It’s that time of year again: Tryanuary is here. Since 2015, this campaign has encourage people to support the beer industry throughout the month of January. Instead of subscribing to recent movements like Dryanuary, the Tryanuary initiative asks us to support local and independent businesses during the year’s most challenging month.
Offering a counterpoint to the Dryanuary movement, which has gained significant traction in recent years, Tryanuary doesn’t ask us to drink more than we’ve comfortable with. In fact, it recognises that many of us will be cutting back on excesses following an indulgent Christmas period. It suggests that we make the beer that we drink count and that we drink conscientiously. And, of course, we should aim to do this year round, so it serves as an excellent perrenial goalpost for drinkers.
Today, January 5th, marks the campaign’s spotlight on London, and in light of this, we wanted to direct eyeballs towards the official Tryanuary Twitter account, which will be manned by a group of passionate volunteers to represent specific areas of the city. This is a fantastic way to become acquainted with breweries that lie beyond the boundaries of your residential postcode.
In East London, we have covered some of our favourite and/or the newest breweries to pop up, including:
Crate Brewery
Crate Brewery: craft beer on the River Lea
The Five Points Brewing Company
The Five Points Brewing Company: the brewery tour
Hackney Brewery
Hackney Brewery: turning five but fresher than ever
One Mile End
Pillars Brewery
Pillars Brewery: championing lager in Walthamstow
Wild Card Brewery
Wild Card Brewery: a brewery holding all of the aces
We’ve also featured some of our favourite local venues that are deserving of your support, including:
Angel of Bow
The Angel of Bow is here, bringing Redemption to East London
Mason and Company
Salvation for Stratford: Mason & Company launch
While this list is not conclusive (there’s a glaring admission of Howling Hops Brewery and tank bar, for instance), it does demonstrate that brewing is alive and well in East London. If you would like to see some of what Hackney Wick has to to offer specifically, The Five Points Brewing is hosting their annual Tryanuary pub crawl – the Hackney Beer Hop – on Saturday, the 27 January, which includes some of the aforementioned spots. We’ve attended and enjoyed these in the past (here and here) and it’s well worth the £7 charity donation.
However you decide to observe Tryanuary, we hope that you discover some new and thrilling beers, breweries and venues along the way.