Running Porter: A Beer Made For Cheese. In Collaboration With Neals Yard Dairy
Hello, and to all of our new subscribers, welcome to our second newsletter. This time around we’ve teamed up with Neals Yard Dairy to talk about their ‘EAT THEM OR LOSE THEM’ campaign.
So what is the ‘EAT THEM OR LOSE THEM’ campaign?
It is a campaign spearheaded by Neals Yard Dairy to reinvigorate interest in British Territorial cheeses. Territorial Cheeses are traditional British styles such as; Lancahsire, Cheshire and Caerphilly that are rooted in farming and place. They are products of their environment, or ‘terrior’ and reflect the unique agricultural and economic history.
They were once a staple of the British diet but had fallen out of production in the mid 20th Century. Their flavours are not flashy enough, rather they are subtle and should be enjoyed generously. Some small-scale producers, with an appreciation for the historical resonance and complexity of British Territorial Cheeses, have been working on reviving these styles in recent years.
To read more about the EAT THEM OR LOSE THEM campaign, click here
Porter, A British Classic . . .
The history or British Territorial Cheeses is not too dissimilar to that of the porter. The humble porter was once the drink of London, the hard water of the area lent itself well to the style. Naturally occurring bicarbonates balanced out the acidity of the malt which gives the porter its distinctive flavour and colour. The popularity of the style was so high that breweries were popping up all over the city and at its height in the 1800s breweries used to compete with who had the largest vat!
But this trend, like many others, petered out by World War II, ingredient shortages and tax hikes took a toll and what was once quintessential to the working class of London almost vanished completely. In fact for several decades porter was not brewed, in the UK at least.
Fuller’s began brewing their London Porter in the 1990’s, a recipe inspired by the 18th Century porters from the city. Next to try their hand at a porter were Meantime Brewery who based their porter on a recipe from 1750 and in February 2010 we brewed ‘A London Porter’, this was our 10th brew. Since then we have gone on to brew several different porters, one of which has been part of our Core Range for some time, the Export India Porter. This beer is based on recipes from Barclay Perkins (1855) and Whitbread (1856) and was inspired by the Durdens Park Beer Circle Pamphlet ‘Old British Beers and How To Brew Them’. Today, numerous breweries from across the UK and beyond brew porters taking inspiration from the porters of years gone by.
Running Porter: A Beer Made for Cheese
As a brewery we have a longstanding friendship with Neals Yard Dairy and was born from shared values: A love for foods rooted in tradition, a respect for place and process, and a curiosity about how heritage products can remain relevant, and delicious, in the modern world.
Running Porter is not just a drink, it’s a conversation starter, embodying the deep connections between two deeply British crafts: cheesemaking and brewing.
The name Running Porter draws on the 18th and 19th century beer culture. “Running” beers were brewed to be enjoyed fresh, in contrast to “keeping” beers that were aged. This freshness aligns beautifully with crumbly territorial cheeses, which are themselves often younger cheeses with a lively, lactic character.
At its core, this collaboration is about drawing attention to the parallels between two modern foods that wear their history with pride. Both porters and territorial cheese are products of place and process. They reflect landscapes, communities, and evolving craftsmanship and they can help connect our customers with a rich food heritage in a way that feels contemporary and exciting.
About the beer:
Running Porter, 5.6% abv
Malt – Maris Otter, Brown, Black, Chocolate, Crystal, Flaked Barley
Hops – East Kent Goldings, Bramling Cross
Yeast – House Ale Yeast
We wanted this to be a little lighter and fresher than the other porter recipes that we brew, to acknowledge its running nature, and to pair better with the territorial cheeses that inspired this collaboration. This beer leans into light cocoa, almost cola aromatics, with the herbal fruity hedgerow of Goldings and Bramling Cross. The body is refreshing, a touch of warmth, a touch of roast, a touch of tea-like tannins. It moves through a red-berry phase into a hazelnut / praline roundness, then a clean dry finish.
What’s Happening This Month
🍺 Running Porter - A Celebration of Heritage
To launch Running Porter in collaboration with Neals Yard Dairys ‘EAT THEM OR LOSE THEM’ campaign this Wednesday 9th July 21 venues across the UK will be pouring casks (and some kegs) of Running Porter alongside slices of British Territorial Cheeses so you can experience the beauty of this pairing.
Fancy treating yourself to a selection of British Territorial Cheese with our Running Porter at home? Neals Yard have put together a ‘Territorial Selection with Running Porter’ pack on their Online Store
🛒 Fresh Releases
Along with our Running Porter there are new batches of Pale Ale (Audacia) and Beire de Saison Raspberry will be available later in keg and bottles later on this month.
We will also be releasing a fresh batch of Galaxy hopped Summer Ale in casks later on in the month too, keep an eye out for that our Spa Road Venue and across the country.
We deliver across Mainland UK, spend £65.00 or more to qualify for Free Shipping.
Orders with 12 or more bottles will automatically recieve a 10% discount. (Curated packs have this discount built in)
We will be pouring the Running Porter alongside samples of Neal's Yard Dairy cheeses Wednesday 9th July.
Join us as we experience them side-by-side.
Our Spa Road venue has 25 draught lines, 2 cask lines and an array of wines and soft drinks.
📍 132 Spa Road, Bermondsey, SE16 3AE