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Des de Moor
Best beer and travel writing award 2015, 2011 -- British Guild of Beer Writers Awards
Accredited Beer Sommelier
Writer of "Probably the best book about beer in London" - Londonist
"A necessity if you're a beer geek travelling to London town" - Beer Advocate
"A joy to read" - Roger Protz
"Very authoritative" - Tim Webb.
"One of the top beer writers in the UK" - Mark Dredge.
"A beer guru" - Popbitch.
Des de Moor

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Bullfinch Brewery

Includes information for Bull and Finch and So What Co.

Bullfinch Brewery, London SE24

Brewery
Original site: 118 Druid Street SE1 2HH (Southwark)
Current site: 886 Rosendale Road SE24 9EH (Lambeth)
thebullfinchbrewery.co.uk
First sold beer: 1 February 2014

Brewpub
Bull and Finch, 126 SE19 1PL (Southwark)
First sold beer: April 2022

Bullfinch mural at the like-named brewery.

Ryan McLean, originally from Ballymena, discovered international while travelling extensively for work as a live sound engineer. He began commercially as a cuckoo at Anspach & Hobday in Bermondsey in February 2014, but this arrangement was soon outgrown thanks to the quality of the beers.

Cuckoo ceased in April 2015, and in December, following a lengthy search for premises, Ryan and his wife and business partner Carly resumed business in two smallish railway arches just a few steps from Brockwell Park and a short walk from Canopy. One of the arches just about packs in an 8 hl brewhouse that began its life as a pilot kit at Charles Wells in Bedford, alongside numerous fermenters, some of them added after a 2016 crowdfunding round. The other houses a taproom.

Since May 2019 there’s been a second outlet, the Bull and Finch opposite station, previously one of Late Knights’ Beer Rebellion bars (see Southey). A 1.5 hl nanobrewery was installed here early in 2022 under the supervision of lead brewer and bar manager Jon Griffiths, with trial starting in February 2022 and beers expected on sale in April.

From 2021, longer runs of Bullfinch beers have been cuckoo-brewed outside London, though some continues at the Herne Hill site.

Jon Griffiths in the Bull and Finch nanobrewery.

Bullfinch core beers, usually named with astronomical references, are in keg, and minicask, though bottling may be restored. Beers from the nanobrewery will be either in traditional styles branded Bull and Finch, including revivals of old Bullfinch recipes in and keg, or small batch wild and mixed fermentation specialities under Jon’s own So What brand. Each batch of these will be divided between several small fermenters and treated with different yeasts and mixed cultures.

Updated 25 March 2022.

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