Fuller’s Brewery Tour

Brewing beer since 1845, Fuller’s is the last remaining heritage family brewery in London.  Fuller’s was founded by John Bird Fuller, Henry Smith, and John Turner, originally set up in the gardens of Bedford House on Chiswick Mall .  The company’s brews can now be found in over 50 countries around the world.

Fuller’s beer is made from four ingredients:  Malted barley, hops, yeast, and water of which makes up 90% of the product.  These ingredients fill the brewery with potent smells that brought me back to the years when I took horseback riding lessons.  The whole factory smelled strongly of the grainy horse feed piled in the burlap sacks of the stalls from my childhood, mixed with slight hints of yeasty and chocolaty aromas.

By the end of the tour, I was ready for a beer, which is exactly what ensued:  The tasting of 8 or so Fuller’s brews.

The brewing process

A collection of Fuller's beers

14 foot high hot liquor tanks, each holding 430 barrels (124,000 pints) of brewing liquor at 70-75 degrees Celsius

Hops, collected during only one time of the year in August, are compressed into the form of pellets in order to ensure consistency of beer production throughout the year.

Hops being added to the beer

The first jar in the second photo depicts how much malt goes into each pint of beer.

A few of the numerous tanks within the brewery.

Where the kegging action takes place.

A sampling of the beers concludes the tour.