Free beer if you find a brewing site for Truman's in East London

The owners of Truman's -- the revived East London beer brand -- is asking the capital's Cockney drinkers to help them find a site for a new brewery. James Morgan, who founded the company with Michael-George Hemus in 2010, says: "We've been looking very hard for a site over the past year and, despite a few near misses, we're still looking.

"But East London is a big place and not every potential site is currently on the market. So we thought it would be wise to 'crowd source' our search and tap in to the local knowledge of East Londoners."

A year's supply of beer -- 500 bottles of Truman's Runner ale -- is on offer to the person that finds the eventual site. A 12-bottle case of Runner will be given to anyone that sends in details of a site of real interest. All those that enter will be invited to the opening party at the new brewery.

Michael-George added: "We do have a bid with the Olympic Legacy Committee to take over a part of the Olympic site after the games. A number of potential developers have expressed an interest but we are talking 2013 before we even get a spade in the ground. And we are determined to be brewing Truman's back in London by the end of 2012."

James and Michael-George re-established Truman's Beer in 2010. Their goal is to make Truman's a great name in brewing once again by going back to basics, making great beer and being part of the local community. Truman's Runner (4%) is their flagship beer, a copper-coloured, well-rounded bitter. It's takes its name from the term "running bitter", used for session beers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The beer is currently brewed by the Nethergate Brewery in Essex, where Truman's once had major sales and pubs.

Potential sites must meet the following criteria:

*In East London: boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

*Commecial premises.

*Between 6,000-8,000 square feet: the equivalent of two to four tennis courts in size.

*Good access.

*Part of the site must be convertible to "double height" (five metres and above).

Entries can be made by sending an email to brewery@trumansbeer.co.uk. Include the address of the site, with post code, current status (leased, vacant, derelict, etc) and the contact number of the site owner, if known. Entries must be received by 1 March 2012. Further details can be found on the Truman's blog: www.trumansbeer.co.uk.

*The original Truman's Brewery in Brick Lane, Whitechapel, was established in 1666 and closed in 1989. It was a leading British brewery and was a major producer of mild ale, porter and stout. In the late 1800s it was reputedly the biggest brewer in the world though it lost that status to Bass in the 19th century when pale ale brewing developed. In the 1960s and 70s, it fell victim to the merger mania of the time and became part of Grand Metropolitan's Watney, Mann & Truman brewing group. After a long period of decline, the brewery closed and its pubs were sold.