The inaugural show for Beers Exposed was hosted at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London in the autumn of 2008, with Wanis exhibiting the classic Caribbean dark beer - Dragon Stout.

Beer Exposed is the first independent event of its kind to be held in London, bringing together beers and brewers from all over the world to create a unique experience designed to expose the incredible diversity of tastes and flavours that beer can offer. The relaxed and informal environment along with the top names in the industry allowed over 5000 enthusiasts to sample & learn about some of the best beers in the world.

With a more discerning beer drinker in attendance the Dragon Stout stand attracted lots of attention with visitors firstly intrigued by the origins of the name "Dragon Stout" and then the unique smooth, clean complex flavours. We were able to offer a real point of difference to other more traditional stouts that were exhibited to the extent that we had repeat visits not only from the general public but also from other Exhibitors! The heritage and uniqueness of Dragon Stout created interest and curiosity with nothing but a positive response from professional to everyday enthusiast alike!

One of the surprising responses for the organisers was the reaction of the female drinkers to Dragon Stout (no surprise to the seasoned Dragon drinker!) Women were genuinely and pleasantly surprised by the sweeter, smoother, refreshing taste of Dragon, many saying that although they didn't drink beer usually, they would take Dragon Stout since it was sweet and not bitter like many beers

Here are some of their comments:

"Wow, that so nice! It's much more drinkable that all those heavy stouts! Where can I get it?!"

"Mmm...I can taste the coffee and chocolate! But it's not bitter at all is it?!"

"Its certainly packs a punch at 7.5%!"

The respected beer writer Rupert Ponsonby selected Dragon Stout for his Beer Talk, as one of his food pairing beers for introduction to the Beers Exposed audience and discussed at length the flavours and character of Dragon Stout with his audience. His recommendation was to pair Dragon Stout with either chocolate or BBQ chicken for a great enhancement to the food!

Dragon Stout left its mark on the show and happily came away with the accolade as one of the most loved beers at the Expo. Its Caribbean traditions intrigued and delighted and many found that "da Dragawn" was altogether too easy going down and that one just wasn't enough!

Overall we left the show happy in the knowledge that we had introduced some and reunited others with the great taste of Dragon Stout!