Siren Craft Brewery Tour & Taproom

Born in 2013, Siren Craft brew drives to make the beers they want to make, and create beers that will overcome the underestimation of craft beers in the UK with the lure of it's sirens and beyond! After discovering this globally recognised brewery (ranked 37th Best Brewer in the world in 2020!!) was local I knew I needed to go on one of their brewery tours. Following the pandemic disruptions I finally got to enjoy this fab experience with friends!

Tours are run most weekends, and booking is essential. We made sure to arrive in plenty of time for our tour, and were encouraged to grab a beer from the taproom before setting off - once you check in they'll serve your beer in plastic glasses which means you can enjoy them whilst on the tour!! Our tour guide was Matt, the passionate & knowledgeable events manager at Siren, who supplied us with our neon safety vests and then we were off on our excursion.

The brewing is done in a series of units a shorth walk from the taproom within the industrial estate.  I don't want to spoil any of the tour secrets (you'll have to go yourself!), but it was fascinating to learn about how Siren came to be and it's visible growth since it's launch. Shown by the expanding units needed to brew, package and store the varied ranges of beers they now produce, alongside their standard sirens beers.

Once in the brewery we learnt about the core ingredients in the beers, I was shocked to learn it's only 4 main ingredients needed for all beers! We even got to have a sniff of some of the hops that they use, they are definitely fragrant, before heading up to the brewing platform where the step by step process of producing the beers is completed. These then move to the sizeable fermentation and storage tanks where the process continues of each beers recipe.

We were also able to see the impressive canning machine that packages the beers into their uniquely designed cans. Canning is the preferred method for nearly all beers now, as supermarkets also want this for their shelves, plus the beer benefits from being light blocking which would taint the beer and better for the environment. The artwork for each beer is designed by an amazing illustrator who takes the beers profiles and tasting notes to come up with the intriguing designs.

The final stop on the tour was the barrel room by the taproom, where the talented brewers & team cask beers in various spirit barrels to create unique infusions! Siren's first brew was actually a cask-aged beer, Maiden which created a love for barrel infusion discoveries. I couldn't believe how many casks were up there housing truly special brews for the future.

Following the excellent tour, attendees are given 5 tokens each which entitles them to a 1/3 pint of the five core beers in Siren's extensive repertoire. It's a great way to sample five of the sirens, who all grace the cans of each beer with their own story and connection to the brew inside. You'll understand how each is created following the tour and be on your path of discovery to what kinds of beers you prefer in no time after sampling these five.

After the tour it was definitely time to enjoy some of the outstanding street food on offer to accompany our beer tasting! The street food vendors change each week, but are listed on the website if you have a particular favourite. When we visited the amazing Wings 'n' Tingz were onsite with their delectable range of chicken wings (bone in and boneless), loaded fries, slaws and more! I couldn't have wished for a more perfect food selection to devour with our beers! I shared their spicy signature Tingz coated wings, BBQ wings, Tingz loaded fries and some house slaw that was needed to cool down the palette! I will definitely be seeking them out at more food festivals as it was absolutely delicious, albeit messy!!

The first up is Soundwave, an India Pale Ale, that is full of tropical hop flavour and only a subtle bitterness which makes it very drinkable. This is probably their most well-known beer and its clear why with it's slight haziness and fruity notes from the American hops used in it's creation. 5.6% ABV & vegan friendly

One of my favourites was next, Lumina. Launched in 2020 this Session IPA is extremely drinkable and refreshing due to it's light haze, soft mouthfeel and cleverly balanced bitterness. It's packed with tropical notes again; aromas of mango & pineapple and refreshing citrus hits. Plus it's gluten free and vegan friendly, so it's perfect for all beer drinkers! 4.2% ABV, vegan friendly & gluten free

Next up we sampled Yu Lu, which has been my go to selection for a while as a session Pale ale. It's brewed with Earl Grey tea and lemon zest which I really enjoy & find it beautifully refreshing with it's low ABV. The bergamot and tea add some natural bitterness that's complimented by stone-fruits for balance. 3.6% ABV, vegan friendly.

A beer tasting wouldn't be complete without a stout. Although I'm not a fan of stouts (largely as I don't like coffee!), I always give them a try just in case I find one that I do enjoy! Broken Dream is an indulgent tasting breakfast stout with smoothness driven by chocolate, speciality malts and a carefully selected espresso from London's Climpson & Sons. This beer was awarded CAMRA Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 2018. 6.5% ABV, contains lactose.

The final beer we tried was a dry hopped sour, Calypso. As the dry-hops are rotates each batch offers a slightly different & uniqueness that the brewers monitor superbly. It's definitely sharp and sour, accented with citrussy hops that remain prominent. 4% ABV & vegan friendly.

Following tasting these beers, all of us couldn't resist picking up a couple more of their delicious ranges outside of the sirens to continue our beer journeys with some advice from the wonderful taproom staff who are really passionate & knowledgeable about their beer! For me, I picked up a Pomcello, grapefruit sour after recently discovering a love of sours (it should have been expected with my love of sour sweets!) Whilst a friend picked up a great selection as pictured!

I had a fantastic afternoon at the Siren Craft Brewery Tour, learning lots of fascinating information about the process of producing these stellar beers and sampling a selection of their core sirens to kick start a true discovery of beer and my preferences. I will definitely be back at the taproom soon to enjoy more delicious street food and try more of the continually evolving beers in the taproom!

Website: Siren Craft Brew

Tours: Cost £17 per person, including the 5 beer samples. Run twice a day on most weekends and lasts 1.5hours. Booking essential. Must be over 18!