profile | COASTAL BREWERIES VERSION REPRO OP
Oh, we do like to brew beside the seaside Adrian Tierney-Jones takes in the sea air at breweries on the coast Welcome to the seaside. Deckchairs
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of brewing by the sea entails. On the positive side, the seaside is a magnet for those wandering souls down for the day who go in search of local beer, and then there are those who live there all year round pleased and proud of being within earshot of the changing moods of the sea and the scent of brew day. On the negative side, you might be subject to more seasonal dips in trade than breweries based elsewhere. Nevertheless, it surprises me that there are not more seaside-based breweries, if only for the pulling power of enjoying a freshly brewed beer to the sound of the waves. For instance, XYLO brewery on the Margate seafront seems to have it right – you can drink its beer at its
‘The seaside is a magnet for those souls down for the day who go in search of local beer’
taproom watching the setting of the sun. The scarcity of breweries by the seaside only started to cross my mind after witnessing the growing success of Wild Horse in my home town of Llandudno. According to head brewer Chris Wilkinson, there is a definite plus in the brewery’s location: “We’re a holiday town, people come here to enjoy themselves, to relax, and it is fun to think that we can form part of someone’s memories or add to their enjoyment of their time off in some way. There is a degree of seasonality to what we brew, which isn’t a new concept in brewing. It is perhaps more intense for us, though, as the demand for core beer is so high over the holiday season.” I wonder if there is also something vital and strength-giving in making beer by the sea and that those who go on to make beer elsewhere in a gritty urban
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scattered about the pier, a vinegary tang drifting out of a battery of fish and chip shops, the strangulated gasps of the Punch and Judy man hidden away in his booth and the endless fun of the fair. It is also the aimlessness of a transient population, the seasonal disappearances of those who work in hospitality, the sense of a perpetual party in the summer and everyone gone in the winter. There are plenty of pubs by the seaside as well, some of them decorated with nostalgic maritime-themed black and white snaps as well as various bits of ephemera like fishing nets and even a ship’s figurehead. Other locals’ decor might be more land-focused (agricultural implements, for instance), but even once you’ve bought a pint in them there is no escaping the pull of the sea – especially if sitting in a pub garden trying to stop a seagull pinching your lunch. There are few breweries by the seaside, maybe because of all of the pros and cons
16 BEER SUMMER 2022
BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN
