Mondo Brewing Company is one of London's most exciting craft breweries. Saved from insolvency earlier this year by Rupert Thompson, owner of the legendary Hogs Back Brewery, the Battersea-based outfit is shining brightly once again.
Two American homebrewers, Thomas Palmer and Todd Matteson, founded Mondo Brewing in 2014 and officially started brewing and selling Mondo beers a year later. They met working at another brewery in London in 2013, quickly forming a friendship based on a mutual respect and passion for great beer. They had both dreamed of starting their own brewery, so began talking about joining forces and soon after created Mondo Brewing Company.
The name Mondo means 'world' in Italian, a cool-sounding name Tom and Todd chose to represent their global experiences and influences plus the styles of beer they brew.
International Women's Day on March 8th is an annual celebration of women's achievements, as well as raising awareness of gender inequality. Each year, Mondo's International Women's Day beer is designed by women who work at the brewery. This year, the new beer is 'Drama Queen', a 4.7% ABV New England Pale Ale.
Amina Gruter, Mondo Taproom Supervisor, came up with the idea for Drama Queen and she explains more about the project. "I created the concept for Drama Queen to honour Erica Tomlinson, my drama teacher from school. She's the perfect inspiration - someone who juggles a variety of interests and always takes on more than she can handle, yet powers through. Erica has a unique way of pushing you to your limits, but her unwavering dedication makes you want to rise to the challenge. When I first shared my idea, her reaction was priceless and it made the whole experience even more special."
Erica Tomlinson, interviewed by Mondo, adds her own thoughts. "As a teacher, sometimes you sit back and think 'Oh my gosh - anything that I say could make a massive difference to somebody's life'. It's likely to be something that I didn't know I'd said. I'm not trying to be inspirational, but something that you say can really resonate with someone."
For Megan Swinn, Mondo Head of Sales, this is a project that supports women of all backgrounds. "When Amina brought this project to us, I saw it as a chance to uplift all women, especially those most marginalised, challenging anyone who minimises women's struggles."
Half the profits of the new beer will go to Women & Theatre, an award-winning charity dedicated to addressing contemporary issues through performance since 1983. "Erica, like all drama teachers", says Gina Isitt, Mondo Area Sales Manager, "uses performance to explore various topics. The Women & Theatre charity, to which we're donating 50% of the profits, continues this by celebrating women who inspire others to take their passion beyond the classroom."
Mondo co-founder, Todd Matteson, talking about Drama Queen during the launch party at Battersea Arts Centre
Drama Queen is a 4.7% ABV New England Pale Ale, dry-hopped with the eighth annual hop blend from The Pink Boots Society, an organisation that funds women's education in beer. Each year, a hop blend is created for the global beer industry by Yakima Chief Hops, partnering with women-owned farms. They then donate $1 from each pound sold to the Pink Boots Society.
This beer is unfiltered, unpasteurised and vegan. Cans feature specially designed artwork by Kim Sedman, aka Wheely Good Doodles, an independent artist from Hull.
While Mondo's delicious, flagship West Coast IPA, Dennis Hopper, has a characteristically refreshing bitter tang underpinning the tropical and citrus-packed flavours, this New England style beer has a lower bitterness which contributes to a softer mouthfeel.
🌿 Hops: Nelson Sauvin, Simcoe and Mosaic.
🌿 Dry Hops: Pink Boots Blend, consisting of Krush™, Simcoe, Mosaic and Chinook.
🌾 Malts: Dextrin, oats, pale ale, Vienna, wheat.
🔍 Appearance: Opaque amber.
👃 Nose: Tropical fruit with a hint of citrus.
😋 Palate: Smooth, fresh and juicy with initial hoppy notes of tropical fruit, orange and apricot, before raspberry and a hint of orange peel come through mid-palate plus a light touch of bitterness on the finish.
🍽️ Food pairings: Easy drinking and sessionable on its own, this would be a good match for hard cheeses and fruity, tender meat-based dishes like lamb tagine.
You can buy Drama Queen from the Mondo Webstore for £4.85 per can, or you can find the beer at selected venues on draught. These include Real Drinks in Maida Vale, The Battersea Arts Centre where the launch party was held on 8th March, The King & Co. in Clapham, The Tap Tavern in Richmond, Clapton Craft in Clapham and many more locations across London.
A range of Mondo beers on draught at Battersea Arts Centre
As part of the promotion, Mondo will also be championing women working at selected stockist venues where the beer is available. A social media campaign will highlight and celebrate these women, their contributions and impact in the industry. You can follow along on Instagram at @mondobrewing to support and engage with the campaign.
