Time Travel to the Griffin Brewery

Imagine this - you’ve been wedged into the middle seat of a row for the past 15 hours, gazing mindlessly out of a plane’s window. You exist in the same way you did 15 hours ago, but halfway through, after flying into a paradox, you appear in the near future, 11 hours ahead of what you’re used to. The name of this place is “London”.

You blink incredulously out of the clear window as the all-consuming sunset kisses the horizon into a glittering blue night. Welcome to the future! Here, we drive on the left side of the road, eat beans on toast, and mind our carbon footprint. Pastries are held to a high standard in Europe, and you can count on the competing cafés to create an incredible croissant. People don’t use plastic bags, and the toilets are small but practical.

One of your first class excursions for “Global Cuisine and Food Culture in Britain” is to the Griffin Brewery. This historic site is a perfect union of past and future. Those around you will often ask you if “you’re alright?”, but don’t worry, it isn't because they know

you’ve had 3 hours of sleep. This is just a common greeting phrase. Get used to everything being a wee bit smaller, which may include the small talk.

Griffin Brewery’s tour guide, John, asks you if you’re alright. You reply with yeah, thanks! He takes you all to first see a building protected by the proudest plant who’s climbing vines boast a bright and healthy green. While kindly covering the whole building, these lush vines have withstood 200 years, making it the oldest wisteria plant in England. 

Below this building, the factory tour begins. The sticky little cones on the hops vines are harvested. Then, they are extracted through a long process to add bitterness or aroma to the beer. You see a collection of different compressed hops in jars that can create 1⁄2 a liquid pint, 1 pint, and so forth. Some hops are roasted to create a chocolate or espresso flavor, while others are infused with orange zest to produce a light fruity note.

The brewery is ancient, but refurbished. It has modern equipment and extensions to guarantee efficiency without compromising the charm of the building. Key old equipment still remains. When the Griffin Brewery’s boiler was used in the 1820’s, for example, it was dreadful to clean. This dark, smelly, and difficult job required flashlights, a ladder, and determination. The young apprentices who cleaned the boiler were awarded a pint of beer after a job well done. The old boiler was last used in 1984, holding up to 160 barrels. The new silver boiler room is warm, sleek, and operates on a different accord.

At the end of the tour, you are taken to an underground tasting room with tall tables. The ceiling is white, and curved like a hobbit home. John walks to the Fuller’s Hock Cellar, and proceeds to show your group the different ales you may try. It’s a beautiful area and the tasting process is quite fun. 

The most popular beers are the London Pride, the Frontier, and the ESB. Many love the rich and smooth London Pride. Your favorite is the Honey Dew, which is what you’d expected. Its gentle flavor is a match for anyone who delights in light honey. You've just turned 21, but the drinking age is 18 here so that doesn't even matter!

Towards the end of the tour, you’ve realized your alcohol limits. You resist the urge to sing or laugh, and thankfully you get away with your giddy self, as your classmates and teacher guide you home via train. The trees and sunshine whisk by through windows and you feel like a proper daisy. The future is a welcoming place.

Beer is essential to historic English pubs. Stay tuned to hear more about  pubs as the main social gathering area and information center for Europeans of the 1500's to present!