Reliance Pale Ale
Brixton Brewery
4.2%
Brixton, London, UK

In the last post I reviewed a beer from the oldest brewery in the UK (Shepherd Neame) so it seemed right to talk about one of the newest breweries around, if not the newest? I’ve only been aware of Brixton Brewery for a couple of weeks and officially the brewery and its beers were official as of October 16th. Surely making it the newest brewery on the block? It is always fantastic to see new breweries because variety is always a good thing, in my opinion at least.

The Reliance Pale Ale is Brixton’s Brewery pale ale and sits alongside two other beers (Electric IPA and Effra). At 4.2% is quite a light taste but is really refreshing which results in wanting more and more. You can imagine drinking three or four of these beauties very comfortable. I’ve expressed my love for pale ale before so this is a particular taste I can’t get enough of and the Reliance Pale Ale is no different. Like other pale ales before it (think Kernel or Brooklyn) it does have a hoppy bite and is amber in colour.

Here is the excerpt from the brewery: “Light and interesting, our Pale Ale raises a glass to the 1920’s market arcade where local artisans still practise their craft. Reliance proves again that if you want the real deal, you have to make it by hand.” As cliche as it sounds you can genuinely taste the care and passion that has gone into this beer. It is a wonderful, delicious and tasty drop of ale that I could drink gallons of. If there was a beer equivalent of Pitchfork’s BNM (Best New Music), then Brixton Brewery’s Reliance Pale Ale would definitely receive a BNB (Best New Beer). Brixton Brewery have certainly landed, with their gorgeous ales and impressive branding the brewery could be a big force in the industry.

Look out for their beers in several pubs across south London. An insider tip from me, all three varieties can be purchased from Sourced Market at St Pancras station, alongside many other fantastic London craft beers.

Taste: 5
Design: 4
Bottle Top: 1 (a plain yellow top)