Last weekend a couple hundred folks gathered under the railway arch in South London that The Kernel calls home. We were there to celebrate Zwanze Day, the launch party of an ever-changing, annual release from Cantillon. This year’s Zwanze was a Raspberry Lambic with blueberries and a hint of vanilla, the latter used to soften the acidity—a technique that Cantillon’s Lambic blenders regularly employed in the 1970s and ’80s.
But what stood out for me wasn’t the Zwanze, or even the tremendous Fou’ Foune on tap. What really got me were the accomplished mixed-fermentation selections from the likes of Burning Sky, Chorlton, and The Kernel. They’re all projects started a couple of years ago that are just about coming to fruition, with a level of quality that’s indicative of a maturing British craft beer industry. I’m looking forward to the future.
—Matthew Curtis