Beer by the River Festival Returns to Wandsworth


Taking place at the Ram Quarter this Saturday

The festival will begin at 11am with a selection of food and drink
The festival will begin at 11am with a selection of food and drink

The Beer by the River festival is making a return to Ram Quarter in the centre of Wandsworth this Saturday (4 September).

After a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic, the festival is the first major event to take place in the area in more than 18 months.

The organisers say it will be a chance for the community to get together and celebrate the area’s special brewing past, as well as spending a day out with family and friends.

lot has changed at Ram Quarter over the past year and a half, and the event will provide a chance to check out the leisure and food and drink brands that have opened recently on site. There will be a range of activities for the whole family to enjoy with live music, face painting and, of course, beer.

The festival will begin at 11am with a selection of food and drink. Sambrook’s Brewery, London’s oldest independent brewer, and Schooner bar will be serving takeaway drinks including cider, cocktails, wine and soft drinks alongside beer. There will also be menus from Machi BBQ, Crust Bros and Mai Thai.

Sambrook’s will be opening the doors for the first time to a new Heritage Centre celebrating Wandsworth’s past as the home of London brewing. The day has a packed schedule, including:
• live music from 12.30 – 6pm, with bean bags and deck chairs for people to enjoy the performances
• free ice-cream and face painting for children
• a chance to see the Young’s dray horses from 12.00 – 4pm like the ones which used to deliver beer locally from the old brewery
• free tours of the new Ram Quarter Heritage Centre – opening for the first time, it tells the site’s story as Britain’s longest continually running brewery.

Sambrook’s will be running additional ticketed events including brewery tours for beer lovers on Friday 3 and Sunday 5 September. Tickets will include beer tokens and a unique commemoration glass marking the festival. More details and prices can be found at www.sambrooksbrewery.co.uk

The festival takes place on the bank of the River Wandle on the site of the former Young’s brewery which has been redeveloped by Greenland. Ram Quarter is the site of Britain’s longest continuously-operating brewery, where beermaking dates back to at least 1533 when Henry VIII was on the throne.

Greenland’s redevelopment has aimed to restore some of the old brewery’s most distinctive features, including the beam engines and brewery coppers, and created space for restaurants and apartments in the listed brewery buildings. Reminders of Ram Quarter’s past are also celebrated in the design of the new buildings on site.

Duncan Sambrook, founder of Sambrook’s Brewery, said, “We can’t wait to get everyone back together for another fantastic festival. With live music, great beer and all the action taking place in the beautiful and historic setting of Ram Quarter, it’s set to be a really special day for the whole family to enjoy.”

Taotao Song, CEO of Greenland (UK), said, “We are excited to welcome people back to Ram Quarter for the 2021 festival, with a fun-packed day of activities. The event will also mark the launch of the new Heritage Centre on site – a really special milestone in Ram Quarter’s transformation and our work to protect and celebrate its unique brewing past.”

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September 1, 2021