Meet The Regions Regional SIBA directors William Mayne from the North West and William Harris from the South East

Name:

William Harris

Brewery: Wild Card

Region: South East

Contact details:

william.harris@siba.co.uk

How did you first get into brewing?

I brewed at home for the first time in 2006. Shortly after this I started working at a pub operated by a brewery from my hometown of Nottingham - Castle Rock. My first job in manufacturing was as a cask washer for the same brewery.

What do you love most about the industry?

Beer festivals. Trying new beers. Catching up with old friends and making new ones. I love the excitement of it all.

What do you see as the most important part of your SIBA role?

The multinational breweries expend vast resources to lobby the government extensively on a range of issues. As an individual small or medium brewery it can be extremely challenging to make your voice heard to ministers and civil service officials. It isn't perfect but SIBA is our best opportunity to reach decision makers on issues such as alcohol duty reform.

Why should Members get involved in SIBA locally?

It’s vital that members get involved in their local region’s activity. Being based in London a criticism I often hear about SIBA is that it is old fashioned - get involved, make a change.

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

Rising production costs, electricity and malt for example.

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

Burning Sky make some exceptional beers. Their Cuvee is lovely!

What do you like most about your local brewing community?

London is an extremely diverse and busy beer scene. 100+ breweries crammed into one city. There is always something new to try, new people to meet. I love i

Name:

William Mayne

Brewery:

Bullhouse Brewing Company Ltd

Region: North West

Contact details:

william.mayne@siba.co.uk

How did you first get into brewing?

I went on a road trip around the West coast of the US with my brother in 2011 when I was 18 and began homebrewing on my return.

What do you love most about the industry?

The vast majority of us are like-minded individuals wanting to do our bit for society through creating a delicious locally produced product.

How long have you been involved with SIBA and why did you join?

We joined SIBA at the beginning of 2020 after Licensing Legislation came onto the table in our devolved Assembly in Northern Ireland for the first time in 25 years. I spent the following 18 months with my lobbying hat on. We received tremendous support from SIBA HQ and I was keen to establish a Northern Irish region, as we are currently in the North West region, so I was encouraged to stand for election to the Board to push for this within the constitution.

What do you see as the most important part of your SIBA role?

My mandate is primarily to support the Northern Irish breweries. Despite some positive changes with the most recent Bill that passed in Stormont, Northern Irish breweries are still at a significant disadvantage to breweries in GB.

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

Coming out of the pandemic, we’ve nearly all taken on extra debt, exports are harder after Brexit, the cost of everything has increased but the market has a surplus of beer. We’ve seen an increasing amount of closures, the majority of breweries are in survival mode and we need some stability on our costs in the short term to enable us to plan for the medium term.

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

I’m personally a big fan of the beers produced by Charles Ballantyne at Ards Brewing Company.