Fuller, Smith & Turner - Griffin Brewery
London Porter
Fuller's is one of those beer makers with a long and, at times, a rather convoluted history. The one thing that has been reasonably constant throughout this history is the fact that since a Fuller arrived at the brewery it has been in the Fuller family ever since, dating back to the mid-1800s. Even before Fuller's became Fuller's in the 1800s, the history of the brewery can be traced even further back to the late 1600s.
Graphic courtesy of Fuller's.
Back then many families - both rich and not so rich - often brewed their own beer. One of the more affluent of these private brewhouses was on an estate called Bedford House, located on Chiswick Mall - on the north bank of the River Thames in what is now West London - while one of the not so rich brewhouses was run by a man named Thomas Urlin. When Urlin died his son-in-law, a certain Thomas Mawson, took charge of the cottage brewery. Now Mawson had plans, which included buying the first associated public house as well as buying the brewhouse at Bedford House.
In the 1700s, the brewery was now under the ownership of two men - David Roberts and John Thompson - in a partnership that was fraught with such discontent that by 1786, Roberts left, leaving the company to Thompson, who, in the early 1800s, left it to his two sons Douglas and Henry.
It was under the leadership of the two Thompson brothers that the brewery adopted the griffin - both the name and the symbol - taking it, in 1816, from the now defunct London-based Meux and Reid Brewery. The griffin is still the symbol of the Fuller's company to this day, with the brewery called the Griffin Brewery.
The revival of an almost forgotten beer - a London Porter. Lord Askwith, in his 1928 book "British Taverns - Their History and Laws" notes that in the olden days, most British county households, both large and small, brewed their own beer. However, he also notes that: "As to London, among the obstacles to private brewing is the universal predilection, both of the natives, and foreigners who visit this county, for London Porter, which no private family, so far as I have heard, has succeeded in brewing to perfection."
While the Thompson brothers may have been astute at names and logos, they were not always the best businessmen, which soon left the brewery in dire straits. In 1829, enter Mr John Fuller. At the suggestion of Philip Wood, a nominal partner in the brewery, the Thompsons sought out financial help from Fuller, which he provided to the point of buying the share of one of the brothers, and soon after becoming the majority owner. In 1839, John Fuller died and bequeathed his share of the Griffin Brewery to his son, John Bird Fuller. In 1845, the new Fuller bought out the remaining Thompson brother, thus becoming to sole owner. He then took the opportunity to bring additional talent into the management team. This included a proven brewer by the name of John Smith, who brought with him is own son Henry, and Henry's brother-in-law John Turner, himself a brew master - thus the name Fuller, Smith and Turner.
So Fuller, Smith and Turner is the name of the company - more familiarly called simply Fuller's - while the brewery is known as the Griffin Brewery.
Today, Fuller's Griffin Brewery puts out a diverse range of beers, from their standard bottled fare, to cask conditioned and bottle conditioned beers, to wooden barrel aged beers. Specialty and seasonal beers abound. I am not certain exactly how many of these are imported to North America, but I will strive to find out. And it's all still part of the same family - nice.
London Pride - halfway between their Chiswick Bitter and their ESB.
London Porter: As a beer style porter, once a dominant variety, had all but vanished in the UK and Ireland. Beginning to fade away in the early 1900s, by the mid 1970s no porters could be found. Funny thing - porters, while virtually extinct in the British Isles, still had a following in countries as far away as Sri Lanka. Then, at the close of the 1970s, a few small breweries, with a nod to the traditions of the industry, began to produce porters again. Since then the number of porters produced as grown to include a number of examples and interpretations.
History shows that porters were first produced in the early 1700s, in London. So, what could be more appropriate than one of London's foremost breweries introducing its own porter? In 1996, Fuller's introduced its London Porter, and the awards rolled in. It is a tasty full-bodied pint, that can be found all over North America - thank goodness for that.
London Pride: Fuller's describes its London Pride as its flagship beer - they call it "London's Beer." Introduced in the 1950s, it is often described as a bitter as it fits between the company's Chiswick Bitter and their ESB, while some call it simply a Pale Ale. It is soft and malty with an appropriate level of bitterness - mildly hoppy, but not overpoweringly so. As the label states, it is an Outstanding Premium Ale, which is certainly true when one considers that London Pride has won its share of awards. Fuller's London Pride is a fine beer to keep an eye out for on your next pub crawl.