenwich Foundation, the charity which manages the Old Royal Naval College.

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Further information on Copper Tanks
Over the years, as brewing developed, it was believed that copper aided the brewing process as its ions reacted with the nutrients within the brewers' yeast as it metabolised. Although most modern apparatus is made of stainless steel, the vessels are still referred to as coppers.


FURTHER INFORMATION
Pictures: Pictures of the Copper Tuns can be downloaded from:
http://www.kallaway.co.uk/discover-greenwich-picture-library-login.asp

Discover Greenwich:
Will Kallaway
020 7221 7883
William@kallaway.com

The Old Brewery:
Sarah Canet
020 7610 9821
sarah@spoon-pr.com

Discover Greenwich - press preview: A press preview of Discover Greenwich with Dan Cruickshank, including a chance to look round the Old Brewery - and sample the beer, will take place in the morning of 22 March 2010. If you would like to attend, please contact William Kallaway 020 7221 7883 or william@kallaway.com to book your place.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Discover Greenwich at the Old Royal Naval College:
Discover Greenwich at the Old Royal Naval College is the new £6 million contemporary cultural venue in the heart of Maritime Greenwich, opening to the public on 23 March 2010. Discover Greenwich will use state of the art interpretation techniques to tell the story of Maritime Greenwich and the Old Royal Naval College. Over 500 years of history from Henry VIII's Tudor Palace, Wren's Royal Hospital for Seamen and the Royal Naval College will be explored through displays of never seen before historic objects on show to the public, film footage and models in permanent and temporary exhibitions. Key figures from Anne Boleyn to Nelson are the highlights in a narrative telling the story not just of Greenwich but of Britain. A new Greenwich Tourist Information Centre, run by The London Borough of Greenwich, and the new Clore Learning Centre are also important features of the project.

Meantime Brewing Company
Founded by visionary Master Brewer Alastair Hook, Meantime has a simple mission - to demonstrate the full potential that beer has to offer. Not only has Meantime garnered a reputation for quality beer but it has also picked up a multitude of awards along the way. In 2004, Meantime became the first British brewery to win any medals at the World Beer Cup and it has repeatedly revisited that success even scoring a prestigious WBC gold medal in 2006. Meantime brews more beer styles than any other brewery in the UK, exports to 13 countries around the world and last year created a highly successful and unusually diverse Limited Edition series. The Meantime Brewing Company also owns The Greenwich Union pub. A new brewery site currently under construction in Greenwich in 2010 will triple the company's brewing capacity.

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