Truman's
Once one of the largest breweries in the world, now providing space for your ideas
#EveryoneHasAStory
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From then to now, we've come full circle here at the Old Truman Brewery. In 2017 we are known for being East London's thriving creative hub, however back in 1666, the site housed the largest powerhouse in brewing in East London. By 1853 Truman's were the largest in the world to do so, with nearly 200,000 barrels of beer produced each year. Over 200 years the brewery business then grew exponentially, before eventually closing in 1989. The upcoming Craft Beer Rising is not only an appropriate fit considering the history of our venue! But rather a celebration of how far we've come and to see what the future holds. #EveryoneHasAStory
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Craft Beer Rising
23rd - 25th February
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Photo: Elastic Productions
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It is a truth universally acknowledged that good food, good music and of course a good pint will bring people far and wide together in the socialising spirit. Make that food and drink outstanding and award winning produce, and then you're talking Craft Beer Rising. Over 150 beers and ciders are exhibiting and they're all unique, from quirky local brands to the big names and beyond. Although the focus is of course on the beer, the delights on show have been extended to represent the rise in popularity of craft cider, which is starting to gain more recognition as people appreciate how delicious it can be with the right artisan expertise, quality ingredients and without all the added flavours and sugars. Now in its fifth year at Truman's, the festival just keeps getting bigger and better - and could there be a more perfect place to hold a beer event than at a brewery-turned-arts venue? We asked Simon from Craft Beer Rising what to expect from this year's festival.
Now in its fifth year at the Old Truman Brewery, what new, different and exciting things can past audiences look to experience at the show?
Well, being as we’re known as a key show for breweries to either launch themselves or preview beers, there’s always something new on offer!
If you had to pick a workshop or session to attend out of the line-up which one are you personally really looking forward to (and why)?
Melissa Cole’s Off Taste Masterclass. Want to taste the difference between good and bad beer? Let Melissa explain…
How do you pick the music for the festival, what sort of tunes are you looking for?
The music is integral to CBR. We look for a good party mix that traverses the lines of funk, soul, hiphop, reggae, disco and house music. It’s an educated crowd who like their music as much as they like their beer. Mr Scruff, Jazzie B, Norman Jay, and Rob Da Bank have all graced the stage with DJ Yoda our headliner for this year. I’m sure you get the drift.
What do you think makes a beer / cider unique?
Taste and emotional response. Forget packaging, forget trends, forget marketing. Remember that time you first tried sherbert, or drank whisky? That memory, that’s what your looking for. The feeling that uniqueness gives you. With over 700 drinks on offer, we’re sure you can find you own special ‘uniqueness’.
Am I right in thinking both small companies and large brands are exhibiting? What makes getting all these brewers together in one place special?
We have always had an open door policy to breweries of all shapes and sizes. We don’t discriminate between keg and cask or another other forms of serve. What makes it special is exactly that. We always try to respond to our visitors needs by providing a vast spectrum and quite frankly with so many breweries on offer, the feeling for the scene and industry is one of commaradery rather than division.
Once you've sampled to your hearts content and have a pint (or two) in hand then head on over to the street food area, which is carbs and comfort cooking galore. More than just your regular beer food, expect trans-continental creations from the likes of French-American Le Bun and Anglo-Austrian hot dog company Fleisch Mob. One that stood out for us was Salty Loins - yes, we laughed too - but their dipped pork marinated in brine for 24 hours is no laughing matter. And if you're a veggie, don't worry, there are also plently of options available to choose from, such as The Mac Shac.
Remember to check in on our website for a useful source on planning your trip to make sure you visit your top stands.
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Timothy Everest
Sample Sale
22nd - 27th February
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Figure Painting by
Joe Simpson
24th February - 5th March
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Timothy Everest is a British menswear brand known for dressing the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dermot O’Leary and Aidan Turner. Holding their sample sale in Shop 8, Dray Walk, look for their iconic tailoring, knitwear, outerwear and accessories.
To make sure you don't miss out;
Thursday 23rd Feb & Friday 24th Feb, 8am -9pm
Saturday 25th Feb, 10am – 6pm
Sunday 26th Feb, 11am – 5pm
Photo: Joe McGorty
Timothy Everest
Handmade in Shoredtich
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Fancy a real nostalgia trip? Figure Painting is a series of 34 oil paintings of the toys that artist Joe Simpson found tucked away in his mum's attic, a true throwback to the action heroes of our childhoods. Watch out for your favourite Lego, Star Wars, Batman and even Ghostbusters figures.
He joins us here at Truman on the 24th of February until the 5th of March, 11am-7pm.
Joe Simpson
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The Tattoo Collective
17th - 19th February
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The Tattoo Collective is joining us this year at Truman's, originally showcasing its first ever convention, The London Tattoo Convention back here in 2005. Alongside some expertly curated exhibitions, it will also be showcasing the very best of working British and Irish tattoo talent, with over 150 artists exhibiting. We spoke to Miki Vialetto, one of the founders of the Tattoo Collective, about what to expect from this years event.
What's your connection with the event other than its organisers – are you tattoo fans or tattoo artists yourselves? Tell us your story and about how you got involved in the tattoo community.
For 24 years I have been a publisher of 2 international tattoo magazines, ‘Tattoo Life’ and ‘Tattoo Energy’. In 2004 I started to publish art books about tattooing; some of them are now parts of the permanent library of the MOMA Museum in NYC and in many other art museums. 12 years ago, together with co-partner Marcus Berriman, I organized the first London Tattoo Convention and in 2014 I created an art exhibition at Somerset House to celebrate the 10th anniversary of London. This year we decided to introduce The Tattoo Collective because I believe the quality of English and Irish tattooers is so high that they deserved to be shown in one of the biggest centres of the world, London. So, I am not an artist myself but I believe I am one of the biggest tattoo promoters in the world.
Is the art selling at the collective by tattoo artists – if not, what is its connection to the overall event?
At The Tattoo Collective there will be many different art exhibitions; people will have the chance to buy originals from a variety of artists. First we asked all the tattooers that are participating at the show to create an art piece to sell, then we have personal exhibitions like Jo Harrison’s ‘The Dawn of Tomorrow’ or ‘The Art of Claudia Ducalia’, and they will be selling their originals too. So The Tattoo Collective is not only a tattoo convention but also one of the biggest tattoo art galleries ever organized.
How many years has the event been going on for? What was the catalyst behind starting it?
This is the first year of The Tattoo Collective and as I said before the reason we decided to do it is because after 12 years of running The London Tattoo Convention we believe the art level of the UK and Irish artists is so high that they deserve an additional tattoo convention for themselves.
What does it mean to be part of the tattooing community?
Until the end of the 1990s it meant being part of a big circus family; now it means working in a very interesting art field.
Comment on the resurgence of the tattoo community in East London.
Brick Lane has grown a lot in the last 15 years, it started to become one of the main areas of art crossover and of course this grew to encompass tattooing, too. Recently different shops have opened up in Brick Lane – for example ‘Seven Doors’ owned by Jondix and Deno where some of the most talented artists in the world are working, or Angelic Hell that has very good artists or Lowrider Tattoo London opened by the Chicano master Jose Lopez, where the artists are specialized in Chicano style tattoo...
Do you have any tattoos – what's the story behind them?
90% of my body is tattooed! The stories behind them are way too many. But I follow the old ethic that tattoo artists have taught me - the only part where I have no tattoos are hands, neck and face. The rest of my body is totally full. Probably I will do my hands or my neck one day, but still this day has to come.
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Pomodoro E Basilico
Foodie Sara creates homemade Italian comfort food with a creative vegan twist
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Meet Sara, founder of Pomodoro E Basilico and treat yourself to some delicious vegan cuisine at the upcoming markets in our Boiler House, Brick Lane.
On her background;
I am Italian indeed and even though I'm considered a chef by others, I modestly call myself "cook" because everything I make comes from years of personal experiments in the kitchen, based on watching my grandma and my mum making simple but comfort and authentic Italian food. I've been vegan for 10 years now and I absolutely love other cuisines (especially Japanese!) and my food is the fusion resulting from everything I learnt by travelling and experimenting.
On the Unicorn Burger;
A homemade beetroot brioche bun topped with toasted coconut, peach & basil jam, fresh avocado slices, crunchy organic banana chips, peanut butter & cacao sauce and to finish, a homemade "unicorn" patty. The story behind The Unicorn burger is very important to me: the name is linked to my lovely friend Izzi who helps me run the stall and whose nickname across social media is "Princess of the Unicorns". A few weeks ago we wanted to create something new to push the business and she suggested me to create a sweet burger and that's what it actually is,"think burger, taste dessert". The combination of flavours then came to my brain during a sleepless night coach trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, so pretty magical, dreamy and unreal!
On being gluten free;
I am not gluten free, but a lot of our customers are and I always want to make sure everyone can taste our food, both sweet and savoury! We always make sure though that people we serve are not Celiacs because the risk of cross contamination is possible at the stall.
On their vegan Twix Bars;
I'd say that our Twix Bars taste better than the real thing, mainly because they are homemade and don't contain any sort of artificial nasty ingredients! People love them.
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