Start 14-Day Trial Subscription
*No credit card required
Long Man Brewery Tour
Long Man started out with three fermenters, but the demand locally has forced him to increase that total to eight, with two more on the way. Similarly, the brewery started out with one employee: “old muggins here,” Jamie jokingly called himself. But with the popularity of his brews, that total quickly grew to the 14 people he employs now.
American Pale Ale and Long Blonde are two of Long Man's most popular flagship brands.
All of the employees, including Jamie himself, are from around the Litlington area. The brewery was also planted squarely in the middle of miles of farmland, so it has the feel of a family business. Everyone was very pleasant during my visit, joking with me and with each other. It was obvious that although it was still a job, everyone who worked at Long Man enjoyed waking up every day and brewing tasty beer.
Speaking of the beer, Jamie led me to a storehouse where suppliers, publicans and other prospective buyers can sample some of Long Man’s liquid assets. As is the case for many smaller breweries in England, “90 percent of sales comes from draft consumption, and roughly 50 percent of that is from Long Man Best Bitter,” Jamie said.
Just like (seemingly) all American microbreweries are expected to have an American IPA as a flagship beer, most British start-up breweries are expected to offer a Best Bitter in their stable of year-round offerings.
Following this trend, I begin my own sampling with the Best Bitter. Jamie does a hard pour from a great height, but there is still very little head as cask beers just aren’t as carbonated as their kegged brethren. This British beer trope is unusual to me, but Jamie says cask ale drinkers expect it.
“I’ve heard stories of people sending beers back if it’s got too much head. Kegged beers cream from the bottom, whereas casked beers cream from the top. It’s all just a matter of taste.”
And what a taste! Long Man Best Bitter is a delightful brew: A perfect amber-orange in color with a wonderful, biscuity aroma, the flavor is a lip-smacking blend of raisins and plums. A gorgeously smooth sweetness comes through in the finish.
Jamie cradles his favorite hop varietal, East Kent Goldings, which are abundant in the recipes for many Long Man beers.
Jamie is proud of his beers, and most of them feature his favorite hop varietal – the East Kent Golding. I can understand his admiration, as all Long Man beers somehow taste like England to me, which must have something to do with that thoroughly British varietal.