A New Brewery in an Old Pub

The Ram Inn

My brother and I recently visited what used to be the old brewery tap for Youngs in Wandsworth, and now called The Ram Inn, 68 Wandsworth High Street, SW18 4LB (website), and now run by the Grumpy Pub Company, who also have 2 other previously Youngs pubs, ie The Pig & Whistle, 481 Merton Road, SW18 5LD, and The Old Sergeant, 104 Garratt Lane, SW18 4DJ, both of which I have visited many times over the years, being from Wandsworth originally...

As you can see in the photograph below, which shows their brewing kit inside the building,, this is also a 'brewpub' and the brewery is called Slybeast Brewing, named after a couple of dogs, it appears, the story is on their website.

So, the 3 beers of theirs I sampled, I have to review, being as that's my purpose in life these days. 😉 To the first ale, their 3.7% 'pale ale' Beam Engine, brewed with Marris Otter malt and Cascade hops from the U.S. of A., and described as 'a modern take on a classical English ale.' It's a pale golden beer, I certainly got the hops used in the taste, dries out in the finish, but a bit too sweet for me, not my favourite pale ale ever, sadly.

The second ale I tasted was the 4.5% Ram Street Special SW18, which I presumed would be their take on the Youngs Special, but no! Apparently brewed by someone who likes Belgian dubbel beers and consequently Belgian Crystal malt used and a 'more pronounced yeast profile' though English hops used, I believe. Again for me, Belgian wise I prefer their tripel beers, and not bitter enough for me, much too sweet.

The third beer was the 4.5% 4 FOOT 2 London Porter, named after the old railway that used to run nearby 200 years ago, and which ran on a track gauge of 4' 2" unsurprisingly. They describe the aroma and taste as 'Biscuit, Caramel, Chocolate and Toast'  but I got a big hit of liquorice and a hint of coffee too. Dark, as you'd expect, apparently unfined, so good for vegans, and easy to get away with for such a dark beer. I wrote 'not bad' as it wasn't bad at all, I could drink this regularly, but maybe not too many pints in one go 😉

Next door, therefore also on the old Ram Brewery site, is the Sambrooks Brewery, which I wrote a blog about a while ago before the pandemic disrupted things, and their Taproom, somewhere I shall have to visit on another day, cheers! 

The Ram Inn returns to Wandsworth, AND Microbrewery

I wrote a year ago about the return of brewing to the historic brewery site in Wandsworth (blog), but I have only just found out that The Ram Inn (website) has reopened, indeed, opened in October, apologies for missing that. The photograph of the pub, above, I have borrowed from their facebook page (a wee bit edited by me, but many thanks!).

The Ram Inn is at 68 Wandsworth High Street, right at the central crossroads in Wandsworth, London SW18 4LB (tel: 020 8871 9752), and is still a Youngs pub. I remember it as the Brewery Tap (which it was called from 1974 until it closed down), and when I last drank in there when visiting my mother many years ago (I drank Youngs Double Chocolate Stout as a cask-conditioned ale that day, and had a long chat about it, and the first time they brewed it, with one of the brewers, it was gorgeous!). They also serve food, and they're brewing in the pub too...

The photograph above is taken from the Slybeast Brewing website, again, many thanks, and is of the pub interior, including the brewing equipment. They appear to brew a number of crafty keg beers, but cask-conditioned ales too; I do look forward to visiting in the next few months, cheers!