The London Brewing Company, in North Finchley, has been named as the 2026 winner of the John Young Memorial Award.
It’s 20 years since John Young, chairman of Young’s Brewery for 44 years, died at the age of 85. The Ram Brewery site in Wandsworth, where Young’s was based, has a brewing history dating back to 1533, making it one of the oldest breweries in the UK.
Even today, Mr John is revered as the father of the real ale revolution, a unique man who believed in good traditional beer drunk in good traditional pubs. He steered the Young’s family brewery on a different course from the rest of the industry in the 1970s, when most breweries were turning away from cask beer.
In his honour, the London Branches of CAMRA set up the John Young Memorial Award where, each year, the branches vote for an organisation, or an individual, who has made a major impact on real ale and pubs across London.
Previous recipients of the award were invited to the public celebration when the award certificate and engraved shield was handed over to this year’s winner. John Young’s nephew, Torquil Sligo-Young, and Greater London CAMRA regional director, Ellie Eames, made the presentation at the Bohemia, home of London Brewing Company.
“The London Brewing Company deserves this award in recognition for its commitment to cask beer,” said Eames. “They opened a second pub near Aldgate (Ye Three Lords) and put in handpumps when they could have easily just sold keg.
“They also have a reputation for developing brewers. These include Jenna Dunseath, who is now technical director at Real Drinks Ltd, Rich White, who went on to set up Werewolf Brewery, in Camden, and George Boustred, who is now the head brewer at Exale, in Black Horse Lane.
“And, to put the icing on the cake, London Brewing Company’s Beer Street won CAMRA’s Winter Champion Beer of Britain earlier this year, beating thousands of beers to get this accolade. They are the only London bBrewer to have ever won it.”
Senan Sexton, managing director of the London Brewing Company, added: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to CAMRA for their support and for this incredible award. Being Irish, cask beer isn’t part of my heritage, but it’s such an important part of Britain’s pub culture.
“For me, a British pub just isn’t quite the same without a great pint of cask ale. I’m incredibly proud of my team, for their passion and hard work, in helping us achieve this award, and it is very humbling to follow in the footsteps of so many previous amazing winners.”
