London: Capital gains

London is a terrific city with a fantastic brewing history, which we at Fuller's are proud to be continuing. Fuller's is London's last remaining traditional family brewer, having made beer on the banks of London's lifeblood, the River Thames, since 1654 and we are extremely proud of our heritage.

Beer drinking and brewing have been a part of British culture for centuries and it gives me great pleasure to write that the capital's interest in, and appreciation of, quality ales appears to be growing despite the current climate.

This growth in interest does not just affect us at Fuller's but brewing as a whole. The recently published Good Beer Guide 2009 states that there are now more than 550 microbrewers in the UK, many in London, making some very interesting ales.

Greater appreciation

The reasons for this increase in beer appreciation are many, but a good place to start would be the growth of events happening in London throughout the year, at which the public can sample some of the more unfamiliar examples of the brewer's art.

Several years ago, we attended a small event billed as Taste of London in the courtyard at Somerset House. Providing samples of our bottled ales to inquisitive visitors showed that many were unaware of the vast range of flavours that could be derived from just four ingredients.

That event has now grown to be one of the most high-profile outdoor events of the summer, with more than 60,000 people descending on Regent's Park this year. Many of them visit the Fuller's stand to sample beers they may not have tried before.

Being summertime, our mouth-watering Organic Honey Dew, which has grown to become the UK's best-selling organic beer, and our zesty Discovery Blonde Beer, with its refreshing citrus hop, perform particularly well, along with our London Porter, which has become extremely popular with women - especially when paired with smooth dark chocolate.

Events such as these are very popular with people of all ages and there are more taking place every year. Just last month a new event, Beer Exposed, was launched in Islington.

The event saw hundreds of beers from dozens of brewers on display and some very special beers were available for sampling, including two vintages of our limited edition Vintage Ale, which proved to be a real talking point among visitors who were intrigued by this complex bottle-conditioned brew. Cosmopolitan tastes

Being a cosmopolitan city, London's cultural make-up allows people from every background the chance to experience our national drink.

Much has been made of the need to encourage more and different drinkers to our cause and being in London has been a key factor of Fuller's ability to do just that.

With so many other exciting events scheduled for London in the future, not least the Olympics in 2012, the opportunities to highlight what is a great British product, brewed in London, are immense.

However, plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose and there are a great number of traditional cask ale lovers in the capital who have been Fuller's drinkers for many years, and like nothing better than a good pint of London Pride or, perhaps for the more seasoned drinkers, a warming, deliciously complex ESB. So let's raise a toast to our great capital, its many delicious brews and all those who partake of them. Mine's a London Pride, cheers.

Michael Turner is chairman of Fuller, Smith & Turner​