Meantime Brewing Company

Alastair Hook always was a man with a mission. Recalling his first beer – a pint of Theakston's Best Bitter when he was 13 with his dad – it was a trip to California and exposure to the craft brewing scene there that made him realise that there was glory in beer beyond simply cask-brewed brews. Years later, having studied at the UK's brew-university Heriot-Watt, spent time in Germany at the world's top brew-school Weihenstephan, founded breweries for the likes of top chef Oliver Peyton and created Freedom brewery in Fulham, Alastair struck out on his own in 2000 to found Meantime.

Meantime takes a world view of its beers, never restricting itself to any one country or one style. Determined to put London back on the world brewing map, Alastair's brewery  soon made a name for itself with its innovative approach to what is essentially a traditional process. In 2004, it was the first British brewery to win medals in the World Beer Cup, striking Gold two years later, and in 2005 it was the first to produce a Fairtrade beer.

New ground continued to be covered through the decade. Yet even by Alastair's standards, 2010 was a momentous year. Not only did Meantime open The Old Brewery microbrewery/bistro open at the historic Old Naval College in the heart of the Greenwich World Heritage Area, its space age new brewery opened its doors in late August. Costing a cool £2m, this is the largest new brewery in London since the Park Royal Brewery was opened for Guinness in the 1930s.

Eco-friendly initiatives

• Food miles are minimised, with raw materials sourced as close to Meantime's East London base as possible. East Anglia malt and Kentish hops are used wherever possible
• Recycling – spent grain & hops are sent to farms for animal feed; cardboard & plastic is compacted & recycled while glass is sorted & recycled
• Fairtrade products are used wherever possible, with Meantime Coffee Beer being the UK's first Fairtrade beer

Silverware

• Brewer of the Year – British Guild of Beer Writers 2008
• Helles & London Stout – Bronze, SIBA Craft Beer in Keg awards 2011
• Coffee Porter – Silver, International Beer Challenge 2009 & Bronze, Australia International Beer Challenge 2010

College Beer Club

Limiting itself to 500 people and costing £350 each year, it’s easy to see why its founders are calling it "the most exclusive beer club in the world". Members receive two 75cl individually numbered, limited edition beers per month, created specially at Meantime's craft-brewing outpost at The Old Brewery in Greenwich. The series of beers include ones made using historic recipes, long forgotten ingredients and old brewing techniques, while others will have spent lengthy time maturing in wood "to gain complexity".www.collegebeerclub.com

Fuller review to come following visit