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Brewery News The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK
Docks Beers launches new low ABV lager with a GTFC connection
Docks Beers has added a new low strength lager to its range of accessible craft beers.
The 3.4% ABV session lager ‘We Only Sing When We’re Fishing’ is inspired by the town’s heritage and by one of the iconic chants sung by the fans of Grimsby Town FC. Shaz Shadan, Director of Docks Beers, explains the thinking behind the brew: “We have seen great success with our previous football related beers ‘Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Fish’ and ‘We P*ss On Your Fish’ and this new lager completes our hat-trick! We brewed it very deliberately at a lower strength because reduced ABV beers are really coming of age. While the trend used to be for craft beers to push the boundaries in terms of alcohol strength; it’s new lower alcohol alternatives that are resonating most with our customers. We hear increasingly from our drinkers that it’s not about consuming alcohol to get drunk. This new lager has already proved a big hit in the Mariners Trust family fan zone.” Mike Richards, the head brewer at Docks Beers said, ‘We Only Sing When We’re Fishing’ is crisp, clean and refreshing. It’s a full-flavoured lager which packs a lot into its 3.4%. Building on a base of lager and extra pale malts, some classic German bittering hops lay the groundwork before Huell Melon delivers a hit that’s more refreshing than a stiff Easterly breeze battering the upper tier of the Young’s stand!” ‘We Only Sing When We’re Fishing’ is now available in 330ml cans at docksbeers.com or from their King Edward Street taproom shop. The session lager is also on draught in the taproom and in the Mariners Trust fanzone for the remainder of the season.
Find out more at www.docksbeers.com
Otter Brewery has partnered with the Devon Wildlife Trust to launch an exciting and ambitious environmental initiative. ‘Pints Mean Trees’ is a specific campaign that will support the Trust’s, ‘Saving Devon’s Treescape’ project, and will commit Otter Brewery to plant a tree for every brewer’s barrel they sell in 2022.
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‘Saving Devon’s Treescapes’ was created to lead the fight against Ash Dieback, which is expected to kill at least 90% of Devon’s Ash trees in the coming years. The aim of the project is to plant and nurture 250,000 trees across Devon in areas outside of woodlands. To launch the promotion, pubs and venues serving Otter’s award-winning beer will each be sent a ‘Pints Mean Trees’ promotional pack that includes, 10x trees and 10x guards. These can be shared with customers on the signing of a pledge card that commits the new tree owner to care for and nurture the sapling. Also included within the packs will be ‘Pints Mean Trees’ bar runners, beer mats, font clips and bar talkers, which operators can use to help communicate the initiative with their regulars. Patrick McCaig, MD of Otter Brewery is thrilled with the partnership: “Otter has always been an eco-conscious brewery and as a family we’ve deliberately built every part of the business around being as green as possible. We now believe that it is time to take this commitment to the next level and I’m delighted that Otter Brewery will be partnering with Devon Wildlife Trust to support their ‘Saving Devon’s Treescapes’ project. We are confident that pubs and venues serving Otter beers will be keen to show customers how they are not only backing the project, but also doing something for the environment and we are excited to get feedback and repeat orders throughout the year.”
To enquire about becoming involved in Otter Brewery’s Pints means Trees initiative, please contact Otter Brewery or visit www.otterbrewery.com
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Driftwood Spars Brewery raises over £4,500 to help clean the Cornish coast
A small Cornish brewery has made a big contribution to the ocean cleanup, raising £4,543 (plus gift aid of £429.25) for the charity Fathoms Free and its Clean Cornish Seas campaign.
The Driftwood Spars Brewery is located in Trevaunance Cove near St Agnes, where, alongside its fellow business and famous brewpub The Driftwood Spars, it provides a little enclave of small-batch beer appreciation on the Cornish coast. The money has been raised thanks to a decision by Head Brewer Mike Mason and Brewery Owner Louise Treseder to donate a percentage from every sale of the brewery’s Cove range of craft beers. Mike explained: “Working in this stunning spot, you can’t help but be protective of the precious marine environment. Plus, I’m a keen surfer and Louise is a regular sea swimmer, so we’ve both seen first-hand the sad reality of marine litter.” Louise added: “Recently, Fathoms Free were called here to the cove. A swimmer had spotted an abandoned fishing pot with 50m of rope attached to it. It was posing a danger to marine life, with dolphins and seals at risk of entanglement, but it was also a hazard for the RNLI vessel which launches regularly from here. At sunrise the next day the dive team were here – they quickly gathered the rope and made the pot safe. It’s great to see our donations being put to work here in our own backyard.” Some of the cash was donated through a Crowdfunding campaign; donations made in this way were doubled thanks to Cornwall Council's ‘Grow Nature Seed Fund,’ which helps local projects to deliver environmental growth. The cash will be used to fund retrieval dives along the Cornish coast; the experienced team has already recovered a vast amount of ghost gear and aims to tackle 12 major sites in 2022 known to be littered with abandoned fishing equipment and marine debris.
Find out more at www.driftwoodsparsbrewery.com Salcombe Brewery Co has announced the launch of Belgica, a new Belgian pale ale, the first of a range of small batch beers to be released this year.
Salcombe Brewery Co Launches Belgica
Head Brewer, Sam Beaman, says: “We are very excited to be launching the first of our new small batch beer range. This novel collection is a fantastic opportunity for us to combine our creativity and expertise to deliver some stunning new beers to complement our award-winning ales. The first of these, Belgica, is a cracking traditional Belgian pale that sets the bar high.” Belgica (5.0% ABV) is a light amber beer that has a smooth malt base, gentle hop character and bags of flavour from the yeast. Sam continues: ”We are only planning to brew around three thousand litres of each of these new beers so fans will need to make sure they act fast to experience these limited edition ales. We are already working on perfecting others in the range which will probably include an IPA and a stout. It’s going to be an exciting year for us and our customers as we continue to extend our selection of beer styles!”
Visit www.salcombebrewery.com to find out more
Game set match to Derby Brewing
Fresh off the back of its rebrand, Derby Brewing has announced its 6th site, The Clubhouse, a sports and experiential bar in the former Las Iguanas site in a prime location on Friar Gate in the city.
A premium bar sports bar, the site allows customers to enjoy multiple sports at the same time so you won’t miss that important game. The high energy group games include shuffle boards, beer pong, Foosball and a Karaoke booth creating a fun high energy venue. As you would expect for a Derby Brewing venue there will be an extensive drinks range with Craft beers, world lagers, ales, artisan wines and spirits and for The Clubhouse a fun shot and cocktail menu. Food wise there’s an exciting menu perfectly suited to this fun concept, featuring artisan pizzas, gourmet burgers and a range of southern style fried chicken again perfect for sharing amongst friends. Paul Harris, MD of Derby Brewing, said: “We have been looking for the perfect venue for a premium sport and high energy experience venue for some time and we are delighted to have secured such a fantastic site. We are hugely excited to bring this new concept to Derby, combining great sport, interactive group games, good times and excellent drinks and food. To combine interactive games and our take on a premium sports bar will make this a must for any Derby night out!”
Find out more at www.derbybrewing.co.uk
A new West Berkshire Brewery Managing Director is appointed
The Yattendon Brewing Company Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yattendon Group plc has appointed Ian Rogers as the new Managing Director of West Berkshire Brewery (WBB).
Ian Rogers joins WBB with a wealth of knowledge and experience of building successful brewery and pub companies. Having worked for Bass and Allied in the eighties, Ian founded Wychwood Brewery in 1990 at the age of 27. From small beginnings, with one brewer and one drayman, Ian with the help of 3i developed the company into a £30 Million turnover business with 36 pubs and created the famous Hobgoblin beer brand. Between 2006 and 2020 Ian was MD of Randall’s of Guernsey transforming this sleepy Victorian company into the dynamic and muchloved brewery, distillery, pub and hotel company that it is today. Ian takes over at the helm of the WBB with the intention of turning this state-of-the-art brewing and packaging company into a force to be reckoned with in the competitive UK craft beer market. Ian Rogers said: “I am keen to turn WBB (new name coming; watch this space….!) into a cutting-edge craft brewer with unique beer brands, incredible tasting craft ales and English lagers in addition to our award-winning Good Old Boy Best Bitter. When I started my first brewery Wychwood 32 years ago I was at the vanguard of the Craft Beer industry, I basically want to see if I have still got it!”
Find out more at www.wbbrew.co.uk
Hogs Back Brewery marks 30th anniversary with Tongham TEA relaunch
Hogs Back brewery is kick-starting the celebrations for its 30th anniversary in style, by putting its home village in Surrey firmly on the map with the rebrand of its flagship ale as Tongham TEA.
The new name and accompanying stylish visual update for TEA, or Traditional English Ale, reflect Hogs Back's place at the heart of the community in Tongham and more widely across Surrey. For the first time, the ‘Farm Brewery' statement is included on bottle labels and pump clip. Hogs Back Managing Director Rupert Thompson said: "TEA was the first beer brewed by Hogs Back when the brewery opened in 1992 and was originally called Tongham TEA. Returning to this name reflects the strong affection that beer drinkers in our Surrey heartland have for both the beer and the brewery. "The new TEA design is the deliberate antithesis of the abstract names and designs that currently characterise the craft brewing sector, but TEA is just as much a crafted beer. TEA is a local, natural, fresh beer, proudly from a specific location - everything a traditional English ale should be. The design communicates that simply, emphasising what's unique about Tongham TEA and now with its own distinctly authentic and individual style." Tongham TEA was the first beer out of the brewery gates when Hogs Back was founded in 1992 and quickly became a favourite with local beer drinkers. It has been the brewery's flagship beer ever since.
Find out more at www.hogsback.co.uk
Yorkshire Wolds businesses collaborate to create unique beer
The teams at Wold Top Brewery and sister company Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery have launched Crest, a limitededition lager that has been matured for over a year in casks that had previously contained Filey Bay Flagship whisky from Yorkshire's first single malt whisky distillery.
Of the launch, Wold Top's Brewery Manager, Alex Balchin said: "The lightness of Landmark lager, with its notes of honey and fresh herbs, takes the smooth and creamy vanilla notes from the Filey Bay Flagship casks to create a delicious, fresh tasting beer with aromas of green apples and a gentle, warming flavour. At 7.9% ABV, this is a very easy drinking barrel aged beer, ideal for late summer evenings enjoyed with friends round the fire pit."
Find out more at woldtopbrewery.co.uk
Alex Balchin with Crest lager
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Purity Brewing Co makes big impact with sustainable labels
Warwickshire based brewer Purity Brewing Company has announced its move away from reliance on conventional plastic labels, which currently saturate the craft beer market, in favour of a new sustainable wood-based alternative.
A company dedicated to making a difference, Purity was founded in 2005 by good friends Paul Halsey and James Minkin who set about building a brewing business with sustainability at the heart of everything they do and has since been brewing with the same PURE ECO ethos ‘crafted with a conscience’ for the past 17 years. Based on a working farm in the heart of the beautiful Warwickshire countryside, Purity is inspired daily by their local environment and has continually strived to be at the forefront of the sustainable brewing movement. Not only are the brewery practices designed to be environmentally friendly they are, where possible, environmentally enriching, as is the case with its unique wetland system, where any waste water is filtered through a series of pools and vegetation and returned clean to the river Avon. At the peak of the pandemic Purity picked up Green Business of the Year at the 2020 SIBA Business Awards, inspired by the win and not wishing to rest on their laurels Purity set about on a new project. To redesign their labels to not only create impact and disruption at point of purchase but to do it in a way that was sustainable alternative to their current plastic based labels. Head of Marketing Paul Brazier said: “As a business we’re constantly striving to make difference in the market. At the top of our agenda is working with our suppliers and likeminded partners to find new and alternative ways of working to ensure sustainability stays at the forefront of what we do. Having been recently introduced by Eclipse Labels to a new renewable and sustainable alternative to our existing labels this felt like the right project to championing.” Applied across their packaged range Purity was first introduced to UPM Raflatac’s Forest Film material by a leading UK label printer Eclipse Labels and was instantly charmed by its sustainability aspects. Forest Film is a 100% renewable alternative to plastics, using UPM BioVerno naphtha, a 100% wood-based solution.
Find out more at www.puritybrewing.com
Marble still rolling after 25 years
The Marble Brewery turns 25 years old this year, and the team have prepared a series of events, tap takeovers and celebratory beers for release over the course of the year.
Head of Sales, Paul Plowman, says: "We decided to pull out all the stops - we know that not every brewery gets to celebrate a quarter of a century in the trade and we're working with friends across the industry to produce some brilliant beers that sum us up from '97 to '22, with an eye on the next 25 years." The first beer, Birthday Beer No 1, was launched on Friday 22nd April. Head of Production, Joe Ince, says of the beer: "Brewed with our friends at Brewsmith Beers, we really wanted to capture the charm in their oatmeal pales. It delivers a beautiful soft body and a joyful expression of hops." There'll be more collaboration beers released through the year, alongside some very special releases from the brewery's barrel aging programme, one off specials and returning fan favourites. The Marble Arch Inn, the brewery's flagship pub, will get in on the act too, with a photographic exhibition running throughout the year and Tap Takeovers from friends in the trade. There are also talks from local history and beer experts planned, to celebrate Marble's place in the Manchester food and drink scene. The team will be holding Meet the Brewer and Tap Takeover events up and down the country, where Joe says: "We want to say thank you to people in the trade and customers alike whose support has kept us going through the years."
Find out more at www.marblebeers.com
Bluestone Brewing Company launches its first new beers in cans
In a constant effort for more sustainability, Pembrokeshire based Bluestone Brewing launched four beers in cans in April.
Bluestone Brewing Co, like many small companies, is always looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint. The brewery has won several awards over the years for its efforts in sustainable production and is continuing its quest to become a carbon neutral company. The switch of some of its production to cans was long overdue, and the new core range will be joined by some seasonal and limited editions through the year. Simon Turner, the Founder of Bluestone Brewing Co, says: “We believe that there is a social responsibility, on all businesses, to reduce their footprints for the benefit of everybody. We want to ensure that our business has a positive impact on the welfare of the next generation. The benefit of cans for the environment has been amply demonstrated, and the fact that it also respects the fantastic flavours of our beers is just a bonus!” Bluestone Brewing Co’s new can range will be joining the more traditional production of the Welsh brewery that will, for the moment, keep being bottled. The new cans are: Al Fresco 4.3% - Hazy Pale Ale, Pyjama Republic 4.5% - Wheat Beer, Saint Croix 5.6% - New England IPA and Engelberg 3.8% - Berliner Weisse. They will be soon joined by a new seasonal in July 2022: The Sicilian 6.1% - Lemon Meringue IPA.
Find out more at www.bluestonebrewing.co.uk
The Arran Brewery has launched a beer called Solidarity, a 2.7% ABV session dark beer, with all the profits going to the British Red Cross.
Unity Brewing renames flagship beer 'Collision' as 'Only The Sea'
Southampton’s Unity Brewing Co has revealed its renamed signature 6.2% hazy IPA, Collision - now known under its new name of Only The Sea.
“This is one of our original and best loved beers, but the name Collision has never felt quite right for a brewery that stands for togetherness,” says Founder and Head Brewer Jimmy Hatherley. “Now, five years on from its first naming, the time was right to reboot its name and artwork. The beer itself is just the same - rich, soft and satisfying.” Only the Sea - or OTS - reflects how the beer takes inspiration from East and West US coast styles, before bringing it all back home to Southampton shores to become its own thing. It’s taken from French film director Claude Chabrol‘s quote about new wave cinema - ‘There is no new wave, only the sea’ - reflecting the fluidity, fairness and the power of blending ideas. “We feel beer names are really important and we wanted to move away from the associations of the word ‘collision’ to something more optimistic that also proudly reflects our maritime location,” explains Jimmy. The distinctive new artwork was developed by Unity’s senior designer Matt Canning. “We came up with the ship's wheel idea, with lots of characters collaboratively steering, giving a visual cue to Unity’s values,” he says.
Find out more at www.unitybrewingco.com
Arran Brewery brews a beer for Ukraine
In the first few weeks Arran had already raised £313 which will be donated directly to the British Red Cross’s Ukrainian appeal. Arran’s Managing Director Gerald Michaluk said: “It is important we support the people of Ukraine. It’s almost unbelievable that a westernfacing modern country can be reduced to a war zone in days. While we must all unite against aggressors and condemn Putin's war, it is still the reality that words don’t count for much, but actions do. “It is heart breaking to see such a historic country torn apart by war and we can only hope these funds go a little way to helping those in so much need. All the profits that we make from the sale of the beer will go to help and we are encouraging retailers to donate the profits they make from the sale of the beer likewise to the British Red Cross appeal. We have produced a first batch of over 2,000 bottles, and if these sell we will brew more and more and more, with the profits always going to the Red Cross. “When this war ends, as all wars eventually do, it is my earnest wish to see the Ukrainian craft breweries return once more to making beer rather than weapons and we hope to help them do that in any way we can. “Beer is brewed all over the world and enjoyed by almost every nation, whether with or without alcohol. It is a symbol of what can unite us, Russian or Ukrainian, let’s hope before long they can once more enjoy a beer together’.”
For more from Arran Brewery go to www.arranbrewery.co.uk
Tap Social Movement upgrades to bigger and better brewery
In May 2022, Oxford-based Tap Social Movement completed its move to a new custom-built brewery located in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, just outside of central Oxford.
The move has added 8,000 litres of fermentation tank space with plans to triple annual brewing volume/capacity. In addition to the core range, Tap Social plans to brew more seasonals at the new site and has several collaboration beers scheduled for the second half of 2022. Experimental small-batch beers will continue to be brewed at Tap Social’s original brewery and taproom to complement beers from the main brewery. To date, Tap Social Movement has created more than 50,000 hours of paid employment for people from prisons. The brewer employs former inmates in the brewery, as well as in hospitality roles at its venues and in culinary roles in its kitchens and bakery, as well as across its warehousing and delivery operations. Tap Social was set up as a social initiative to help retrain former prison inmates, reintegrate them into society and place them in permanent job roles to help avoid reoffending. Amy Taylor and Paul Humpherson – two of Tap Social’s three co-founders/directors – were recently appointed to the Employment Advisory Boards (EAB) at HMP Bullingdon and HMP Spring Hill prisons as part of a new scheme supported by the Ministry of Justice. Tap Social now has plans to open a commercial bakery this summer in partnership with a local coffee roaster. “Following a really tough couple of years for the brewing and hospitality sector, it's been fantastic to see trade picking back up and renewed enthusiasm from customers for supporting brands with a social purpose. We're incredibly excited to be up and running at our new brewery site and plan to use it to build out our range to enter new markets, and include more seasonals and collabs and enable our beer to reach a wider audience. Every can or keg out the door helps us support roles in brewing and hospitality for some of the most marginalised folks in society, so we're super happy to be growing and are looking forward to a bright 2022,” says Matt Elliott, Director at Tap Social.
Find out more at www.tapsocialmovement.com
Skinner’s looks to the next generation
Truro-based Skinner’s Brewery has embarked on a new phase in its 25-year history, with post-pandemic recovery well underway and new beer releases coming thick and fast.
The new era gathers pace with the release of Skinner’s first new core beer for some time; Summerleaze is a hazy pale ale made in the New England style, with a hop-forward, tropical fruit character. The major launch follows the release of the brewery’s Hellup! lager in bottle earlier in the spring, the announcement of limited-edition beers - Royal Wave and Kick Off - brewed for the Jubilee and World Cup respectively, and the return of popular seasonal beers Cornish Knocker and Hops & Honey. National Wholesale Sales Manager, Stuart Hughes, commented: “We had to really pull back to core production during the pandemic, but we’re now switching up a gear again. We’re back to being the playful brewery people know and love, with limited edition beers and new products to try.” He added: “We’re especially excited about Summerleaze, as this is a brand which really represents the direction we’re moving. We want to make hazy, hop-forward beer styles, alongside our more traditional and perfectly balanced bitters and ales. Moving forward we’ll have beers that appeal to every type of drinker, using all the knowledge and skill we’ve built up over the years.” Throughout 2022 Skinner’s is celebrating its 25th anniversary, during which time the independent Cornish brewery has created iconic beers like Betty Stogs, Lushingtons and Porthleven.
Find out more at www.skinnersbrewery.com
Hand Brew Co celebrates Gold for Shaka and buys a new pub
Hand Brew Co is celebrating after Shaka pale ale won a SIBA Gold award at BeerX in March for a session IPA in a bottle/can under 4.3% ABV.
“We’re incredibly proud of Shaka - it’s one of the first beers we made, and it quickly became the most popular of our range,” said Jack Tavare, MD at Hand Brew Co. Shaka is a 4% ABV pale ale, bursting with lime zest, grapefruit and orange thanks to a combination of Cascade, Chinook and Citra hops. The South Coast brewery - consisting of a tower brewery in its Brighton brewpub and a 6000sqft production site in Worthing - has also just bought a new pub in Worthing, The Toad in the Hole. The new site, like Hand Brew Co’s Brighton pub, the Hand in Hand, offers mainly the brewery’s own range of beers with a few select guests. This means it has to offer a wide range for everybody at the bar both in terms of cask and keg and across the ABV range, with the addition of some adventurous specials and collaborations. “This year, we created a Kviek IPA called Mimir with London’s The Rake bar,” says Jack. “We created a Chocolate Orange Fudge Porter in collaboration with The Fudge Patch. We started our Jukebox series, where each version has a different take on it, but it’s always dank and juicy, and always around 6% - we’re up to Track Three now. We worked with Brookhouse Hops to create a pilsner-style beer with UK hops and malt - we’re trying to work on beers that reduce the miles on the ingredients. This one comes in at 795 miles. We’re about to head out foraging again to the South Downs for our annual Elderflower Saison, called Dayglow Hedgerow. We love our specials. Now we’re making so much of our core range, we need to keep things interesting - not just for the trade customers, but for our pubs and our team.” The biggest event Hand Brew Co has put on this year so far was its Unite Brew International Women’s Day collab. Production Manager and Brewer Kate Hyde led the event at the Worthing brewery with a 70+ group of women from all over the South coast and beyond. The main focus of the day was creating a collaboration brew but the day was punctuated with workshops, talks and performances. Surround Sound is the 5.5% ABV Hopfenweisse that was brewed by the group, with a share of profits going to two important charities: Strut Safe and Common Ground.
For more information go to www.handbrewco.com
Anna Maxwell Martin Launches ‘Thank Brew’ Charity Beer to mark Jubilee celebrations
Line of Duty and Motherland actor Anna Maxwell Martin poured the first pint of Thank Brew along with lead Thank Brew brewer Fergus Fitzpatrick at The Old Queen’s Head pub in North London in May. The new limited edition beer was brewed for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.
All profits will go towards supporting Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK and community focused groups across the country. Thirty five breweries - including iconic brands like Adnams, St Austell and Budweiser Brewing Group, the UK arm of AB InBev - and up to 5,000 pubs - including Punch and Greene King - signed up to brew and serve the beer and host events. Every UK pub, bar, licensed premises and brewery in Britain was invited to take part – a perfect opportunity to say their own big thank you to Her Majesty the Queen and to their local customers and communities. The initiative has been backed by leading trade bodies including SIBA, UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association, the Campaign for Real Ale, the British Institute of Innkeeping and the BFBi - the trade body representing the entire supply chain into the beverage industry. Alcohol free Jubilee IPA from Big Drop was also on sale to public, pubs and licensed premises across Britain. Launching Thank Brew, Anna said: “This special Thank Brew beer gives us all the chance to do good whilst having a good time on Thank You Day and as we celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. All profits go towards Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK and community groups across the country, so you can rest assured that every sip is all in a good cause.” Profits from Thank Brew sales will go to help build stronger communities through Eden Project Communities - which runs The Big Lunch, and /together Coalition which runs Thank You Day, and to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK to live with families in communities across Britain. As Thank Brew’s ‘Chief Brewer’ Fergus crafted an easy-drinking 3.5% ABV pale ale, using a classic British ale yeast. And he teamed up with Big Drop to oversee the creation of the unique 0.5% ‘Jubilee IPA’ version, brewed and bottled exclusively by the alcohol-free specialist.
