Former brewpub, no longer brewing in London
The Bull, 13 North Hill N6 4BX
gorgeousbrewery.com
First sold beer: September 2011 (as London Brewing), August 2016 (as The Bull Brewing Co)
Ceased brewing in London: Feburary 2022
Dan Fox, former manager of legendary beer pub the White Horse in Parsons Green, set up on his own in 2011 by reopening the Bull at Highgate as a brewpub with a 4 hl kit. Located in the pub kitchen, this initially produced cask beers mainly for sale in house under the name London Brewing Co. Dan opened a second brewpub, the Bohemia in North Finchley, in 2014, and in July 2016 sold the Bull, complete with brewery, concentrating London Brewing’s operations at the Bohemia.
The Bull’s new owners, Samantha and Rob Laub, were keen to continue with brewing and Reuben Moore, head brewer under the previous ownership, continued in his role. At first the brewing operation was simply known as the Bull Brewing Co, but in March 2017 it was rebranded as Gorgeous Brewery.
Capacity was increased with the objective of increasing sales outside the pub, and early in 2018 the brewery was relocated to a new purpose-built home in the garden, with an increased brew length of 8 hl, more and bigger fermenters and more space.
Early in 2022, the freehold of the pub was sold to Greene King and it was placed under new management, with the brewery forced to suspend operations. Its building has since been converted into additional drinking space.
Originally the kit was placed in storage with the intention of resuming brewing at a new site, with the brands cuckoo brewed in the meantime outside London at Church Farm Brewery, Budbrooke, near Warwick in Warwickshire. But in August 2023, Church Farm announced it had formally acquired Gorgeous and the brands would become a permanent part of its portfolio, ruling out the revival of brewing in London.
Beers in cask, keg and bottle all had names beginning with G and tended towards pale and contemporary in style, though with some more traditional lines.
Updated 1 September 2023.
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