Lion Brewery Co is a British heritagebrewery that was founded in 1836 in Lambeth, London. For over a hundred years, the brewery shipped its heavily-hopped ales to trading posts and ports across the seas. It was one of the main exporters of beer to various parts of the British Empire, until the brewery was damaged by fire and closed in 1931. The building remained derelict until it was eventually demolished in 1949 to make way for the Royal Festival Hall. In 2018, Lion Brewery Co was brought back to life in Singapore. The brewery focuses on crafting small-batch, signature craft beer "using premium ingredients and designed specifically for the South-East Asian climate". The brewery is independently owned and distributed.
History
The original Lion Brewery was built on the southbank of the River Thames on Belvedere Road, next to Hungerford Bridge. The land was leased by James Goding, and brewery was built by the architect Francis Edwards on land that was then owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. The water used for brewing was sourced from the five wells inside the building, as opposed to river water from the Thames. During the 19th century and under the Goding family, Lion Brewery supplied beer that was shipped by sea from Britain to trading outposts throughout the empire. In order to survive the gruelling six-month journey, brewers such as Lion Brewery had to increase the strength and quantity of hops in the beer to help preserve it for the long voyage. Ales were thus shipped out from London in vast quantities by companies such as the East India Company, and later became known India Pale Ale. In 1924, the company was taken over by the brewers Hoare and Co, of Wapping, was badly damaged by fire in 1931. The brewery building remained derelict until it was eventually demolished in 1949 to allow for the building of the Royal Festival Hall., which stood on the brewery parapet
Lion statues
There were originally three Coade Stone lion statues created for Lion Brewery by W.F. Woodington, a notable sculptor of the era. The most famous of these lions was the one that sat atop the brewery parapet. Just before the building was demolished, King George VI ordered that it be preserved, along with its surviving sibling lion which stood over one of the brewery gates. Both remain in London until this day. The one from the roof of the brewery is now known as the South Bank Lion, and can be found opposite the Houses of Parliament at the south end of Westminster Bridge. The other coade stone lion is now located at the west-gate entrance of Twickenham Stadium, the home of rugby. It was painted with gold leaf prior to the 1991 Rugby World Cup held in England.
Lion Brewery 2.0
In 2017, Lion Brewery was re-licensed in both the UK and Singapore by two Englishmen under the same original trademark. By December 2018, Lion Brewery began officially trading once more, brewing beers in South-east Asia with a particular focus in Singapore, the "Lion City". According to their website, they strive to produce "exceptional beer for everyone, using the time-honoured traditions of the brewery's long history." As under the Goding family in the 1800s, the brewery continues to be independently owned.
Beer variants
As of 2019, Lion Brewery currently have two beer variants, Straits Pale Ale & Island Lager. The beers can be found in Singapore and in Cambodia.
Straits Pale Ale
Lion Brewery's first brew released since the brewery's resurrection, Straits Pale Ale was brought to market in December 2018 and has been described as "a crisp, sessionable beer brewed for the hot equatorial climate", and "well-balanced with a crisp, clean finish." Straits Pale uses dry-hopped Citra hops, which provides notes of lychee and citrus fruits, and the beer is unpasteurised.
Island Lager
Their Island Lager, released in May 2019, has been described by the brewers as a "thirst-quenching beer crafted for the tropics". It is a coarse-filtered golden lager, dry-hopped with Simcoe hops, which are known to give off a citrus and pine aroma. The Island lager is also unpasteurised, which allows for more flavour preservation after the brewing process has been completed.
