Spring 2022 Independent Brewer Magazine by SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers

Issue 9

Top of the Hops

Spring 2022

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Editor’s comment

Welcome to the Spring edition of SIBA’s Independent Brewer Magazine. I can’t wait to see you all and catch up over some excellent beers. Bring it on!

I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to finally being back face-toface with so many of you from the small independent brewing community at this year’s BeerX UK in Liverpool this month. As you read this, SIBA’s flagship show should be only days away – you may even be reading this at the event itself – and while it was wonderful that so many of you joined our virtual BeerX UK online last year there can be no substitute for the sheer buzz of a live event like BeerX. One of the worst aspects of the pandemic, certainly for me, has been the lack of faceto-face contact in an industry that thrives and feeds off personal collaboration, social interaction and good old fashioned conviviality.

So, back to the magazine, and not only is there a taster of some of the amazing events, talks, discussions, tastings and after-parties we are putting on at BeerX UK this year (see the BeerX UK Preview on pages 69-73), we also feature profiles on three very different businesses, all of which are leading the way within their particular niche. Firstly, we meet Nadir Zairi, the MD of Salt Beer Factory, a business which has thrived despite the challenges Covid-19 has thrown at it (see pages 32-39). Not only has Salt extended its retail estate into London over the last year, but it has now launched a second production site in the capital too. In complete contrast, Duration Brewing is based about as far from the city as you can get. The rural farmhouse brewery was launched by partners Miranda Hudson and Derek Bates (known just as ‘Bates’) who have developed a historic barn and the surrounding site on a Norfolk Farm into a super sustainable brewing operation founded on a major investment in an innovative water project (find out more in our Sustainabilty Profile on pages 22-29). And finally, carving their niche in suburban South East London are Jen Ferguson and Glenn Williams, who launched indie retail business Hop, Burns & Black – a reference

Society of Independent Brewers PO Box 136, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 5WW Tel: 01765 640 441 www.siba.co.uk Email: office@siba.co.uk

to their focus on craft beer, hot sauce and (although this element hasn’t endured) vinyl records – in 2014 and have now added a second site (for more on their journey see our Meet the Retailer feature on pages 42-49). Also in this edition we have the lowdown on the new SIBA Beer Competition categories and judging criteria (see pages 59 to 63) and our guest columnist is beer writer and women’s rights advocate Emmie Harrison-West who shares her experience of the casual sexism often faced by women who enjoy drinking beer (see page 19). I hope you enjoy reading the magazine, and if you are attending BeerX UK this month please do come and find me for a chat on the SIBA Independent Brewer stand (or more likely at the bar). See you there! Please do keep sending me your press releases, updates, news and views to caroline.nodder@siba.co.uk so that we can share your experiences, thoughts and successes in future magazines – the deadline for submissions for our Summer edition will be April 29th 2022. Caroline Nodder Editor SIBA Independent Brewer Magazine

Editor: Caroline Nodder (caroline.nodder@siba.co.uk) Published by: Media Alive Limited Produced on behalf of SIBA by: Media Alive Limited, 2nd Floor, The Red House, 119 Fore Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1AX. T: 01992 505 810 Creative Director: Darren Kefford (darren@wearema.co.uk) Studio Manager: Jon Hardy (jon@wearema.co.uk) Advertising Manager: Claire Rooney (claire@wearema.co.uk) Managing Director: Dan Rooney (dan@wearema.co.uk)

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or be any other means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of SIBA and/or Media Alive Limited. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate and up-to-date, neither SIBA nor Media Alive Limited take any responsibility for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in editorial contributions to this publication are those of their respective authors and not necessarily shared either by SIBA or Media Alive Limited.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Contents

News 9-15 59-63

32-39 image Chris Coulsdon

75-85 91-99

SIBA news All the news from SIBA HQ Competitions and judging update News of changes to the SIBA Independent Beer Awards and judging process Brewery news The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK Supplier news Updates from SIBA’s Supplier Associate Members

Comment 7 8 16-17 19 41 65 67

22-29 Issue 9

Spring 2022

Features 20-21 22-29 31 32-39 42-49

Top of the Hops

Cover Our cover image for this issue shows indie retailer Hop, Burns & Black’s site under the arches of Dalston station in London. We meet owners Jen Ferguson and Glenn Williams in our Meet the Retailer feature on pages 42-49.

CEO’s update James Calder is looking forward to BeerX UK Chairman’s comment Roy Allkin, SIBA’s National Chair, on standing united The view from Westminster Our regular political update That's what he said Emmie Harrison-West examines sexist attitudes to women in beer Meet the regions Regional SIBA directors Andrew Hayward from the South East and Darren Batten from the South West Brewer's viewpoint Robert Middleton from London brewery Orbit looks back on two years of transformation for the business Supplier viewpoint As iconic brewery Tetley’s turns 200, WPA Pinfold’s Myles Pinfold asks if history could be repeating itself Technical focus Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas offers advice on effective tasting techniques

51-55 69-73 86-89 100 102

SIBA membership update Learn more about the latest benefits Sustainability profile Focusing on the pioneering work of Duration Brewing in rural Norfolk Taproom focus Featuring the taproom at Stroud Brewery Business profile We meet Nadir Zairi the MD of Salt Beer Factory Meet the retailer A profile of award-winning independent bottle shop and hot sauce haven Hop, Burns & Black Business advice Legal, brand & marketing and intellectual property BeerX UK preview Get ready for SIBA’s flagship event this month Gold Members Croxsons and Vigo Gold & Silver Members Listing of our key sponsors Contacts Key SIBA contacts

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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CEO’s update

BeerX UK is live again at last! I can’t wait to welcome you to Liverpool for BeerX UK 2022. It’s a very nice feeling to be able to write those words. But with the Omicron wave receding, the national booster programme going great guns and even a few tales of cautious optimism about early 2022 trading it is a real pleasure to gather together again in Liverpool for BeerX UK 2022. Whether you’re looking to network with colleagues, attend one of our fantastic panel discussions and seminars or seek out a new piece of equipment or service from one of our supplier associate members, BeerX UK has it all. But perhaps the most important thing BeerX UK provides is a chance to speak to colleagues, contemporaries and acquaintances from across the industry. To have a beer. To bring the industry together to discuss the challenges and opportunities that face us and how we (to borrow a phrase) build back better. SIBA’s AGM will also offer the opportunity to discuss and debate the big issues impacting our sector and how we go about re-building. Like our last full virtual AGM SIBA is moving with the times and will for the first time have a ‘hybrid’ AGM with both digital and physical elements to it.

One of SIBA’s most important functions is acting as a catalyst, bringing together like-minded individuals from across the independent brewing sector to share thoughts and ideas and spark debate which leads to real change. In times as challenging as these, there is strength in numbers, and members of the SIBA network coming together at an event like BeerX UK is vital in shaping SIBA strategy and influencing the future of the whole industry. My team, while hosting the event, are also there very much to listen to you, our members. To learn more about the challenges you are facing, to hear about your successes and failures, and to feed that knowledge back in to SIBA’s plans and strategy so that as an organisation we can properly represent you and support your business to grow. Team SIBA will be on hand throughout the event. At the SIBA hub at the entrance to the hall is where you will find us - with ‘drop in’ sessions (a bit like MPs' surgeries) where you can have one on one time with a member of the team to get deep into an issue. Please do come and sit down with us and share your thoughts, challenge us on some of the big issues of the day, give us feedback on what we

are doing and the areas where you need us to support you. SIBA is your organisation and your input is invaluable to me and my team in guiding our strategy and actions. Finally, I want to take this opportunity to personally thank all of our supplier members and sponsors who make this event happen. I also want to thank team SIBA for working tirelessly behind the scenes to put the event together. For my part, I look forward to welcoming you to BeerX UK and having a beer.

James Calder Chief Executive SIBA

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Chairman’s comment

United we stand

To say I am looking forward to joining you for a beer at BeerX UK 2022 is an understatement. Like most brewers I have spoken to, the event back in 2020 was the last big industry event I attended and it is wonderful to be able to run the event once more in-person. I’m sure that one subject which is likely to come up whilst enjoying a beer at one of the Regional Award Winners bars is that of Small Breweries’ Relief and what the newly announced changes mean for you as independent brewers. So I’d like to use my column today to set out some of my thoughts on the new Alcohol Duty System, what is being introduced and what SIBA will be pushing for in the future to ensure small independent brewers are being treated fairly. One thing which I would like to highlight is the considerable improvement to the Small Breweries’ Relief banding, and the rates which will apply in its new format as the Small Producers’ Relief, when compared to what was originally proposed by the Treasury. Not only will the new taper begin from 2,500hl, rather than the 2,100hl previously proposed, but crucially the percentage relief rates are also more favourable. For example a brewery of 2,500hl averaging 4.2% will pay no additional duty whereas under the prior announced proposals they would have seen a rise of around £3,200 per year, a brewery of 3,000hl will see costs rise by just £2,000 rather than the whopping £7,200 initially proposed. Considerable amounts which make the new system much less damaging to breweries in the 2,100hl – 5,000hl ‘danger zone’. The shift in these bands and the rates that apply is huge for small breweries and is an important demonstration of the lobbying power of SIBA on behalf of members. When the Treasury announce something they rarely, if ever, change that decision and I’d like to thank

all of the brewers who wrote letters to your MPs to keep up the pressure on this issue. Whilst there are things which could be improved and there is still work to be done, which I’ll go into a bit more detail on below, we should recognise the fact that the Treasury is clearly listening to our recommendations and submissions and that our lobbying work can enact real change. One area where beer still gets a raw deal though is in comparison to the duty paid on cider, which still gets a much lower rate of duty than beer despite them being equivalent products. Beers between 3.5% and 8.4% pay a duty rate of £19.08 per litre of pure alcohol, whereas ciders are payable at a rate of just £8.78. That simply isn’t fair and must be addressed by the Government, particularly as the aim of the new Alcohol Duty System is to create a level playing field for small producers of equivalent products. SIBA would like to see full equivalence between beer and cider, backed up by the new Small Producers’ Relief, which ensures small cider producers are able to compete against the dominance of Global brands in the same way as we as brewers previously benefitted from SBR. That shift to calculating relief based on ‘hectolitres of pure alcohol’ is also important as it means that relief is based on your average strength as well as total production. This will mean if your average ABV is higher than the overall average, you will ‘use up’ your relief much quicker. To put this in real terms if you’re a brewery of 2,500hl and your average ABV is 5.2%, rather than the national average of 4.2%, across the beers you produce, then you would see your relief start to taper at around 2,000hl rather than 2,500hl. The above of course uses some estimated figures including that crucial ‘average ABV’ number, as the exact figures which are going to

Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

be used to make the calculations have not yet been set in stone by the Treasury. It’s an issue we are pressing them on and which we will update members on in due course. Another interesting aspect is the extension of the lower rate of duty to under 3.5%, meaning relief will apply below 2.9% for the first time. But as global brewers will reformulate their beers to benefit from this new rate, it is important that the government ensures that small brewers have the full relief at this lower level. In addition, beer between 0.5% and 1.2% now doesn’t count towards your production figures for relief but any beer over 8.5% is no longer eligible for Small Producers’ Relief – so whilst your no or low alcohol beers may be cheaper your DIPAs and Imperial Stouts are going to be more expensive. Another issue is the Government’s announced draught duty rate, which currently would only apply to containers of at least 40 litres, excluding much of the beer produced by SIBA Members in, for example, 30l kegs. We are confident the Government will move to 30l but are trying to push to get the threshold down to 20l, so that all draught beer from independent brewers gets the benefit, including cask pins and 20l kegs etc. SIBA is speaking to Government at the highest level on these issues and fighting the corner for small independent brewers and I’d like to once again thank you for the support you have shown on this issue, we’re stronger together and by fighting with a united front we stand a far greater chance of success in the future.

Roy Allkin Chairman SIBA

SIBA news

Don’t miss out on your free tickets to BeerX UK this month, preregister today! Tickets for BeerX UK 2022, taking place on March 16th and 17th at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre, are free for all SIBA Members, and we won't be putting any limit on the number of tickets your team can apply for by preregistration. All you need to do is make sure you preregister before the cut-off date of Friday the 11th March - walk-ins at BeerX UK 2022 will be charged at the standard £30 + VAT ticket price.

Industryleading SIBA British Craft Beer Report to launch this month at BeerX UK

The most comprehensive report of its kind published in the UK.

In the past SIBA has offered one free ticket to all SIBA Brewing Members and Not Yet Brewing Members, but now we’re going even further and offering free tickets for you and your whole team. Supplier Associate Members of SIBA, or breweries that have multiple members of staff who would like to attend, can all do so for free providing you pre-register for your tickets before the event. BeerX UK is the UK's biggest beer and brewing trade event and 2022 is set to be our best ever, with a huge industry trade

This year’s SIBA British Craft Beer Report is due to be unveiled at BeerX UK in March in association with our Official Industry Partner, Croxsons. The report is making a return this year having been postponed in 2021 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Somewhat fittingly, it was at BeerX UK in March 2020 when the report was last published, the week before the country went into National lockdown. The report will once again pull together the latest data on the independent craft beer market, including academic analysis of the SIBA Members' Survey, newly commissioned consumer research, and a broad range of industry data and reporting, edited by the former Editor of The Publican and current Independent Brewer Editor, Caroline Nodder. SIBA’s CEO James Calder said: “The SIBA British Craft Beer Report is the most comprehensive report of its kind published in the UK and provides incredibly valuable insight into the independent craft beer market in the UK, including expert analysis and commentary from some of the industry’s foremost writers. I am delighted

show, regional beer bars and trade-only beer festival, the SIBA AGM and Members' Conference, the independent Beer and Business Awards presentations, plus a packed schedule of seminars, talks and panel debates from the beer industry's leading voices. Add to that an expanding schedule of fringe events and after-parties around Liverpool and BeerX UK 2022 is already shaping up to be a must-attend for anyone in the UK beer and brewing industry. Find out more at www.beerx.org

to see the return of the report in 2022 and look forward to seeing what emerging trends and insight it throws up. “I would also like to say a huge thank you to Croxsons, who have come on board as the first ever Official Industry Partner for the report and with whose support we have been able to continue offering this industryleading research, analysis and commentary.” Croxsons, who specialise in beer containers, closures and design, have extended their support to the report, coming on board as Official Industry Partner for 2022. COO Tim Croxson said: “We very much look forward to being involved with the report and to be in a position to make a meaningful contribution. Given the pace of change, only by analysing the market and understanding trends can we fully understand the way it is moving and how, in particular, brewers and retailers can reimagine the opportunities presented to them.” The SIBA British Craft Beer Report 2022 will be published on Wednesday 16th March at SIBA’s flagship event, BeerX UK in Liverpool, the UK’s biggest beer and brewing trade event.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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SIBA news

SIBA served up award-winning beers at the Guild of Beer Writers' Annual Awards In December, SIBA was once again proud to sponsor the British Guild of Beer Writers ‘Brewer of the Year Award’ as well as serving up a range of award-winning independent craft beers on our bar at the drinks reception. The Brewer of the Year title was this year presented to John Hatch of Ram Brewery, who gathered the highest number of votes in a poll of Guild members. Presenting the Award, Guild Chair Emma Inch said: "John has deservedly won enormous respect across the brewing sector and this was reflected in our poll. According to one of the Guild members who nominated John, he "single-handedly managed to keep the continuation of brewing on Wandsworth's Young's Brewery site”. Meanwhile, author Pete Brown was named Beer Writer of the Year 2021 at the annual awards ceremony, meaning he has now won the top award four times, following

triumphs in 2016, 2012 and 2009. Beer Writer of the Year is the top accolade in the Guild's annual competition for writing about beer and pubs, which this year received more than 150 entries across 13 categories. On his way to the main prize, Brown won the Gold award in three categories: Best Writing about Pubs, Best Online Communicator and Best Book about Beer or Pubs, for Beer By Design. This year's highest-ever prize fund of £17,000 was shared between 16 Gold and Silver award winners. The winners were announced at the Guild's annual dinner held at One Great George Street in Westminster. Each dish was served with a specially selected beer: Ten Degrees Czechia Session Lager from Utopian Brewing; Wolf Dark Scottish Ale from Windswept Brewing Co; Roots Rock Reggae IPA from Roosters Brewing Co and Waiting for the Rain Imperial Stout from Loch Lomond.

Government's "Help to Grow: Digital" scheme has now launched and is open for applications Under the scheme, eligible businesses can now receive discounts of up to £5,000 off the retail price of approved Digital Accounting and CRM software from leading technology suppliers. This software helps businesses to effectively manage finances and build customer relationships. Businesses can also access practical, specialised support and advice on how to choose the right digital technologies to boost your growth and productivity through a new online platform.

SIBA responds to statement on Scottish Deposit Return Scheme Following the Scottish Minister’s announcement late last year that the Deposit Return Scheme will be delayed, SIBA issued a statement welcoming the move. The Minister cited the concerns of small brewers as one of the factors leading to this decision. This will mean the scheme will not be going ahead in July 2022 as originally planned, but no further details have yet been provided of when it will begin. SIBA Scotland Director Jamie Delap said: “The Minister clearly acknowledged in her statement the challenges facing small brewers and the hospitality sector in delivering Scotland’s ambitious Deposit Return Scheme and has hinted that there will now be a delay. However, no clear timescale has been offered, only a commitment to introduce it as soon as practically possible. “Small independent brewers care about sustainability and are looking forward to working with the Minister to address the very real issues and have called for a stepped introduction to provide small producers extra time to prepare. “The challenges with the scheme as it has been designed go much further than just its timetable and the Minister is yet to address these. As it stands it will impose significant costs and reduce the choice and availability of independent craft beer in Scotland. No attempt has yet been made to address the deliverability of the online takeback service which will make selling online uneconomical for small brewers. Many of these issues could be resolved by aligning the Scottish DRS with the one being introduced in England, Wales and NI so we have a truly circular UK economy.”

To find out more or apply got to www.learn-to-grow-your-business.service.gov.uk www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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SIBA news

Changes to Small Breweries’ Relief: Frequently Asked Questions After the Government announcement about changes to the SBR system, SIBA’s Head of Policy & Public Affairs has produced the following set of FAQs to help members understand the changes… Do we now have the final changes to SBR? Not fully. The Treasury has now published its response to the SBR technical consultation. While we know the new start and end points for the SBR taper and which model they are going to use, we currently do not have the full picture. This is because further changes are being introduced in the Alcohol Duty System consultation. So what is the start and end point of the new taper? The new taper will start at 2,500hl instead of 2,100hl that was originally proposed by the Treasury. This means that up to 2,500hl full relief will apply and then it will reduce from that point. The Treasury has extended SBR to 100,000hl instead of the current 60,000hl. Has the ‘cliff edge’ being removed? A frequent concern from small brewers was that there is a ‘cliff edge’ at 5,000hl preventing them from growing past this point. The Treasury has resolved this issue so that it will be easier for brewers to grow. What does the cash basis mean? Currently small brewers pay a percentage of the main duty rate. For those up to 5,000hl it is 50% of £19.08, which is £9.54. Under the new changes, this will be expressed in cash terms. For the main rate of £19.08 it should be £9.54 and depending on where you are on the SBR curve will decide how much of this relief you receive. Is there a cash cap? The Treasury decided not to introduce a direct “cash cap” in the changes to SBR which could have limited the total amount of relief you could receive. Instead the Treasury

intend to set relief in hectolitres of pure alcohol (HLPA) which will mean that relief will depend on both total production and your average ABV. When will these changes be introduced? The changes will be introduced in 2023, along with changes to the alcohol duty system and a new Small Producers Relief. What’s the Small Producers Relief? The Government has decided to build upon the success of SBR and apply it to other products such as cider. The intention is that SBR will be part of the new Small Producers Relief when it launches in 2023. Will I still get SBR on beer above 8.5%? The Treasury has decided to bring SBR in line with a new Small Producers Relief which only applies to beer up to 8.5%. Currently small brewers receive SBR on the general rate of duty above 8.5%. However, this will change under the new system with beers above 8.5% subject to same rate as other products. Will SBR apply to beers below 3.5%? Yes SBR will apply to beer below 3.5% and for the first time to those below 2.8%. This will be on a cash basis which may be a different amount than at the main and draught duty rates and may not be equivalent to 50% of the new rate. Why are they using hectolitres of pure alcohol? Because relief will apply to other products below 8.5%, they want to make it easier for the system to work across different products such as cider and made wine.

How does hectolitres of pure alcohol work? Instead of relief being based solely on total production it will also take account of the strength of the beer you produce. The Treasury will set relief according to an average ABV figure and if you produce on average higher strength beer you will climb the relief curve quicker than if you produced mainly weaker beers. This means you can end up paying a higher level of duty. Will we get SBR on the new Draught Duty Rate? SBR will apply to the new draught duty but this will be in cash terms. The Treasury will set what this cash relief is but it may not be equivalent of 50% of the new rate. Will they include 20 and 30 litre containers in the new Draught Duty? The Treasury has said that they will consider this as part of the consultation. Currently they have proposed it should only be 40 litre containers or higher. Is there a way for me to understand the potential impacts on my business? A quick calculator has been created to demonstrate these impacts to give you an overview of what the changes could mean for you. This is available on the Toolbox. You can put in your total volumes and average ABV plus the percentage you sell in the on-trade. Please note that this makes several assumptions and should only be used as a guide. If you have any further questions about the changes to SBR please contact Barry Watts on 07977837804 or at barry.watts@siba.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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SIBA news

New Export Support Service from Department for International Trade

SIBA responded to Government support package which once again leaves out breweries Following the Chancellor’s announcement of a further support package for hospitality businesses which yet again excludes small breweries, SIBA issued this statement on behalf of its members:. “The Chancellor has announced a comprehensive package for the hospitality sector and additional support for those in the supply chain, who have been explicitly recognised. It does however appear that breweries will once again not be guaranteed support and instead rely on an additional £100m discretionary fund through their local authorities. “Under the announcement, small brewers will have to apply to their local authorities for support, which in many cases has not been forthcoming during the devasting 18 month Covid-19 pandemic. Support and access to those grants has also varied massively from postcode to postcode. While brewers should be able to access the Covid Additional

Relief Fund, this funding and mechanism was announced in March last year and local authorities are yet to even set up the scheme for small brewers to apply with the legislation only just passing through Parliament. This contrasts with the action taken in Scotland, where the Government has previously provided direct and significant assistance under the Brewers Support Fund. “Our independent brewing sector relies on pubs for 80% of their sales and have seen sales fall off a cliff in recent weeks under the Government’s lockdown in all but name. “Other measures, including flexibility to pay HMRC, wiggle room on bounce back loan repayments and the new statutory sick pay refund scheme should all be welcomed and will help. But combined, these measures do not go far enough to compensate for the losses brewing will make in December, the profits from which are vital to see businesses through the notoriously quiet post-festive period.”

A new government helpline and online service has been launched where all UK businesses can get answers to practical questions about exporting to Europe. It gives access to cross government information and support all in one place. UK businesses of all sizes can use this free service. SIBA members can access the Export Support Service at GOV.UK/ask-export-support-team or by calling 0300 303 8955 where they will be put in touch with a member of our dedicated export support team.

Remember your T&Cs Hopefully as things improve after the closures earlier in the year, you're picking up new business or re-establishing contact with previous pubs and bottle shops. To make sure that you're covered for any future issues, it's important you have the right terms and conditions for your customers. In partnership with Napthens, SIBA provides a free T&Cs toolkit which is available on the Toolbox.

New 'simplified' version of Independent Craft Brewer seal now available The majority of SIBA Member breweries now use the SIBA assured seal on their bottle and can labels which is great to see. We have also listened to your feedback and produced this new simplified version of the seal, which will reproduce better at smaller sizes. Where possible the full version of the seal should be used, but if space is at a premium this new 'Independent Craft Brewer' version can also be used. All versions (including artwork files and a Welsh language version) are available via the Toolbox Filing Cabinet under 'Artwork & logos'.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

The view from Westminster

The future of labels In this article, SIBA Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Barry Watts looks at the increasing burdens on beer labels.

Do you find designing a label is more difficult than brewing a beer? Often it requires painstaking attention to detail and frequent back and forth with designers. That is why one of SIBA’s most valued assets is its labelling guide which is available free to members via the toolbox and provides an easy to understand resource. Labels have an important role to provide key information to consumers but also to allow brewers to distinguish their products from the competitors. However on my count a typical beer label in the UK now has to contain 10 mandatory sections from ABV to allergens (and more if you export). On top of this there is another 15 or so advised or optional items you could include which ranges from the unit alcohol content to your social media or even SIBA’s ‘Assured Independent British Craft Brewer’ seal. The sheer volume of data that has to be squeezed onto such a small area is increasingly problematic for brewers, can confuse the consumer and leaves little room for creativity. There is now a serious question whether anyone can decipher and understand the multitude of logos, information and messages that appears on labels.

IPA BEER

Samples from SIBA’s labelling guide available free via the member's toolbox

Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

IPA BEER

Canned on: 08/07/20 Best Before: 01/09/2021 Ingredients: Water, Wheat, Malted Barley, Hops, Yeast

Store Cold, Drink Fresh. B9106

1.7 Units - Drinkaware.co.uk BREWED IN THE UK

SIBA Brewing Member, Unit 4, The Old Laundry, Fishergreen, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 1NL

Alc. 5.0% Vol.

330ml

Eiffel-Beer Imports, Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France

siba.co.uk

/societyofindependentbrewers

/SIBA01

The view from Westminster

And it seems that in the near future labelling is going to get even more complex. We’re likely to see more and more of those optional items become mandatory with other new requirements just around the corner. These will increase costs for small brewers and over time reduce the individualistic nature of beer labels. Where in recent years beer labels have become art as impressive and collectable as record sleeves, there is a danger they will become as formulaic as a medicine box. And there are also those who would rather they became like cigarette packs – plain packages full of health warnings. The most recent issue small brewers have had to contend with is Brexit. If you export to the EU you need to also have the address of the Food Business Operator or the importer but also make sure that your ingredients are in a language easily understood by the consumers where it is marketed. Then there’s labelling issues created by the Northern Ireland Protocol that have prevented many small brewers from sending their beer across the Irish Sea. What are the other issues coming up? Well first on your radar should be the forthcoming Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) and you can read more about these in my SIBA blog (https://www.siba.co.uk/2021/05/07/ deposit-return-schemes-coming-smallbrewers-need-ready/)

These rely on barcodes to scan bottles and cans returned through reverse vending machines, so you’ll have to add these to your labels. It’s also likely you’ll need to register with GS1 (at an extra cost) and potentially Product DNA to provide the detailed information that the scheme and the machines will need costing you thousands of pounds a year. In addition there’ll be a new logo that should go on to show your small pack is in the scheme. To make things even more complex, Scotland is going first with its own separate DRS. Thanks to SIBA’s lobbying campaign this has now been delayed until August 2023, which will give brewers longer to prepare and hopefully bring it closer to the separate scheme currently planned for the rest of the UK in 2024. However if you sell into Scotland you have face a cornelian dilemma – either use a UK wide SKU and pay a higher fee per container (the so call producer fee) or have a separate Scottish only SKU and introduce a different label and barcode for what you sell over the border and pay the standard producer fee. Our latest analysis has suggested that the costs could average £20,000 for each brewer to meet these costs. SIBA continues to push for changes to the schemes to take account of small brewers because we fear that the practical effect will be a dramatic drop in consumer choice in Scotland and beyond. Next on our list is the much delayed Obesity Strategy. In 2020 the Government announced that it would consult on alcohol labelling and SIBA understands this will include mandating the drink driving logo, pregnancy message and the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines. In addition it will also include placing calorie content on packaging. This is a double whammy for small brewers who will face the challenges and costs of calculating calories and then making changes to their small pack. As most small brewers innovate with specialist ingredient and produce seasonal and one off beers, this means it’s more difficult to calculate calorie content accurately which can vary over time. Nor can the vast majority of small brewers afford state of the art labs to carry out tests on site. SIBA will be pushing for de-minimis thresholds and simply calculations that don’t require expensive equipment.

To potentially add to the confusion – some of these areas are devolved to the different parts of the UK. They are currently trying to achieve agreement on a four-nation approach. However, Scotland has been clear it will consider unilateral action if this cannot be agreed – adding another barrier to free trade across the UK. Beer labels have become art as impressive and collectable as record sleeves, there is a danger they will become as formulaic as a medicine box. And there are also those who would rather they became like cigarette packs – plain packages full of health warnings. We’re also now expecting another consultation on no and low descriptors – something that the Government failed to get to grips with when they last consulted only a few years ago. Quite frankly the current descriptors are confusing to consumers and need reform. But again this will be potentially new changes and we’re expecting the Alcohol Free label to finally match importers and be increased to 0.5% and for the Government to ditch the “dealcholised” label. SIBA also understands that the Government is looking to include the pregnancy message and 18+ logo on no/low products. Finally, brewers should also be aware on the changes to the UKCA mark on measuring container bottles. From January next year the UKCA Mark must either appear on the bottle or on a label affixed to the bottle or on a document accompanying the bottle. SIBA is fighting to make sure that these changes take account of the size of the producer and that there’s a joined up approach across Government. The last thing we want is to have to constantly revamp and redesign labels as the Government continues to add more information at small producers’ costs. Barry Watts is Head of Public Affairs and Policy at SIBA. He covers political relations and policy for SIBA members. He can be contacted at barry.watts@siba.co.uk or 07977837804.

Barry Watts SIBA Head of Public Affairs and Policy

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Comment: Emmie Harrison-West

That's what he said Beer writer Emmie Harrison-West longs for the day when the mansplaining ends and the beer world finally becomes the inclusive utopia it should be… “'I'll have none of those girly drinks, thanks,' I hear at the bar, followed by a cloud of male laughter. Rolling my eyes, I knew they were referring to the pink, fruity beers on tap. Slightly carbonated, light and fruity with a lower ABV than your classic IPAs - paired with a twist of tartness at the end. Probably the epitome of what they expected a woman should be. I've heard it all before. Men guffawing at stemmed Teku glasses; exclaiming they want 'a proper glass' as if it was too effeminate and made for women's dainty fingers. I've heard men scoff at fruity beers or anything with a low percentage ABV, claiming men need 'proper' beer. It got me thinking: is there really such a thing as a ‘girly drink’? Well no, there's not - sorry. Except, plenty of men (and women, sadly) seem to think there is. There's this idea that women should drink something pink, and light. Fizzy and sweet, in a nice glass without a hefty calorie intake. Something delicate and pretty, like my sex. Men get the hard stuff. Beers with blue and silver packaging, emblazoned with a bear or wolf served in thick-set pint glasses. So, is there any wonder that women are afraid to drink beer? Worried that they'll come across masculine, and loutish, while brandishing a pint? Well, a survey sadly discovered that 27% of women who drink beer are put-off by ‘male-oriented’ advertising and 17% don’t publicly drink beer as they’re worried about being ‘judged’. It goes both ways, too. I've heard men laugh when one in their group orders a cocktail - with accusations that it's a ‘girly drink’, as if it was an insult to be feminine. Sadly, I've heard some homophobic slurs in this context, too. A friend, Amy, told me that on a first date, a man ordered wine for her - even after she asked for a beer. 'Women don't drink beer,' he replied. I'm pleased to say she downed her glass of red and walked out.

Sadly, even female brewers are being alienated in the industry. They’re few and far between, treated with ‘curiosity’ rather than with confidence, with more junior, male members of staff often promoted above them.

Joanne added: 'It’s a deep-rooted societal thing - as a woman you just aren’t expected to have that knowledge and people seem genuinely baffled. I’ve literally been asked: ‘how do you know what a DIPA is?’'

Emma O’Neill-Parsons, co-founder of Merakai Brewing Co. told me she has ‘constant eye roll moments’ as a female brewer. ‘I’ll have delivery people who would ask where the boss was or tell me something was heavy,’ she told me. Her husband Olly, who co-founded the brewery with her, never gets the same treatment.

So, who can blame women for not feeling welcomed in this predominantly male industry?

Men are always surprised at bars, breweries and beer festivals to see me - a woman, often in a nice dress and lipstick - drinking beer. And, who can forget that the UK’s first female sommeliers, Annabel Smith and Sophie Atherton, were only awarded the title in 2012? 'On Instagram, I’ve been told my opinion isn’t valid about beer because ‘I’m not a BJCP judge’ but you don’t see men being told that - I think women are held to a much higher standard and we feel pressured into collecting certifications and qualifications to ‘prove’ we know what we are drinking!' Joanne Love from Love Beer Learning told me. ‘Women just aren’t taken seriously,' she added. In my experience, men are always surprised at bars, breweries and beer festivals to see me - a woman, often in a nice dress and lipstick drinking beer. I’m reminded that the impy stout I'm drinking is 'quite strong, you know’. It's a feeling that's unfortunately all too common for Joanne, too. 'Generally if I come away from any beer festival or event without one sexist comment or being sexually harassed it’s a rare gem,' she told me.

We’ve had beers named after us, and after the act of sleeping with us, (namely the 'titillating, neurotic' Trashy Blonde's, Leg Spreaders, and Raging Bitches - though that one makes me laugh) and we often have beer explained to us, without being asked first. We've even had beers made for us (who can forget the Pink IPA?). Truthfully, things are getting better. Women are speaking out against toxic behaviour in the industry, with international attention; female brewing clubs and collabs are only increasing, and female brewers are getting televised to the nation. People are buying beer made by women - not for. But this industry needs to learn to ask questions, to women, queer people and POC who work in beer, about what will make everyone feel welcomed. About how we can work together to stop making deemed 'minorities' in brewing feel unwelcome. Because we're not aliens, we just like beer. At the end of the day, a beer is simply malt, hops, yeast, and water. It's up to its maker or consumer to add the dash of stigma at the end if they see fit. So, while I patiently wait for the viva la bev-olution I'll smile sweetly with my 10% stout and reply: 'I know.'” Emmie Harrison-West is a freelance journalist, as well as a fierce advocate for women’s rights, and good beer. You can find her beer reviews on Instagram @beerwomxn or follow her on Twitter @emmieehw.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

SIBA membership update With BeerX UK about to begin, including the culmination of twelve months of judging in the SIBA National Independent Beer Awards, as well as the prestigious SIBA Business Awards, opportunities to network over a beer, meet industry colleagues, catch an educational seminar or beer tasting, or shop for new brewing equipment in the trade show. There has never been a better time to be a SIBA Member and we hope to see all of you at BeerX.

Membership: Delivering for Brewers

As well as free tickets to BeerX UK 2022, as a SIBA Member you get industry-leading Government lobbying, various promotional opportunities, business advice, guidance and much more – SIBA membership offers you the tools and opportunities to run an effective successful brewing business. Below you will find a brief summary of some of the ways in which SIBA is Delivering for Brewers, but if you have any questions or would like to know more about joining SIBA then email our membership team at membership@siba.co.uk

GOVERNMENT LOBBYING: BREWERS’ VOICES ARE BEING HEARD SIBA continues to lobby on behalf of members on a variety of big issues such as Small Breweries’ Relief, Covid support, business rates and the Alcohol Duty Review - meeting politicians and policy makers to make sure brewers’ voices are heard. Our work with Government is backed up by pro-active press activity, industry and consumer campaigning, ensuring that the issues that matter are top of the news agenda and at the top of MPs inboxes.

FREE TICKETS FOR BEERX UK 2022 FOR ALL SIBA MEMBERS & YOUR TEAM In the past SIBA have offered one free ticket to all SIBA Brewing Members and Not Yet Brewing Members, but now we’re going even further and offering free tickets for you and your whole team. Supplier Associate Members of SIBA, or Breweries which have multiple members of staff who would like to attend, can all do so for free providing you pre-register for your tickets before the event.

COMPLIANCE: FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY ASSURANCE FROM PROFESSIONAL BREWING BUSINESSES Recognised as a minimum standard by a number of leading companies within the Industry, the SIBA Food Safety Quality Audit continues to be adopted by a number of Brewing Members who do not hold an alternative accreditation. To assist brewers in becoming compliant, tools such as HACCP, Traceability and Health & Safety are made available to all Brewing Members via the Toolbox.

All you need to do is make sure you preregister before the cutoff date of Monday the 14th March 5pm - as walk-ins at BeerX UK will be charged at the standard £32 + VAT ticket price.

PRESS & COMMS: KEEPING YOU INFORMED + BREWERIES IN THE NEWS Our weekly Brewing in Brief emails continue to be incredibly important tool in keeping members updated on the latest industry news, support and guidance, as well as how you can engage with important campaigns such as SBR, the Deposit Return Scheme and more. In addition to this, every quarter SIBA Members receive a copy of SIBA Independent Brewer magazine through the post. Featuring industry news and guest articles from some of the UK’s best beer writers, as well as interviews, meet the brewer and business profiles, Independent Brewer is your portal to the wider world of independent brewing. Our external press strategy has also gone up a notch on behalf of members, making sure that independent breweries and the pressure you are under is at the top of the national news agenda. If you would like to see a selection of recent press featuring SIBA members or get advice on how you can attract local press coverage, email press@siba.co.uk

Spring 2022 SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

SIBA membership update FIGHTING FOR ASSURED INDEPENDENT BRITISH CRAFT BREWERS SIBA’s ‘Assured Independent British Craft Brewer’ seal can only be used by Full SIBA member breweries like you who are independent, relatively small, and brewing quality beer.

LEGAL HELPLINE: FREE ADVICE FROM EXPERIENCED SOLICITORS As with all manufacturing industries, breweries are unfortunately open to a variety of legal issues. To help protect your brewing business SIBA has partnered with Napthens solicitors to ensure members receive the best advice from a firm with a wealth of experience. All members are eligible for one hour’s free legal advice. .

The seal is a unique USP in a crowded beer market and resonates with consumers, with more than half saying they would be more likely to buy a beer which carries the seal. Partnering with Croxsons who have now sold over 1 million of the unique SIBA Assured Independent printed crowns which are exclusive for SIBA members. To place an order and have your bottles amongst the million of others proudly showing the Assured Independent Craft seal please do so here https://www.croxsons.com/ our-products/siba/

CLASSIFIED ADS

SIBA PRACTICAL GUIDE TO LABELLING BOTTLES | CANS | CASKS | KEGS Issue 3 December 2019

PRACTICAL GUIDE TO LABELLING & MORE As part of SIBA’s ongoing Delivering for Brewers initiative we have launched various new business tools, guides and opportunities for members. Our comprehensive labelling guide is updated throughout the year and always available via the Toolbox. The labelling guide advises on what is and isn’t needed on your bottle, can, cask and keg labels – including allergen advice, ABV, alcohol consumption advice and much more. This guide and all future ‘Delivering for Brewers’ items are free of charge to SIBA Members. An updated version of this guide is due for introduction in coming months.

Our Classified Ads section on the website allows members the opportunity to advertise products and services and also gives members the chance to search for products and services they may require. For example, brewing equipment for sale can be listed here, job vacancies can be posted or members can look for Supplier Associate Member promotions. Just select the ‘Classifieds’ tab on our website for more information or go to www.siba.co.uk/classifieds

REGIONAL MEETINGS: IN-PERSON AND VIA ZOOM SIBA’s eight regions host Regional Meetings throughout the year which allow SIBA members the opportunity to network with other brewers and suppliers, as well as speak to members of the SIBA Senior Management Team regarding anything to do with SIBA Nationally. Regional meetings are a great place to network, ask questions and raise any ideas or concerns you may have regarding regional operations, SIBA nationally, or brewing itself. Most regions are now hosting in-person meetings with the ability to alternatively join via Zoom.

If you have any questions on any of the above please email membership@siba.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Sustainability profile: Duration

Beers that belong

SUS

INABI

BRE WIN

image Simon James

Duration is not a name that was chosen lightly by Miranda Hudson and her partner Derek Bates (known just as ‘Bates’) when they founded their farmhouse brewery in rural Norfolk in 2019. The dilapidated barn in which Duration is housed had already stood on West Acre farm for centuries and is officially a scheduled monument, needing sign off from the Secretary State before works could commence. Working with archeologists, and compliance with seven separate authorities to get building consent for the historic listed site, this was a project to create a business for the long-term that is very much a part of the land and the community it sits within. Bates, originally from South Carolina, sought out a location with a similar pace of life in Norfolk, where agriculture is the dominant industry and the ingredients needed for the brewing process are close at hand. Sustainability was crucial from the beginning, with no mains water or drainage

Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

in place and a ban on any significant excavation at the site, a huge initial investment had to be made in an innovative water treatment system that purifies effluent sufficiently to be returned to the protected chalk rivers nearby. By-products such as spent grain, yeast and hops are removed first from the effluent and distributed to local farmers and other producers for onward use, and grey water is re-used in the brewhouse for cleaning. As Bates puts it, the whole ethos behind Duration is to ‘leave a legacy, while leaving no trace’, and this is a brewery that not only nurtures, protects and champions the rural environment in which it sits but may well endure beyond this generation to that of the couple’s young daughter. Independent Brewer’s Editor, Caroline Nodder, caught up with Miranda and Bates in mid-January to learn more about this monumental build and the sustainable ethos that underpins it…

Sustainability profile: Duration

Business Basics

Name: Duration Founded: 2018 (as a gypsy brewer) 2019 (first brew on permanent site) Location: Abbey Farm, West Acre, Norfolk Owners: Miranda Hudson and Derek Bates (known as ‘Bates’) Annual production: 2,300hl Brewing team: 3 people Staff: 8 people (full time) Core beers: Turtles All The Way Down (American Pale 5.5% ABV), Dripping Pitch (West Coast IPA 6.7% ABV), Bet The Farm (Continental Pale 4.5% ABV) and Doses (Pilsner 5.1% ABV) Production split (cask, keg & small pack): 70% keg, 30% small pack (pre-pandemic) 50% keg, 50% small pack (during pandemic)

How did you come to launch Duration and how has the business developed since then? Miranda: “We always knew we were looking for a farmhouse brewery, so we wanted to be on a farm, and Norfolk grows some of the best barley in the world. So we began looking out here, and in Bristol, both being a couple of hours from where we were based in London. We met with the West Acre estate, and they're very progressive thinking as a landowner and agricultural farmer. They're part of a rewilding project that's going on across Norfolk and Suffolk. And they were really interested to develop a dilapidated old barn that they had in their portfolio of buildings that really wasn't doing anything. And around us they've also developed a really nice artisanal community - a picture framer, a canoe maker, a coffee roaster, and an art gallery. They're thinking about how they can bring life back into a very small rural area through more sustainable businesses that bring skills and develop the area in a way that is more sustainable.”

Why did the idea of a farmhouse brewery particularly appeal to you? Miranda: “It was mostly for the beer. Because there's cask beer, there's very fresh beer, there's German lagers and pilsners. But yeastforward beers and mixed fermentation beers. I mean, they’re a lot more established in that realm in the States, but in the UK it's like the final frontier of beer that's yet to be explored. So we wanted to make beers that reflect the land but also use local cultures in them.” Bates: “It’s also a hell of a lot cheaper for a lot more square footage in the sticks than it is in the city!” Miranda: “Bates is from upstate South Carolina, where it's actually really similar to Norfolk in that life can be a bit more leisurely, but people work with their hands and inherit skills from the generation above them. And there is a real appreciation of locally-made produce, and enjoying just being in the landscape a lot more.”

What is the ethos behind the business? Miranda: “The first thing that we fell in love with was this huge stone barn and the conundrum was how to turn it into a working brewery when there was no power here, there was no water here. It was just pretty much a relic stood on a hill. We had to really think about how we were going to build the brewery. We had to imagine where we wanted to get to and how big we wanted to grow, who

we imagined drinking our beers, what styles, in order to install the business in the right way. We ended up bringing in a substation to put our power on, and we're actually talking with West Acre estate right now because they want to develop greener electricity and greener power for us, and for some of their other tenants as well. We also didn't have the benefit of going into mains drainage here. But our water source is supplied by two local rivers nearby, so we had to build our own water treatment plant to manage all of our effluent waste, so that we could put it back into this landscape that we had fallen in love with. Because of where we were, and because of the protections on the bit of land that we wanted to develop the brewery on, we had to think in a very self-sufficient way. It's frugality really and necessity that have helped us have this mindset - to do more with less.

And that's informed our whole way of being. If you always set your goal to put back more than you take from where you are, then you're always going to think conscientiously about where you are. So because we can't go into a mains drain, we have to clean our water. And we have to put it back into this protected chalk river. So we ended up separating our grain and separating our hops and separating our yeast and not letting it go down the drain. We then give it to producers nearby that see value in it. Whether that's a Wagyu beef smallholding farmer, or a blueberry grower that needs to take some of the alkalinity out of their soil and make it a little bit more acidic. Our hops work well for that, and our grain works well for the Wagyu herd. And we also think that way, actually, on the products we use within our beers. We think about who's around here that has produce that might be really nice in a grisette, and we think about vintners, after they have done their first pressings, there's some lovely flavourful produce that's just going to go to waste. If we can use that in a beer and we get the flavour from that, then that's also less wasteful. It's frugality really and necessity that have helped us have this mindset - to do more with less.” Continued on page 25

image Henry Muller

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Sustainability profile: Duration

image Tom Stapley

We took an approach of, build it once and build it right.

The system you installed to treat your water is quite unusual, not a reed bed system you see at many breweries? Bates: “A reed bed is enormously expensive, both to put in and upkeep and we also can't dig, so we can't dig out a 100m by 50m reed bed when we can barely do work on the building itself. We have to bring in an archaeologist and everything.” Miranda: “We have bats, voles, owls, cultural and historical remains - the sort of red tape that you think of when you think of Stonehenge or the Houses of Parliament applies to us because we're a scheduled monument. There are 134 scheduled monuments across the UK that have been deemed valuable to the nation. So for everything big we do, we have to apply to the Secretary of State. And we have about seven governing bodies that deal with Grade II and Grade I listed buildings. So certain things weren't available to us and we have had to look for new technologies.” Bates: “[The water treatment system] is a membrane bioreactor. It's not new technology. People like Thames Water and lots of other municipalities have been using membrane bioreactors for a couple of decades now. All it is, is a pH settling, where we adjust that. And then we take it over to a bio tank, which is just like a large enzymatic stomach. So it breaks down any organic matter. And it goes, finally, to a membrane tank, which is a nano filtration. So takes out any last bits and articles and everything like that. And then it goes to the soak way. We do all the requisite tests every day. And then every week we test ammonia, pH, oxygen levels, and then once a month, we send it off to an independent lab, just because they can do much more in-depth stuff than we can on a day-to-day basis. It just makes sure we're in line with what we should be.”

How do you balance the investment you make in ‘green’ projects with the return you get?

What other areas of your business have you adapted to become more sustainable?

Miranda: “We have got a huge capital investment in this project. Both in the brewing equipment we put in, but also in these ancillaries. But when we built this company, we wanted it to be a little bit more unique in being a farmhouse brewery, because we felt like that area hadn't been explored as much in the UK. And we are parents, and we wanted this to be our life’s work. So we thought it's worth it, because this is what's going to occupy our days for hopefully the rest of our working careers. We took an approach of, build it once and build it right. So the water treatment plant was a huge plug in that probably could have paid for another small brewery somewhere else. And it has been difficult with an inconsistent landscape for the last 18 months, it has been challenging.

Miranda: “We try not to use one way kegs, I know, for festivals and things that they're kind of the only option, and they do look after the beer well. But we use steel kegs.”

It has been challenging, but to us, it's worth it, because we want to be on this planet in the right way. But also, you're looking at sustainability. Now governments are as well. So there are lots of grants around and if you are committing yourself to those goals, then I think more and more we'll see that you'll get rewarded for striving for those goals. We've really been fortunate in the last year and a half in that we've been awarded three different grants on top of the furlough scheme and the other sort benefits that have been about. So, yeah, it has been challenging, but to us, it's worth it, because we want to be on this planet in the right way.”

Bates: “Basically looking at the processes, we try to be as sustainable as we can with how far things have to move. Even raw ingredients. All of our malt comes from about seven miles away, and it's grown on this farm. Unfortunately, hops aren't quite at that level yet. But we are working with Hukins and Brookhouse, and hopefully over the next few years, we'll see some more exciting hops grown on the UK. And then efficiencies on equipment, we are constantly looking to spend less and looking at power usage or outputs. The farm here is looking at doing solar and wind. Hopefully at some point down the line we'd like to have CO2 capture, but the technology is not quite there for what it costs compared to what we will get back from it - unless we were about 10 times our size. Even our reject water from our incoming, we don't use an RO [Reverse Osmosis] system but it is similar to an RO system. The reject water is still perfectly clean, it's just high in carbon at that point. So we retain it in a holding tank, and we use that for cleaning down floors, cleaning tanks, so we're not wasting it. Normally, people just discharge that straight to the drain.” Miranda: “Also, the way we clean our inbound water is more efficient than RO. And that is a new bit of technology, the Voltea, it uses magnetism to pull out the bits you don't want in the water rather than a sieve like RO.” Continued on page 27

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Sustainability profile: Duration image Theresa Undine

You accessed a number of grants to help with the investment, how did that come about? Miranda: “We actually worked with a local rural grants consultant. And we got a really significant sum. We were a big capex startup, and I think it was something like 10% or 12% of our initial startup cost was covered by a grant from a European fund. So it was through Defra and it’s called LEADER funding. While I think it's Brussels money, it's awarded by a committee of local counsellors. We got it for bringing jobs to a rural area – that was our qualifying criteria. So we had to commit to a certain amount of jobs in a certain period of time. And we actually were double awarded. So we were awarded one pot from that fund. And then another pot from the same fund went to our landlord because we were partnered in committing to developing the barn where the brewery is. Without that we wouldn't have been able to afford all of the technology that went into making this brewery exist in this particular spot. It also funded a lot of our barrel project. We've got a custom made coolship so that we can deploy traditional Belgian techniques of inoculating the wort. And we've got some really beautiful wooden foeders.”

How has your beer range developed since you launched? Miranda: “On our core side, we've got quite a few American style pales and IPAs, both East and West Coast. And we do tend to make nice Belgian beers. So we've got a continental pale, just like a Belgian pale, and a grisette. We

try to keep it quite broad in our styles. And we've collaborated far and wide. This Spring we've got Burning Sky coming up for a collab and Cloudwater. We've done collaborations with Deya and Verdant. We've also done international collaborations with Amundsen and Fonta Flora who are in North Carolina who are also a farmhouse brewery.” Bates: “We mainly focus on three areas. West Coast for pales and IPAs. German style beers, and Belgian style beers. Belgian ones a bit broader, because it's a pretty broad brush with everything from very clean to mixed fermentations, spawns. Here and there if we do a collab, we might do a riff on another style, but those are our main three points of focus on the fresh side. The Belgian side is a broad umbrella so that would include all of our mixed ferms stuff.” Miranda: “We call that side the Fermata range – which in musical terms means to pause or elongate a note. Duration lends itself to thinking about tempo and time.”

Education is very important to you at Duration, how does that work in practice? Miranda: “Because we've set up this taproom, we've been able to have a few event evenings. I think beer can be really obtuse, especially now that it's sort of exploded. So I think education is really important. We offer online tours, and we do in person tours, just connecting people to how a beer is made. It's amazing how many people don't know how long the fermentation process happens, or how variable some of our

basic ingredients can be based on the weather. I think, to make beer approachable, you have to be educational with it." Bates: “I think the major thing was putting the focus on the fact that it is agricultural-based ingredients. Everything is becoming too mass dominated over the past 70 or 80 years. Where it's almost ubiquitous that you pull a tap and beer flows like water out of your tap, nobody thinks about it, but it's not a mass produced thing. People are often astonished that come on tours. I'd say probably 75% of people don't know that barley even goes in the beer.” We ofier online tours, and we do in person tours, just connecting people to how a beer is made.

Miranda: “A big part of our tour is saying, you know, as a small producer, we pay about seven pence a can, and about nine pence a label. And in this tank of beer, we might put £1,000 of hops, but only £200 worth of grain. I think it's really important to be quite transparent about it.” Continued on page 29

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Sustainability profile: Duration

We were bringing in 200 or 300 people across a weekend over the summer. image Ashley Carter

Do you think the UK’s small brewers could be doing more to become more sustainable? Miranda: “I think tonnes more could be done. I think that in brewing inherently there is a lot of waste. I know that Deya in Cheltenham work with a sustainability body that monitors and assesses their performance. I think if SIBA, or other people, were to say, ‘here are the places where you can do that’ – it’s a really good credential, because I think consumers, and the whole supply chain, needs to think a lot more about those matters, because when all the trees have been chopped down that's it. I feel like the time is now to get thinking in that way. We do it as people and we all recycle as people but as companies I think we all need to be held to account a lot more.”

What main challenges are you facing right now as a business? Bates: “It’ll probably be growth. It will be capital expenditure. We’re a cash intensive business, and it's very tough if people aren't paying their bills, or anything like that, so you've always got to have your eye on that. Because we still have to pay our suppliers at the end of the month, whether we've been paid for that beer that's going out or not. So it's probably those two things and they'll go hand in hand. And where that cash is going to go, and where it's going to make the best investment in your people, your equipment, your beer.”

What key projects do you have planned for 2022? Miranda: “We're just undertaking a small plant expansion at the moment, that will give us probably about 10% better yield off all of our cellar by installing a centrifuge. And then we're just adding a couple more tanks to the cellar to meet demand. Then our next big project is the alfresco taproom. We were bringing in 200 or 300 people across a weekend over the summer, but really we only have an outside area, and a very small inside area. So we want to build a custom taproom on site. That's going to be a big project. We’re raising the funds for it this year, and then hopefully implementing it next year. And then on the brew side, hopefully, we did so much when we were building it that really the add-ons, as we grow are going to be negligible. We've not got the ambition to grow to a super-sized brewery anyway.”

What are you proudest of since you launched Duration? Miranda: “I am so proud of our onward supply chain. I feel like we're sort of tertiary in our industry, and in these last 18 months at certain points, we've not had any of the on-trade venues in play. We've only had independent off-trade retailers. And I feel like everyone has really pulled together. Everyone's understood that the way beer gets drunk has gone through different permutations in this last 18 months. And I would say that how, as an industry, we pulled together, we even managed to have a little insular look at ourselves, and look at areas where we want to improve with all

the outpouring of stories of misogyny. So we've not only had a sort of internal look at our practices and how we operate, but we've managed to keep good beer flowing. I feel proud just of the industry, and especially what I see as our sort of brand ambassadors, the people that connect our beers to the public. I'm really proud of them and of our team. And then for me personally I am really proud that we were given some recognitions. We won Best New Brewery of the Year last year, and we won Best New Beer of the Year.”

Who do you most admire in the craft beer market at the moment and why? Miranda: “Internationally, Bates and I would both say Sierra Nevada, just hands down for craft beer, and leading the way with their innovations and their carbon neutral goals and sustainability and just deliciousness of beer. I also really admire Deya for actually measuring and monitoring their levels of sustainability, because that's setting a standard. And then for me, purely for admiration from one brewer to another, it’s got to be Burning Sky. Just for jumping off a ledge and saying that beer can go in a different direction. It might take years and years and not be viable, and you’re not going to see the results for a while, but it’s important that these styles of beers exist in the world. That to me is so inspirational.”

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Taproom focus: Stroud Brewery

Name: Stroud Brewery Founded: 2006 Location: Stroud, Gloucestershire

SUS

INABI

Taproom Hours: Mon – Closed Tue 10:00am – 5:00pm Wed 10:00am – 11:00pm Thu 10:00am – 11:00pm Fri 10:00am – 11:00pm Sat 10:00am – 11:00pm Sun 10:00am – 5:00pm

BRE WIN

In the second of our regular features we are focussing once again on one of our members’ amazing taprooms - spaces in breweries across the country that have really come into their own during the pandemic, and where a lot of investment has been made in recent times by independent breweries. The number of UK taprooms is ever-growing, as they offer the perfect opportunity to showcase not only excellent local beers, but also the production site itself and place small independent breweries right at the heart of the local community. In this edition of the magazine we focus on the taproom at Stroud Brewery in Gloucestershire, which opened just before the pandemic with a strong focus on sustainability, an issue close to the heart of the brewery team and evident across the business. If you’d like to see your taproom featured in a future edition, email caroline.nodder@siba.co.uk Stroud Brewery in Stroud, Gloucestershire, brews a range of delicious Organic beers in a variety of styles including German Style Hefeweizen and more traditional British Bitters, Pale Ales, IPAs and Stouts. The brewery has also joined forces with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, of River Cottage fame, to produce a trio of beers to complement the 'Food to inspire change' campaign, shedding light on organic and ethical sources of food and drink. Stroud Brewery’s ‘eco’ taproom continues this planetfriendly approach with the use of sustainable and recycled materials, solar panels, and even a rain-water capture system on the roof used to source water for flushing the taproom toilets. The taproom itself is big, bright and airy thanks to the full-width bi-fold doors which lead out onto the beer garden, which itself overlooks the picturesque canal and railway. Since opening in 2019 the taproom has become a landmark attraction for locals and is well worth a special trip. With an on-site pizza oven and excellent food served throughout the day, it’s a taproom you could easily spend the whole afternoon in. Our recommendation for your first beer? It’s got to be Stroud’s classic Tom Long Organic Session Bitter, a deliciously balanced bitter which combines light caramel malt with a spicy orange hop aroma – a real treat on cask. www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Business profile: Salt Beer Factory

Salt of the earth Salt Beer Factory is the younger, hipper, sibling of established cask brewery Ossett Brewery, with both operating under shared ownership but in very difierent parts of the craft beer market. The idea for Salt sprung from the emergence of American style, hop forward IPAs and pale ales. A world away in taste and style from the traditional cask ales that Ossett had mastered. And in wanting to explore this new side to the market, the team decided that they could only do it justice if they launched a new brewing brand with a dedicated site and team who could champion hop forward beers without diluting the focus on cask at Ossett. Salt Beer Factory was launched in 2018, with a mission to take beer drinkers on a journey into the new world of American-style hoppy beers, but without throwing them

Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

straight in at the 8% deep end. The idea that this style of beer could be equally accessible as a session bitter, with a non-daunting entry level 4.2% ABV, underpinned Salt’s belief that these beers can be for everyone. Pubs and retail are at the heart of the Ossett business and that background has also inspired a focus on retail within the Salt brand that has seen it launch four bars – the latest two in London – and a second production site in the capital too. The original brewery and taproom in UNESCO world heritage site Saltaire in West Yorkshire, a village built by leading industrialist Sir Titus Salt – which is also how Salt Beer Factory got its name. Caroline Nodder from Independent Brewer spoke to Salt’s MD Nadir Zairi in early 2022 to hear more about the brand’s ambitious expansion plans

Business profile: Salt Beer Factory Business Basics

Name: Salt Beer Factory Founded: 2018 (first beer produced 2016) Location: Original brewery and bar/taproom in Saltaire, West Yorkshire. Second brewery in London and retail sites in Leeds, Sheffield and two sites in Deptford and Woolwich in London Owners: Shared ownership with Ossett Brewery by team including Jamie Lawson Annual production: 12,000hl Brewing team: 5 people Staff: 90-100 people (including retail) Core beers: Jute (Session IPA 4.2% ABV), Citra (Session NEIPA 4.3% ABV), Huckaback (NEIPA 5.5% ABV), Alpaca (DDH IPA 6.6% ABV), Ikat (DDH DIPA 8% ABV) and Tram (Double NEIPA 8% ABV) Production split (cask, keg & small pack): 55% keg, 40% small pack and 5% cask Key export markets: Italy, Singapore, Denmark and The Netherlands

How did Salt Beer Factory come to launch and how has the business developed since then? “We are under shared ownership, so we have two brewing brands. We have Ossett Brewery, which focuses on cask ale predominantly, and now we have Salt. So with the background of Ossett, and also the background of being in pubs, the initial vision for Salt was actually a focus on lager, craft lager. So I guess that was the initial inspiration to look at a new site and a new brand. And then from that initial inspiration, we came across these amazing American craft beers. The kind of very hop forward IPAs and pale ales. And that really sparked a focus on a hop forward brand and brewery. We were tasting these American craft beers and we had never seen anything of that ilk before. So we did a bit more of a deep dive and realised that that side of the market was growing and it was so different to what we'd already done. We recognised that because it was so different, it had to be a separate brand, a separate site with a separate team to do both ends of the spectrum authentically. So that was the initial inspiration. Then beyond that, as we went through the ideation and development phase, we wanted to bring people on the same journey that we've gone on. So having experienced something so different, when we entered that space, we wanted to create an open and accessible brand that would hopefully bring more people into that kind of hazy, hop forward arena. So that was the focus for our initial beers, and it is a big focus now going forward. I came on board in the extremely early days of Salt. It was before it even had a name. But Jamie Lawson, who's one of the owners, he took me through his journey in regards to how the initial inspiration for Salt came to be. And then I came on board when we basically had an empty shell of a building, and we have built everything out from there.”

Did you always intend there to be a big focus on retail within Salt? “Yes, 100%. I think we've got a great retail background and experience. There is something amazing about the British pub, the British bar. And that kind of retail focus was very evident in building the brand and building the brewery. Because it's not just a brewery, it's a retail space - the taproom is literally surrounded by the brewery. And that retail focus was the key, it helped with the direction of what we wanted to do. So we focused on what we call in inverted commas ‘pub beers’. We focused a lot on sessionable beers, accessible beers, which was the early core range for Salt. Because we wanted to make beers that were accessible and drinkable. Our retail background has informed the direction that we've gone with the Salt brand as well.”

What is the ethos behind the business? “It's fairly straightforward. It's just to make great craft beer for everyone. So when we entered the space, I guess the modern brewing space, it was quite a small part of the market, but it felt quite closed off. It seemed like it was hard to get involved, it seemed like it was hard to understand the styles of beer. So we wanted to make it really open and accessible. We just want to make great beer and be as open, as accessible as possible and get it into as many people's hands as possible. And with that, there's a couple of key things that are driving the business going forward. So our core range is a range of styles from an entry level at 4.2%, all the way up to 8%, which are more challenging and a little bit more specialist. But hopefully it takes people on a journey from the entry to more different and exciting styles. In terms of how that impacted the branding, we wanted it to be very recognisable but also very simple. So our branding is led with colour. It’s simple. We have tasting cues on the front of the can, again, to push an accessibility piece. A very, very big focus going forward is the education side of things. We obviously say we want to make great beer for everyone. I think it's important for drinkers and customers to understand what we do and understand what's in the glass. So education is going to be a key pillar for us going forward. And then the final thing that transcends the business across both of our brewing brands, and also through our pub estate, is doing good through beer. Using beer as a force for good is our mission to hopefully have a positive impact beyond just a tasty beer.” Continued on page 35

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

sour Solutions Strain Comparison Lactic acid producing yeast

Lactic Acid Bacteria

Whether performing a kettle sour with bacteria or souring in the fermenter using lactic acid producing yeast, the choice of souring strain has

Obligate Homofermentative Bacteria (Produces only lactic acid)

Non-Saccharomyces lactic acid producing yeast

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum

Lactobacillus helveticus

Lachancea spp.

Preferred Usage Method

Kettle Sour

Fermentation no pre-souring required

Temperature Range

30-40°C (86-104°F)

38-45°C (100-113°F)

20-30°C (68-86°F)

Fermentation time

24-48 hrs for acid production

5-10 days

performance and the flavor and character of the

(Produces lactic acid and may produce small amounts of ethanol, CO2 and other organic compounds)

beer. Bacteria fermentations require a secondary Species

yeast strain to complete the alcoholic

3.0-3.5

3.2-3.5

0.5-0.8%

0.6-1.2%

0.1-0.4%

Hop tolerance

4ppm alpha acid, 4ppm beta acid

4ppm iso-alpha acid, 4ppm beta acid

hop tolerant

RA UT

NE OHOLIC

OHOLIC

ALC

G REEN AP P

ACID

Apricot, lemon pith, lightly grassy, apple

ACID

ever before. Lactic acid bacteria can be used for kettle and fermenter souring practices to provide depth of flavor along with mild to high levels of acidity depending on the strain. Both WildBrew Sour Pitch™ and WildBrew Helveticus Pitch™ offer consistent and reliable bacteria options for brewers looking to produce citrusy sour beers. WildBrew Sour Pitch™ (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum) ferments at mildly warm temperatures and produces a medium level of lactic acid with hints of grapefruit. By comparison, WildBrew Helveticus Pitch™ (Lactobacillus helveticus) ferments at higher temperatures and produces higher levels of lactic acid with a lemony/sour candy flavor.

Follow this code

in recent years they have started to gain more attention. The yeast of the genus Lachancea produce lactic acid as well as ethanol and CO2 in fermentation. The WildBrew Philly Sour™ strain is a unique Lachancea species that was selected from nature by the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, USA. It produces a mild level of lactic acid and ethanol in one simple fermentation step with flavors of apricot and stone fruit.

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UIT

Strong Citrus, lemon, sour candy

Strain selection for sour beer production is a growing challenge as brewers are faced with a greater variety of strains than

Lactic acid producing yeast is relatively uncommon for brewing applications; however,

TROPIC

GR EEN AP P

OHOLIC

UIT

G REEN AP P

Citrus, tangy, sour

PP DA

UIT

ALC

TROPIC

LE APP

TROPIC

Flavor & Aroma

LE APP

souring strain

3.2-3.5

Lactic Acid Range

Choose your

pH Range

with other yeast to achieve desired results).

ACI D

perform both functions (but can be co-pitched

fermentation, whereas lactic acid producing yeast

important implications for fermentation

Facultative Heterofermentative Bacteria

Classification

Business profile: Salt Beer Factory

What do you do differently at Salt?

“I think the inclusivity and accessibility piece is key to what makes us different, especially at the time we entered the market. That coupled with very openly stating the ambition to make great beer for as many people as possible and our desire to grow, it felt like that was against some of the trends in what was that small virgin part of the market. And again, at that time, the very simple recognisable branding was very different. We were trying to cut through all the noise in the craft beer space at the time, which was very heavily image or pattern led, but it wasn't the most accessible piece for the drinker. It was hard to decipher what was in the can. Even our focus on session beers again, and the core range, I guess the modern craft space was so heavily focused on rotational and what’s new and predominantly higher ABV styles that I think our initial focus on what we call the session beers was again, quite different at the time. But I think it's stood us in good stead. And we're seeing more of the trend now to focus on a permanent core range, and the introduction of more and more sessionable beers.”

What led to the launch of a second production site and what are your plans for that? “It's a challenge, obviously, having two breweries over 200 miles apart was always going to be a challenge. But the decision came from a couple of different directions. One was capacity led. We saw the need for more brewing capacity. We didn't want to put any kind of dampner on our growth. So we knew

that we needed a bigger brewing site so we can continue our growth. So that was obviously a key driver. But beyond that, and probably equally as significant, was a desire to grow the brand beyond the region, beyond being very, very Yorkshire centric. So London is obviously the capital city, and it's deemed to be the capital of modern craft, so says the consumer. So there was definitely a strategic decision as well, by focusing on London as the second production site. So it's perfectly in line with our growth, both from a production capacity point of view, but also strategically, having a footprint in London, hopefully shifting perceptions to the fact that we are growing and that we're not just Yorkshire based any more. And hopefully in line with becoming one of the leaders in modern craft in the UK.” An exploration piece into the limits of beer, the limits of fiavour and the ultimate creative outlet for the brewing team.

What is the Hexagon Project? “The Hexagon Project is almost like an alter ego. Our brand, our core beers are all about accessibility. But the Hexagon Project is almost like a challenge to our brewing team, giving the freedom to our brewing team to explore the limits of what beer can be. So it's very specialist. It's extremely small batch, really diverse in terms of styles. But it's showcasing what the limits of what beer can be are, celebrating the diversity of what beer is.

Because there's so many different styles. There's so much scope to do weird and wonderful and interesting things and use non-traditional ingredients or non-traditional processes. It's just an exploration piece into the limits of beer, the limits of flavour and the ultimate creative outlet for the brewing team.”

You recently launched new retail sites in London, how did that come about and how will they operate “The retail side of the business has always been very key, and it will continue to be. So when we acquired the brewing site in London, that also came with two already trading taprooms. And again, from a strategic point of view, and I guess just a design point of view, having taprooms in London was a great opportunity. And it's something that we've always spoken about. So it was a great acquisition, both in terms of the brewing side, but also the retail side. We were really lucky. Internally, our head office team has really strong retail background and experience. We're used to working with quite a high number of retail sites now. And we kept everybody on board with the acquisition, and we've got a great team in London anyway. So they can work relatively autonomously. Which has been a massive godsend. But in terms of managing distance, regular communication is obviously key. We are working with them to have all of our retail sites with the same ethos and look and feel. And there's a lot of travel down to London, just to make sure that everybody's in the loop, everybody's on the same page.” Continued on page 37

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Business profile: Salt Beer Factory

You are based in a very unusual and historic village with UNESCO World Heritage status, how does that shape what you do? “It's huge. We are at heart proud Yorkshiremen. So we want to shout about our story and our heritage, and our homeland. That really informed a lot of what we've done with the brand, down to the actual name – Salt was the name of the pioneer who built the village where we’re based. We like to tell the story through the names of our core beers as well, they’re all named after textiles. Saltaire was a village built by a mill pioneer, and he built the mill and then he built the model village to house all the workers of the mill. So it's informed the name of the brand and the core beers, but Saltaire has also got a great art and cultural heritage and history as well. So the appreciation for anything craft again, feeds into our brand. Beyond that, the actual building that we are set in is a Grade II listed building. It's under the UNESCO world heritage protection, so it surrounds us on a dayto-day basis.”

What main challenges are you facing right now as an independent brewery? “The market shifts extremely quickly. So even in the three years that we've been trading, the market has shifted. In terms of consumer trends, consumer tastes, even down to things such as packaging formats – if you’re looking at cans is it a 330ml or a 440ml? So you have to be extremely agile. As a business, it's obviously great to be as planned out as possible and as strategic as possible. But you have to be able

to adapt and be really lean and really agile. I think that is quite a large challenge in terms of what we do. And I think as the modern craft sector matures, competition is getting more and more and more tough. And there's an added element of competition on price now as well, particularly with big beer owning craft brands. I think we always strive to put out the best product. But as the sector matures, it's getting more and more competitive.” Salt was the name of the pioneer who built the village where we’re based. We like to tell the story through the names of our core beers as well.

How important is sustainability to your business? “It's extremely important both from a business point of view, but from a team point of view as well. I know that the members of the Salt team are all very focused on sustainability in their personal lives. But it's equally as important from a business perspective. So we're constantly reviewing how we can minimise our impact on the environment or how we can be more sustainable as a business. We're constantly focusing on how we can repurpose waste or how we can reduce plastic consumption or how we can reduce the carbon footprint, it's extremely important for any modern day business, I'd say. Beyond that, it feeds into one of the key pillars of our brand, which is

doing good through beer as well. So this year, particularly, we are working on some quite significant projects that will have a large impact in terms of sustainability. We're working with a plastic reduction business, basically their MO is to remove plastic from the oceans, and we're looking at a long term collaboration, where we can use the proceeds of the beer to have a pretty significant impact. Sustainability is constantly evolving and updating. But it forms a very serious stream within our thought process, about how we can, as we grow, become more and more sustainable.”

How do you address inclusivity at Salt? “Obviously there's more and more focus being placed on it in our industry, and I would say that we're very lucky to naturally have a very diverse and open minded team. And I genuinely think that comes from the top down from the ownership to the leadership, through everybody that we have here. If you take me as a person, I came in to work for Salt. I wasn't from the beer industry, and I am from North African heritage, which is, I guess, in the minority within the industry. And I'm relatively young, to be in a senior position. We bring people into the team, or we hire people, on merit. We've got so many different types of people within our organisation that we have hired or promoted or that have grown in the business, just because we view people on merit, and potential, which I think is super key.” Continued on page 39

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Business profile: Salt Beer Factory

How do you see the UK craft brewing scene changing over the next few years?

it different? Why do we deserve a premium? I think that will go a long way to hopefully giving us the tools to compete in the market.”

“I think we're seeing something I'm personally excited about. We're seeing a real growth in a focus on craft lager, independent craft lager. I think that's a really exciting trend. And I think that's going to gain more momentum and become more important for craft breweries. We're seeing in the modern craft space, more and more session beers and core ranges being introduced. And I think that's great. I think it builds more recognisability for the drinkers more options for people to get into the modern craft part of the market. We're now getting to the point where this part of the sector is maturing, there's more awareness about modern craft.”

Are there any current trends in the beer world that particularly excite you?

How can small brewers compete more effectively against ‘big beer’? “I think we have to almost adopt big beer thinking in the sense of, we have to create a brand that goes beyond what's in the glass. So I think we have to focus on building a full circle value proposition. So before, during, and after drinking a beer, we build a brand that people can resonate with, and they attribute some value to, I think that's extremely key. I think that the more that we can build that intangible value, the greater we can compete. With the advent of digital technology, and social media, it’s kind of democratised things so we can compete with these new tools, whereas before you'd be more limited by investment and budget. I think we have more of a platform to compete and build that kind of full value lifecycle. We also have to maintain the quality in crafting what we do. And I think education by brewers to drinkers is extremely key, I think if we can make drinkers or consumers understand, what is craft? Why is

“Not necessarily a trend, but something that we will be focusing on is cask. We love cask, and there's so much amazing cask out there already. But I think with the Salt brand, we probably naturally resonate with a slightly younger consumer. There's already amazing cask out there. But hopefully, we can use our brand to get a fresh pair of eyes on it. So we want to shout about how amazing cask beer is, from what makes it so special, down to the care before dispense, down to how it’s served through the beer engine. We're obviously not reinventing the wheel, because there's already amazing cask out there. But hopefully, we can use our brand to get a fresh pair of eyes on it.”

What are you proudest of during your time at Salt? “I think it has to be how we tackled the pandemic. Obviously, that is such a huge challenge to any business within our industry. And being able to grow through the pandemic. And not just in terms of the volume of our output. But in terms of the team, the skills we have within our team, the execution of what we do, seeing the business and the brand grow through the pandemic I believe it's a huge achievement, in the face of very, very tough circumstances.”

What plans do you have for the business for 2022? “One of the key plans is focusing on the on-trade. As a brand we've only been going for three years, and probably half of that has been impacted by the pandemic. So we've not really had an extended period of time to really try to build in the on-trade. So that's definitely a core focus for this year. Then we do have the operational challenge of upscaling the production at London. That's a very recent acquisition. And then I think beyond that trying to build value in our brand beyond what's in the glass. We're always striving for the highest quality. But beyond that, I think we can offer something different to drinkers and to consumers. And whether that's the education side of things, or doing good food better, trying to positively impact people through what we do is just building more value to what we do.”

Who do you most admire in the craft beer market at the moment and why? “I think we've always had great admiration for Thornbridge because they really do span the breadth of British brewing. From a quality point of view, maintaining such high quality over such a long period of time is really enviable. And that's something that we definitely aspire to do. I think a local brewery, but a big brewery, that I personally have a lot of respect for is Timothy Taylor's. I think they've created such a strong, strong brand that's relevant across such a wide variety of outlets, from your really, really traditional cask-led inns, to a modern craft bar in a city centre. Their brand sits really well across all of that, and they’ve been able to maintain a premium price point in cask, which is a real challenge.”

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Where craft brewing passion meets glassware innovation

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Meet the regions

Name: Andy Hayward

Name: Darren Batten

Brewery: Thames Side Brewery

Brewery: Palmers Brewery

Region: South East

Region: South West

Contact details: andrew.hayward@siba.co.uk

Contact details: darren.batten@siba.co.uk

How did you first get into brewing?

“I started home brewing in 1978, when good beer was much harder to find, and I realised that I could make better beer than I could buy in many pubs, at a fraction of the cost. Meanwhile, I spent my career handling US insurance claims in the City and did not get a chance to leave that world and start a commercial brewery until I had paid off the mortgage, but managed to do so in 2015.”

“My first job as a teenager was bottling up and glass collecting in a village pub a couple of miles from the brewery, and then progressing to bar work throughout my teens I found I loved the unique atmosphere you get in pubs. As part of my Biology degree I spent a year in in Sittingbourne/Faversham area and discovered real ale in the village pubs of Kent. On graduating I was approached in the pub by the then Palmers Head Brewer and took a job stacking pallets in a bottling hall. Following the old Brewers Guild ‘Fundamentals of Brewing’ course at Durham Uni, a Management Diploma, WSET Higher Certificate in Wine, and finally the IBD Diploma in Brewing I became Head Brewer about 15 years ago.”

What do you love most about the industry? “The collaborative nature of it. We are all in it because of a passion for the product, and most brewers seem happy to help other brewers out when necessary.” How long have you been involved with SIBA and why did you join? “I joined as a “Not Yet Brewing” member in 2015 because I have always wanted to be fully part of everything I have ever been involved with. Joining SIBA felt like I was joining a lot of likeminded people all striving for the same general thing, and pulling in the same direction.” What do you see as the most important part of your SIBA role? “Trying to convince non-member breweries that they should join us, and work together for the benefit of the industry as a whole, rather than hanging on to SIBA’s coat tails and getting a free ride on the back of SIBA’s achievements.”

What do you love most about the industry? “I think brewing is a very small family. I love that at whatever level or size your brewery is, we are all willing to help and share experiences.” How long have you been involved with SIBA and why did you join? “Palmers have been members of SIBA for as long as I can remember. We joined because we wanted to be involved with our fellow South West brewers (there were only a handful in those days) to meet up, share experiences and really to just have a beer together.” What do you see as the most important part of your SIBA role?

What challenges do you see breweries facing in your region this year?

“My role as a Regional Director is important to express the view of a ‘family brewer’ who has a pub estate. Often smaller brewers see pub owners as ‘the big boys’ and see us as limiting access to market despite us being only just above the 5,000hl threshold. I am passionate about changing that view and educating our members on the importance of the slightly bigger brewers being involved in SIBA. We all have similar issues and must work together to drive change.”

“Obviously, we are all (hopefully!) coming out the other side of a seriously bad two years and trying to at least get back to the position that we were all in before the pandemic struck, and pushing on from there will be a challenge.”

Why should Members get involved in SIBA locally? “The more members that join SIBA the more the ‘voice of British brewing’ we become. The network of brewing friends you gain from joining trade associations is so important when times get tough. ”

What do you see as SIBA’s most important role in 2022?

What is your favourite beer in your region other than your own?

Why should Members get involved in SIBA locally? “Networking and building relationships locally (and even nationally) are wonderful things. It can really be beneficial to have friends in the area who you can rely on if you need help or advice.”

“Facilitating the above.” What is your favourite beer in your region other than your own? “Greensand IPA by Surrey Hills Brewery” Who do you most admire in your local brewing community and why? “Actually there are two, and I admire them both for the same reasons: Derek Prentice of Wimbledon Brewery, and Paddy Johnson of Windsor & Eton Brewery. They are both career brewers but have been welcoming to me as an “upstart home brewer” turned commercial brewer, coming near to their patches.”

“I know this will be a controversial answer, but I am a big fan of St Austell Tribute. The late great Roger Ryman was a good friend who supported me when I first became Head Brewer (they were SIBA members then and I am please they have just re-joined) Roger stood for quality and brewed real ales so that you could stand in a pub and have a few pints. Tribute is a great example of a well brewed drinkable pint and George Young continues Roger’s legacy. So, I raise a pint of Tribute to Roger.”

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Meet the retailer: Hop, Burns & Black

Issue 9

Spring 2022

Top of the Hops

Cover Story

Top of the hops Indie retailer Hop, Burns & Black was born of two people’s love of craft beer, hot sauce and vinyl records. Jen Ferguson and Glenn Williams arrived on UK shores from New Zealand, where they had already seen the growth in the number of small independent breweries mirror a similar explosion in the number of craft and artisanal hot sauce producers. Arriving in London’s Peckham/East Dulwich area, the pair loved the community spirit but saw a gap in the market for an independent retail site specialising in craft beer and hot sauce, with a side helping of vinyl records thrown in. In November 2014 they took the plunge, giving up their day jobs to launch the business, which was

Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

embraced by locals while also, as one of only a handful of independents of its kind in London at that time, becoming a destination for those from further afield. In 2018 the business added another retail site in Deptford, and with sales growing from their online shop during lockdown, a new warehouse was added last year. Despite this expansion, the business has stayed true to its roots, focusing on creating a welcoming, inclusive environment, championing local breweries and producers. Independent Brewer’s Caroline Nodder spoke to Jen and Glenn back in January to find out more about their journey and plans for the future…

Meet the retailer: Hop, Burns & Black How did you come to launch Hop, Burns & Black and how has the business developed since then?

Business Basics

Name: Hop, Burns & Black Founded: November 2014 Location: Shops in Peckham/East Dulwich and Deptford in London (plus an online warehouse) Owners: Jen Ferguson and Glenn Williams Number of retail sites: 2 Staff: 7 (including owners) Key product categories and sales mix: Beer (60% of sales), natural wine, cider, spirits and hot sauce

Jen: “Both Glenn and I were fairly bored with our day jobs, and we asked ourselves what is it that we love? And the things that we love the most are craft beer, hot sauce and music. So yeah, that's how Hop, Burns and Black was born - originally ‘hop’ was the beer, ‘burns’ was the hot sauce and ‘black’ was vinyl records. Although during the pandemic, that's one of the things that has gone by the by and we don't sell the vinyl anymore, but music is still an integral part of the business.” Glenn: “Coming from New Zealand, it was one of those things that we'd seen coming up with craft beer, was craft hot sauces and locally made and small batch interesting sauces made with crazy foreign chillies. Then we started to see brewers working with hot sauce makers and vice versa. So making chilli beers and beer-based hot sauces and then having festivals together. It was one of those things that coming to the UK we had already seen was working together. And we would always have a shelf of hot sauce in the fridge along with a shelf of craft beer. So it just for us came naturally that these two things would come together.” Jen: “We've always got a big rotating selection of hot sauces, but it's always more than 100 and depending on what time of year it is, it can be much more than that.” Glenn: “When we started the shop back in 2014, we wanted people to walk in and get this wow factor. So we had a big wall of beer on one side, and then on the other, this big wall of hot sauce. We wanted people to be just like, wow, look at that, and then turn around and see something else and go, ‘This is so strange. We've never seen this before in the UK’.”

Jen: “So we started in 2014 with our Peckham/ East Dulwich branch. We've been living in Peckham since 2013. And we just love it. We just knew as soon as we moved here that it has this fantastic community spirit, and we thought we really want to be more closely involved in our community.” Glenn: “And thinking back to 2014, in London, there weren't that many places where you could go and buy craft beer off the shelf. There were a couple of other businesses that started elsewhere in South West London and East London early on in that year. But prior to that, there were just some incumbents that had been around since the 90s, doing Belgian beer, that sort of thing. So we really were setting a precedent.” We really wanted to be a place where you could get the best of the best. So the product selection would wow people coming in. Jen: “Then Deptford we opened in June 2018. That came about as it was a place that we often went to, and again there was kind of not much there. Certainly not much in terms of beer and wine retail. So there was an obvious gap in the market.”

What is the ethos behind the business? Jen: “We wanted to have this destination, which was also at the heart of the community. And the general ethos is basically be excellent to each other and be excellent over all – just to misquote Bill and Ted! We really wanted to be a place where you could get the best of the best. So the product selection would wow people coming in. We've always wanted customers to be able to rely on us and know that every product that we stock is going to be of the highest quality - from breweries, from businesses who have good people as well. I think importantly as well, for in-store and obviously with the customer service online as well, we want to make sure that it's always a warm and friendly and a fun environment to shop in. We want to ensure that it's never intimidating to shop with us. We've all had these experiences when you walk into a wine shop and the staff are quite snooty and you feel a bit uncomfortable. Or you'd walk into beer shops and bars, and it would be quite an off putting ‘bro’ environment. We always wanted to ensure that we would never create uncomfortable environments, we'd never sneer or never look down our noses at you if you don't know much about the products that we sell - that's what we're there for! We're here to take you on the same journeys that we've all made.” Continued on page 45

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Meet the retailer: Hop, Burns & Black

How do you select the beers you stock? Jen: “The number of breweries in the UK now, it's hundreds and hundreds and growing all the time. And certainly by the number of samples that we get sent every week, there's a lot of new breweries popping up all the time. We tend to work with breweries that we know can be relied upon for consistency and for quality. Consistency is such a key point. We've been burned a few times. We'll try samples and think, well, these are really great. And, of course, we get the beers and they've been sometimes just terrible, terrible quality. So I think that's one of the most important things that a new brewery can get right is to be consistent.” Glenn: “And we're lucky now because most of the breweries we do stock have been around a few years now and have nailed the quality and consistency, and also what they're about. So for a new brewery to knock one of those out and get on our shelves, there's quite a high bar to meet. So first of all, we've got to love the beer. That's number one. There's not a beer in the shop that we haven't enjoyed.”

What do you look for in the small brewers you work with? Glenn: “There's a strong focus on local for us. Because our customers also want to see the local beers. And we're very lucky that we've got some fantastic local breweries like Brick Brewery, like Villages, like Gypsy Hill, that have, over the years, nailed their consistency. So there's no problems there. But the issue comes in choosing the breweries from further afield. Those breweries that approach us, they

might be down on the south coast, or they could be up north and they might have a good local offering. They could be local heroes where they're from, but in order to be on our shelves they have to be doing something that's an X factor, something that makes them a little bit more special, and also something that our customers are demanding. They could be local heroes where they're from, but in order to be on our shelves they have to be doing something that's an X factor, something that makes them a little bit more special.

A good core range would be good for that brewery in their local area, you know, lager, pale ale and IPA. But what is going to make those special enough to be put on a shelf hundreds of miles away? So we look for breweries that are leading the charge with perhaps a certain style. So you look at Verdant or Deya, just as an examples of two breweries that led the charge with the juicy hazy New England styles that many other breweries are now doing, but because they were the first they're now incumbent on our shelves and our customers demand them week to week. One of the key elements is branding, of course, as well. What does it look like on shelf ? What does the range look like as a whole? And some of these are a real X Factor.”

Jen: “What I love to see as well is when the personality of a brewery really shines through. I think social media does a lot of that. I mean, if you look at the likes of, for example, Donzoko Brewing. Reece [owner Reece Hugill] is this fantastic force of nature online, and for a one-man band, essentially, he's got a lot more volume than many others.”

How has your retail operation developed? Jen: “I mean, obviously the last two years have been a massive rollercoaster. We pivoted in various ways. And we're very lucky that we were quite a tight unit that could have the flexibility to be able to pivot in a few ways. When we first launched our online shop, which was in 2015, for a long time we were able to do all the operations from our pick-up shop site. Although that was a tight squeeze, you know, it wasn't without its issues. Then during the pandemic, when we closed during the first lockdown, we closed our in-store operations halfway through March 2020 and operated pretty much solely online and with the local deliveries from our pick-up shop. But after we reopened, we had to move online to its own warehouse. Before the pandemic online made up 23% of our revenues, and it now makes up 40%. And before the pandemic a lot of our online stuff was going all around the country. I'd say the vast majority of stuff was being couriered to places outside of London, whereas now a lot of our stuff is bought online for local delivery. We do that in our electric van that we got last year.” Continued on page 47

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Meet the retailer: Hop, Burns & Black We would always have a shelf of hot sauce in the fridge along with a shelf of craft beer. So it just for us came naturally that these two things would come together.

What do you think is the key to a successful online operation? Jen: “I think the biggest thing is the website interface. If you think about it as a customer yourself, if you go to an online shop and it is slow, it's taking ages to load, doesn't give you the information. So I think a smart, a smooth, fast, intuitive website is key. And obviously, you know, a range of delivery options. We've now got courier shipping across the UK, we've got same day couriers across London, we've got our local delivery service, or people can pick up from the shops. So there's all these different ways that people can get their hands on our products. Confident shipping partners is really important. So many online businesses have worked with courier partners who have let them down.” Glenn: “It is also about creating packaging solutions that enable the product to get to the customer in good condition. That has also been helped by most breweries moving into cans as well. Certainly back in 2015/2016, it was a combination of the packaging, which was not so great, but also so many bottles as well, we were getting a lot of breakages. And also, customer service. You’ve got to be available to answer questions, people need to know that someone is there, and it's someone who is real, and we are a small business, so we are available to answer any kind of question whether it be about choosing products, or

the whole delivery process, or when to expect a package or any kind of follow up questions. That's really important. It’s also about being really in tune with your stock. So over the years, we've really got to know how much to order, how long that's going to stick around for, and that ties in with what our customers are demanding. Because you can often go to some other websites and see products that are reduced to clear - we don't do any reduce to clear stuff. We have a bin end section, but that's only because it's the one thing left of a particular line, and it's not actually reduced.”

What do you see as the key challenges currently for a business like yours? Jen: “One of the obvious challenges is the decline of the High Street. Peckham, for example, has apparently declined by 26%, which is huge when you think about it. But at the same time, we've come out of the pandemic with vastly more competition than we had before. We've got competition, obviously, from supermarkets who are getting very much into craft beer in a big way, then other retailers who might have been bricks and mortar have now moved online during the pandemic. So whereas we might have been selling to lots of customers in Cardiff, for example, the local beer shop’s now gone online, so that's taken some of those customers away. And you've also got competition from other businesses, like cafes, or bars, or bookshops, or places that became

bottle shops during the pandemic. And many more breweries are now selling direct to customers than they were before. Everyone's out there fighting to survive. So we don't blame anyone at all. But there's so much more competition out there. It’s challenging. And for us personally, another challenge at the moment is growth. How do we scale up while we still run it. We don't have investors, we do everything ourselves, so it's how do we take that next step to getting even bigger and better?”

Have you seen any change in the product mix you are selling since you launched? Jen: “No and low alcohol beer is one of the success stories of the last few years. I think sales of no and low beers were up 23% last year, and 37% in 2020. Which is tastes changing, but also a lot more breweries bringing alcohol free beers into their range, or sessionable under 3% beers. And I think people, especially over the pandemic, I think people have moved away from kind of chasing the hype beers, you know, those Imperial stouts and hype hype hype, to a lot more comfort drinking. Certainly when the pubs have been closed, the likes of bitters and pale ales, to replace the pub experience.” Continued on page 49

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Meet the retailer: Hop, Burns & Black

Have you taken any steps to make your business more sustainable? Jen: “It's always been a huge focus for us. Things that have always been part of the business have been using green energy, obviously a bit more challenging with what's coming up this year, I would say. Always avoiding single use plastics, we've always had paper bags, always used cardboard. And recycling all the standard stuff. But certainly for us the investment in the electric van was a big thing. And we're exploring at the moment, other ways to do deliveries around London. For ones that are outside our local delivery area we are looking at partnering with green cycle curries and things like that.” Glenn: “From even pre-pandemic, from breweries we were trying to choose steel kegs rather than the one-way key kegs. And whenever we did get a one-way key keg, we would save them up and then give them to recycle to The First Mile, who are the only ones in London who take them apart and recycle the bits individually.”

How do you, as an independent retailer, compete against the large supermarkets? Jen: “For us, we recognise it as a threat and a growing threat, but we've got so many things that we can do that supermarkets don't have. Service and selection, you can't go into your local Tesco and ask someone about this beer or that beer or what I should buy to go with my steak tonight. We've got 400 beers, they’re all kept well, our shops are all fully refrigerated, you know, we're complete cold stores,

everything like that. So you know, you're going to get a better beer when you come to us. We ensure that we never overlap. So we only stock independent breweries that aren't stocked in supermarkets. For the most part, we'll give a pass to our local breweries, there might be some of our local guys that are in the odd branch of M&S.” Glenn: “But when that's the case, we negotiate. So we negotiate an equivalent price or near enough, and we've been successful at doing that.”

What are you proudest of during your time at Hop, Burns & Black? Jen: “I think from my side, I'm most proud of the fact that we've created a workplace where our team want to stay a long time. We've created this wonderful award winning business, but, the team, they've all been with us for such a long time and we've got this fantastic range of talent. I find it really brilliant that we've managed to not only attract great people, but retain them.” Glenn: “We spoke a little bit earlier about being centred in the community and feeling part of the community. But for me, that was something we always wanted to do, but it kind of crept up and it was a surprise aspect of setting up a shop. Once we were rooted in a shop and staying in one place, and people were coming to us, it was just a real privilege to get to know everyone and feel like you're part of something a little bit bigger around you. I’m just really proud that we are a place that people want to come and spend their time and have a drink and sit down at the tables outside.”

What is your all-time favourite beer? Jen: “It changes almost every day, depending on our mood, depending on the weather. We love classics like Orval, like Saison Dupont, and The Kernel Export India Porter or Export Stout are always gonna hit the spot as well. Deya’s Steady Rolling Man pale ale is a modern classic. But mostly Glenn and I and actually all of our staff as well just drink German lagers. We’ll drink Augustina until the cows come home.”

Who do you most admire in the craft beer market at the moment and why? Jen: “As a retailer, from a brewery point of view, the business we've always most admired is The Kernel. They plough their own path, according to their values and their ethics, they're not driven by market demands, or trends. They could have tripled the size of that business, but they want to do things their way and they want to do things the right way. They've got a really close knit team, which again, we love to see, and they just keep on keeping on doing it their way. Good people doing good things and forging our own path.” Glenn: “All businesses are on their own trajectory and doing their own thing, but that is one model that shows the way that it can be done.”

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Business advice: Legal

Excise Duty Regime Management In this article, our legal partner Napthens Solicitors invites guest author Mark Rowbotham to discuss the crucial issues surrounding Excise Duty - a taxing topic for many. Mark has spent many years dealing with the Excise and Customs sectors, initially as an Officer in HM Customs & Excise (later HM Revenue & Customs) and latterly as a Customs & Excise Consultant. Breweries are big business. There is huge demand for the amber nectar – and as well as generating significant profits for the sector this demand implies significant revenue for the government in the form of Beer Duty payable to HMRC as Excise Duty.

. The main areas of concern are:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has promised a long overdue reform of the UK Excise Duty regime. The current regime is unwieldy and difficult to understand and comply with and the duty aspect of beer (and spirits) production and distribution poses problems for those managing the financial aspects of the business. Establishing a brewery business is fraught with issues, given the bureaucracy required to satisfy HMRC. However, it is difficult to find professionals suitably experienced in duty management, especially concerning small breweries producing niche brands.

• Record keeping

The consultancy can help with the following processes:

• Conditions of production and storage

• Analysis of the excise business proposal

• Movement of excisable goods (domestic and international)

• Application for HMRC Excise Approvals

HMRC considerations Establishment of both breweries and distilleries is popular, with numerous enterprises springing up each year. HMRC requires such businesses to register online via GOV.UK websites, complete various application forms and have systems in place to manage the excise process in accordance with HMRC requirements - including excise duty management and record-keeping. For newcomers to this sector, such requirements can prove daunting. Even long-standing enterprises experience challenges, especially in obtaining advice on technical issues where excise management is concerned or where the company needs specific advice on excise issues. The process of setting up a brewery or distillery can be time-consuming and all traders in excise goods need to be fully conversant with both the application and establishment process. Even after approval of such an establishment, the need for fully-compliant processes for production and management of excisable products is vita

set out by HMRC regarding establishment and operation of breweries and distilleries, and advising on managing these enterprises, especially concerning compliance with HMRC requirements.

• Excise approval • Excise compliance • Documentation • Procedures

• Implementation of procedures to ensure compliant Excise management

• Overall knowledge and awareness of Excise procedures and management

• Training in Excise operations and management

Consultancy and advice Excise specialists are hard to identify, and in many cases are part of large management consultants or are individuals whose knowledge may be niche and limited. A new consultancy was established in 2021 specialising in Excise, Customs and VAT matters. This is eTAG (www.etradegroup. co.uk), the electronic Trade Advisory Group, born out of the Bonded Warehousekeepers Association (BWA), which has long covered the Excise Bonded warehouse sector, and which has expanded its remit to cover excise production operations as well as storage of excise goods. The consultancy was formed by Customs and Excise professionals, both from commercial and HMRC backgrounds. The consultancy advises and assists companies with the establishment and running of excise businesses, whether breweries, distilleries or bonded warehouses. This involves removing the hassle of adhering to the requirements

• Dissemination of information on government initiatives on Customs & Excise matters It is essential that excise traders keep informed about new guidance and compliance information for a smooth running and compliant excise business operation - and in order to maintain a good relationship with HMRC. The consultancy therefore maintains close links with HMRC and maintains databases on latest Excise and Customs guidelines and compliance information. Support The consultancy is available to talk with any individual or enterprise wishing to establish a brewery or distillery as well as companies already involved in the sector. Please contact eTAG: www.etradegroup.co.uk for further information or email Mark on: mark@portcullis-isc.co.uk

For advice on legal issues affecting your business, please contact SIBA Legal Helpline on 0845 6710277 North West Law firm LLP is a SIBA supplier associated and Silver Standard Sponsor. The firm has a team of specialists looking after legal requirements of clients in the leisure and licenced trade sector, with clients including Daniel Thwaites Plc and Titanic Brewery. Napthens manage the SIBA Legal Helpline which offers legal advice and guidance on a wide range of legal issues affecting your business, including: General commercial, intellectual property, corporate finance, dispute resolution and litigation, commercial property, licensing, employment law and HR advice. Any enquiry through the helpline will receive up to 1 hour of free legal expertise (if further work is required, you’ll be advised of the appropriate charging structure). Full details of the helpline can be found on the SIBA Members Toolbox.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Business advice: Brand and Marketing

What’s the Story? (Golden Glory): The tale underpinning your marketing.

Brand and marketing guru Nick Law from agency Hop Forward offers advice on getting your story out there...

When BrewDog tossed a clowder of cats from a helicopter over the city of London, their aim was to send a loud, clear message to their army of trusted fans: we don’t need those capitalist fatcats to finance our brewery - we need you. And ‘you’ responded. BrewDog managed to raise a staggering £5m in a mere 20 days. Imagine what you could do with an extra £5m in your brewery! Watt and Dickie seem to have an endless capacity for getting their brewery noticed… if not for all the right reasons. From harmless campaigns such as recreating Guinness’s Good Things Come To Those Who Wait advert by dressing as pantomime horses and going for swim, to the tone deaf Pink IPA and downright offensive #Don’tMakeUsDoThis - whether you agree or disagree with their company’s methods, BrewDog are extremely effective marketers, using the medium of story to communicate their brand message. Telling a story Stories are emotive. People don’t always make rational decisions and are often driven by emotion. Facts follow feelings. So, engaging consumers’ emotions and interest with a well told story will give people a greater incentive to pay you a visit, drink your beers and get to know your company than merely taking a photo of a Hazy IPA and posting it on Instagram. A story worth telling has to underpin all marketing efforts. But how do you tell your story? Do you even have a story worth telling? Here are a few things to consider when creating your narrative and communicating it to your consumer base:

1. The right story for your drinkers. Who are your customers? There’s little point telling a story about your young, hip brewery if most of your consumers are older drinkers who like Best Bitters. Define your archetypal customer and tailor the language to them. 2. Choose the right medium. Choosing the right platforms to tell your story is highly important. Where are your customers? Which social media platforms do they use? Do they listen to podcasts or prefer to read in print? Different mediums will enable you to communicate in long form and short form, depending on what you want to say and how you want to say it. 3. Create a narrative arc. Chances are your story will come from first-hand experience and be well-hopped with your values, feelings and personality. Continually retell your wider story with examples and lessons learned along the way. Ensure everyone with marketing responsibility uses the same language. Great beers usually have a good story behind them. Talk about your perseverance, share your hardships, celebrate your successes 4. Make it human. Great beers usually have a good story behind them. Talk about your perseverance, share your hardships, celebrate your successes; everybody experiences these emotions and can readily relate.

5. Call to action. A good story should evoke some kind of response in your customer. By sharing your story, you’re helping people to emotionally invest in your brand. This is why people feel so offended when breweries crowdfund and then sell out, leaving investors high and dry; not only was their money on the line, but - more so - their vested emotions. On a more positive note, a call to action can be as simple as providing a great experience in your taproom so they in turn tell the story to their friends and become your brand ambassadors. 6. Listening. Really listening is an art. Listen to what your customers say about you: do they understand your story? If not, you can adapt it accordingly. The point is to take people on the journey with you, something that is much easier for the consumer if they can relate to your story. Obviously, there’s way more to marketing than storytelling; digital, printed and social media, networking, websites, mailouts, public relations, etc, all go a long way. But that’s another story…!

Nick Law is the Creative Director of Hop Forward: a branding, marketing and business consultancy for the brewing industry. He works with a variety of beer businesses both in the UK and overseas and also runs a weekly podcast with a variety of guests from across the world of beer. Find out more at www.hopforward.beer or email nick@hopforward.beer

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Business advice: Intellectual Property

Guarding Your Trade Secrets

Tony Proctor

Chris Baume

Cameron Malone-Brown

Tony Proctor, Chris Baume and Cameron Malone-Brown, attorneys at European intellectual property law firm Potter Clarkson, look at how and why you should consider protecting your trade secrets…

Trade secrets can be the crown jewels within an IP portfolio. Unfortunately, despite their importance, they can also be the forgotten component of a brewing company’s key assets, with more emphasis given to establishing the value of the brand.

Why should a business protect their trade secrets?

In our experience, this is because most businesses are less familiar with the processes for identifying, protecting and safeguarding their trade secrets.

Trade secrets last indefinitely if their subject matter is commercially valuable and kept confidential, affording a business protection against misuse and theft. However, they will lose their protection if they are disclosed in a non-confidential manner, either intentionally or accidentally.

What qualifies as a trade secret? While the laws governing trade secrets differ slightly between territories, the majority consider a trade secret to be any business information that is secret, has value and is subject to reasonable protection methods. The scope of what can qualify as a trade secret is broad and can include: • A mathematical formula (which may underpin a process or commercial method) • A practice (such as internal systems and business practices) • A process (e.g. for manufacturing a product) • A design • An instrument or tool • A pattern • A commercial method • A compilation of information (e.g. a database) When we think of trade secrets, the Coca Cola recipe or KFC’s blend of spices are the famous examples that come to mind. Indeed, the food and drink industry is probably the most fertile ground for trade secrets, but it is not limited to recipes as the list above shows. As disputes in the US craft brewing industry have revealed in recent years, trade secrets in this sector usually centre around access to distribution channels rather than the composition of the product itself.

Unlike patents and trade marks, trade secrets are not a registered form of IP but there are still formal steps that businesses should take to protect them.

In recent years, laws governing trade secrets have been enhanced in a number of key jurisdictions. However, to afford this new level of protection, trade secrets owners need to ensure they have robust processes in place to verify ownership and keep the information out of the public domain. In the absence of such an approach, businesses might find it difficult to rely on their trade secrets in the event of a dispute. As well as the regulatory environment, the trading environment is also changing. Increased staff churn, heightened data security risks and a more fluid working environment means the types and levels of risk faced by businesses are changing too. How to protect trade secrets? Companies need to put in place a combination of administrative, legal and technical measures to protect their trade secrets.

Administrative measures may include having robust trade secret policies and procedures in place. It may also include education of employees. Legal or contractual measures may include putting confidentiality agreements in place with those individuals given access to the trade secrets, adding a non-compete clause to their employment contracts, or stronger provisions should their work involve sharing trade secrets with third parties. Technical measures may include various access controls and security measures, such as encryption, to make it more difficult for the trade secrets to be stolen. Storing information relating to your trade secrets in a standard digital filing system is simply not adequate – it is akin to leaving your wallet on the bar or walking around with your mobile phone in your back pocket. That is why our client trade secret registry at Potter Clarkson is a block-chain enabled platform, storing information as a digital fingerprint that can only be accessed by the client. Where to start The first step is to identify potential trade secrets and this can sometimes require a specialist approach, but by using the definition above as a starting point, you might uncover significant hidden value in your brewing business.

Potter Clarkson helps companies, organisations and individuals across all sectors of business to understand, create, protect and defend the commercial value of their innovations anywhere in the world through intellectual property rights. As a full-service intellectual property law firm with expertise in patents, trade marks, designs, litigation, licensing and consultancy, the firm can provide specialist support in all areas of IP. Find out more at https://www.potterclarkson.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Comment: Technical focus

Don’t stop me now Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas considers whether taste tests carried out in a brewery lab can truly identify if a beer is going to pass the sessionability test…

Where does tasting stop and drinking start? As brewers we will be experienced in both. However, this is an important consideration as the two provide different impressions of your beer and can have different consequences in your quality appraisals. Naturally, tasting continues during drinking although our response may alter due to the effect of alcohol and of the conviviality of the drinking environment. The impression of a beer in a tasting cubicle will differ greatly from that of a beer in a bar. As most of our beers are drunk in bars it is valid to ask how relevant to customers are our finely tuned tastings from the laboratory (or perhaps brewery office)? And, in this context, how can drinking response be correlated to tasting? When we train tasters, we focus on sampling small quantities being highly conscious of the impact of one beer on another, on the effect of volume saturation and the need to maximise sensitivity. Through this, specific flavours can be identified and quantified, profiles generated, and faults noted. Information is obtained as to how a brew meets targets and, if necessary, it can be rejected for sale due to being out of specification. Ideally the brew team appraise the details and discuss corrective action if necessary – or retire after the brew shift for a congratulatory pint to affirm success. Information is also passed to the marketing team who apply creative talent to draft supporting and promoting material – then also retire to join the congratulations. Such circumstances also allow the marketing team to assess the effect of volume intake – and ask the question noted above - whether the fine flavour profile generated in the laboratory matches the purchase of pints and their acceptability to drinkers? Unsurprisingly this isn’t guaranteed. A beer which tastes outstanding in the brewery may be very different at the end of a pint, or even half-way down. In which case how can a tasting programme be constructed to identify this in advance without requiring brew staff to drink unreasonable, and unsafe volumes at work?

A quick clarification. Although this will overlap with drinkability there are some important differences. Drinkability is perhaps considered as the ease of moving from one drink to another of the same drink. Acceptability is the ease of drinking and enjoying the purchased volume. In effect will the pint be enjoyed throughout its intake and not rejected. Reasons for rejection centre to some extent on the effect of beer chemistry on physiology whereby certain flavours have a cumulative impact on the sensory response. We are not considering flavours which would cause initial rejection here – sourness, medicinal or fetid flavours for example. These would be identified before release and not appear in trade.

A beer which tastes outstanding in the brewery may be very difierent at the end of a pint, or even half-way down Bitterness, sweetness and astringency are particularly prevalent as having accumulating impact with viscosity a contributing element. To some extent it is necessary to factor in an element of personal sensitivity as we all differ in our inherent ability to detect specific flavours and in our conditioning through experience.

The accumulation of a particular flavour on taste receptors may well lead to a change in response from acceptance to rejection. Bitterness and astringency are two beer flavours recognised as causing early termination of a pint and have clear control points in recipes and processing. They will also relate to viscosity as residual dextins may mitigate their impact to some extent. A beer which is acceptable at a particular final gravity may taste different and less palatable in the finish if attenuation is overextended. Returning to the monitoring process – how can palatability and acceptability be monitored short of engaging a panel of drinkers alongside your panel of tasters – or in effect running an open bar? Past brewing lore included a three pint test where brewers would assess a beer’s quality after three pints in a convivial environment, possibly the pub after work but also a few bottles at home. It would be difficult to incorporate this into an employment contract today but offering free or subsidised take home samples are one option followed by a response discussion at a taste panel session. In-trade questionnaires such as at meet the brewer events are an alternative and of particular value in that they cover general drinkers and so are more representative. Finally monitoring throughput in selected outlets with a stable clientele can provide recordable data and also allow time profiles of purchase after a beer has been installed. Finally, a brief word to pick up on drinkability, the follow on from one pint to another. Drinkability is arguably a target of any beverage sales strategy but can lead to negating of prominent flavours as lighter, less bitter and less malty beers are often preferred in general drinking. Excessive drinkability has the potential to lead to the minefield of overconsumption. Palatability and acceptance are the target to ensure that a pint is satisfying and a good compliment to the hard work and restraint of your tasting panel.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Competitions and judging update

Relaunch of the New and Improved SIBA Independent Beer Awards As you read this you may be about to go to, or even be sat within BeerX UK 2022. It’s the UK’s biggest beer and brewing trade event and the home of our SIBA National Independent Beer Awards – the culmination of 12 months of Regional competitions. The 2022 awards mark a turning point for SIBA beer competitions, as post-BeerX we will see the re-launch of SIBA’s Independent Beer Awards, with new beer style categories, an international style scoring system and a renewed judging process, including the introduction of experienced beer judge table captains. Our first ‘new look’ regional competition will take place next month at ‘Maltingsfest’, the new name for the much-loved Tucker’s Maltings Beer Festival in Newton Abbott, this year taking place from Thursday 21st to Saturday 23rd April. The festival will for the first time ever host the SIBA South West Independent Keg Beer Awards, alongside the South West’s Cask Beer Competition, putting into practice our brand new and improved keg beer awards categories. The process to get to this point has been thorough and taken place over the course of a number of years; it started in 2018 with a motion from the South East Region which passed at the National AGM, calling for SIBA to ‘undertake a fundamental review of the SIBA Beer Competitions category structure, with the aim of producing a more comprehensive, vibrant, representative and industry-leading structure.’ From there a thorough process of Member Brewery feedback and consultation - including review by the SIBA Competitions Committee, Board and Executive Board - refined the proposal into a practical and workable competitions structure which would place SIBA Independent Beer Awards in a position to be industry-leading in the UK.

Evolution on cask, revolution on keg Most breweries produce slightly different beers for keg than you do for cask, and as brewers you know certain international styles such as Lagers, Belgian beers, or American Double IPAs benefit from the added carbonation and cooler serve of keg dispense, whereas traditional British styles really shine on cask. SIBA’s cask and keg competitions need to closely align with the types of beers UK breweries are producing in cask and keg formats, and that’s exactly what the new categories do. Ultimately SIBA’s cask and keg competitions need to closely align with the types of beers UK breweries are producing in cask and keg formats, and that’s exactly what the new categories do: Giving more space for traditional British styles in the cask competition whilst massively expanding the range of international styles in the keg competition, reflecting the breadth of different beers British breweries are now producing.

You can see the new SIBA Independent Beer Awards categories that come in to place this year on page 61, starting with the SIBA South West competition in April. As was the process in the past each of these Awards categories contains a range of beer styles for you to choose from when entering your beers. For example the ‘British Dark Beers’ Award can be entered by Stouts, Porters, Brown Ales, Dark Bitters etc, and the newly created ‘Amber & Dark Lager’ keg category can be entered by everything from Czech Dark Lagers to Munich Dunkels. Simply select the beer you’re entering into that category from the drop down provided and judges will be made aware of what beer style they are judging and rate your beer according to the style guides provided, all of which are based on the newly launched 2022 BJCP style guides.

Neil Walker SIBA Head Of Comms and Interim Chair of Competitions Committee.

To achieve this, only small improvements were needed to the previous cask beer categories – such as removing the upper limit on cask IPA’s and renaming Session IPA to Session Pale Ale, as well as some small ABV banding tweaks to create better uniformity across the competition. On keg much more radical changes were needed and following a lengthy process of consultation and refinement a full shake-up of the keg categories has been introduced, implementing the changes largely as proposed by the South East Region. The same categories developed for the keg beer competition are also being implemented in the bottle and can competition.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Competitions and judging update Independent Beer Awards 2022 - Awards Categories

Keg

Cask Awards Categories

Reference

Session Dark Beer (up to 4.4%)

C-SDB

British Dark Beer (4.5% to 6.4%)

C-BDB

British Bitter (up to 4.4%)

C-BIT

British Best Bitter (4.5% to 6.4%)

C-BBIT

Session Pale Ale (up to 4.4%)

C-SPA

Pale Ale (4.4% to 5.4%)

C-PA

IPA (5.5% to 6.4%)

C-IPA

Speciality Light Beer

C-SLI

Speciality Amber to Dark Beer

C-SAD

Imperial & Strong Beer (6.5% and over)

C-IMP

Beer Styles Session Dark Beer Dark Mild, Stout, Dark Bitter, Porter, Brown Ale, Old Ale Colour range: 14-40 British Dark Beers Dark Mild, Stout, Dark Bitter, Porter, Old Ale, Barley Wine, Brown Ale Colour range: 14-40 British Bitters Ordinary Bitter, Bitter, Blonde Ale, British Golden Ale, British Pale Ale, Scottish Light, Scottish Heavy, Light Mild Colour range: 12-25 British Best Bitters Light Mild, Bitter, Best Bitter, Blonde Ale, British Golden Ale, British Pale Ale, Scottish Heavy, Strong Bitter, Premium Bitter, ESB Colour range: 12-25 Session Pale Ale Blonde Ale, Session IPA, IPA, Black IPA, American Pale Ale, New England Pale Ale, New Zealand Pale Ale Colour Range: All Pale Ale American Pale Ale, New Zealand Pale Ale, IPA, New England Pale Ale, DDH Pale Ale, New England IPA, Black IPA Colour Range: All IPA British IPA, America Pale Ale, American IPA, IPA, Black IPA, New Zealand Pale Ale, New Zealand IPA, DDH IPA, New England Pale Ale, New England IPA, Double IPA, Triple IPA Colour Range: All Speciality Light Beer Fruit Beer, Fruit & Spice Beer, Spice Herb or Vegetable Beer, Autumn Seasonal Beer, Winter Seasonal Beer, Flavoured Beer, Belgian Ale, Rye Beer, Rauchbier, Classic Style Smoke Beer, Wood Aged Beer, Speciality Wood Aged Beer Colour Range: 2-14 Speciality Amber to Dark Beer Fruit Beer, Fruit & Spice Beer, Spice Herb or Vegetable Beer, Autumn Seasonal Beer, Winter Seasonal Beer, Flavoured Beer, Belgian Ale, Rye Beer, Rauchbier, Classic Style Smoke Beer, Wood Aged Beer, Speciality Wood Aged Beer Colour Range: 15-40 Imperial & Strong Ale Barley Wine, Winter Warmers, Baltic Porter, Imperial Stout, Export Stout, Extra Double Stout, Strong Ales, Strong Old Ales, Wee Heavy Colour Range: 6-40

Beer Colour Reference Chart (SRM)

19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Awards Categories Non-Alcoholic & Low ABV Lager

Bottle & Can Reference K-NOLO K-LAG

Awards Categories Non-Alcoholic & Low ABV

Reference B-NOLO

Lager

Amber & Dark Lager

K-DLAG

Amber & Dark Lager

Wheat Beer

K-WHE

B-LAG B-DLAG

Wheat Beer

B-WH

Bitter

K-BIT

Bitter

B-BIT

Pale Ale (5.5% and under)

K-PA

Pale Ale (5.5% and under)

B-PA

IPA (5.6% to 7.4%)

K-IPA

IPA (5.6% to 7.4%)

B-IPA

Double & Triple IPA (7.5% and over)

K-DIPA

Double & Triple IPA (7.5% and over)

Speciality IPA

K-SIPA

Speciality IPA

B-SIPA

Amber, Brown & Red Ale

K-ABRA

Amber, Brown & Red Ale

B-ABRA

Stout & Porter (6.4% and under)

K-SAP

Stout & Porter (6.4% and under)

Imperial & Strong Ale (6.5% and over)

K-IMP

Imperial & Strong Ale (6.5% and over)

Sour & Wild Ale

K-SOUR

Sour & Wild Ale

B-DIPA

B-SAP B-IMP B-SOUR

Belgian, French & Trappist Ale

K-BFT

Belgian, French & Trappist Ale

B-BFT

Speciality & Flavoured Beer

K-SPF

Speciality & Flavoured Beer

B-SPF

Beer Styles

Non-Alcoholic & Low ABV Beer styles include Non-Alcoholic Beer up to 0.5% and Low ABV Beer up to 2.8% Colour range: All

Lager American Lager, International Lager, Czech Pale Lager, Czech Premium Pale Lager, Munich Helles, Festbier, Hellen bock, German Leichtbier, Kolsch, German Helles Export Bier, German Pils, Pale Kellerbier Colour range: 1-9

Amber & Dark Lager Amber Kellerbier, Czech Amber Lager, Czech Dark Lager, International Amber Lager, International Dark Lager, Marzen, Dunkles Bock, Vienna Lager, Altbier, Munich Dunkel, Schwarzbier Colour range: 8-30

Wheat Beer American Wheat Beer, Witbier, Weissbier, Dunkles Weissbier Colour range: 2-25

Bitter Ordinary Bitter, Mild, Best Bitter, Nitro/Smooth Bitter, Strong Bitter, British Brown Ale Colour Range: 8-22

Pale Ale Session IPA, British Golden Ale, Blonde Ale, Australian Sparkling Ale, American Pale Ale, New Zealand Pale Ale, New Zealand IPA, New England Pale Ale, DDH Pale Ale, English Pale Ale, American Cream Ale Colour Range: 2-14

IPA English IPA, American Pale Ale, American IPA, New Zealand Pale Ale, New Zealand IPA, West Coast IPA, Mountain IPA, DDH IPA, New England IPA Colour Range: 6-14

Double & Triple IPA Double IPA, Triple IPA, Quadruple IPA Colour Range: 6-14

Speciality IPA Fruit Pale Ale, Belgian IPA, Black IPA, Brown IPA, Red IPA, Rye IPA, White IPA, Brut IPA, Sour IPA, Milkshake IPA, Fruit IPA, Raw IPA, Other Flavoured Pale Ale, Other Flavoured IPA Colour Range: All

Amber, Brown & Red Ale American Amber Ale, California Common, American Brown Ale, Scottish Light, Scottish Heavy, Scottish Export, Irish Red Ale, American Red Ale Colour Range: 9-35

Stout & Porter English Porter, American Porter, Baltic Porter, Sweet Stout, Milk Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Tropical Stout, Foreign Extra Stout, American Stout, Irish Stout, Irish Extra Stout, Nitro Stout, Nitro Porter Colour Range: 17-40

Imperial & Strong Ale Imperial Stout, Extra Double Stout, British Strong Ale, Old Ale, Wee Heavy, English Barley Wine, American Barley Wine, American Strong Ale, Wheat Wine, Doppelbock, Eisbock Colour Range: 6-40

Sour & Wild Ale Berliner Weisse, Flanders Red Ale, Oud Bruin, Lambic, Gueuze, Gose, Fruited Gose, Fruit Lambic, Brett Beer, Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer, Wild Speciality Bee Colour Range: 2-22

Belgian, French & Trappist Ale Belgian Pale Ale, Biere de Garde, Belgian Blonde Ale, Saison, Belgian Golden Strong Ale, Trappist Single, Trappist Dubbel, Trappist Tripel, Belgian Dubbel, Belgian Tripel, Belgian Strong Dark Ale Colour Range: All

Speciality & Flavoured Beer Fruit Beer, Fruit & Spice Beer, Speciality Fruit Beer, Spice Herb or Vegetable Beer, Autumn Seasonal Beer, Winter Seasonal Beer, Other Flavoured Beer, Rauchbier, Classic Style Smoke Beer, Wood Aged Beer, Speciality Wood Aged Beer Colour Range: All

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Competitions and judging update

Continue to grow and position itself as the premiere beer awards in the UK.

New Scoring System & Judging Process The new SIBA Independent Beer Awards scoring system more closely aligns SIBA with the format currently used by other leading international competitions, for example the International beer Challenge, Australia International Beer Awards, and World Beer Awards (organised by the Brewers Association). Beers are given a consensus score out of a hundred by the judging table, guided by experienced ‘Table Captains’ made up of the competition’s most experienced judges, for example beer sommeliers, brewers from other regions, or experienced and knowledgeable beer judges.

90+ Gold

What does the future hold for SIBA competitions?

80-89 Silver

70-79 Bronze

The changes to SIBA’s Independent Beer Awards in 2022 put the competition in a strong position to continue to grow and position itself as the premiere beer awards in the UK.

Beers are judged individually and the medal they receive is based on their score alone, i.e; 90+ Gold, 80-89 Silver, 70-79 Bronze, 69 or under receive no medal. The Gold winners from each category will then be judged against each other for ‘Best in Category Awards’. These 15 winners receive trophies whereas Gold, Silver and Bronze winners receive winners’ badges for use on marketing materials and a Certificate. The beer with the highest score out of the 15 Best of Category would go on to win Best Beer in the Region.

Checkout the BeerX UK session on the new competition categories at The Cellar - 14:00 - 14:45 on Wednesday 16th.

Furthermore, with an internationally recognised scoring system and a range of beer style categories which better align to the types of beers being brewed by craft breweries across the Globe, SIBA are also in a position to look at opening up the competition (most likely in bottle and can to begin with) to independent breweries from other countries. The last World Beer Cup organised by the Brewer’s Association in 2018 received 8,234 entries from 2,515 breweries in 66 different countries - a colossal competition, but an example of what can be achieved by opening up a competition to breweries from around the World. For now though the improvement of our categories, the introduction of a new and improved scoring and judging system, and a modernisation of the way we present awards, puts SIBA Independent Beer Awards in a position to continue to grow into the best beer awards in the UK. So get your entries in!

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Brewer's viewpoint: Robert Middleton

Welcome to SE17 As if Covid-19 wasn’t enough to deal with, Robert Middleton, founder of Orbit brewery, based in London’s Walworth, SE17, has spent the last two years working on a massive project effectively doubling the size of his production facility. Here he looks back on the team’s herculean efforts, and celebrates Orbit’s deepening connection with the local community… Mention East 17 and most folk will instantly recognise the 1990s boy band. For many others, it’s just the postcode for Walthamstow. So, what about South East 17? Unfortunately, it’s not a tribute act that might play gigs south of the river, just the postcode for another ‘Wal’, Walworth. Sandwiched between Elephant & Castle and Camberwell, most famous as the birthplace of Charlie Chaplin, and nearly two miles away from the Bermondsey beer mile, this unfashionable area of London sure ain’t a tourist hub, nor indeed a major beer destination. Until now. Orbit Beers are the only brewery in SE17. We started in one arch in 2014, added a second a few years later, then planned to double again in early 2020. We all know what happened then. We’ll return to the story of how one expands through a pandemic later, but why plan to grow slowly in a relative backwater, why not grow exponentially in the outskirts? Indeed, why make your home in four arches lined up like houses on the Monopoly Board (Old Kent Road of course)? It all comes down to ethos. We brew beers inspired by authentic, traditional European styles, remaining immune to the short-term influence of passing trends. We’re here for the long term and enjoy our independence. Most importantly, Walworth is our home and we love being a growing part of its story. So, we’ve pinned our colours to the mast and decided to stay long-term in SE17.

We’re investing, growing, building the team, and dedicated to making ever-better beers. All great stuff, but it wasn’t going to be easy to install a double size kit, a whole new taproom and a bespoke cold store in a world gripped by Covid-19. So, how did it go?

and make proper allowances. Third, the devil really is in the details and it will make an appearance when it is least convenient, so add a month or two to your timescales. All that said though, we’re still here, nearly done and not entirely broke. Thanks team!

We’re now two years on from our initial plans and we’re almost done. Were there headwinds and delays? A few. Apart from the challenges we’ve all faced since 23 March 2020, we had squatters for two months, four arch inspections by our friends at Network Rail, an ongoing game of pass-theCovid among our team and the occasional financial pitfall. But was it all (Wal)worth it? Absolutely. We’ve never been more excited about the future ahead.

So, while we’re very much looking forward to playing with our new brew kit very soon, our connection with the community has already been deepened by our new taproom, which opened in late June last year. We’ve become a hub, a meeting place, a warm refuge on a winter’s evening for beer, food and friends. Indeed, we seem to be particularly popular with babies and dogs (and their humans). We welcome many Walworth worthies, a significant Italian fraternity, our local postie (who DJs regularly) and all sorts of everyone.

Many people reading this story will have been through the steep learning curve that is setting up a new brewery. A fair number will have expanded into new premises with larger production capability. We at Orbit, however, decided to double our kit size in the same premises where the original kit lived, without pausing on our brew schedule. Kind of like juggling three balls with one hand and five with the other. It will come as no surprise to anyone that we dropped a few balls. So, what were the biggest lessons we learned about managing an ambitious project involving tons of metal, miles of piping and wiring, and a gas installation, in times of great uncertainty? First, beware of what you don’t know that you don’t know and maybe get some friendly advice. Second, be very respectful of anything that you know you don’t know

It’s been such a pleasure to offer our beers directly to our customers, to make new friends, receive great feedback and partner with Lightnin’ Hot Things who have set up an amazing kitchen inside our taproom. I’ve certainly noticed that my fellow shareholder, Alistair, and I are much more keen to stay late than ever before. Cheers to that. I think we’d all agree that it’s been a pretty tough two years for everyone in the business of making small-batch, carefully crafted beers. It appears like we’ve come through the worst of it pretty well - I sure hope so. For Orbit, we know there are plenty of good times ahead, so why not pop down to Walworth, London’s beer, er, furlong!

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Supplier viewpoint: WPA Pinfold

Back to the future: Tetley’s 1822-2022 Myles Pinfold, from brand consultancy WPA Pinfold, looks back at two centuries of Tetley’s and asks if history really is repeating itself… Two hundred years is a very long time in any business - for most of us three-year plans are a challenge. Two centuries ago Britain was in the midst of great technological and social change, there had just been a West Riding (of Yorkshire) revolt by working class radicals, whilst Charles Babbage had invented the Difference Engine (arguably the first computer). Meanwhile, local Leeds lad Joshua Tetley had been successfully running his family malting business and, in true entrepreneurial spirit, was diversifying. He acquired shares in a Leeds brewery in 1822 for £400 and he set about building a brewery for the future. To put this into context, at that time a barrel of beer cost just a few old pennies. Leeds was thriving during that period, riding the wave of the industrial revolution. The prevalent beer styles were mild and porter (with some porters taking up to a year in the making) and there was increasing demand for these as the town expanded, which perfectly suited Joshua, with his knowledge of malt. Within two decades the brewery was making annual profits of over £3,000 (the equivalent of several hundred thousand in today’s money). By 1830 the Beer Act introduced the concept of Beer Houses and within a decade over 46,000 had sprung up. The 19th century was also a booming period for innovation and brewing was no exception, Joshua capitalised on this and joined the new wave of revolutionary brewers. He set out to make Tetley’s famous for its beer based on the quality of its ingredients and its ales – its mission statement was Quality Pays. In 1839 son Francis William Tetley joined the brewery (hence Joshua Tetley & Son) and set about further expansion by investing in new technology and developing an innovative range of beer styles, including the ubiquitous IPA that was trending by the middle of the century.

By 1860 Tetley’s was the largest brewery in the North East and by 1890 it had bought its first three pubs, one of which (the Duke William) was its Brewery Tap. This was the start of a successful commercial strategy to maximise profit through vertical integration, which resulted in Tetley’s owning over 1,000 pubs (including nearly half the pubs in Leeds) – culminating in the Beer Orders of 1989 which restricted the size of the tied brewery estates. Back in the 1890s Tetley’s also had its eye on the fast growing off-trade and was capitalising on the take-home market by bottling its beers. By 1915, almost a century after Tetley’s was founded, the brewing boom had peaked with 3,556 breweries in the UK producing over 34M barrels (by comparison, in 2019 just under 28M barrels were produced). For the first 100 years, the Tetley’s brand had been based on the family coat of arms, registered in 1876 as ‘a heraldic shield with 5 pointed star’. Across Europe the six pointed star was a recognised brewers’ symbol of purity and quality and what could be a more fitting symbol for Tetley’s to adopt, except they gave it five points – Heineken followed suit seven years later when they registered their now famous logo. By 1922, Tetley’s was celebrating ‘a century of progress’ and around that time decided to rebrand with the huntsman emblem, which was designed by a printing company in the South West – by ‘coincidence’ and at the same time, it was also adopted by the Dorchester based brewer, Eldridge Pope… This resulted in a regional stand-off and, in defiance of any marketing logic, Tetley’s ended up with two parallel brands for several decades, the huntsman in the North and its five pointed star brand in the South. The 20th century was a period of consolidation for the sector with a peak of over 3,500 breweries in 1915 which dropped to a few hundred by the 1990s when the

market was dominated by just a handful of mega-breweries. In 1961Tetley’s merged with two other national breweries to form Allied Breweries, it then became a part of the Carlsberg Group which subsequently closed the famous Leeds brewery site in 2011 – just as the craft beer revolution was gaining momentum. Tetley’s success culminated almost 50 years ago when it was brewing over 1M barrels of cask ale a year and became known as Britain’s best loved ale. Since then it has been compromised, initially with the dominance of lager and more recently with the disruption by a new wave of ‘craft’ brewers. What are the learnings for today’s brewers, does history repeat itself ? The brewing process has changed very little and the current diversity of beer styles was prevalent over 150 years ago, with IPAs very much in the ascendancy. Vertical integration by owning the supply chain is still an opportunity for brewers who want more access to consumers and consolidation, with brewery takeovers, is starting to gain pace. Tetley’s built its reputation and brand on: a passionately Yorkshire provenance; an authentic and original brewery with its Yorkshire square brewing vessels and local water; and its dedication to quality (brewing the perfect pint). The challenge, and the fix, for the brand’s next century is to build on the star qualities of the Tetley’s name and tap into two centuries of equity. The current disruption, diversification and premiumisation in the beer market is an opportunity to reignite the entrepreneurial spirit that made Tetley’s famous and find a proud place in a crowded sector that has many pretenders. Find out more at www.wpa-drinks.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

BeerX UK preview Headline Sponsor

Highlights not to be missed BeerX UK is the UK's biggest beer and brewing trade event and 2022 is set to be our best ever, with a huge industry trade show, regional beer bars and trade-only beer festival, the SIBA AGM and Members' Conference, the independent beer and business awards presentations, plus a packed schedule of seminars, talks and panel debates from the beer industry's leading voices, as well as a great schedule of fringe events and after-parties around Liverpool. Here’s what to expect over the two day event:

Wednesday 16th March 2022 Beer Garden Sponsor

The Cellar Sponsor

Independent Beer Awards Judging Sponsors

Beer Garden - 11:00 - 12:00 Advanced 'off-flavour' training with the Beer & Cider Academy Cellar - 11:00 - 12:00 Panel: How do we create positive work environments in the craft brewing industry? Beer Garden - 12:45 - 13:30 Optimising your webshop and user experience to maximise sales

Chairman's Reception:

Lifetime Achievement Presented by Chairman 18:30 - 18:45 The SIBA Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates an individual who has, over the course of a number of years, made an outstanding contribution to SIBA, at either national or regional level, or to the UK brewing industry in general.

SIBA Business Awards 2022 -

The Cellar - 13:00 - 13:45 Nitro charge your beers: Understanding and harnessing this unique gas Beer Garden - 13:45 - 14:30 A simple plan for social media: Creation & implementation The Cellar - 14:00 - 14:45 SIBA Independent Beer Awards: How to win Beer Garden - 14:45 - 15:45 The Beer Sommelier's Table: Beer & cheese matching

Main Stage 18:45 - 19:30 Hosted by Pete Brown The SIBA Business Awards seek to congratulate excellence in the brewing industry across a variety of categories, from pump clip, can and bottle design, to efforts taken by brewers to make their business more sustainable, innovative or successful, as well as naming the UK’s best bars, restaurants and retailers of craft beer from independent breweries.

The Cellar - 15:00 - 15:45 Scottish Origins: Storytelling through microflora & barrel-aging with Fyne Ales Beer Garden - 16:00 - 16:45 How UK hops can help breweries reduce their carbon footprint The Cellar - 16:00 - 16:45 Beautiful beer design: Why getting your design right matters Beer Garden - 17:00 - 17:45 Unlocking historic flavours: Brewing with heritage malts The Cellar - 17:00 - 18:00 Panel: Does the new alcohol duty system create a more level playing field for drink makers?

Judging SIBA Independent Beer Awards - National Final Taproom 11.00-18.00 The National Final Judging of the SIBA Independent Beer Awards 2022 will take place in the Taproom on Wednesday 16th March and is this year sponsored by Charles Faram. Covering cask, keg, bottle and can, the SIBA Independent Beer Awards finals are the culmination of 12 months of regional competitions and are judged by the UK’s most experienced beer judges, master brewers, and beer sommeliers.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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BeerX UK preview

Thursday 17th March 2022 Beer Garden Sponsor

The Cellar Sponsor

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The Cellar - 11:00 - 12:00 AGM, British Craft Beer Report 2022 & Keynote Speaker Beer Garden - 13:00 - 14:00 Where does the line between beer and cider become blurred? The Cellar - 13:00 - 14:00 Panel: Brewery Taprooms - Community asset or nuisance? Tap Room - 13:00 - 14:00 Panel: What makes an award winner? In discussion with the Business Awards Judges Beer Garden - 14:15 - 15:00 Brewing great tasting lower-strength beer The Cellar - 14:15 - 15:00 What's your carbon footprint? A practical guide to sustainability Tap Room - 14:15 - 15:00 Charles Faram International Hop Awards 2022 Tap Room - 15:15 - 16:00 Brewery marketing: How to get your beer business ahead of the crowd The Cellar - 15:15 - 16:00 SBR at 20 – what’s it achieved and where’s it going? Beer Garden - 15:15 - 16:15 American Craft Beer Tasting with the Brewers Association The Cellar - 16:00 - 17:00 Panel: Is cask beer worth saving? Tap Room - 16:15 - 17:00 Get your brewery ready for the Deposit Return schemes

SIBA Independent Beer Awards 2022 Main Stage 18:30 - 19:30 Hosted by Pete Brown The SIBA National Independent Beer Awards 2022 represent the culmination of twelve months of SIBA competitions, with overall winners being crowned the best independent craft beers in the UK. With winners announced across cask, keg, bottle & can in a variety of styles these are the biggest beer awards of the year and the one that every brewer wants to win!

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

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BeerX UK preview

Trade Show & Exhibition

Venue & Travel Advice

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As well as a packed schedule of seminars, tastings and industry panels, BeerX UK also contains the Nation's biggest beer and brewing trade show, with supplier businesses of all shapes and sizes represented. From hop merchants and maltsters, to beer branding and brewery builders, everything you need to plan, build, run and grow a successful brewing business is on show at BeerX UK.

SIBA are delighted to return to Liverpool Exhibition Centre for BeerX UK 2022. This excellent venue is close to the Albert Dock and Baltic Triangle, as well as a short walk direct into the city centre.

Leave the M6 at junction 26 and follow signs for M58 Liverpool. At the end of the M58 follow signs for A59 Liverpool.

So whether you’re shopping for a new FV or looking to start putting your beer into bottles or cans, the BeerX UK Trade Show has got you covered. Trade-Only Beer Showcase We know that BeerX is the place the industry comes together to share a beer, network, or catch up with colleagues from across the industry. Which is why our trade-only beer showcase is such an important and central (literally) part of the event. Featuring award-winning cask, keg, bottled and canned beers from across the UK on our Regional Bars, the beer showcase is open throughout the event for you to sample some great-tasting beers whilst catching up with fellow brewers, suppliers, buyers or industry professionals. It’s the biggest collection of independent cask and keg beers at any UK trade event and we think what makes BeerX UK so unique. So grab a glass and an Event Guide and we’ll see you at the bar!

With excellent travel links it is also a breeze to get to

BEERX UK Exhibition Centre Liverpool Kings Dock Liverpool Waterfront, L3 4FP

Continue to follow Liverpool City Centre until picking up signs for the Waterfront. The Liverpool Waterfront Car Park is signposted “Waterfront” on the “available spaces” signage found throughout the city. From South Leave the M6 at junction 21A after Thelwall Viaduct and take the M62 to Liverpool.

Approximately 20 minutes walk from Liverpool Lime Street station, or under ten minutes in a taxi.

At the end of the M62 follow signs for Liverpool City Centre along Edge Lane, picking up and following signs for Waterfront. The Liverpool Waterfront Car Park is signposted “Waterfront” on the “available spaces” signs that are found across the city. Satellite Navigation: Use the postcode L3 4BX, with the following co-ordinates - LAT: 53.396007 LONG: -2.99118.

BeerX UK 2022 has gone cashless! Following a successful trial of a contactless payment system as our ‘preferred’ method of payment at BeerX UK 2020 we are this year going entirely cash-free. So if you are looking to purchase beer tokens or Delegate tickets in the venue then you will need a contactless payment card, or Apple / Google pay etc on your mobile device.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

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Brewery news

Hepworth’s organic ales, lagers and stouts are not only better for you, but also help take care of the environment. By buying organic, you are supporting sustainable farming practises by ensuring the hops, malt and yeast in the beers are high quality and in sufficient quantity using processes that do not harm the environment, human health, plant health or animal health and welfare and work within natural systems and cycles at all levels, from

West Sussex-based Hepworth Brewery is proud to now offer a range of organic beers in a variety of styles, from a non-alcoholic lager to an award-winning ale.

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the soil to plants and animals, maintaining the long-term fertility and biological activity of soils. The approach is both kinder on the planet, leaving the earth to manage its own biodiversity, and makes sure that we don’t consume any unnecessary harmful chemicals The team at the West Sussex brewery strongly believes that creating organic beer is one of the main contributions they can make to improving the current state of the climate but also wants to make sure flavour and traditional techniques always come first. Evidence for its quality has recently been demonstrated at The Great British Food

Awards, with Hepworth’s organic ale The Right Stuff winning the title of best beer. Head Brewer and MD of Hepworth Brewery Andy Hepworth said: “We knew that The Right Stuff was ‘The Right Stuff ’ and now it is officially confirmed. It is the first Organic beer to win The Great British Food Awards. An American style Pale Ale (APA) 5% ABV, brewed from organically grown barley at Goodwood on the Sussex Downs and bottle conditioned, it makes a great beer that improves with age.” Find out more at www.hepworthbrewery.co.uk

Skinner’s sets corporate gifting on fire with ‘Brew Flame’ Skinner’s Brewery has collaborated with heating solutions experts Blue Flame to set a new bar in corporate gifting, crafting 80 cases of personalised beer ‘Brew Flame’ exclusively for the Penrynbased company.

have a great model for producing exclusive, own-branded beers for other companies and organisations. We’re already receiving enquiries from some really exciting brands who love the idea of working with an independent Cornish brewer to create unique corporate gifts.”

Following the successful collaboration, Skinner’s is now offering a personalised beer service to companies searching for unique corporate gifts, as well as pubs, bars and hotels keen to create high quality own-brand beers using the expertise of an award-winning, independent brewery.

Delivered last year in plenty of time for Christmas, the Brew Flame collaboration was the result of Skinner’s successful crowdfunder campaign earlier this year; Blue Flame pledged generously to the campaign in return for the creation of their own-branded beer. Find out more at www.skinnersbrewery.com

Brewery Co-Owner Elaine Skinner explained: “Following the Blue Flame project, we now

Hand Brewing Company introduces new beers Worthing-based Hand Brewing Co is following up on the success of its big, bold, double dry hopped IPA, by introducing a new Jukebox series. Each Jukebox beer will have a different take on it, but it will always be dank, it will always be juicy, and it will always be 6% ABV. Available in both keg and can - with stunning artwork by brand partner Hello Marine - this new series is bursting with juicy notes of

pineapple, mango and bubblegum all wrapped up in a soft and luscious mouthfeel thanks to a load of wheat and oats in the grist. Hand Brewing is also bringing back an old cask favourite - its coffee stout, Tamper (née Tamper Man), first brewed in the Hand in Hand Brew Pub with coffee pals at Twin Pines back in 2017. The brewery at the Hand in Hand Brew Pub in Kemptown, Brighton, will be getting its tyres

kicked and a new brew schedule for 2022. This is where Hand’s specials, seasonals and pilot brews happen. And at the Worthing brewery’s temporary taproom work continues on a new fit-out, installation of the back bar and jukebox, and work on the main bar and other furnishings. The outdoor marquee is being replaced with a permanent and inviting space for customers later in the year. Find out more at www.handbrewco.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Brewery news

Purity Brewing toasts an International Beer Challenge Gold Medal for Organic Pure Helles Purity Brewing Company is once again celebrating international success with one of the top accolades from this year’s International Beer Challenge for their Organic Pure Helles Lager. Following the Reinheitsgebot Purity laws of 1516, Purity has taken its brewing expertise to a new level with its Organic and Gluten Free Pure Helles. Using entirely organic ingredients Pure Helles is brewed with the finest English malt, Pilgrim hops from Worcestershire and a blend of classic noble hops from Bavaria, delivering a clean, refreshing finish with that unmistakable Purity character.

Originally produced as a limited run, in partnership with long standing partners Bayreuther Brauhaus; part of the Maisel’s family. Pure Helles follows a traditional Helles brewing process ensuring this exceptional Bavarian style pale lagered beer, delivers the characteristics of underlying malt sweetness, easy drinkability and refreshment expected from any classic Germanic Helles lager. No stranger to international awards Pure Helles previously has been awarded with Gold at the 2020 and 2021 International Organic Awards.

and Pure Gold were all awarded silver medals in their respective categories. This is the first award JIMBO has received since its launch in autumn of 2020 following the passing of Purity’s Co-Founder Jim Minkin. Brewed in celebration of Jim’s life and legacy his has left at Purity, 5p of every can and pint sold has been donated to the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund raising over £2,000 for the charity in the past year. For more information visit www.puritybrewing.com

Following hot in the footsteps of Pure Helles, Purity’s JIMBO Very Best Bitter, Session IPA

Powderkeg named in top 10 list of independent UK breweries

A new data-led poll has put Devon’s Powderkeg brewery in the top 10 UK independent breweries. The session-craft specialists from Exeter have been ranked alongside the likes of Cloudwater, The Kernel, Siren and Arbor in the recent survey. Founder and Head Brewer John Magill said: “It’s amazing recognition for the work that the team has put in off the back of a tough couple of years for the industry. We’ll be having a couple of Speak Easy’s tonight to celebrate.” Having just celebrated their 7th birthday, it has been a remarkable two years for Powderkeg after collecting a World Beer Awards Gold, a European Beer Challenge Gold and a muchlauded 3-Star Great Taste Award. “We work so hard and put so much care into the beers we produce, it’s awesome to see that being appreciated - not just by industry experts but by regular drinkers as well,” said Dan Poulson, Head of Sales at Powderkeg. “We always try to produce beers that are accessible to everyone. Craft beer can polarise opinions but Powderkeg beer is all about bringing people together over a pint or two. It’s not all about bells and whistles, supreme quality beer you can enjoy day in day out is still the true essence of craft for us.” Find out more at www.powderkegbeer.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

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Brewery news

Hogs Back Brewery takes CAMRA's top bottled beer award with ‘A over T' Surrey based Hogs Back Brewery is adding to its trophy cabinet after being presented with CAMRA's Champion Bottled Beer of Britain award by members of its local branch. The accolade was given to Hogs Back for A over T, its 9% ABV bottle-conditioned barley wine, which was judged the best bottleconditioned beer in the country after a rigorous judging process by a panel of beer experts. The beer won judges' votes for its rich, complex flavours and wonderful aromas, which give the beer its full name of Aromas over Tongham, after the village near Farnham where Hogs Back is based. Rupert Thompson, Hogs Back Brewery’s managing director, said: "We're delighted to receive this lovely trophy which will take pride of place at the brewery, for A over T's many loyal fans to enjoy. It's a wonderful beer and it's great to have won CAMRA's top bottled beer award, after taking a number of

Front row (l-r): Miles Chesterman, Hogs Back head brewer; Kevin Travers, Champion Beer of Britain Competition Coordinator; Rupert Thompson, Hogs Back managing director Back row: Ian Johnson, CAMRA Surrey Hants Borders Branch Chairman; Rosie Robinson, Hogs Back bar manager; Mark Frogley, Hogs Back operations manager; Gordon Thompson, Hogs Back sales director.]

medals in previous competitions over the years. A over T drinkers tend to buy a couple of bottles as a new vintage is released - one to enjoy straight away and one to mature further in the bottle. Kevin Travers, CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain Competition Coordinator, said: "One of the most rewarding parts of my role is giving trophies to our winning brewers. CAMRA's competitions schedule has been disrupted by Covid, so we were only able to judge bottled beers rather than the usual cask ale. That makes this presentation to Hogs Back for A over T a ‘one off' this year, and all the more enjoyable for that."

A over T is brewed in small batches and matured in the brewery cellar, like a fine wine. Made from high quality English malted barley, Kent Goldings hops are added for bitterness and aroma and Bramling Cross to further enhance the character, resulting in complex flavours of sultanas, orange peel and plums. It's best enjoyed in a wine glass or a brandy balloon, to concentrate its aromas, and is a wonderful match with blue cheese, such as a well-aged Stilton, and with rich desserts. For more information go to www.hogsback.co.uk

Cornish brewery Driftwood Spars pushes the boundaries with 14.4% ABV beer St Agnes brewery Driftwood Spars has released what it believes to be the highest ABV beer ever brewed for sale in Cornwall in its latest small batch experiment.

Hygge is a Cognac & Marshmallow Imperial Stout which is described as “rich and thick, oozing silky marshmallow flavours and finishing with a spicy, subtle Cognac bite from maturation on Cognac barrel chips”.

The beer - which is called Hygge in reference to its comforting aroma and taste - is intended to be enjoyed instead of wine or port and goes perfectly with a cheeseboard, according to its creator Head Brewer Mike Mason.

Imperial Stouts are often around 11% ABV; sweet malts have to be perfectly balanced with bitter hops in a rich and complex style that has many layers of flavour – it’s an extremely difficult style of beer to master.

Mike said: “I didn’t set out to brew a really high ABV beer just for the sake of it, but the flavours just called for it. When it was ready, I did some research and I think it’s the highest ABV beer ever made by a brewery here in Cornwall, although I’m sure someone out there will correct me!”

At The Driftwood, Mike and Brewery Assistant Tim have a Pilot Brew Kit at their disposal, with the 70 litre capacity set-up allowing them to experiment and push the boundaries with beers like Hygge. For more information go to www.driftwoodsparsbrewery.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Brewery news

Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery launches Devil’s Bridge IPA Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery has unveiled a brand-new beer, Devil’s Bridge IPA, available in can, cask and keg. The beer comes in at 5.2% ABV and is brewed with new world hops, giving it a mouthful of citrus notes, combined with a lasting bitter end. Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery MD, Stu, said: “We’re really excited to launch Devil’s Bridge. It’s a true IPA and something that’s been missing from our range, so it’s a perfect addition. It’s a bit different, and it fits in with the current trend for hoppy IPAs.” Speaking of the branding, Stu added: “We’ve opted for a really funky design as opposed to our classic designs, so it’ll stand out and look very cool among the other beers available on the shelves. There’s an interesting nod to local folklore too, as we’ve featured the tale of Devil’s Bridge on the can.”

The iconic three-arched ‘Devil’s Bridge’ in Kirkby Lonsdale is thought to date back to the 12th or 13th century and is a scheduled ancient monument. Local legend tells the following tale… Once upon a time, an old woman lived on the banks of the Lune. One night her cow strayed across the river and couldn’t be tempted back. The devil appeared and offered to build a bridge in exchange for the soul of the first body to cross it. He constructed the Bridge himself and left a print in the wet stone. The woman met him at the Bridge, took a bun from her bag and threw it across the Bridge. Her small dog went to retrieve it. The devil howled in anger at being tricked before vanishing forever. Find out more at www.klbrewery.com

Salt Beer Factory lands in London Craft brewery Salt Beer Factory is expanding and has extensive plans to continue this growth on a national scale, after acquiring a brewery in London. Known for its Yorkshire roots and award winning beers, Salt’s plans for expansion follow on from three years of unprecedented success for the brand. Newly acquired brewery, Salt London, is based on White Hart Avenue in Greenwich, and will more than double the production capacity of Salt, preparing for the next phase of growth and reinforcing its mission statement that the purpose of beer is to create pleasure. Speaking about the significant plans to expand in the South, the Managing Director of Salt Nadir Zairi said: “This is a really exciting move for Salt. We have maxed out our capacity at Salt Beer Factory North so the addition of a Southern production site will enable us to continue growing the

distribution of our core range. Not only that, but it gives us the freedom to explore the limits of beer through our experimental Hexagon Project range. We have always had a desire to drive the brand forward, taking it nationally in order to do more of what we do best – bringing people together through beer.” The acquisition includes two taprooms in the capital which will be rebranded as Salt Craft + Pizza, forming part of their ongoing commitment to investing in the area. The taprooms, based at Market Yard and Royal Arsenal, will have a specially curated menu of wood fired pizzas that visitors can enjoy whilst sipping on Salt’s latest beers, core range and carefully selected guest ales. There will also be cocktails, wines and spirits available. James Lawson, founder, said: “It's always been an ambition to take our beers to London, and what better way than having our own branded outlets in the capital.

Our London venues will cater to everyone, whether you are a craft beer connoisseur or are completely new to the scene and want to try something new. We’ve done some great collabs and tap takeovers with London breweries and bars over the years and have built great relationships. There is such a huge craft beer presence in London that it feels like it’s the perfect time to be branching out and putting our stamp on the city. Our aim is to break the traditional mould and make great craft beer accessible to all.” Salt prides itself on doing good through beer and, as well as regular charity work, they believe in creativity and outside the box thinking, working with artists, designers and creatives countrywide to ensure every ingredient counts. The move facilitates a huge leap forward for the brand to stake its claim in the capital. Read more about Salt in our Business Profile on pages 32-39 or go to www.saltbeerfactory.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Brewery news

Wold Top Brewery wins sustainable business award The team at a Yorkshire Wolds brewery is celebrating after winning a prestigious regional business award. Wold Top Brewery won the ‘Environmental and Sustainability Award' at the 22nd annual HullLive Business Awards that took place at Hull's DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in November last year.

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Receiving the award, Wold Top's Director Kate Balchin said: "We live, work and play in a wonderful area of Yorkshire and want to maintain this balance for future generations. We're over the moon to be rewarded for our environmental initiatives." Wold Top faced competition from Hull based

O&E Services Ltd. and Timloc Building Products from Howden. The winners were announced at an awards dinner that was hosted by ITV News anchor Lucrezia Millerini and included a keynote speech from Green & Black's co-founder and leading entrepreneur Jo Fairley. Wold Top Brewery was founded by in 2003 and is located on the Mellor family farm at Hunmanby Grange. The team use home grown barley and water from the farm's borehole to produce a range of award-winning cask, keg and bottled beers that are available throughout Yorkshire and nationwide. For more information go to www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk

Gipsy Hill celebrates anniversary of employee ownership shares that they could then hold or trade. All staff participate in the governmentapproved Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) scheme, with options awarded each February and pro-rated depending on the date that new staff began during each 12-month period.

London’s Gipsy Hill Brewing Co has celebrated one year since the launch of its employee-ownership scheme, whereby 2% of the business will be transferred to its employees annually in the form of share options. The South London brewery, with 43 staff currently, also stated that its aim was to list the business on the stock market, at which point employees would see their options convert to

In conjunction with the roll out, Gipsy Hill has launched an Employee Council, to ensure an open forum in which staff can communicate with each other and with management. Founders Sam McMeekin and Charlie Shaw said they were proud to announce the scheme, adding that it had always been their intention for all staff to be co-owners. “Everyone is integral,” said McMeekin, “and anything good that happens at Gipsy Hill is down to our collective efforts. Everyone will benefit directly through ownership.” Gipsy Hill, which celebrates its eighth birthday

this summer, is one of London’s largest independent breweries, with a target output of 15,000 hectolitres in 2022. Brands such as flagship Hepcat session IPA enjoy a wide presence in the London on-trade, as well as nationally in the off-trade. Its active specials program sees it release more than 50 new beers each year. The company exports to 16 countries. The company’s slogan is “Brewing a Better Life”, a message it says encapsulates three pillars: • People – Be fair to your team. Look after your community. Be the change you want to see in society • Product – Quality is our bedrock. Innovation never stops. Be efficient and offer fair value. • Planet – Net zero by 2023. Minimise our footprint. Regenerate where possible. Find out more at www.gipsyhillbrew.com

Battle Brewery adds to its bottled beer range Battle Brewery has expanded its bottled beer range and now offer 10 varieties, with the recent addition of 1066, a 4.5% ABV German-inspired lager, Tostig Extra Pale (3.9% ABV), a light and hoppy pale ale, and rich and complex Senlac Imperial Stout (10.5% ABV). The brewery has also recently added 5L and 10L 'Cask Beer in a Box' options which are delivered fresh and cold from the brewery by the Beer Bus and include a serving tap perfect for a weekend at home or small garden gathering. Plus the box fits nicely in the fridge! Offering a delivery service is just one of the ways that Battle Brewery has adapted during the pandemic. The service runs three times per week to loyal trade and retail customers and

delivers Battle Brewery's award winning locally produced ales (and a Lager too!) in all packaging types to retail and trade customers alike. In October 2020 the brewery also opened a small bottle shop, and this quickly proved to be a great success which allowed Battle to expand to the adjoining unit and open a taproom offering local guest products such as wine, gin, cider and soft drinks plus a selection of snacks. Battle Brewery specialises in creating natural, vegan-friendly beers with no additives, filtration or chemicals and takes inspiration from the beautiful historic surroundings of its heartland in 1066 country. For more information go to www.battlebrewery.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

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Brewery news

Thames Side Brewery and taproom to re-locate The multi award winning Thames Side Brewery in Staines upon Thames will relocate this Spring to an exciting and newly refurbished location. The team is delighted to announce that it will be able to stay on its beloved riverside and remain next to Staines Bridge, moving merely 100 metres downstream from its current home to a unit in Thames Edge Court. Thames Side was first set up almost seven years ago in a tiny industrial unit, which was part of an old boatyard. This was a quarter of a mile, and just across the river, from the current premises. The current site is sadly earmarked for a large development, so the brewery has to move for a second time. Thankfully Thames Side has found another building which is being converted into a showcase for the brewery and taproom. The new site will be much bigger than the current premises and allows for some great opportunities for growth and continued experimentation, with many exciting new beers planned. It will also allow Thames Side to make

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more use of the riverside and will provide a new venue for the people of Staines and surrounding areas to enjoy. Having won several awards recently, including Food & Drink Magazine 2021 ‘Best Riverside Brewery – SE England’; Spelthorne Business Awards ‘Best Creative/Innovative Business in Spelthorne’ and CAMRA North Surrey ‘Pub of The Year’, this will allow the brewery to showcase its products and bar to a wider customer base. With full support from founder Andrew Hayward’s partner Michele and the dedicated brew team of Mike, Clive and Glen, and in conjunction with Anthony Platt of The Last Hop, the new larger venue will not only be the next Thames Side Brewery Taproom showcasing the beers, but will also incorporate a full bar, kitchen, and coffee shop to enhance the offering. Find out more at www.thamessidebrewery.co.uk

The first 10 people to come into the brewery shop with an original copy of this article will receive a free 1 litre growler!*

Isle of Arran Brewery goes green with a grant for growlers Using grant funding administered by Zero Waste Scotland and provided by the Scottish Government and European Regional Development Fund, the Isle of Arran Brewery has introduced a new growler filler to its shop in Cladach. Growlers are large, re-usable bottles, although originally they were covered pails used for people to take beer home from pubs at closing time. The name “Growler” comes from the sound made by the carbon dioxide rattling the lid when it escaped from the beer as it sloshed around inside the pail. In March 2020 Isle of Arran was awarded a grant by the Island Green Recovery Programme, funded by Zero Waste Scotland and the Scottish Government, for two projects, one of which was the growler filler. The brewery took the decision to install one as an environmental initiative, to reduce packaging usage. Growlers are larger than standard beer bottles and are re-usable, so growler owners/

renters are able to have their growler filled multiple times without the need to recycle glass, which, although better than producing virgin glass, is still a high energy process. As a business which is always trying to reduce its environmental impact and carbon footprint, Arran Brewery finds this very appealing. Customers bring their growler to the Isle of Arran Brewery shop (or rent one from the brewery), and the brewery then washes it then refills it. The whole process only takes a few minutes and the customer doesn’t pay for the glass bottle, the labels or the crown caps which are normally part of the price of bottled beer. Isle of Arran is looking to expand this service to two further outlets on the island and is looking for recommendations from islanders as to where these might be located. Find out more at www.arranbrewery.co.uk *Free growler does not include beer. Maximum one per person.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Gold members

CROXSONS CELEBRATES A REMARKABLE ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR AMID STRONG SIGNS OF RECOVERY ACROSS THE SECTOR 2021 seemed to be very much a game of two halves for the sector. The first half was pretty much the same as 2020, while the second half was a long-awaited, yet tentative emergence from pandemic restrictions with the green light given to hospitality to kick-start trading - music to the ears of the country’s independent brewers! Clearly with the onset of new Covid-19 strains, such as the Omicron variant, we’re not out of the woods just yet, but certainly as we enter 2022, the indications are looking promising for a return to equilibrium for the business community at large. As we always say in our news, to our long-standing customers, thank you for your ongoing custom; your patronage is always appreciated. And for those of you who have recently become a Croxsons’ customer, welcome and thank you for your

business and trust in us. We will endeavour to support you through thick and thin and provide you with the service you need to thrive, irrespective of the challenges faced. I hope you enjoy reading our update. There is a real buzz in the Croxsons camp this year… maybe reaching our 150th anniversary might have something to do with it! As ever, we are always delighted to hear from SIBA members, particularly with assistance in diversification and the need to improve efficiency and profitability. If you are considering your options, don’t forget that Croxsons can provide all types of primary packaging, designed by an award-winning design team to help maximise your brand in a unique and distinctive way. Please contact us to discuss your ideas.

CHANGES AT THE HELM Before the end of 2021 and as part of Croxsons’ succession planning, Tim Croxson, previously the COO, took up the position of CEO, in place of his father, James Croxson, who stepped aside to concentrate more on developing the company’s international concerns. In taking the business forward and increasing its market share, both James and Tim, who represent 4th and 5th generations of the Croxson family respectively, enjoyed a fruitful partnership together over the past 20 years. Tim Croxson added: “Moving into the CEO seat at Croxsons is really a natural progression for both James and I. Our combined strengths and the team we have built around us, have helped put the company into an incredibly strong position. “As an ardent and often vocal supporter of SIBA and its members, I very much look forward to further developing our excellent relationships, while personally continuing to provide the familiar face of Croxsons, working alongside a strong team to deliver mainstream advice and support whenever required.”

Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Gold members

150 YEARS AND STILL GROWING! Croxsons celebrates its 150th anniversary this year! For those of you who are yet to know us well, you may be interested in a brief insight into our history. William Croxson established his wholesale bottle merchant business in London in 1872. Now with the fifth generation of the family leading the business, Croxsons has grown from a small enterprise, to an internationally focussed organisation exporting into 50 countries. Over the last four decades, there has been a huge evolution of the company. Building on the corporate vision, we are now wellestablished as an international expert in single-source, multi-choice glass packaging. In our more recent history, the company has concentrated its efforts on successfully

supplying a broad base of clients ranging from artisanal producers to seasoned, multinational brand owners. As a family business, we remain immensely proud of our achievements to-date and, with solid foundations in place, we look forward to the next 150 years, all with the hallmark of Croxsons’ care. We will of course be planning an appropriate beer or two during the year to mark this remarkable milestone, but in the meantime, thank you for your continued support over the years.

IN PURSUIT OF SUSTAINABILITY The majority of businesses these days have some form of environmental objectives in place. Ours go back 150 years, when we first began our business supplying wine merchants with returnable bottles. These days at Croxsons, we are looking at all opportunities to make our business more sustainable, including working towards being carbon net zero at some stage in the future - ambitious, but certainly achievable. Across the industry, ground-breaking research has been undertaken to produce glass bottles created from 100% recycled glass. A trial by glass manufacturer, Encirc, in partnership with industry research and technology organisation, Glass Futures, has resulted in 100% recyclable glass bottles being made by only using the energy from burning ultra-low-carbon biofuels. This is important because the initiative will pave the way for an industry-wide reduction

CROXSONS ONLINE SHOP Just to remind you that our online shop is available for brewers to purchase closures. The shop (which is at www.croxsons.com/department/beer) provides customers with the added flexibility of being able to order closures to suit their own timeframe as and when their busy schedule demands. Online ordering also means a reduction in Croxsons’ minimum order, which will allow more customers to benefit from our wide UK held stock. Crowns include the popular Union Jack and the SIBA Assured Independent crown, launched in conjunction with SIBA to help beer drinkers identify genuine independent craft beers from mass produced global brands.

in carbon emissions, as the glass sector moves away from fossil fuels, and towards low-carbon alternatives. Made out of waste organic materials, biofuels are a renewable and much more sustainable fuel source than those traditionally used by the glass sector, and can reduce the carbon footprint of each bottle by up to 90%. By using up to 100% recycled glass to create the new bottles, the trial has been able to even further minimise the lifetime impact of these products. This really is an excellent development for manufacturers, end users and consumers across the drinks industry in general, not least the independent brewing sector. Please contact us for more information on this existing development.

ON THE MOVE After 37 years at Alpha Place in Morden, Croxsons is moving to a purpose-built workspace in Sutton. While our new home is being designed and built, we are being accommodated 250m down the road at SPACES. We hope to be in our refurbished home shortly and cannot wait to show you around.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Gold members EST. 1984

Equipping the Nation’s Craft Breweries

Visit Vigo at Stand 78/79

“THERE IS INVARIABLY AN ELEMENT OF SURPRISE...” Even after 38 years of trading we have to stop ourselves from making the assumption that our clients are aware of our complete product range. It is not uncommon for us to have supplied a canning line to a brewery and for our engineers to return from a servicing visit a year down the line only to report back that the client wasn’t aware that we also sell kegging equipment, for example. There is invariably an element of surprise: “Oh, I didn’t realise you supplied them!” Sometimes this is followed by, “If I’d have known that, I wouldn’t have gone elsewhere.” There is no denying that we sell a lot of varied equipment and consumables but, despite our best efforts, spreading the word to clients and new contacts is a challenge. There is just so much to convey. Andy Pegman, Sales Director, Vigo Ltd

PORTFOLIO    

Bottling equipment Brewhouses Canning lines Carbonators

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Chilling systems Filtration equipment Fittings & hoses Keg washers & fillers

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Labelling machines Pumps Steam cleaners Tanks

PROCESSING & PACKAGING OPTIONS If you need any help choosing equipment, whether your brewery is relatively new or has been trading for many years, we would be really pleased to take your call and chat through your specific requirements. Our equipment and consumables range is covered extensively on our website, but there is no substitute for discussing your requirements and the available options, so please do give us a call. If you would prefer a video call with us, we can easily arrange this. Or, if you will be at BEERX, come and chat to us on our stand. tel 01404 892 100 ● email sales@vigoltd.com ● www.vigoltd.com

Gold members

A COMPLETE SOLUTION Vigo supply stand alone pieces of equipment or complete processing lines like this one at Utopian Brewing. We provided and installed an ABE brewhouse with a bespoke platform layout to suit Utopian’s requirements, bespoke pipework required for the layout, a ringmain designed specifically for the layout and to facilitate future expansion plans, and a Malek keg cleaner and filler.

BREWHOUSE, KEGGING & CHILLING RINGMAIN

We are acutely aware here at Vigo that a one size definitely doesn’t fit all, and we work hard to provide tailored solutions appropriate to the requirements of each project. The range of equipment we supply, the expertise we have gained through 38 years of equipping drink producers, and our in-house team of Vigo engineers enable us to offer and install flexible solutions with comprehensive, on-going backup and support.

CASE STUDY

SALCOMBE’S PACKAGING PROJECT

PRODUCTION PINCH POINTS

We were pleased to be selected as Salcombe Brewery’s chosen supplier of packaging equipment for their major investment in facilities. The production line included a CIMEC bottling line, an ABE canning line, a Malek kegging facility, ABE tanks, a Kreyer/Quantor chiller with full ringmain controlled by a bespoke Vigo manufactured PLC control system, and a Bared cross flow filter. Our engineers installed the complete line including the ringmain for the service pipework; they also interlinked the canning & bottling lines to share a single packing area (minimising the footprint of the line).

Increased levels of product demand is really encouraging, but when you have to contend with the stark reality of production challenges, it can take its toll and lead to a stressful, inefficient working environment. Whether processing or packaging for bottle, can, keg or bag-in-box, production pinch points can include any of the following: • Labour intensive & disjointed processes • Mismatched pieces of equipment • Equipment which is no longer up to the job or not fast enough • Inability to package in the required format

Sam Beaman, Head Brewer at Salcombe said:

If you face any of these problems, no matter what stage you are at, we invite you to give us a call. We have decades of experience helping producers and can provide both semi-automatic and automatic solutions for reducing labour, increasing efficiency and improving capacity.

“We have been really pleased with all the equipment that was supplied and installed by Vigo. The excellent customer service and technical support from their engineers continues to added value to the project.”

SMALL PACK & KEG EQUIPMENT There is little doubt that despite the economic and logistical challenges the pandemic brought us all, the demand for small pack was (and is) strong, particularly via the direct-to-consumer and off trade route. As we write this, we hope that the removal of Plan B covid restrictions will enable bars, taprooms and restaurants to get one step closer to business as usual and fully restore their vital role in the heart of the community. A boost for both the keg and cask markets is long overdue. Please give us a call if you are looking to increase or improve your bottle rinsing/filling/ capping/labelling, canning, kegging, or bag-inbox capabilities; or if you are thinking of diversifying into any one of these areas. We look forward to chatting through your requirements and your aims for 2022 or the years ahead.

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Supplier news

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Muntons’ sustainability programme awarded platinum medal

Muntons, the Stowmarket-based malt and malted ingredient manufacturer, has been awarded a platinum medal in sustainability performance by EcoVadis. This rating puts the maltster in the top 1% of global companies assessed and further highlights it as a leader in sustainability. EcoVadis is the world's largest independent corporate social responsibility (CSR) rating agency and assesses over 85,000 businesses in 160 countries and 200 industries. It reviews a company’s performance in four key pillars: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Across the board, Muntons scored 75 out of 100 in the audit, well ahead of the global average of 47.

Muntons added the accolade to its everexpanding list of recent achievements, including the Environmental Leadership Award at the 2021 Food and Drink Federation's awards and the Baking Industry Awards' Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award. The 100-year-old business impressed judges with its investment and innovation carried out on its new biomass heating system along with the co-generation of electricity. This, in part, represents Muntons' commitment to sustainability and reduces its environmental footprint in line with a net-zero carbon emissions target. The company is on track to achieve its sciencebased target early and will decarbonise by over 60% based on 2010 emissions.

Director of Technical and Sustainability at Muntons, Nigel Davies, said: “It’s an honour to be awarded the EcoVadis Platinum Award. As a business that has set science-based emissions reduction goals as part of our sustainability strategy, the medal recognises our commitments as an industry leader. “We’re serious about our sustainability initiatives, and the work we do allows us to support our customers and suppliers build greener supply chains and therefore improve the industry’s methods throughout. The platinum award recognises our performance is consistently high in the wider sustainability issues, such as ethics, human rights and procurement."

Muntons sales manager presented with accolade to celebrate the country's highest malt industry exam results Joe Fifield, a sales manager from Muntons, has been recognised for achieving the country's highest result in his industry exams. Joe completed the General Certificate of Malting (GCM) last year and achieved a credit grade. The malting industry’s trade association, the Maltsters’ Association of

Great Britain (MAGB), named Joe as its highest-scoring exam candidate for 2020. This led to The Macpherson Memorial Trust nominating him for the Association’s prestigious award, the Macpherson Quaich. Speaking about receiving the Macpherson Quaich, Joe said: “I'm honoured to have received the Macpherson Quaich; it's a

tremendous achievement for me and it’s something I’m really proud of.” During an award ceremony at Muntons' headquarters in Stowmarket, Suffolk, Macpherson Chair of Trustees, Adrian Dyter presented Joe with the Macpherson Quaich.

Murphy & Son launches new PCR service As the industry recovers from the impact of the pandemic, ensuring the purity of yeast slurries, clean fermenters and serving consistent quality beer has never been more important. Murphys is therefore proud to announce the launch of its new PCR service that will serve as an important quality control measure across the brewing process, from yeast slurries to packaging. Despite the pandemic thrusting PCRs into the public eye, PCR (Polymer Chain Reaction) tests have been around since 1985, enabling scientists

to amplify a low concentration of DNA to millions of copies in the space of a few hours. This technology has now been harnessed by Murphys for its new service which provides a rapid and reliable PCR based method to detect a range of beer spoilage microorganisms. And as there is no need for culturing on foreign medias, the entire process can be completed in situ. With only a small volume of beer, Murphys can extract DNA and amplify using specifically targeted primers, permitting the species-level identification of beer spoilage yeasts and bacteria and a full PCR run can be completed, analysed, and reported within only a few hours. Through the new service Murphys

aims to return all customer samples by the end of the next day. The new service can also be used on yeast slurry to confirm the absence of any key beer spoilers and also the absence or presence of any diastatic variant, and swabs of other areas of the brewery such as the canning line or containers can also be tested for contaminants. For more information about the new PCR service email techsupport@murphyandson.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Supplier news

Brewing Services unveils ‘Brewing – The Fundamentals’ Now re-named ‘Brewing – The Fundamentals’ Brewing Services ran the first of its new, updated, brewing courses face-to-face for the first time in two years last November. Although restricted to Zoom only teaching for the last two years, this has allowed Brewing Services the time required to re-write much of the course material and update the lecture material. But Zoom is no substitute for the real thing, and the team was delighted to once again stand up in front of a full course of brewers all wanting to learn more about the underpinning theory behind their day-to-day brewing activities. The course once again included visits to Fawcett’s Maltings to see the many different types of malt being made and Hambleton Brewery to see their bottling and new canning operations. The dates for the next course, which will once again be held in York, are 3rd to 6th April and further details can be found on the Brewing Services website. Read more at www.brewingservices.co.uk

Moody Direct to exhibit at SIBA’s BeerX UK 2022 Leading supplier of liquid processing equipment, Moody Direct Ltd, will be exhibiting a range of process spare parts and components on their stand 184 at this year’s BeerX UK. As the UK authorised distributors for some of the best known brands in the brewing industry, Moody Direct will have on display components from the likes of Alfa Laval, SPX FLOW, GEA and Keofitt. With such well-developed business partnerships with these original equipment manufacturers, Moody Direct can support breweries no matter what equipment they have on site. BeerX UK is being held at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th March 2022. Alongside the many industry suppliers that will be at the trade event, there will also be regional beer bars and trade-only beer festival, the SIBA AGM and Members' Conference, the independent beer and business awards presentations, plus a full

schedule of seminars, talks and panel debates from the beer industry's leading voices. Moody Direct has been operating within the brewery sector for over 45 years, allowing the team to build an advanced knowledge of the industry’s process requirements. As a fullservice organisation, it can support breweries with spare parts and components, servicing solutions, integrity testing services, PHE refurbishment, new equipment and complete turnkey projects. Ken Wild, Moody Direct Director, said: “Whether it’s a single spare part to a process valve or a complete turnkey solution, we’re here to provide much needed, reliable support to breweries of all sizes. We have always valued the importance of meeting with brewers in person at trade events such as BeerX. The prospect of new discussions and connections with a, long overdue, beer in hand, is very exciting.” For more information visit www.moodydirect.com

OPM Group further invests in digital capability OPM (Labels and Packaging) Group has announced it has further extended its printing capabilities for brands, packers and retailers in the beverage sector seeking outstanding labels and flexible packaging with investment in a next generation Domino digital press. The investment sees the company offer a new range of novel added-value print solutions ideal for stand out packs and labels in the drinks industry.

The Domino N610i digital press delivers a wide colour gamut with up to seven colours achieving in excess of 92% of the Pantone colour range. With screen-like high quality opaque white for outstanding graphics, the press also incorporates intelligent technology features enabling the production of a range of textures for premium product branding and enhanced shelf appeal.

their packaging and label partners to be responsive and innovative to help them meet 2022 market trends. By further investing in our digital capabilities, we continue to support our mission to bring our customers customised solutions that meet the quality, flexibility and speed their brands demand, to attract the consumer’s attention when and where it matters most – on the shelf.”

Chris Ellison, Joint Managing Director at OPM, said: “Beverage brands are experiencing rapid consumer behaviour changes with the pandemic and need

For more information visit www.opmgroup.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

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Supplier news

Three costly problems the right brewery pump seal can solve! Whisper Pumps looks at some common pump problems that can be caused by using the wrong sealing… Whether you're a microbrewery creating craft ales or a big commercial brewery, you are likely to experience some common brewery pump problems caused by having the wrong pump sealing. So, have you been experiencing leaks when transferring hot wort? In our dealings with brewers, we found that many are unhappy with the life span of their brewery pump sealing. We discovered that the hot wort from the brewing process damages many pumps as the sugar compound contained within alcoholic liquids builds up around the mechanical seals and crystallises. This consequently results in stress corrosion cracking and the seal leaking, which causes the pump to leak and damage the motor. So, to save you time, money, and lost production, we have highlighted three costly problems that you are likely to experience if you do not have the right pump sealing and provide a simple solution to solve these issues:

1. L eaks and mess – If you are experiencing leaking, you are probably having a problem with the sealing. As the sugars produced by the hot wort are crystallising on the faces of the mechanical shaft seal and forcing the two components apart, the pump will start to leak. This will result in fast and frequent corrosion and messy leaks, which are hazardous and take time to clean up. 2. Damage and downtime - Beer wort pumps are a crucial part of the brewery process; so having to stop using them until the leaks are repaired may result in your production grinding to a halt. This results in the costly loss of productivity, time and potential waste of product. 3. Cost of maintenance, excessive spare parts and repairs – Although having a pump maintenance plan is key to keeping your pump running smoothly, not having the right sealing can cause unexpected maintenance and repairs. As the hot wort starts corroding the pump seals, you’ll need to spend time and money to keep replacing them, and this will result in the excessive buying of spare parts. Leaks could also cause

Supplier Viewpoint

damage to other parts of the pump, which will require costly repairs and ongoing maintenance. After working closely with the brewery industry for many years and testing different pump seals to come up with a solution for this problem, we found a mechanical seal with a material that will withstand the high temperature but does not allow the sugar to adhere to the mating surfaces. After discovering this unique pump seal, we started supplying it pre-attached to our Lowara CEA(M) and Ebara CDX(M) brewery pumps, and we also stock the seal as a spare part for retrofitting to existing Lowara and Ebara pumps. This brewery pump seal has helped many of our clients forget about pump leaks and these common pump problems. Find out more at www.whisperpumps.com or contact the Whisper Pumps technical sales engineers on 01777 871100.

Rawlings and Vigo merge Rawlings and Vigo have merged to offer complete (end-to-end) processing and packaging solution. The merger brings together Rawlings’ portfolio of primary packaging solutions and Vigo’s comprehensive processing equipment and consumables offering for clients in the premium drinks market, with expansion to deliver an end-to-end solution for premium food, health, and beauty brands. The primary objective was to combine Rawlings’ expertise delivering off-the-shelf and bespoke glass packaging, graphic design, branding and decoration with Vigo’s tailored drink production systems, which include equipment, configuration, technical adaptions, installation, and full support from their team of engineers, providing clients with a complete packaging and production solution in one place. The move allows both Rawlings and Vigo to increase the capacity, efficiency, and scale of

their existing offerings. Both Vigo and Rawlings will continue to trade at their existing premises and the same dedicated team and support remains in place. Tom Wood, Managing Director of Rawlings, said: “We are excited to be joining forces with the Vigo team. There is a tremendous fit around people, values and purpose making this is a very natural and organic expansion. Both businesses will extend their capabilities to offer incredible value for our clients.” Simon Pitts, Managing Director of Vigo Ltd, added: “We are really excited about the

opportunities being a part of Rawlings brings. Joining forces allows us to take much bigger strides forward in capacity and offering than we would have been able to do so on our own. This will help drive increased value and range for our customers as well as strengthen our backup and support offering. Equally important, the culture and ethics of both businesses are closely aligned, and I have no doubt that the sharing of knowledge will further boost our offering.” Find out more at www.vigoltd.com and www.rawlingsbristol.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Brewlab

Your Partner for Brewing Success

We help brewers and breweries across the world improve their knowledge, skills and quality of products. Professional Brewery Training Whether you’re a first time brewer looking to start your career or a professional brewery seeking to upskill your team, Brewlab has a training course that is right for you.

Brewlab

External Services Brewlab can deliver onsite quality assurance audits to help troubleshoot issues, upskill brewers and provide certification to demonstrate high standards. Laboratory and Yeast Services Labo We provide breweries with the expertise required to manage the quality and consistency of their products through routine and advanced analysis services. We can design custom due diligence plans for any microbrewery to maintain quality assurance. Project Support Our experienced team can assist with the development of new innovative products, producing small batches ready for market testing.

For further information please call 0191 549 9450, email info@brewlab.co.uk or visit www.brewlab.co.uk

Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Supplier news

SUS

Supplier Viewpoint

INABI

BRE WIN

Waste not, want not Independent waste broker Waste Source offers advice on procuring waste services… Waste is simply lost resources. Managing them responsibly will build your businesses brand. Waste is a valuable secondary resource and not something we just discard. Material has both a financial and environmental value and the benefit of avoidance is always going to be significantly more attractive than the cost of disposal. When procuring waste services, the reality can sometimes fail to reflect this ambition. The problem really starts when businesses just think about the price to replace an existing service. This immediately focuses

attention on the operation and input – rather than the desired outcomes. Climate change and the urgency to slow global warming has been pushed to the forefronts of our minds. Following the COP26 Summit, environmental action for businesses isn’t just a nice thing to do, it is critical to ensure your brand and business isn’t falling out of favour with your more ethically minded customer base. There is an opportunity for businesses large and small to reflect on their waste, recycling and resource management performance and decide whether there is more that can be done. Rather than thinking just about the operational need: How do we segregate, what type of bin do we need, who will be the

cheapest supplier. Instead think more about the outcomes of what you want to achieve, whether it is 100% landfill avoidance, 90% recycling, incorporating reuse. This approach doesn’t only present a cost benefit (due to the shift away from expensive general waste), it also delivers improved environmental practice and carbon footprint. An opportunity beyond the environmental one is the potential to build brand value through environmental effort. It is fantastic that more businesses are going to great lengths to improve their waste operation, but it is important to remember to leverage the opportunity to build a new and engaging dimension to their brand. Find out more at www.wastesource.co.uk

Clearmark to tap into BeerX UK 2022 with automated print and apply labelling solution After success at the show in 2020, pack labelling specialist Clearmark returns to exhibit at this year’s BeerX UK on the 16th-17th March at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool. With proven results in the brewery sector with the ICE Vulcan Print and Apply Labeller, Clearmark is exhibiting this robust and versatile product on stand 149. Expert engineers will give live demonstrations on the benefits to brewers this product provides and information on how to become GS1 compliant with print and apply labelling technology. Over the past year, most businesses have seen an increase in staff shortages and supply chain issues meaning that automating the packaging line is now more important than ever. With easily customisable label design and the ability to print and apply up to 150 packs per minute whilst never missing a pack, the ICE Vulcan Print and Apply Labeller quickly provides a great ROI to craft breweries who have ever

changing product lines. Breweries can benefit from increased speed, reliability and freeing up operators to perform more value-added tasks. With many breweries now tapping into grocery shopping market, it is important for products to be labelled with correct and clear information in order to avoid costly fines. It is imperative the labelling solution can not only quickly and accurately apply labels to kegs, casks and bottles, but also has the ability to rapidly change labels to fit product changeovers as needed. The Clearmark team are on hand to chat to visitors at BeerX UK about success in the industry with the most recent application at Vocation Brewery. With Vocation’s sales soaring, 51 new product lines, and their beers making way onto supermarket shelves, they needed a solution to automate the labelling process whilst also complying with the new GS1 regulations. Dan Tasker, Packaging Manager at Vocation, said: “Everything sent to the retailer has to be boxed and labelled. We produce about 30 pallets

a day, with 100 or 200 cases on each pallet. Anything other than our core brand has to have a custom label on it. Since automating our labelling process we’ve had zero defects - the ICE Vulcan print and apply system is 100% fool-proof and in hindsight we should have automated sooner.” For all pre-event enquiries, give the Clearmark team a call on 01159 640144 or email enquiries@uk.interactivecoding. com or visit www.clearmark.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

“Specialising in the Manufacture and Supply of Keystone’s For Beer Barrels“ Our industry standard T.P.E. Rubber Keystones have been tried and tested by brewery’s na�onwide for over 15 Years. “Food Contact Compliant Material” We manufacture both so� and hard variants packaged in 'Poly-lined Polypropylene Sacks'. Our Keystone’s are supplied in quan��es of 1000 and are all individually marked for 'End of Life Recycling'.

Price Per 1000 Delivered Only £60 + Vat PALLET QUANTITY PRICES

Price Per 10,000 Delivered £50 / 1000 + Vat Price Per 40,000 Delivered £47.50 / 1000 + Vat So please visit our online shop at WWW.POLY-TEK.CO.UK Or alterna�vely you can contact the sales team directly on 01795 439222

30 day accounts available upon request Unit 8, Fairway Business Park Castle Road, Eurolink Sittingbourne Kent ME10 3FB

Tel +44(0) 1795 439222 Fax: +44(0) 1795 439444 Email: info@poly-tek.co.uk Www.poly-tek.co.uk

Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Supplier news

New beer analyser BeerFoss FT Go adds data to the brew

Analytics specialist Foss Analytics has launched a new beer analyser called the BeerFoss FT Go which has found favour among craft brewers such as Amager Bryghus near Copenhagen. The brewery’s first encounter with the new solution was when it was put on trial as an alternative to existing test methods. These were diverse, labour-intensive and prone to human error. For instance, it was often necessary to take a whole litre of sample from the wort to get a density measurement and this would involve degassing the sample in just the right way before it can be tested. Alternatively, sending out tests to an external laboratory involved waiting time for results and high running costs. In contrast, the new solution covers essential brewing parameters in one simple test on wort, beer under fermentation or finished beer. Parameters include alcohol, real extract, pH combined with overview parameters for easier batch tracking. The test takes around three minutes. No degassing is required and filtering is only limited to special sample types. The risk of variations in samples and operator error is also reduced by the simplicity of being able to just take a sample directly from the tank, bottle or can. The instrument selfcleans its measurement flow system and it requires only minimal use of consumables. It is delivered ready-for-use with first time set-up taking less than two hours. More information about BeerFoss FT Go can be found at www.fossanalytics.com/en/products/beerfoss-go

Close Brothers Brewery Rentals launches EkegPlus The latest addition to the Close Brothers Brewery Rentals product portfolio is EkegPlus, which allows customers to collect and refill from its fleet of orange banded EKegs and ECasks and deliver them directly to venues as well as through approved wholesalers.

This flexibility gives customers increased control, with the added benefit of only paying for containers when they’re being used. The technology driven combination of bulk scanning equipment and the PlusPortal management platform offers brewers live cycle data, transparent billing, and informative insights to reduce costs and streamline operations. Close Brothers Brewery Rentals provides a wide range of services in addition to longer term

Yes you can! consumer issues such as sustainability and portability. However, the most important concern for producers when packaging a beverage is preventing contamination from the exposure to oxygen, reducing shelf-life and modifying taste.

Canning technology specialist Core Equipment looks at how its latest canning system addresses common concerns over sealing… The start of 2021 brought significant change to the way in which breweries operated, with many brewers looking to diversify their business models to cope with new pressures and drive sales. Typically packaged in keg or bottled formats, many breweries across the UK switched to canning. The compact design and need for less space allowed for more product to be delivered and offered more commercially viable options for those who have a high turnover of product at a lower price point. Cans are known for offering the producer versatility in product sizes from 150ml slim to 500ml standard whilst addressing

Successful developments in scaling down counter pressure technology have made this equipment available to craft producers at an affordable price. Exclusive suppliers of the CODI counter pressure system, Core Equipment introduced this technology to the UK and Europe and continues to be the only distributor of this equipment. Preventing contamination from bacteria through exposure of oxygen means the technology in sealing is the most critical part to any canning machine. Made from 316 stainless steel, the mechanically driven seamer rollers in the CODI system work in conjunction with the can lifter. This pneumatically driven piston enables the rollers and can lifter to work simultaneously, as the moving parts lock into position to give the correct spring pressure connecting the lid and body of the can, creating a consistent seam every time in comparison to that of a linear-motion

container rental, including fee-per-fill short term rental containers ECasks and EKegs, as well as repair and refurbishment services and equipment finance. Close Brothers will be at BeerX UK this year in Liverpool on March 16th and 17th on stand 80. For more information go to www.closebreweryrentals.co.uk

Supplier Viewpoint method. This double seam creates an airtight seal, protecting the liquid and ensures durability from pressures generated in the can during transportation. For an oxygen-sensitive product this counter pressure canning machine keeps the dissolved oxygen pick up level to as low as 10ppb, effectively stopping the consequences of oxidation from the beginning. The integrated “bubble breaker” in the seamer additionally blankets the can with CO2 before the lid is applied, rapidly dissipating foam to eliminate oxygen in the headspace of filled cans, keeping this consistency along the whole filling process. Additionally, the CODI CCL-45 seamless counter pressure technology enables the user to have complete control over the atmospheric conditions across the entire filling process, meaning the single head seamer achieves speeds of up to 55 cans per minute, with some customers filling upwards of 30,000 cans per day whilst capturing the intended taste with no environmental compromises. For more information go to www.core-equip.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

Gold & Silver members

Gold members Brewers Select

Silver members

Alfa Laval

Ken Steer Jones sales@brewersselect.co.uk

Rebecca Halpin rebecca.halpin@alfalaval.com

Charles Faram & Co Ltd Any of the Team sales@charlesfaram.co.uk

Anton Paar Ltd

Tertia Rimell tertia.rimell@anton-paar.com

Paktech OPI

Breww Ltd

Pentair Food & Beverage Solutions

Murphy & Son Ltd

Debbie Larkin debbie.larkin@pentair.com

Rankin Brothers & Sons

Jonathan Chaplin sales@core-equip.com

Jim Rankin sales@rankincork.co.uk

Crisp Malting Group

Frances Maud frances.maud@murphyandson.co.uk

Quality, Consistency & Support

Rob Moody rob.moody@crispmalt.com

Festival Glass

Kelsey Cheesbrough sales@festivalglass.co.uk

Premier Systems Ltd Sam Williams Sam@premiersystems.ltd.uk

Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd

James Fawcett james@fawcett-maltsters.co.uk

Sales Team sales@vigoltd.com

Framax UK Limited

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Timo Leukel timo.leukel@rastal.com

Mike Impson mike.impson@smurfitkappa.co.uk

Elizabeth Smith esmith@framax.co.uk

6ix Process Design

IGC Engineering Ltd

Lewis Russell sales@6ix-pd.com

Chris Hamlett chrishamlettigc@onetel.com

Kegstar

Vale Labels Ltd

John Riches john@valelabels.co.uk

Willis Publicity

Lallemand UK

Sarah Young syoung@lallemand.com

Rastal GmbH & Co KG

Saxon Packaging Ltd

Oliver Baldwin oliver@kegstar.com

Vigo ltd

James Allison James.Allison@napthens.co.uk

Nancy Baker nancy.baker@paktech-opi.com

Core Equipment Ltd

Tim Croxson Tim.croxson@croxsons.com

Vanessa Makings vanessa.makings@muntons.com

Beer Box Shop

Max Andrew max@breww.co.uk

Croxsons

Muntons Plc

Napthens

Simon Hulse sales@beerboxshop.co.uk

Reem Mohsen Reem.Mohsen@closebrothers.com

Andy Mogg hello@lemontopcreative.com

Beatson Clark

Charlotte Taylor charlotte.taylor@beatsonclark.co.uk

Close Brothers Brewery Rentals

Lemon Top Creative

LALLEMAND BREWING

Carl Andrews carl@willispublicity.co.uk

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evolutionbps.co.uk www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Spring 2022

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SIBA contacts

PO BOX 136, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5WW

SIBA Head Office: 01765 640441

SIBA Team James Calder Chief Executive james.calder@siba.co.uk Sara Knox Company Secretary sara.knox@siba.co.uk Rachel Harriott Head of Membership Services rachel.harriott@siba.co.uk Neil Walker Head of Comms & Marketing neil.walker@siba.co.uk

Board of Elected Directors Existing members wishing to contact your regional representatives can use the relevant regional e-mail addresses listed below. For individuals, just type firstname.lastname@siba.co.uk Chairman of SIBA Roy Allkin Boss Brewing

East east@siba.co.uk

Chair Richard Naisby Ian Rydings Marcus Beecher

Milton Brewery Leigh on Sea Brewery Elgood & Sons Ltd

Midlands midlands@siba.co.uk Chair Ken Munro Anneli Baxter Anthony Hughes

Milestone Brewery White Horse Brewery Lincoln Green Brewing Co Ltd

North East northeast@siba.co.uk Chair Ian Fozard Ewen Gordon Mark Anderson

Rooster’s Brewery Ltd Saltaire Brewery Ltd Double Maxim Beer Co

Barry Watts Head of Public Affairs & Policy barry.watts@siba.co.uk

North West northwest@siba.co.uk

Louise Henley Membership Services Administrator louise.henley@siba.co.uk

Chair Christie Slater Jamie Delap Fiona MacEachern

William Mayne

Bullhouse Brewing Co

Scotland scotland@siba.co.uk

Loch Leven Brewery Fyne Ales Loch Lomond Brewery

Jenna Barningham Membership Services Administrator jenna.barningham@siba.co.uk

South East southeast@siba.co.uk

Elle Spencer-Blanchard Membership Services Assistant elle.spencerblanchard@siba.co.uk

South West southwest@siba.co.uk

All General Enquiries contact office@siba.co.uk

Wales & West west@siba.co.uk

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Spring 2022 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Chair Andy Hayward Peter Hills

Chair Paul Arrowsmith Darren Batten Alan Collyer Chair Roy Allkin Buster Grant Glenn White

Thames Side Brewery Hackney Brewery Red Rock Brewery Palmers Brewery The Exeter Brewery

Boss Brewing Cold Black Label Ltd Brew Monster Group

Our specially crafted Genuine Brewflex® hose assemblies for brewing are designed to not only meet stringent food hygiene standards and obligations but also help to minimise unnecessary and avoidable costs commonly caused by improperly recommended hose solutions.

n PROTECT YOUR EMPLOYEES – ELIMINATE THE RISK

Poorly maintained hoses can burst under pressure during a CIP regime. Caustic in eyes, boiling water being flushed through or loose fittings detaching from the hose can cause serious injury to employees and operators.

n PROTECT YOUR PRODUCT – DON’T LOSE A BATCH

Hose liners can delaminate over time, especially if the wrong one is used, & (if not maintained) the microscopic particles can bypass filtration systems, into your beer, damaging product integrity.

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Get in touch now for your FREE HOSE HEALTH CHECK T:+44(0) 1753 570 099 sales@flextechhose.co.uk www.flextechhose.co.uk “A hose is not just a hose…”

Spring 2022 Independent Brewer Magazine

Articles inside

Supplier news Updates from SIBA’s Supplier Associate Members

Gold Members Croxsons and Vigo

Brewery news The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK

BeerX UK preview Get ready for SIBA’s flagship event this month

Supplier viewpoint As iconic brewery Tetley’s turns 200, WPA Pinfold’s Myles Pinfold asks if history could be repeating itself

Competitions and judging update

Brewer's viewpoint Robert Middleton

Technical focus Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas offers advice on effective tasting techniques

Business advice Legal, brand & marketing and intellectual property

Meet the retailer A profile of award-winning independent bottle shop and hot sauce haven Hop, Burns & Black

Meet the regions Regional SIBA directors Andrew Hayward from the South East and Darren Batten from the South West

That's what he said Emmie Harrison-West

Sustainability profile Focusing on the pioneering work of Duration Brewing in rural Norfolk

SIBA news All the news from SIBA HQ

Taproom focus Featuring the taproom at Stroud Brewery

CEO’s update James Calder is looking forward to BeerX UK

Business profile We meet Nadir Zairi the MD of Salt Beer Factory

SIBA membership update Learn more about

Chairman’s comment Roy Allkin