Independent Brewer Winter 2021 by SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers

Issue 8

Sustained Progress

Winter 2021

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Editor’s comment

Welcome to the Winter edition of SIBA’s Independent Brewer Magazine. Some positives have also come out of this experience, of course, and many of you have told me that the pandemic has sped up changes to your operation that will make you a stronger business in the longer term. There has also been a tremendous amount of collaboration and support for one another within this sector that just demonstrates what a strong community we are, and long may that continue.

As I write this column most of you will, I hope, be rushed off your feet brewing and packaging beers for what we all hope will be a bumper Christmas this year for the UK’s small brewing community. Hell, you all deserve it! The last year has challenged even the most established brewers to the limit, with business plans revised on an almost daily basis and so much uncertainty that operations had to be flexed constantly. Speaking to SIBA members for this edition of the magazine it is clear that simply being here at the end of 2021, still selling beer, is an achievement that no-one should take lightly, so I applaud you all for getting through this storm intact.

As we all look to the end of 2021, hoping it will mark the beginning of a more positive period for craft brewing in the UK, you will probably have guessed from our cover that we have given this issue of the magazine a sustainability theme. Glasgow’s recent Cop26 summit has raised the issue of the environment to the forefront, and SIBA members have told us that having had to sideline investment in sustainable projects during the pandemic it is now as issue that they will be focusing on for 2022.

Manchester and has ambitious plans for 2022 (see pages 32-39). I also caught up with Dave Hayward from SIBA Business Award winning beer retailer A Hoppy Place, who along with his partner Naomi has built an amazing community hub in Windsor in Berkshire, really championing local small breweries (see pages 44-51). Elsewhere in this issue, you will find a piece by award-winning beer writer Will Hawkes on the revival of traditional beer styles (see page 19), a preview of BeerX UK 2022 (see pages 6873), a new Taproom Focus section where we celebrate the outstanding taproom at Big Smoke (see page 31), plus all the usual news and views from across the sector. It only remains for me to wish all SIBA members a very happy and profitable Christmas and New Year and to hope you all find some time over the festive period to relax with friends and family too.

Sustainability is one of SIBA’s key strategic pillars so we will be featuring updates from our members over the course of 2022 to help share ideas across the membership, and in this first issue we hear from Bluestone Brewing (see pages 22-27) and Stroud Brewery (see page 43) both of which have already done some significant work in this area.

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 Spring edition will be January 7th 2022.

In this issue we also feature a profile of Aberdeen’s Fierce Beer, which has expanded during the pandemic with a new retail site in

Caroline Nodder

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

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 | Winter 2021

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Contents

News

22-27

9-15 62-67 75-8 93-99

SIBA news All the news from SIBA HQ Regional beer competitions The winners and finalists in our Midlands, North West and Scotland Beer Competitions Brewery news The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK Supplier news Updates from SIBA’s Supplier Associate Members

Comment

31 Issue 8

Winter 2021

Sustained Progress Cover The cover illustration for this issue highlights the many varied ways small brewers are investing in green projects and technologies. It was inspired by all the SIBA member breweries whose sustainability projects are featured in this edition and was drawn by Independent Brewer’s creative director Darren Kefford.

7 8 16-17 19 41 43 55-57

CEO’s update James Calder talks sustainability Chairman’s comment Roy Allkin on the power of collaboration The view from Westminster Our regular political update Out with the new Will Hawkes looks at the revival of traditional beer styles Brewer's viewpoint David Holliday, the Co-founder of Moon Gazer ales at The Norfolk Brewhouse, offers advice on trade marks Supplier viewpoint The team from V-Brew, an arm of Vitikit, considers the brewery of the future Technical focus The Brewlab team looks at the practicalities of re-using bottles

Features 20-21 22-27 29 31 32-39 44-51 53-59 68-73 86-89 100 102

SIBA membership update Learn more about the latest benefits Sustainability profile We feature the work Bluestone Brewing has done to become more sustainable Sustainability case study An insight into Stroud Brewery’s environmental projects Taproom focus We feature the top class taproom at Big Smoke Business profile We meet Dave Grant from Fierce Beer Meet the retailer A profile of SIBA Business Award winner A Hoppy Place Business advice Legal, consumer insight, social media strategy and intellectual property BeerX UK preview What to expect from SIBA’s flagship event in 2022 Gold Members Brewers Select & Premier Systems Ltd Gold & Silver Members Listing of our key sponsors Contacts Key SIBA contacts

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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CEO’s update

Here’s to a sustainable future for independent brewing Welcome to the sustainability issue of SIBA's Independent Brewer Magazine. With Cop26 only a recent memory it has never been clearer that all individuals, businesses, and organisations like SIBA will be expected to prioritise sustainability and embed it in how we think and do things every day. Emerging into a post pandemic world it is and will be the new way of doing things. From a SIBA perspective I agree with this because it’s the right thing to do for our planet and because it makes good business sense. Let me explain why. As significant users of raw materials, water and energy I can promise you we are already on the Government’s radar. In time, we will be forced to change at significant cost and by statute. Better to work with (and ahead of) Government to reduce, measure and demonstrate our impact on the natural world than be at their mercy, like we have seen with DRS. Businesses can always do things better than if Government makes them do it. At present, the UK’s multinational breweries have the scale and scope to influence Government policy and do significant amounts of R&D in the sustainability space. Visiting a mega brewery recently as part of Cop26, I was staggered at the level of investment they can muster and what they are doing. We, to put it simply, can’t play the same game. But we can be more innovative, agile, and ingenious as to how we tackle these issues. Independent beer already has a lot going for it. Locally brewed beer, with malt sourced nearby and made with British hops and distributed in re-usable steel containers is by far, the most sustainable way for someone to enjoy a pint of beer. We just need to be better at our own PR. Consumed in a local pub, bar or taproom it is also helping the local community; an often-overlooked component of sustainability. There are many of you that are already leading the way, with ‘big green brewing machines’,

reed bed technology, added value products for spent grain and ways to reducing your water usage considerably. These things do not have to cost the earth (forgive the pun) and in time save businesses money and make them more attractive to consumers. Recovering from Covid and becoming more sustainable should not be viewed as mutually exclusive aims. We have to do both. It’s the role for an organisation like SIBA to pool and propagate that knowledge. Sustainability is important for us all and for your business because your consumers care and are increasingly savvy of the environmental credentials of companies they buy from. Consumers are becoming increasingly discerning and will not only choose a brand that has eco-creds on the label, they will actively avoid those that omit it from their labels and are conspicuous in their absence. Investment in sustainability also has added benefits. As we have seen with the recent CO² crisis, a brewery that can capture the CO² that comes from its fermenters can be more resilient and not so reliant on patchy deliveries. This technology at this scale is at its infancy – but as demand increases the economies of scale will, too.

At SIBA, we can’t do this for you and we can’t do it alone. As ever, the role of SIBA as a trade association is to lead the way and give you the tools to improve your business, working with partners. Over the coming weeks and months we are planning to launch a carbon ‘audit’ which will allow any brewery to accurately measure and understand how much carbon they are producing. From this, we will then be providing the tools and practical advice to help you reduce that. This should cover everything practically needed, drawing upon the learnings of others and include the principle areas of energy use, water use and waste, transport and logistics. I hope that my fellow contributors in this issue of Independent Brewer Magazine will inspire and push you to think about sustainability in your business and if not, begin your sustainability journey in earnest.

James Calder Chief Executive SIBA

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Chairman’s comment

Collaboration is key Running a brewery can sometimes feel like taking one step forwards and two steps back. Just as we begin to see the hospitality industry returning to some normality and the crucial festive period for pubs on the way, brewers are faced with rising costs that make turning a profit all the more difficult. Prices are rising across the board for brewers, with figures published by SIBA recently showing price increases in supplies such as CO² (up 73%), brewery energy (57%), beer cans (up 20%), cardboard packaging (up 22%), as well as an average of 17% increase in vehicle fuel costs. With margins as tight as they are these increases make profitability incredibly difficult and we as a Board have this issue in the forefront of our minds, and have discussed how SIBA can where possible help brewers reduce costs and increase sales. Ultimately SIBA wants to help you reduce your costs, gain access to better prices on raw materials and essential services, and use our cumulative buying power to get us all a better deal. As individual brewers we are being pushed to the back of the line for supplies such as cans, with Global companies buying up what’s available and helping to push prices up for everybody else. But by working together independent brewers, spearheaded by SIBA, can fight for more reliable, fairly priced supplies. That said some changes are largely out of our control and I know that for many SIBA member breweries - particularly those of you who run pubs and taprooms which employ a number of staff - the recently announced rises in the National Minimum Wage and National

Insurance contributions for over 2 million people will put a further burden on your business. As the cost of living rises employees need to be treated fairly and have wages which reflect inflation, but the National Minimum wage changes shouldn’t be viewed in isolation and are yet another cost increase for us as small breweries. Ultimately if businesses go under then jobs will be lost. SIBA wants to help you reduce your costs, gain access to better prices on raw materials and essential services, and use our cumulative buying power to get us all a better deal. Getting costs under control and giving brewers access to competitive prices is hugely important, but I also want SIBA to help you sell more beer, and a clear benefit of SIBA membership is the promotion of your businesses at events, trade shows and in the press. By working collaboratively we as SIBA members can push the message that quality beer from independent breweries is what consumers should be buying. By the time you’re reading this we will have just been pouring award-winning member beers for some of the UK’s most influential journalists at the British Guild of Beer Writers’ Annual Awards Dinner, as part of our sponsorship of the Brewer of the Year Award. By working together independent brewers can get presence at events like this, which would otherwise be prohibitively expensive for a single brewery to take on, and which up until now have been largely sponsored by Global brewers – often

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

trying to push their new ‘crafty’ beer ranges. We really are stronger together and with industry events and trade shows now able to happen pretty much as normal we hope to be able offer more promotional opportunities to members throughout the next 12 months. I’d like to finish on that point of the importance of collaboration by saying that if you haven’t already done so then please do make sure you complete this year’s annual survey. The data from the survey is a hugely important part of the SIBA British Craft Beer Report, which has become an industry-leading insight into our segment of the market and a hugely powerful tool in promoting independent craft beer to consumers, the trade, and of course in lobbying Government on your behalf. I know completing the survey takes a little time which is why this year we are delighted to have partnered with SIBA Supplier Associate Croxsons, who are offering a £1,000 prize draw for completing the survey. Having accurate, up to date data on member businesses is hugely powerful and allows the SIBA Senior Management Team and Board to fight on your behalf for a better deal on a variety of fronts. At times it can feel like a fight to keep a brewing business in the black, but I want you to know that it’s not a fight you’re in alone.

Roy Allkin Chairman SIBA

SIBA news

Industry-leading SIBA British Craft Beer Report to return in 2022 in association with Croxsons The SIBA British Craft Beer Report is to return next year - having been postponed in 2021 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic – and is due to be launched at BeerX UK in March 2022. 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 SIBA British Craft Beer Report 2022 is being published in association with Croxsons, who have come on board as the first ever Official Industry Partner. 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

£1,000 prize draw for all breweries who complete the annual survey

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 to see the return of the report in 2022 and look forward to seeing what emerging trends and insight it throws up. The most comprehensive report of its kind published in the UK it provides incredibly valuable insight into the independent craft beer market in the UK. “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 industry-

leading 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.

SIBA and Croxsons are offering a £1,000 prize draw for all breweries who complete the SIBA Annual Members' survey before the 7th January 2022 and submit production volumes before the 28th February 2022. The results of the SIBA Industry Report Questionnaire 2021/22 - often referred to internally as the SIBA Members' Survey – form a key part of the data for the SIBA British Craft Beer Report and are also used by our Senior Management Team when lobbying Government, or representing your interests in the industry. The last time we did this survey was 2019, having postponed it last year due to Coronavirus, so it's particularly important that as many breweries as possible take the time to complete the survey. As a thank you to our members for completing the survey all of those who submit their response by January 7th 2022 and their production volumes by February 28th 2022 will be entered into a draw for the £1,000 prize, courtesy of our Official Industry Partner Croxsons. To take the survey please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SIBASurvey2021-22

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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SIBA news

Vigo becomes newest SIBA Gold Member Suppliers The SIBA team is absolutely delighted to announce that Vigo Ltd has recently become the latest SIBA Gold Member – Vigo has been an invaluable supporter of SIBA and its members over the years and this latest move to become a Gold Member is hugely appreciated by the whole SIBA team. If you don't already work with Vigo, or would simply like to know more about the production and packaging products and services they offer, visit www.vigoltd.com.

‘American IPA’ from Navigation Brewery named best beer in the Midlands at SIBA Independent Beer Awards 2021 Navigation Brewery has taken home the Overall Champion Cask Beer Award at the SIBA Midlands Independent Beer Awards 2021, which took place at the Robin Hood Beer & Cider Festival. The Gold-winning beer ‘American IPA’ proved a huge hit with the expert judges, described as ‘a light and fragrant ale which is dominated by the scents of spring – cherry blossom and acacia, with a delicate balance of floral notes and bitterness’. The Overall Silver award winner continued the international theme, with Loose Cannon winning with their Belgian style Tripel – coming in at a hefty 8.5% ABV. The Overall Bronze was snapped up by Blue Monkey brewery with their speciality ‘Guerilla Chocolate Ameretto’ Stout. The awards took place ahead of the Robin Hood Beer & Cider Festival (organised by CAMRA) at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. Separate to CAMRA’s own awards the SIBA Independent Beer Awards are run by brewers themselves and are judged by fellow brewers from elsewhere in the UK, as well other representatives from the industry and expert beer judges - making these the much coveted ‘brewers’ choice’ awards in the Midlands. Accepting the top cask beer award for Navigation was Head Brewer Dominic

Flynn, who said: “It’s amazing that two years ago we won this same Award with Saviour, which this beer was based on, and it’s good to know it is tasting as good as ever. There were some amazing beers in this competition so we really are blown away to win. It’s hard work making beer and we just try to make the best examples and styles as possible. We’re delighted and very proud.” All the winners from the Midlands Independent Beer Awards will now go on to the National Finals at BeerX UK in Liverpool in March 2022. Hosting the awards on behalf of SIBA was Neil Walker, Chair of SIBA’s Competitions Committee, who said: “The quality of beer in the competition was really exceptional and all kept in absolutely perfect condition by the expert cellar team at Nottingham CAMRA Beer Festival. Huge thanks to them and massive congratulations to all of the winners in this year’s awards – anyone taking home a category Gold has beaten some incredibly tough competition and should be very proud of their achievement. Particular congrats of course goes to the Overall Gold winner Navigation, who were worthy winners and whom I would wish the best of luck in the National Finals early next year!” Read the full list of finalists and winner from the Midlands awards on pages 62-63 in this issue.

Putting independent craft beer on the agenda at the Conservative Party Conference SIBA's Head of Public Affairs Barry Watts represented SIBA at The Enterprise Forum during the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester this Autumn. He was able to discuss the issues that matter to SIBA Members - including Small Breweries Relief, DRS, and access to market - with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, as well as presenting them both with a bottle of beer from local SIBA Members Pennine Brewery.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

SIBA news

Next March you'll be able to get BeerX UK tickets for your whole team for free

The SIBA team has been amazed by the positive response to our announcement that BeerX UK next March will be free for all SIBA Members to attend, and we won't be putting any limit on the number of tickets your team can apply for by pre-registration.

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.

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.

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.

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.

‘Black Gold’ by Cairngorm Brewery named best beer in Scotland at the SIBA Independent Beer Awards Cairngorm Brewery has taken home the Overall Champion Cask Beer Award at the SIBA Scotland Independent Beer Awards 2021, which was this year hosted at the Bolton Beer Festival in a joint judging event with the SIBA North West Region. Cairngorm’s aptly named ‘Black Gold’ took the overall top spot – described as a ‘traditional Scottish Stout with just the right amount of sweetness’ it will now go on to fight it out against rivals from the rest of the UK in next year’s National Finals at BeerX in March 2022. The Overall Silver award winner was first-time entrants Argour Ales’ ‘Gobhar Reamhar’, with the Bronze going to Five Kingdoms Brewery’s ‘Wee McAsh Bitter’.

Find out more at www.beerx.org

Experienced beer judges needed! The SIBA Independent Beer Awards are run by and for brewers and are judged by fellow brewers from elsewhere in the UK, as well other representatives from the industry and expert beer judges – making these the much coveted ‘brewers’ choice’ awards in Scotland. Hosting the awards on behalf of SIBA was Neil Walker, Chair of SIBA’s Competitions Committee, who said: “It was great to see so many excellent Scottish beers represented in these hard-fought awards, and a huge congratulations goes to all of the winners, but in particular this year’s overall Gold Cairngorm. A wonderful beer and a very deserving Champion!” Read the full list of finalists and winners on pages 64-65 in this issue.

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

SIBA is always on the lookout for experienced beer judges with a keen set of tastebuds and excellent knowledge of beer, and no formal qualifications are required.

If you have, however recently, qualified as a BJCP Judge, Beer Sommelier, or Cicerone and want to put your practice to the test then we'd love to have you along to judge too! We would encourage you to share this info with any trade customers you have who fit the bill. Experienced bar managers and beer shop owners are very welcome as judges and with Competitions across the UK and the National finals at BeerX we are always looking to expand our list. Simply ask them to drop an email through to beercompetitions@siba.co.uk with their location and beer/beer judging experience and we'll add them to our list.

SIBA news Breaking News

SIBA responds to Treasury publication of Small Breweries’ Relief changes As this magazine went to press the Treasury published its final changes to Small Breweries’ Relief (SBR) which responds to the technical consultation from earlier in the year. In a statement, SIBA said: “After three years of deliberating, the Treasury has announced far-reaching changes to SBR - at last providing some certainty for small brewers so they can plan for the future.

“It is welcome that the Treasury has listened to SIBA’s representations on behalf of small brewers, and the views of MPs from across the political divide, to increase the 50% threshold from the proposed 2,100hl to 2,500hl. “While it is disappointing that some small brewers between 2,500hl to 5,000hl will have to contribute more in beer duty under the new system, our worst fears have been averted and the rate is more manageable than was proposed in the consultation. The changes also remove the ‘cliff edges’ that hindered brewers in the past and sets out a path to growth and a workable framework for the future. “These changes demonstrate the Treasury has recognised the important role that SBR has served for the past 20 years in levelling up the brewing sector, investing more in the scheme and expanding it to include more breweries. “We must now carefully consider how these new policies sit within the wider changes to the alcohol duty announced in the Budget and work through all the implications to ensure that small brewers can compete against the Global giants that dominate the beer and cider sectors.”

Summary of changes to SBR • The Treasury will move SBR to the marginal band scheme (option 4 that was presented in the consultation). • The start point of the taper will be 2,500hl instead of 2,100hl as planned by the Treasury. • The marginal rate will be 55% for the first section meaning a 52.5% rate for a 5,000hl sized brewer. • Above 5,000hl the taper will be divided into three bands with the marginal rate at 75% between 5,000-10,000hl and 85% from 10,00020,000hl and 100% up to 30,000hl. This will extend the taper up to 100,000hl. • Brewers will be allowed to adjust their production levels in year where these have been materially affected by an exceptional event. • There will be a transitional relief for brewers that merge which will be phased over a three year period. • There will not be a specific cash cap mechanism but SBR will move to a hectolitres of pure alcohol based on average ABV as detailed in the alcohol duty systems consultation.

SIBA’s response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget Responding to the Chancellor’s 2021 Autumn Budget, James Calder, SIBA’s CEO, said: "The Chancellor’s Budget introduced radical changes to the outdated Alcohol Duty system which will benefit brewers of lower strength beers, traditional cask beer and create a more level playing field between small breweries and cider producers. “The lower rate of duty for beer sold in pubs is a huge win for the industry and something which SIBA has been campaigning for. We look forward to working with the Treasury as they implement this landmark policy. Whilst hugely beneficial for producers of Real Ale, which is sold in forty litre casks, most craft keg beer in the UK is sold in thirty litre kegs, meaning they cannot benefit. By amending this lower threshold to twenty litres the Treasury can ensure all independent breweries benefit from this welcome new duty relief on draught beer. “Furthermore the Freeze in Beer duty is very helpful at a time when brewers are seeing a myriad of other supply and running costs rising, and the Business Rates Relief for pubs will be welcomed by many in a struggling sector. “The new Small Producer Relief scheme builds on the hugely successful Small Breweries' Relief scheme (SBR) and cutting business rates bills for hospitality premises by 50% for the next year is also hugely beneficial and SIBA would like to see the definition of those premises expanded to cover all breweries, taprooms, bars and pubs."

Beer & Brewing Budget Summary 1) Duty Freeze In his Budget the Chancellor announced a freeze in the headline rate of duty for beer, cider, wine and spirits, a saving of £3 billion over the next five years. 2) Alcohol Duty Reform The Chancellor announced a radical simplification of the duty system, reducing the main rates from 15 to 6 and taxing all products in proportion to their alcohol content. A consultation has been launched on this which can be found here – https://www. gov.uk/government/consultations/the-newalcohol-duty-system-consultation 3) Small Producers’ Relief In addition to the Alcohol Duty Review, the Chancellor announced a Small Producers’ Relief for cider, wine and spirits based products below 8.5% ABV.

4) Lower Rate of Duty for Draught Beer and Cider A new lower rate for draught beer and cider, with a reduction of 5% will be introduced, subject to a consultation. This will only currently apply to 40 litre containers, below 8.5% ABV and sold as to connect to a dispense system. SIBA pushed, and will continue to push that this be applicable to containers of over 20L – to apply to pins and craft keg. Following consultation, Government plan for this to apply from February 2023. 5) Fundamental reform of Business Rates The Chancellor announced its final report on the reform of Business Rates to make the system fairer and more supportive. In addition, he announced a new 50% 1 year temporary relief for retail, hospitality and leisure properties. SIBA will push Government to ensure that the definition of who will be eligible will apply as widely as possible covering breweries, taprooms and your pubs.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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BORN 1842 N REBOR 2020

ODUCT S O UD PR F

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SIBA news

New Export Support Service from Department for International Trade ‘Love is Noise’ by Hophurst Brewery named best beer in the North West at the SIBA Independent Beer Awards Hophurst Brewery has taken home the Overall Champion Cask Beer Award at the SIBA North West Independent Beer Awards 2021, which took place at the Bolton Beer Festival. The Gold-winning beer ‘Love is Noise’ was brewed to celebrate the brewery’s 7th Birthday and is the first time the brewery have produced a ‘DIPA’ or ‘Double IPA’ – the hugely aromatic and flavoursome beer coming in at a punchy 8% ABV. The Overall Silver award winner was another American style beer, ‘West Coast’ by Blackedge Brewing, and it was Hawkshead Brewery’s ‘Windermere Pale’ that completed the trio and took the Overall Bronze award. The awards took place ahead of the Bolton Beer Festival at the University of Bolton Stadium. Accepting the top cask beer award for Hophurst was Head Brewer and founder Stuart Hurst, who said: “To win with our first ever double IPA is just amazing, especially as we came so close last time around when we

won the Silver with our Porter. This was a very special beer to celebrate our 7th birthday and we wanted something big, fruity and with great body. The beer is chock full of hops and we use loads of simcoe, mosaic, citra, equanot and a brand new ‘Cryo Pop’ hop which we’ve used for the first time. I’m delighted it’s proved a hit.” All the winners of the North West Independent Beer Awards will now go on to the National Finals at the BeerX UK event in Liverpool, March 2022. Hosting the awards on behalf of SIBA was Neil Walker, Chair of SIBA’s Competitions Committee, who said: “There were some really excellent beers in this competition and brewers should be very proud of taking home these hard-fought awards. The judges had a very tough job separating the pack and I’d like to say a personal well done to all of the category winners and of course our overall Gold winners Hophurst – what a beer!” Read the full list of finalists and winners from the North West on pages 66-67 in this issue.

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 | Winter 2021

The view from Westminster

What might a ‘simpler’ duty system look like? In his Autumn Budget the Chancellor pledged to simplify the alcohol duty system, and here, Barry Watts, SIBA’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, takes a look at what that might mean for small brewers…

The way we organise our alcohol taxation has been called “a mess” and “that it defies common sense”. This is why the Chancellor, in his Budget, announced what he sees as “the most radical simplification of alcohol duties for over 140 years.” From February 2023, it’s the Government’s intention to reduce the current 15 different bands to six and for all drinks to be taxed in proportion to their alcohol content (you can see in the nifty graphs opposite from the Treasury the current system compared with the new proposal). The key piece that was missing from this announcement was the future of SBR. We finally got that just a few weeks ago in a separate announcement. In this the Treasury announced that the 50% rate will be reduced to 2,500hl instead of 2,100hl and that the rate of withdrawal between 2,500-5,000hl will be shallower than they first proposed. They have also removed the cliff edge at 5,000hl, making it easier for brewers to expand. While this will mean that some small brewers will have to pay more, the Treasury has listened to the representations that we have all made over the past three years. The final changes are a big improvement on what was announced 18 months ago and will come into effect in 2023. The next phase is to consider how the SBR changes fit into the wider alcohol duty system proposals. For small brewers there were three key things in this announcement – changes to the beer duties, a new Draught Rate and a Small Producers Relief, which effectively expanding the successful Small Breweries’ Relief (SBR) to other products. All of this and more is being considered in a consultation and SIBA will be submitting its response on your behalf. As always, we’d be interested in your view so do contact me. Source: HM Treasury analysis

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

The view from Westminster

So what do the key three elements mean for you? Beer Duties The new proposed bands can be seen in the table below. The significant changes to focus on here are the lower and higher rates. ABV

Beer

Cider

Wine, Made-Wine and Spirits

0-1.2%

Nil

1.3-3.4%

£8.42

3.5-8.4%

£19.08

£8.78

£22.50

8.5-22%

£25.88

22%+

£28.74

The reduced rate will be widened from below 2.8% to below 3.5% ABV. This may mean that some larger brewers reduce their ABV to benefit from this new rate, but importantly SBR will now apply to beers below 2.8%. SIBA has argued that this change must not undermine the current innovation in the sector nor allow Global companies to undercut small breweries and we’ll be fighting to maintain the SBR differential at this lower level. The Treasury is also considering raising the definition of beer from exceeding 0.5% to exceeding 1.2% ABV.

With the higher strength band, the Treasury has also proposed an extension from 7.5% to 8.5% and that SBR will apply, which is positive. However it implies that relief on the general beer duty element above 8.5% will no longer apply, making some specialist stronger beers more expensive. It could mean that a firkin of 10% imperial stout increases by £40 in duty. The other issue to look at is cider, which will continue to benefit from a significantly lower duty rate. SIBA believes that this should be brought into line with beer duty and will continue to push for this. Draught Duty? SIBA, in partnership with others, has been campaigning for a lower rate of duty for draught beer and this is therefore a welcome change to the duty system. It will create a new lower duty rate for beer (as well as cider or made wines/ wines) that are below 8.5% ABV and sold to connect to a dispense system. You can see the new proposed rate below. ABV

Beer

Cider

Made-Wine/ Wine

0-1.2%

Nil

1.3-3.4%

£8.00

3.5-8.4%

£8.13

£8.34

£18.13

Initially the Chancellor announced that this would only include containers of at least 40 litres in size. As many of you use 20 or 30 litre containers, we have been pushing the Treasury to extend this, launching our MakeIt20 campaign. If you haven’t already please do write to your MP on this. Thanks to this campaign, it is likely that the size will be reduced but we need to make a clear and detailed case in the consultation response to make sure it happens. SIBA also believes that this new duty rate must apply in NI and we should encourage the Treasury to be more ambitious with its differential to extend the 5% reduction as soon as possible.

Small Producers’ Relief This will build on and extend SBR to cider, wines/ made wines and spirits based products below 8.5% ABV and will have significant implications for SBR. First of all, if you also produce cider or spirits as well as beer then this will count towards your overall production for the relief. Although SBR will now only apply to beer below 8.5%, beer above this level will still count towards your production total, although beer below 1.2% will not. We will be making a strong case in the consultation, with MPs and other bodies to ensure your views are heard. Instead of total production, relief will also be calculated in total hectolitres of pure alcohol – this means that it will depend on its alcoholic strength and the Treasury will set it against an average ABV. For example, the average ABV of beers produced in the UK is 4.2% and if you produced that you would receive the full relief. However if your business on averaged brewed beers at 5.2%, then it will mean you’ll reach the maximum relief you can receive more quickly. They are also proposing to place the relief on a cash basis – so instead of a percentage it will be a cash amount – and there could be a different cash amount for the lower, main and draught duty bands. They haven’t yet indicated what these cash amounts would be. Again we can also see that the Treasury has been generous towards cider and retained the Farmgate exemption, meaning that those who produce less than 70hl of cider do not have to pay any duty at all. For SIBA our priorities are to retain small brewers’ competitiveness at every level but also argue for fairness with cider which continues to benefit from a lower rate of duty and we will be making a strong case in the consultation, with MPs and other bodies to ensure your views are heard. As ever if there’s anything I or the SIBA team can do to help you, do not hesitate to contact me on the details below.

Barry Watts SIBA Head of Public Affairs and Policy

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.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Comment: Will Hawkes

Out with the new?

Award-winning beer writer Will Hawkes examines the much talked about revival of traditional beer styles…

“I don’t suppose I’m revealing anything earth-shattering when I say most press releases about beer are pretty humdrum. A standard weekly selection will include news that Brewery A is making a beer to celebrate an event that happens every year; Brewery B is now packaging in cans; and Brewery C is doing a collaboration (its eighth in six months). Once in a while, though, something of interest arrives - like a recent email about Standard Brew Co, a new subscription-based venture exclusively selling IPAs. The people behind it are responsible for some of London’s most successful craft-beer venues, from the Beer+Burger chain to Notting Hill’s delightful Mall Tavern, which suggests this is rather more than a hopeful punt. Going all-in on IPA is based on solid industry know-how. Again, it doesn't need special insight to say that IPA is popular, as it has been for the best part of a decade. Bars heave under the weight of ales made with New-World hops; bottle shops rely on them; and even supermarkets, for so long the wallflower at the orgy, wallow kneedeep in citrusy pale ales. Indeed, craft beer’s hop addiction is perhaps the one thing most ordinary people know about it (they also have opinions about Brewdog, but perhaps best not to go into that). We’re at the stage where it almost makes sense to talk about three main types of beer: ale, lager and IPA. A widespread passion for NewWorld hops is not going away, however much some might wish it would. Something more interesting is going on underneath the surface, though. For all IPA’s dominance, classical tastes are edging back into fashion. High-class lager, for example, is thriving, with breweries like Bristol’s Lost & Grounded expanding to fulfil demand while imports such as Munich’s Augustiner enjoy cult status.

Traditional British styles - bitter, mild, porter are following in lager’s wake. Some of the UK’s most switched-on operators, from Five Points to Moor Beer, have put these styles at the heart of their offering; one of London’s cult beers, Macintosh Ales’ Best, is a bitter made with Kentish hops and East Anglian Malt; and Marko Husak, co-owner of Bundobust, recently told me about his affection for mild and his aspiration that the restaurant’s new Manchester brewery would produce one to pair with its superb Gujarati grub.

In an age when flavour is everything, though, nothing can afford to be boring. If traditional styles are to make a comeback, they need to be bold and memorable, not safe and predictable. These are promising signs, but there are serious hurdles to clear. Many pubs have cut back on their cask offering post-Covid. Bitter still suffers from a reputational hangover, earned pre-Craft by beers that were often much worse than bland. (I still grimace as I recall the Russian Roulette of ordering Young’s Special at a pub I used to frequent in Putney, 15 or more years ago. It was either transcendent or undrinkable.) Mild as a term is meaningless to most people. Porter gets wheeled out when the temperature drops, but is largely forgotten when spring arrives. Cautious optimism is reasonable, though. The rise of direct-to-brewery hop sales, courtesy of Herefordshire’s Brook House and Kent’s Hukins, mean traditional varieties in peak condition are easily available. English malt remains world-beating. Beers like Harvey’s Best

and Timothy Taylor Landlord are increasingly in-demand amongst younger drinkers, who are more open to the possibility of a pint of bitter than at any time in the past 15 years. So can traditional British styles escape their well-worn niche as family-brewery staple and backbone of the original 1980s microbrewery movement? There’s a way to go. Five Points’ head brewer Greg Hobbs tells me that, since pubs re-opened post-Covid, 72 per cent of his sales have been accounted for by their hopforward pale ales - JUPA, XPA and Pale - while Lager makes up eight per cent and Best seven per cent. The key, if the relative success of Five Points’ Best is anything to go on, is flavour. This beer derives much of its moreish delight from handfuls of Kentish Fuggles, giving it a marvellous assertive bitterness. Bold flavour is also crucial to the classic beers now back into fashion: Harvey’s has a unique and complex character, largely down to the yeast variety, while Landlord is well-hopped and made with some of the best malt money can buy. When beer lovers talk about British styles, they often use terms like ‘restrained’ or ‘balanced’. Others, less inclined to euphemism, have branded it boring brown beer. In an age when flavour is everything, though, nothing can afford to be boring. If traditional styles are to make a comeback, they need to be bold and memorable, not safe and predictable. Like dull press releases, it’s hard to get excited by that.” Will Hawkes is a beer writer based in South London. He is the 2021 Fortnum and Mason Drink Writer of the Year.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

SIBA membership update

SIBA Membership: Delivering for Brewers

With the industry slowly getting back to some sort of normality and SIBA Independent Beer Awards and Regional Meetings beginning to take place once more there has never been a better time to take advantage of our member benefits, summarised below. From free tickets to BeerX UK 2022, to Government lobbying, promotional opportunities, advice and 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 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.

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. All you need to do is make sure you preregister before the cutoff date of Friday the 11th March - as walk-ins at BeerX UK will be charged at the standard £30 + VAT ticket price.

PRESS & COMMS: KEEPING YOU INFORMED + BREWERIES IN THE NEWS

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 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.

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.

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

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.

SIBA membership update

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

FIGHTING FOR ASSURED INDEPENDENT BRITISH CRAFT BREWERS

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 Version 6 was updated in April 2021. 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.

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. 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 Croxons 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/

REGIONAL MEETINGS: IN-PERSON AND VIA ZOOM CLASSIFIED ADS 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

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 | Winter 2021

Sustainability profile: Bluestone Brewing Co

Green giants

SUS

IN 22

INABI A T

BRE WIN

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

In the very first of our new Sustainability Profiles, which will be running in Independent Brewer as a regular feature from now on, we caught up with Emily Hutchinson from Bluestone Brewing Co in Pembrokeshire, a brewery which has been leading the way for some time on the issue of sustainability. Not only was Bluestone the first brewery in the world to achieve Green Key accreditation back in 2018 for its work to make the whole business more sustainable, but it hasn’t stopped there, winning a Sustainable Tourism award and currently working towards becoming B-Corp certified. The whole ethos of the brewery is built around being kind to the planet, and Caroline Nodder from Independent Brewer spoke to Emily to find out more about this sustainable strategy, as well as a ground-breaking new project involving microalgae…

Sustainability profile: Bluestone Brewing Co

How long has Bluestone Brewing Co been in operation and what is the ethos behind the business? “We started Bluestone Brewing Co in 2013, brewing in the yard on the family farm. The ethos behind the business has always been about creating great beer, responsibly and with as little impact on the planet as possible.”

Why is reducing the brewery’s carbon footprint so important? “We live in such a beautiful part of the world that we would be crazy to not want to look after the environment around us! 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. We may be a small business in the grand scheme of things, but we hope that our way of working may influence others and that we can have a big impact on our local community.”

Do you have someone at the brewery who is dedicated to looking at new sustainable technologies? “We’re a small team of six, so like most other breweries, we all end up doing a bit of everything! We all tend to pitch in and share ideas of projects that we think could work at the brewery. Simon [Turner], who owns the brewery, is probably the key person when it comes to leading new projects, he really likes to get stuck in and has a real passion for making positive changes within the business.”

Bluestone has won a number of awards for its sustainable production methods, tell us a bit more about those awards and the green projects they recognised “In 2018, we became the first brewery in the world to gain the Green Key Accreditation; an international award that recognises environmentally sustainable businesses. Although there are lots of accreditations and awards for brewing and beer, we wanted something that would show our customers more about our sustainable efforts. It's easy for any business to call themselves ‘Eco-Friendly’ but we thought that it was important to gain an accreditation that properly tested us

and considered every aspect of our business. Having the Green Key Accreditation shows our customers and other businesses that we are serious about what we do. We now have something that sets us apart from other businesses and it's something to hold ourselves accountable for. Having Green key means that we regularly question our decisions and check them against the Green Key criteria, it means more than just calling ourselves a ‘Green Business’, we are actually audited against it and so it keeps us on track. We were also awarded the Sustainable Tourism award at Pembrokeshire Tourism Awards. We have a taproom and events venue on site, where we have compost toilets and wildflower roofs, it was great for this part of the business to also be recognised as part of the Sustainable Tourism Award.” We may be a small business in the grand scheme of things, but we hope that our way of working may influence others and that we can have a big impact on our local community.

The most recent sustainable project at Bluestone is to do with using microalgae. How did that come about and what does the project entail? “We will be working with Swansea University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, Department of Biosciences and Phytoquest Ltd of Aberystwyth, to find a solution to capture CO2 produced naturally by the brewing process and to re-purpose it. The project aims to capture CO2 naturally produced by the action of yeast in the brewing process and to turn this CO2 into valuable biomass. If successful, it is hoped that the solution will be replicable for other small scale CO2 producing companies. Our head brewer, Tom, first heard of something similar at Young Henrys Brewery in Sydney and wondered if we could try to replicate the project here in the UK. We initially approached Swansea University as we believe that, though we probably have the engineering capabilities and knowledge to fabricate and adapt our equipment to capture CO2, the problems of safe storage, movement and processing that CO2 seemed insurmountable. We were interested to discover that Professor Carole Llewellyn at the Department of Biosciences and her team, have both the experience and expertise to guide us through the process and the research facilities with which to work out the most efficient methods of using the CO2. The project is partially funded by the Welsh Government’s ERDF SMART Expertise Programme which aims to support collaborations between industry and academic institutions. The idea is to capture all the CO2 that is naturally produced through the process of fermentation and CO2 that is vented during the bottling of carbonated beer. Once captured, it will then be transferred to a process area where it will be repurposed using sunlight and microalgae. This is a technical process which uses microalgae, which are far more efficient than plants and trees at capturing CO2. The biomass produced will then be processed, and subsequently presented to Phytoquest Ltd, the third-party member of the collaborating team, who specialise in natural product discovery and development of sustainable ingredients for use in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.” Continued on page 25

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Sustainability profile: Bluestone Brewing Co

Is becoming carbon neutral or even negative realistic for a small brewer? “Yes, we believe it is. We are very lucky as we are based on a working farm, it’s easy for us to feed our waste to our animals and we have the land to put in reed bed filtration systems and compost toilets. There are still plenty of small things that other breweries can do to be more ecofriendly, even when they are based in industrial units and big cities. Simple changes like switching from vacuum pack plastic wrapping to cardboard boxes or ensuring that your merchandise is responsibly sourced and made from eco-friendly materials. Some decisions may cost the business slightly more, like switching to 100% renewable energy for example, but these decisions should be made with the future in mind. Consumers are increasingly swaying towards companies with sustainable values.We hope that we might inspire other breweries to look at their practices and make small changes to become more sustainable.”

Do you think the UK brewing sector as a whole should commit to a CO2 reduction target? “Absolutely. We’ve always found the UK brewing sector to be a really friendly environment, with lots of collaboration and people helping each other out. There’s no reason why we can’t all work together to collectively reduce our CO2. It would be great to be part of a sector driving change.”

How do you balance the investment you make in technologies like this with the return you get? “It’s hard to measure the return of certain investments. Honestly, we don’t really see them as investments that warrant return, we just feel that they’re the right thing to do and it’s part of running a responsible business. A lot of our projects so far have been about re-purposing, community involvement and haven’t cost us significantly. Our biggest investment to date will be the MicroAlgae project with Swansea University and we justify the investment by knowing that we are working towards becoming carbon neutral which is a key aim of our business. Of course, the project will result in good exposure for us and may increase sales, but we don’t see that as the most important reason to invest in a project like this.”

What has been the best investment you’ve made in sustainability in terms of the positive results it’s had on your business? “In 2018, with support from the Coastal Communities Fund, we installed our own bottling line on site. The bottling line allows to package everything on site; saving money, mileage and time as we will no longer rely on another brewery to do our bottling for us. We were previously sending our beer up to Staffordshire Brewery for bottling, a 340 mile round trip – bottling on site dramatically reduces our carbon footprint by cutting out these journeys. We are now able to package exactly how we want to and so we switched from plastic vacuum packaging to cardboard boxes and paper tape. We reuse the boxes wherever we can too, some are still going strong after their fifth or sixth use!”

Do you think the UK’s small brewers could be doing more to become sustainable? “In general, the UK brewing industry is already doing a great job. The majority of smaller brewers are very community focused and conscious of their impact on their local areas. There’s always room for improvement though and if every small brewer made a few little changes, it would probably have a large impact across the industry. Some of the big UK brewers, with big marketing budgets behind them, could really lead the way, encouraging more sustainability within brewing and set a precedent for other breweries across the globe.”

Do you actively promote your business as sustainable to consumers and if so what feedback have you had? “Yes, we do try to communicate our sustainable ethos as much as possible with consumers. It’s hard to get too much onto a beer label so we rely a lot on getting the message across through our marketing and social media. We get great feedback from customers, especially about our packaging. We send our beer out in compostable cardboard moulds and customers have sent us pictures of them re-using the moulds to plant seeds into!” Continued on page 27

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Sustainability profile: Bluestone Brewing Co

Do you have plans for any more ‘green’ projects in the future?

Are there any new technologies you see emerging that might be transformational for brewers in the future?

“We’re currently undergoing our impact assessment with B-Corp and hope to become accredited in 2022. The B-Corp assessment is very thorough and looks at every aspect of the business, from staff welfare to supply chain. It’s a step up from our Green Key accreditation and we hope it will drive us forward to become even more sustainable. We are also looking at the possibility of shredding waste cardboard on site and re-using it as bedding for the animals on the farm. We are also currently composting brewers grains with woodchip (ratio 1 to 5) with a view to supplying local gardeners with weed free gardening compost.”

“The CO2/Microalgae project is really exciting for us and something that we hope could be useful for other brewers in the future. There isn’t currently an affordable, easily accessible method of capturing waste CO2 for from the brewing process for small, craft brewers. It would be fantastic if our research project results in being able to help other brewers reduce their carbon footprint and as a bi-product produce biomass with a value.”

Do you consider your whole supply chain when it comes to sustainability, if so what changes have you made there? “We always try to work with likeminded suppliers. We are far more likely to buy from a producer if they take some of the responsibility for the packaging that they send their product out in. For example, Niche Solutions will take back plastic key kegs as part of their recycling programme and Brewers Select allow you to return used malt bags. We feel very strongly that if a company is going to produce a product that is covered in plastic, then they have some responsibility to recycle it.”

Do you think consumers are now actively seeking out businesses that promote and invest in sustainable production? “There’s definitely a change in consumer habits taking place. During the pandemic, it felt like there was a big switch to supporting local and thinking more carefully about your purchases. There is so much discussion around sustainability at the moment and customers are very aware of the need for urgent change, businesses that don’t act now will be left behind. We have always felt frustrated that there is no national audit for small and large food and drink producers regarding their carbon footprint. It would be good if there was a responsible body that you could chose to be audited by, which would give you some sort of a rating which could then be displayed on the packaging. Similar to the Red Tractor and Farm Assured systems.”

What is the first thing you’d recommend a small brewery does if it wants to become more sustainable? “A good starting point would be to carry out an assessment of your waste. We find so many uses for our waste products that we are very close to being a “zero waste to landfill” company. Can you offer excess cardboard to a local allotment to use as mulch? Is your beer packaging completely recyclable? Could you switch from Plastic Vacuum Pack to cardboard trays? If you sit down and think about what you’re using, you might find some creative ideas of how to repurpose it rather than throwing it away.”

Bluestone is a market leader in terms of sustainability, are there any other brewers in the sector you admire for leading the way too? “Brewgooder, Stroud Brewery and Toast Ale are probably the first ones that come to mind. We were part of the Brewgooder Global Gathering Campaign (which sadly didn’t get the exposure it should have because of Covid!) and would love to work with them again in the future. It’s easy for businesses to claim to be sustainable, but these breweries are actually doing as they say and are really transparent and clear about their missions.”

Sustainability is an important part of the future of SIBA and the brewing industry Sustainability is an important part of SIBA's renewed strategy and we are in the process of developing new tools and advice for brewers in order to help you make your businesses more sustainable in a variety of ways. In the meantime, though, we want to hear from brewers about existing sustainable elements of your businesses. Are you doing something innovative to make yourself more sustainable? Offering a product or service that will help brewers be more green? Has hydrogen or steam power made a difference to your environmental impact? Has carbon capture for your fermenters reduced the reliance on purchased gas? Or have you made a number of small changes that have had a big impact on your footprint? SIBA wants to pull together the best advice and ideas from across the brewing industry to improve the brewing industry and make that knowledge available to all. We will also be including news, comment and features on sustainable projects and ideas regularly in future issues of Independent Brewer magazine. Email membership@siba.co.uk with your thoughts.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Sustainability case study: Stroud Brewery

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Stroud Brewery had a very strong sustainability element to its business plan from the very start and has considered all areas of its business to ensure that as much as possible it is limiting its impact on the environment. SIBA’s Independent Brewer will be featuring regular case studies from now on which highlight some of the excellent work its members are doing to implement initiatives that improve sustainability, hopefully some of these will inspire other members to take the plunge. Here is what Stroud has been working on… When the CEO Greg Pilley set up Stroud Brewery he started with the goal of “making outstanding beers without damaging the planet”. The Brewery continues to explore ways of being a sustainable local business and bringing the local community together. Stroud Brewery produces a full range of organic cask and unfiltered keg beers to delight customers in the Brewery Tap and to supply the trade and many Cotswolds pubs. When the pandemic limited draught sales, Stroud invested in a canning line and now offers many of its brands in 440ml cans available from the Brewery Tap and stocked in a variety of craft beer shops and wholesalers. Like the cask and keg beers, the canned product is natural, made from organic materials and is not filtered or pasteurised to retain the true fresh character of the beer. In addition to the core beers, Stroud produces seasonal beers and collaborates with other ethically aligned producers to add something different to the range. Recently the brewery has produced two new seasonal beers which not only add to the portfolio but support their business vision of being a good steward for the environment and involving the local community. Brewers Garden is a community project whereby locally grown hops and their growers congregate at the brewery to hand pick the hop cones and enjoy a few ales. The hops are added

directly to the wort, late in the boil, to produce a fresh hopped beer with all the aromas of the main English hop varieties Fuggles and Goldings. In a good year, around 3,000 pints of ‘Brewer’s Garden’ are brewed, barrels of which are eagerly awaited by local pubs. Their efforts are rewarded two weeks later with the finished beer! Buen Vivir is a collaboration with 26 other brewers set up by Toast Ale to celebrate the hosting of COP 26. The beer used organic waste bread from a local bakery to add to organic wheat and barley malt to brew a traditional Munich style Hefeweizen, which was christened Buen Vivir by Stroud’s CEO – a phrase which comes from an indiginous philosophy that one’s well being is intimately connected to that of the environment and community. The beers are available in a limited-edition companion box of bottled and canned beers to highlight how food waste can be reduced by including surplus bread, reducing the total malt bill and to draw attention to our climate emergency. Sales are expected to raise an amazing £65,000 for conservation and regenerative agriculture organisations which is enough to protect 3.25 million trees. Stroud is one of the few craft breweries to be B-Corp certified - B-Corp companies are expected to follow an environmental programme.

Stroud uses renewably sourced energy (gas and electricity) from Ecotricity and like most brewers supplies the spent grains for animal feed. The spent whole hops are also much sought after by local allotment holders for mulch and compost. Stroud also recovers rainwater for flushing toilets. As an organic brewery it uses organically grown cereals which have been shown to have a significantly smaller carbon footprint (CO2e) than conventionally grown cereals. Fewer processing aids and additives are used which is saving the health of our precious soils and in turn the environment. However, Stroud wants to be more ambitious in following a green agenda and is looking at process improvements to reduce waste, improvements in recovery of hot water streams and possibly solar panels on the roof of the taproom. It is also a lead partner in developing a Carbon Footprint calculator in partnership with Net Zero Now and will use this as a platform to follow an aggressive improvement programme towards sustainability, reducing the need for carbon offset and hopefully becoming carbon neutral or carbon negative before 2030. It is now up to all of us to squeeze the supply chain to encourage the growers, maltsters and packaging manufacturers to reduce their CO2e and provide our customers with a truly sustainable experience.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Taproom focus: Big Smoke Brewery

Name: Big Smoke Brewery Founded: 2014 Location: Esher, Surrey Taproom Hours: Mon 4 – 9:30pm Tue 4 – 9:30pm Wed 4 – 9:30pm Thu 4 – 9:30pm Fri 12 – 9:30pm Sat 12 – 9:30pm Sun 12 – 6:30pm

In this new section of the magazine we will be featuring one of our SIBA Member’s taprooms in each issue. The growth in the number of taprooms within the SIBA Membership has been significant over the last few years, and each one is such a unique space that we wanted to share some of the amazing design ideas, events and beers being enjoyed in taprooms around the UK to give you some inspiration for your own retail spaces. If you would like to see your taproom featured in a future edition please send details and images to: caroline.nodder@siba.co.uk Big Smoke Brewery in Esher, Surrey, has made a name for itself with an expanding portfolio of excellent pubs across the South East and this year the team there turned that magic touch on their own brewery taproom. A brand new custom-built bar inside the brewery has created a modern but comfortable place to try one of the brewery’s many beers on keg, adding to the outdoor space and creating somewhere a little bit cosier for the winter months. That pub running expertise is clearly on show at the taproom, which is inviting and was buzzing with atmosphere when we popped by. A mustvisit for anyone who finds themselves in the area, and well worth the short train ride from Waterloo for anyone London-based. Our pick of the beers on tap is the Cosmic Collider DDH Pale Ale, a collaboration with Siren Craft Brew that uses the new ‘Cryopop’ hop in combo with Bru-1, Moasic and Citra to great effect. Complex, fruity but incredibly drinkable. If you’re after a dark beer then their Underworld Milk Stout is a modern classic smooth, silky and incredibly drinkable - it’s a perfect beer for the colder winter months and a regular on the taps at the brewery. www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Business profile: Fierce Beer

Going global Fierce Beer’s Co-founders Dave Grant and David McHardy met while on a training course at Sunderland’s Brewlab – a beginning they share with many craft brewers – but as former oil and gas workers from Aberdeen their global outlook really set them apart from other start-ups. The pair had travelled the world in their previous roles, making many international contacts along the way. And from the very start their plans for Fierce included, unusually, a firm focus on export. Inspired by nearby BrewDog and its global footprint, Dave and David set out to create a business which was not reliant on distributors but has its own retail arm, a loyal consumer following, and an export arm that could showcase the barrel-aged stouts with which it initially made its name. Moving from a homebrew set up in Dave’s house to a small industrial unit in Aberdeen, Fierce began its journey in 2016, and has since added five more units on the same estate with equipment

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

now in place to eventually triple its 5,000hl annual production to 15,000hl. One bar in Aberdeen was soon joined by another in Edinburgh and, during lockdown last year, by a third in Manchester. And the duo hopes to open at least one additional UK bar site a year from now on. There are already over 3,000 card-carrying Fierce followers, thanks to several rounds of reward-based crowdfunding events, who keep the bars and bottle shops busy and have enabled the brewery to grow, even during the last 18 months of the pandemic. Fierce has now added a core range of four beers, a pilsner, IPA, hazy IPA and rhubarb pale, but it continues to win fans, especially internationally, through its barrel-aged stouts which really got the brewery noticed back in 2016. Independent Brewer’s Caroline Nodder spoke to Dave last month to find out more about his ambitious plans for Fierce and his thoughts on some of the key challenges for small brewers in the Scottish market…

Business profile: Fierce Beer

Business Basics

Name: Fierce Beer Founded: 2015 (first beer produced 2016) Location: Aberdeen (brewery). Aberdeen, Edinburgh & Manchester (bars) Owners: Dave Grant and David McHardy Annual production: 5,000hl Brewing team: 3 Staff: 35 (including retail) Core beers: Fierce Pilsner (4.2% ABV), Fierce IPA (5.2% ABV), Fierce Hazy IPA (5% ABV) & Fierce Rhubarb (4.6% ABV Fruit Pale Ale). All gluten free and vegan. Production split (cask, keg & small pack): 40% keg, 60% small pack Key export markets: Russia and Scandinavia

We chose the name Fierce because we were so fed up picking up something that said it tastes of this and it didn't!

How did you come to launch Fierce Beer and how has the business developed since then? “I would say 95% of us here are ex oil and gas workers from Aberdeen. So both myself and Dave McHardy, we didn't know each other at the time, but we both just got disillusioned with the business and wanted to do something different. We were both homebrewers and we met at a training course in Sunderland at Brewlab and decided to start off from there. I actually registered my house as a brewery and I was doing stove top all grain brewing and selling to local bars from there. So that was in 2015 before starting off for real. We were lucky we had some friends at New Wave distribution and we made some beer and put it through them and got a market that way. But also our very first brew was pre-sold to Aldi for one of their beer festivals. Before we even knew we could produce beer they asked and we’d sold so that was quite stressful. So, how we started off, we did it the opposite way to probably what makes sense, which was to produce some strange and very full on beers and then back them up with a core range. Rather than starting with a fairly easily marketable product and then making some weird stuff after that. So I think that got some attention and then we back-filled. It was mostly Scotland wide at that stage – New Wave were doing Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle as well. So it started off from there. And then we found the joys of EeBria which helped us get around the country. From May in 2016 we started off with a small set of kit in a little industrial unit, which we still have, and we’ve taken on more units since then. We chose the name Fierce because we were so fed up picking up something that said it tastes of this and it didn't! It was just a little bit disappointing. So

that's why we went into the market with all the stupidly over-flavoured wild things first to catch attention with the Fierce name. We wanted the name Fierce to mean it was something you’re going to taste in the can.”

What is the ethos behind your beers? “I guess, as everyone is, we want to try to get as much as we can into people's hands as possible. We do spend a lot of time looking at where we should market which products. Way back before we started we looked at what other international breweries were doing, and we quite liked the way that companies like Great Divide, and AleSmith and these sort of guys worked, in that they only exported their big and properly world class memorable beers and not their everyday stuff. So we work a lot like that. The turning point, in 2017, was at the BrewDog collab fest when we brought out a 12% stout, and it really caught attention from there. So we're known for having that, backed up by the other things we’ve gone on to do. What we really like doing is going in and finding new countries and pushing the really weird things, again, and we are known in quite a few countries just for producing the big stouts. Because of our background in oil and gas, we did travel quite a lot. So we saw what was going on around the globe. And it did make quite a lot of difference, the fact that we're only 10 or 15 miles from BrewDog. So we saw what they did too, and we saw they were quite successful with what they did in getting a global footprint. We had a lot of friends who we’d worked with all around the world, so we thought we’d try to get our beers to them as much as anybody else.”

What do you do differently at Fierce? “From a beer perspective, probably not a lot, there's so many amazing breweries around now and that is a great thing. We're not known as a hype brewery that only produces you know, super gram-per-litre DIPAs, because there are quite a few of them around. To be honest, I think we're known for big barrel-aged stouts. But I think what has really made us stand out is the fact we do have a couple of bars around the country. We spend an awful lot of time speaking to people and dealing with customers, and I think we're trying to push ourselves as the friendly guys. When you’re spending a lot of time with customers it makes an awful lot of difference in making sure that they know who we are, and we can respond to their queries and we are building an army of followers. It's really about following up and making sure that whoever does get to try what we produce is happy, either with that, or if they’re not then we follow up to make sure they're happy at least with what we say about ourselves. So customer service, I think, is a big differentiator.” Continued on page 35

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Business profile: Fierce Beer

How have the events of the last 18 months affected your business? “We actually did ok, because we have got the ability to produce small pack. So immediately kegging stopped and canning kept on going, and we pushed a lot through the web shop and any place that was continuing to trade with canned products. Also, because we had the three bars which immediately closed, we turned them into bottle shops to keep things moving forward. We also spent a fair bit of time working with some of the subscription companies, Beer Hawk and Beer52 and those guys. So we actually grew, which was unusual In the last 18 months, we've been able to get some cash in to triple our production. So although at the moment we are producing around 5,000hl we now have the equipment to produce 1.5 million litres [15,000hl] a year. We’ve got a new faster canning line, we’ve got a whole bunch of new equipment that was funded just because of big small pack sales.”

How has the retail side of your business developed since you launched? “We opened our first bar in Aberdeen in 2017. And again, I was following the model of the breweries that we always wanted to see ourselves like. We were close to BrewDog as I said, but we also always liked the look of Magic Rock and Siren and Buxton and Tiny Rebel as well. Also Left Handed Giant, I remember Bruce Gray [Co-Founder] very clearly saying that he always wanted to put 70% of his production through his own places and not have to rely on distribution. So we did follow all these models and opened up our first bar in Aberdeen in 2017. That was a great thing to do. People went in there, found out about

us then bought from the shop, or they’d buy from the shop then come in to find out about us. It’s all quite cyclical, that on-trade pushed the off-trade, and then we push back to the on-trade again. So this was a great model, and we opened another bar in Edinburgh a year later and Manchester right in the middle of the pandemic, last September [2020], as well, - we just loved the opportunity, couldn't turn it down. It’s a great spot and the incumbent just didn’t want to look after it any more, for whatever reason. So we opened in Manchester then, knowing that in time it would come through and be a real asset for us. We see that as a future too. We're continuing to look to open at least one new bar in the UK every year. That's our mission.”

What main challenges are you facing right now as an independent brewery in the Scottish market? “Aberdeen is not a cask town so because of where we are we're keg driven for on-trade and just getting hold of pumps really is an issue. There are so many tied pubs and tied places that getting lines in anywhere at all is a massive struggle. Most places are owned either by Tennents or Belhaven or Star Pubs now as well. More than 90% of the places on the high street, you just can't even think of getting in to, unless do a massive deal with Mitchells & Butlers or one of those guys and sell things off super cheap. But not a lot of people can afford to do that. So we do have some local support, there are some independents, and again that's another reason why we went down the line of trying to get our own places, for surety of supply. We also are short a little bit on decent distributors. There was New Wave I mentioned before, they seem to have waned away and were sold off to James Clay & Sons. We actually

deliver ourselves to a lot of Scotland, which means a lot of time on the road which is not particularly carbon friendly, but it's the only way we can get our beer out to customers who can’t come and buy direct.”

Is the current staffing crisis and supply chain issues affecting your business? “Definitely supply chain, staffing not so much we've been ok at the moment. But the supply chain’s been a complete disaster. We've actually had to stop making a number of the things that we used to make because we can't get hold economically of some of the ingredients. We used to make a number of fruited sour beers and we just had to stop production completely for a while. It’s just because the prices are going up five and six-fold so it’s just not viable. Everything has gone up. But at the same time some of the export countries just can't afford to take beer in at the moment because the price is too high. So we've lost some export markets too. It's been really challenging in that respect. In 18 months we’ve probably changed our business plan five or six times. Some of our European export partners just don’t want to bother any more. Brexit means there’s a lot of extra red tape, a lot of extra cost. So they've stopped completely, we’ve probably lost at least half of the European export markets. I guess it has accelerated what would happen as markets mature. I guess that's one of the things that Brexit is going to do in time, we will have a better local market in the UK, as imports become fewer, but exports really aren't going to be what they used to be.” Continued on page 37

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Business profile: Fierce Beer

What is your view on the proposed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS)? “The DRS if it was to go ahead in Scotland with the current timeline with the current plans will be a disaster. So much extra cost. We'd have to have different labels for different countries again, the English market would be different and we’d definitely lose sales there. Our bars maybe couldn’t get in the things they wanted. So we don't see it working in its current form. We think it can only work as a UK-wide thing. So our hope is that it will be delayed back to 2024 when the whole UK can pick it up and do it properly. There's certain things that are only thought about from a higher level with bigger companies in mind. It would be the wrong thing to do for the environment to put it back, we know that and don't get me wrong, we're very much behind DRS if it's done properly. But I do believe and I do hope that it will be put back, in order to do it in a more sensible fashion.”

You have successfully crowdfunded in the past. What have you learnt from that process? “We’ve done a couple of rewards-based crowdfunding events in the past. We found that was a great way to have, what we call a Fierce Family, but a bunch of Fierce followers who will want to come and take people to the bar and be part of it and show off that this is their place. So doing that has obviously helped push us having a loyal following both for online sales, but also to get them in to the bars. This is not equity-based in any way. This is purely rewardsbased. So anyone who pledged, for every £1 they pledged they’d get £1.50 back in beer,

either from our shop or from the bars. I think we’ve 3,000 people out there now with cards, which used to have a balance on them and now give them 10% discount whenever they visit or make a purchase. It's been a fantastic thing to do and if we hadn't done it, back in March was the last one we did, to help us through the first stage of the pandemic, we’d have really struggled. With rewards-based crowdfunding you've almost got to give away a little bit more than you'd like to do, just to make sure that people feel they’re getting a decent deal. But after that, the work really starts when the event closes. Because you then have to spend an awful lot of time making sure everyone's happy. They get what they expect on time, they get their card delivered to the right address to the right person in the right amount of time so they are not annoyed. You have to follow up and spend a lot of time on investor relations, or else you'll lose them. I think around 82% of the guys who invested back in the day the first time round subsequently invested a second time, or pledged a second time, because it went so well. So you’ve got to look after people.”

What do you think the craft brewing sector can do to address issues around sexism and bullying that have come to light recently? “This is a huge thing. We're really glad, obviously, that it's raised its head and it's come out. I think the brewing industry is probably not much different from other industries in the respect that it may still be going on or it may have gone on in the past. But being such a public facing industry we need to make sure that it's nipped on the head. It's shocking that it was

happening to the level that it was, maybe still is, and it's something that as people who've been employed in larger industries before we made sure that whatever happened it couldn’t happen with us. We've got a code of conduct that we have published on our website that shows exactly what our standing is and our ethos is no for everything, in terms of equality, be it race or sex or anything. I've actually spoken to a few people lately who are saying that it's blown out of proportion, which – the fact that people are saying that - is actually pretty sad. And it’s great to see that it's finally being addressed. We are fairly close to a number of people who are accused, we've worked with a number of breweries who have been accused of this. And we've actually seen it in the past, and we’ve tried to address it with some of them. We’ve personally pulled people aside and said, ‘you can do this sort of thing’ There's a lot of people, I am guessing, who never even realised what they were doing was really causing a problem. It's the same to some extent I guess as bullying at school or bullying in the workplace. Some people think it's funny, other people realise it's not something that should never exist. When we employ people, we bring them in and go through the code of conduct to make sure that they know that we are in a good place, and it's not acceptable for anyone to step outside the rules. Luckily for us, or by culture, our staff have not had any cause to complain, and I hope that's always going to be the case. It’s always been a very important thing for us.” Continued on page 39

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Business profile: Fierce Beer

How important is sustainability to your business?

What are you proudest of during your time at Fierce?

“We probably have not been doing enough to be honest, because as a fast-growing young business our eye has not been on the ball as much as it should have been. We do plant trees, we work with a charity organisation that does forestation, but like all brewers we do use a lot of CO2, we do use a lot of energy. So we're actually in the process of looking to move premises, and we're working with the Scottish Government to make sure that we can work with renewables where we can. We're getting some solar panels in and we're making sure that all of the raw materials we use have got the provenance behind them to show that they're doing their best too, so every company is audited to make sure they are doing their best to be sustainable. The only thing that still worries me is when you use plastic kegs, as long as the pub gets them collected they will go back but I think it’s only 83% that are re-mulched and re-formed so we are weighing up where we go with that. I'm not sure what's worse, putting chemicals in to clean the kegs or continuing to use the plastic kegs. So we have a lot of initiatives to make sure we do what we can, but we realise our industry is not exactly the best for working on that. For us it’s very much a case of ‘could do better’ and it is one of the reasons we are looking to move because we realise we’re not doing a great job.”

“Product wise, I'm very proud of Very Big Moose, the big stouts, but really what I’m proud of is that we've been able to grow our business, get people who, right now in the oil field are out there looking for work, and we're able to give people employment. So I'm really proud to have a team of people who may not have been so gainfully employed with the demise of oilfield. I'm also proud that we appear to have built a brand that people like. When people think of Fierce I hope they think of not only nice beers, but nice people.” We're working with the Scottish Government to make sure that we can work with renewables where we can.

What plans do you have for the business for 2022? “We’re looking at moving to a different premises to be a bit more friendly to the environment and more stable. We're actually looking to do some different things as well, we're looking to work with other companies globally, to have partnerships with them. Just now we work with two companies, one of the New Zealand Beer Collective, their business is UK based, but their business has historically been to bring New Zealand beer over to the UK and Europe and sell it. Now, the price of shipping etc, and looking at the carbon footprint that involves, it’s not the best thing to do. So they brew some of their beers here

with us. It's a bit of a joint venture, it's a profit share, it's something that we both work on together to make sure that they're looked after. We also do the same now with Devil’s Peak of South Africa. So we're looking at other places around the world where we can work on that, this is phase one, to brew some beer here with these guys. And then we'll try to introduce our beers to their market without having to export around the world, which would make them economically not viable. Definitely not fresh. And definitely not carbon friendly. I think is a really interesting thing to do. So we look after everyone in the market here, but also to help introduce some new things to the UK and introduce our brands around the world.”

What is your all-time favourite beer? “There were a couple of things that really made me want to start doing what we’re doing and do it the way we’re doing it. We’ve got the Very Big Moose 12% and variations of that and that is all because of standing in a pub one day and drinking Great Divide Yeti and seeing what they’ve done with that. It really pushed us forward to thinking, yeah, we could do this, it'd be great!”

Who do you most admire in the craft beer market at the moment and why? “We always like what people like Siren did. I like Siren because they're personable, they don't go out there and shout stupid things about their product, they just get on with making amazing things. So I would say Darron Anley at Siren, but also Gareth Williams at Tiny Rebel too. I've used them personally as mentors, so I think they do a really great job.”

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Brewer’s viewpoint: David Holliday

The value of your name – and how best to protect it After experiencing several issues with trade marks himself, David Holliday, the Co-founder of Moon Gazer ales at The Norfolk Brewhouse, offers some practical advice on how to protect yours, and how to handle any challenges from other brands… “Since starting Moon Gazer and The Norfolk Brewhouse some 10 years ago now, my wife Rachel and I often reflect that as well as learning to brew we have to double up – usually out of necessity – as plumbers, electricians, engineers, HR consultants, social workers and even trade mark lawyers! The latter is a skill we never thought we would need. We always knew the importance of developing and protecting a brand. However grand or modest your ambitions are, you want your name to be distinctive, recognisable and to create that bond between your beer and your customers. As such it needs protecting since you will invest so much time, emotion and money in creating it. It is this effort we put into two of our registered trade marks; The Norfolk Brewhouse and Moon Gazer ales. Along our brewing journey we have been on the receiving end of a trade mark challenge and also issued a challenge ourselves. We have also had reason to contact or be contacted by other brands seeking to address potential issues – thankfully they are put safely to rest including one from drinks giant Pepsi. We are not alone – in excess of 2,000 trademarks a year are applied for beer names by UK brewers. So, they all get the full protection and reassurance of a trademark, right? Well, that might not be the case, and can be far from the reality. Essentially in UK law there are two forms of trademark protection – registered rights where you apply for and get granted a trademark, and also unregistered rights where by you do not formally register a mark but by demonstrating significant usage you build up certain protections which can prevent others for using and/or registering a similar or identical mark.

In our experience the two can become intertwined in the most bizarre ways. Let us share it with you in the hope it may help make a decision as to how best to protect your brand. In addition to the two trademarks mentioned above we also hold marks for certain of our beers. One such mark was applied for by us, and granted as a UK trademark – money paid, job done, crack on, brew beer and sell beer we thought. If only…. You see here’s the rub – the UK trade mark system allows you to register and pay for a mark but actually they have no certainty in selling you that right. Even once registered you can be open to a challenge at any time in the form of someone who claims to have built up unregistered rights by virtue of trading under a similar or identical name. Primacy is determined by which right was established first. Unbeknown to us, and not evident in any of our searches, another brewer had used the same mark to ours earlier in a local festival and in pubs on a very localised level. They challenged our right to hold the trademark and were successful in cancelling our mark, and then registered their own mark of the same name – are you keeping up? However, in the meantime we had been selling – quite properly – our version of the beer (in a distinctly different beer style and sector) and generated significant sales, so – and this is where it becomes farcical – we had developed unregistered rights in our mark, so regardless of our earlier defeat with the trade mark tribunal we could challenge the trade mark since we have primacy – you couldn’t make it up really! Can you hear the sounds of lawyers rubbing their hands at this point? Be in no doubt the explosive growth of trademark registrations in recent years has seen a corresponding growth in dedicated TM lawyers and firms chasing the money. We liken it a bit to if you buy a second-hand car which ultimately turns out to be stolen – the car is returned to its rightful owner – you

are left out of pocket. You see the trade mark office can only promise you the rights to register and use a mark until someone pops up and tells them otherwise. So, are trade marks worth the paper they are written on and what can you do to minimise risk? For us, the jury is out as to the true value of a registered mark – yes, they can provide relatively quick and strong protection faster than building up unregistered rights – but unregistered rights can be used powerfully to protect your name. What we think is indisputable is the need to research fully any name you think you want to build sales around. Look at Untppd, Rate Beer, SIBA, Good Beer Guide and Google away until your eyes can take no more – and don’t just think about beer – think other similar markets be it alcohol or non-alcoholic beverages anything where customer confusion between two similar names could occur. A brand who thinks your mark could cause confusion may be able to sue you for passing off – effectively where your mark is either benefiting from their existing reputation or is at risk of damaging that same reputation. So, be as distinctive as you can. Once a name and look is decided on use it and use it big time – social media the pants out of it, make sure it is on review sites, do PR and adverts – the more it’s in the public domain the more protection you will get – and make sure you keep records – name the product specifically on invoices. And, keep using it as your rights can be challenged if you have prolonged periods of non-use. I guess our other advice is talk if you come across name clashes – it is possible to have co-existence where by two or more brewers can agree to all co-exist happily alongside each other – but get it written down! Don’t let it spoil the fun – we still want to be a merry band of brewers but your name is important to you and worthy of protection.” Cheers! David

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Supplier viewpoint: Vitikit

The future brewery: what will it look like? Joseph Hopwood and Kieran Aylward, from equipment specialist Vitikit and its brewing arm V-Brew, have taken a look in their crystal ball and offer their thoughts on what the brewery of the future might look like…

“Imagine a semi-dystopic scene where a brewer, once creative and with hard earned importance, is now subservient and arbitrary. Their lumberjack shirts and proudly groomed beards replaced with lab coats and clean shaves in a data driven drive for efficiency. The new brewhouse AI has its algorithms assimilating data from Instagram, Facebook, Untappd - combining it with data from the brewhouse sensors and schedule - and consolidating it with data from market researchers, microbiologists, climatologists and agronomists. It’s efficient. Near perfect. But creativity and humanity, the opportunity to witness intuition, even genius, is trapped outside of the rigid rules of the algorithm. The world’s beers all taste the same, and the bars’ AI chooses beers for its customers before they have even had a chance to enjoy the pop art adorning the pumps. Everybody wants to switch the machine off, but with echoes of Skynet’s famous overreaction, they are all too scared to. This world only exists in overactive imaginations, but we are currently experiencing the fourth industrial revolution - Industry 4.0, although you might not realise it yet. Many of the new and often bewildering technologies once reserved for works of science fiction are fast becoming a reality and will soon be commonplace in the brewing sector. Technologies such as AI (Artificial Intelligence), Machine Learning and the Internet of Things are a reality now and these will have a profound impact on the future brewery as we race further into the 2020s. Technology has always been important to brewers, with the scientifically and technologically savvy generally prospering. Think of the work of the famous scientist Emil Chr. Hansen, and how it helped create the titan that is Carlsberg. Technology ensures consistency and quality, so pursuing a high technological level is critical in maintaining high standards over time.

The workhorse for many current systems in the modern brewery are Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). These are the small ruggedised computers which are found in most control cabinets in breweries big and small and have for a number of years provided brewers with a means to measure and control the processes. PLCs are in flux, with a rise in open-source PLC models based on using high level-based programming languages such as Java, C, and C++. This allows engineers to get much more out of these systems than has previously been available. It means AI algorithms can be used alongside increased connectivity between the various stages of the brewing process. The force behind all this change is data. You might ask what's the use of data? Brewers have previously had data in isolation from the various sensors and process variables. Now though, the power of bringing all of this data together is being recognised. Data lives in everything and if it is used correctly has the potential to give valuable information. It can provide brewers with a live digital dashboard on the health of their product and some examples currently exist. V-Brew, an offshoot of wine and cider specialist Vitikit, works with manufactures across the globe. From Brazil, to China, to Germany. But where the team there sees an opportunity for technological innovation, they often bring it in-house. The Smart Pasteuriser is a good example of making data work for you. It uses predictive analytics to help determine the Pasteurisation Units accrued both past and in the future, and was built on the realisation that most producers were not accounting for residual pasteurisation. This reasonably simple step has helped reduce energy consumption, reduce cycle times and more importantly for the brewer than for the cidermaker has reduced the risk of heat damage. This advanced data collection which exists now will be what drives forward brewing to the next level - brewing has always been as much of an artform as a science and it's the science which is seeing the change.

Imagine if the beer brewed had feedback from the end users which tweaked the recipe? It’s not that big a jump! Platforms like Untappd track customers’ perceptions – bars’ accounting software knows which batch the Untappd reviews relate to, hop and malt suppliers have the analysis of the batches that went into the beer and brewhouse software knows the rest. It would just be a case of bring all the data together. Analysis from the lab can also be included in the model. Beer has thousands of relevant compounds but only a few are routinely tracked. New technologies such as infrared spectroscopy can measure nearly all of them. This could also be used to predict the compounds simultaneously at different stages of the processes, in a similar but more complex version of the Vitikit smart pasteuriser. An AI algorithm could be used to take this data and make recommendations to the recipe based on user preferences, or it could spot a change in consumer tastes, and help the brewer to jump ahead of the curve. There are more and more examples of this. Little Lion World Beverages have recently developed an app which is used to buy and sell craft beer, the app uses an AI algorithm to make recommendations to their clientele. This has helped them boost profit margins and gain rapid popularity in the sector. Contrary to our imagined dystopia, it’s unlikely any of these technologies will ever replace the brewer, or even turn them into sterile automatons. But it seems inevitable that many important decisions that would in the past be left at the discretion of the brewer or marketeer will be generated by some AI. We will see beer become tailored to specific demographics and even individuals, based on an AI interpretation of data from social platforms - and this AI can almost certainly be trusted not to, like Skynet, turn on humanity.” Find out more at www.v-brew.co.uk and www.vitikit.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Meet the retailer: A Hoppy Place

Hoppy ever after Craft beer had always played a big part in the lives of Dave and Naomi Hayward, even before they decided to launch their own independent taproom and bottle shop in 2019. The couple even staged a beer festival for guests at their wedding, and they were subsequently inspired by the many taprooms and independent bars and bottle shops they found while exploring California on their honeymoon. Not seeing anything like that in their corner of Berkshire when they returned home, the idea for A Hoppy Place was born. Naomi quit her job in the fashion industry and began working full time in the beer sector, first at Lovibonds and then at Mad Squirrel, before a chance stroll led the pair to walk past the perfect site in Windsor which was to become home to their new venture. The small site does both on and off-trade sales and can host around 25 seated guests or 40 standing.

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

It offers 12 keg beers and two to three cask beers on draught as well as over 150 bottled and canned products, and was recently named UK Craft Beer Retailer of the Year at the 2021 SIBA Business Awards. Inclusivity is key to the operation, and the venue is an antidote to an increasingly digital world, with a mission to bring local people together and encourage face to face conversation and discussion. Naomi and her brother Jason work full time at the site, while Dave continues to juggle his day job in IT with evenings spent behind the bar or re-stocking the cellar. Independent Brewer’s Caroline Nodder caught up with Dave in November to find out more about how he and Naomi came to launch the business, what plans they have to expand, and what winning a SIBA Business Award so early in their journey has meant to them…

Meet the retailer: A Hoppy Place How did you come to launch A Hoppy Place and how has the business developed since then?

Business Basics

Name: A Hoppy Place Founded: August 2019 Location: Windsor, Berkshire Owners: Dave and Naomi Hayward Number of retail sites: 1 Staff: 2 (full time) Product categories and sales mix 12 keg lines, 2-3 cask lines & 150-200 bottled and canned beers. Selection of wines, spirits & ciders.

You can just come in and talk about beer or talk about whatever. First and foremost we are about experiences, not drinks, not profits.

What is the ethos behind the business?

“Naomi and I have always been big beer fans. It was always a hobby and an interest. We started going around seeking out new breweries, and for our wedding in 2017 we put on our own beer festival - and that was our wedding! Then in 2018, we went to California for our honeymoon. And what was really interesting to me - and I think it was born out of necessity because of their system - was that if you wanted to get interesting beer to people, you just opened your own place. We just came across dozens and dozens of these places that had 30 or 40 taps of interesting beer from different people. And we thought, why did that not exist here? What they had to do in America to get that mix was start their own place, so if we wanted to have a place that's got a couple of 100 different products at any one time, we should probably do the same thing, which is start our own place. That's what turned it from being a hobby into being a career aspiration. So from day one, we had those 12 kegs, two to three casks, and 150 plus cans and bottles. That's the way we always wanted it to be. We live in Maidenhead, so a little distance away from Windsor, and Windsor had the sort of demographic of people that will work for a place like this. It's craft beer, it's people that have got a little bit more disposable income, and so on. At the time, Naomi used to work in fashion as a graphic artist, but she'd left that industry and started work first of all at Lovibonds Brewery in Henley and then as a general manager for Mad Squirrel at their High Wycombe site in Hertfordshire. And then we just walked past a building with a sign in the window, and it escalated basically. We got an offer accepted on that site, and it all started to happen very quickly!”

“First and foremost, it's about all aspects of inclusivity. So the most important thing is that we can sell whatever beer we like, whenever we want to sell it, we're not constrained by anyone else. And then what we really want is to be a place where anyone can have a conversation. Just far too much - and it's getting, I think, worse and worse with social media at the moment - far too much of our discourse now is just arguments, very short arguments, and, and we just wanted people to come in, talk and think and feel welcome. It's a really bright, airy space. It's not the kind of pub I used to drink in, where it’s that 1970s dinge, and the 10 people in there all turn around and look at you as you go through the door if you're not local. We wanted the opposite of that. So you can just come in and talk about beer or talk about whatever. First and foremost we are about experiences, not drinks, not profits.” The most important thing is that we can sell whatever beer we like, whenever we want to sell it, we're not constrained by anyone else.

How do you select the beers you stock? “It's changed a bit. Lockdown has affected it. But the first thing that we wanted to do, again influenced by the American scene, is to focus on local or hyperlocal. In America local means anything within about an eight hour drive, which is mad, but for us, it means the Counties around us because we're very blessed in Windsor, there's really a huge amount of good beer around us. The nearest Counties are Herts, Berkshire, Sussex, Surrey and London itself. And there's a lot of fantastic beer around. So we wanted to really focus in, especially on the Berkshire scene. But then beyond that, as things have evolved, we've had to get more and more of the ‘hypey’ headline craft beer in. And that's really as we've had to focus more on the website and getting those clicks, getting that conversion, we just needed the big beer as well. But if it's good beer, and the marketing is important - I'd love it if it was less important, but what the can looks like and who the brewery are accounts for a hell of a lot, probably more than it should. We need to know it will sell on the shelf, that the label’s good and that that the brewery’s got consistent branding from can to can. Then, finally, when all is said and done it needs to taste nice. If it's a brewery we know and trust and they release a new beer, I'll usually just accept it. If it's a brand new brewery now that approach us out of the blue, I’ll say ‘I don't know who you guys are, so can we have some samples and we'll judge them and then come back to you?’.” Continued on page 47

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Meet the retailer: A Hoppy Place

What do you look for in the small brewers you work with? “First and foremost we just need to get on with them. Craft beer is a small world. So if we've got a good relationship then it just becomes really easy. They'll ping us a message asking ‘what can you take this week?’, and I'll be very upfront about what that is. Small relationships work for us, locally, for sure. But we're faced with the reality at the moment that pricing is really tough. There are some beers that just can't sell, especially if they're selling a lot of their own beer direct to their own customers. That's a big consideration. If I feel that the brewery is to an extent undercutting or trying to sidestep us, that's an issue. There's no black and white rules, but there are breweries that we just won't sell anymore, because we think they've gone after all our customers themselves. Before lockdown almost all breweries saw us as their salesman, in a way. They didn't have the ability, and they didn't have the operational capability, or they just couldn't be bothered to have a guy packing singles into boxes and shipping them. But with lockdown they've had to, and they are all now holding on to that. I wonder if they should be, or if they should be putting that energy into other areas. But I would say that, I'm a bottle shop!”

How has your in-store food and drink operation developed since launch? “Again, it's all wrapped up in lockdown. We opened in August 2019, so we had five months of regular trade with the build up to the first Christmas, and for that initial time, we just did these little toasties, and got people to come in and drink. But in reality it was 50/50 between people coming in having a chat and taking cans away, or coming in to treat us more like a pub

rather than a bottle shop. But then we got to a point with lockdown where clearly they couldn't come in anymore. They weren't allowed outside their own houses. So as much as I never wanted to, because I like to talk to people, we launched our website. And that's the big change that’s happened. We had to go live with a webshop and really push that. Before lockdown it was pretty much just a holding page, we didn't sell online at all. Food wise we have changed it a few times. As I said when we first started out we just did little toasties and stuff. We're not food place. We're not a restaurant. But we've recently done quite well offering pizzas, we’ve got a couple of electric pizza ovens now. And that seems relatively popular, so that's where we are at the moment. We're not trying to be a restaurant, we're just hoping that, you know, a bunch of the guys that come out on a Friday night as sort of seven or eight o'clock, they want to drink but they know they need to eat something, so they'll grab a pizza from us and keep going, rather than leave for a restaurant booking somewhere.”

What do you think is the key to a successful online operation? “My background is as an IT consultant for a large corporate. So I can spin up a site quite quickly when I have to, and all of a sudden I had to. We went from saying ‘no, come in and talk to us about beer’ to realising that we had to get a site out. And over the course of an initial weekend, I had that out in the world and selling beer, fully integrated to our tills so that we can sell in-store and online. It was hard work but it had to happen. I think in terms of what a good website is, one of the most important things is that the SEO is good. That the search engine optimisation is there, and you can find your site. A great way to achieve that is just to make sure

that you're always talking about your site in the big, popular websites that already exist. Clearly, there's a strategy of ours to be really aggressive in advertising on social media. So I personally spend a lot of time in all the craft beer Facebook groups engaging with people. There'll be a beer review and then I’ll link back to the fact that beer is on our website, rather than just an advert. It’s just finding a way to get big sites like Facebook and Twitter to have a big reach, a big engagement score, of links to your site, because it really helps you go up the Google rankings as well. The once you're actually on the site, just make sure that it flows. There are so many sites where you have to repeatedly click in and go back, or the search doesn't work properly. The images aren't tagged properly, or whatever it is, just basic stuff. A lot of brewery owners have been suddenly trying to set up websites and you see the default Shopify sites where everything's a category with one product, and it's just really hard to use, and they are not good. So really minimise the number of clicks, keep the user experience through to check-out as simple as it can be. I think the reason that we did quite well, on the web, and the reason that SIBA recognised us, this wasn't so much about the look of the website but the way that we used it. I was always keen to set up some events. So through lockdown we did a whole swathe of digital beer events. So you’d buy a box of beer, and then go on Zoom and talk about the beer. Every Friday we did Hoppy Pub, which was all our locals that get a delivery from us at some point that week, coming on Zoom and just chatting about it, keeping that community going. Almost all of our online presence is about keeping people communicating rather than just giving them links to beer to buy.” Continued on page 49

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Meet the retailer: A Hoppy Place

What do you see as the key challenges currently for a business like yours? “Easily the biggest one is that I think we're all competing with the breweries who are going direct to the consumer. We're competing for a slice of the pie that's getting smaller over time. In some cases, there are a number of breweries that realise they've over-produced and then there'll be selling below their trade price direct to the public to try and shift beer, and that's the problem. But the other problem is that we're all fighting for our existing audience. I don't think really anyone in the industry is going after new customers in the way that we should be at the moment. It’s all, ‘I've got my mailing list, let's keep harassing them into doing another small order’. But month by month, you lose a few of them. But you still just about tick over. And we’re going to get to a point where we don’t tick over.”

How do you market and promote the business? “We care about, and we've been trying to build a community. Quite early on, we reached out to as many groups, both digitally and in person, as we could. Because Naomi and I had both been in beer for a couple of years anyway, albeit not full time, we knew quite a few people that we hoped would be prospective customers from day one.

So Lovibonds Brewery, the members of that brewery were very good to us, early doors, because we'd spent a lot of time there and equally Mad Squirrel, where Naomi used to work, were very good to us. Beyond that, we joined our local CAMRA branch, which is something that we're still engaged with. We’ve got the SIBA accolade but we also won the local branch of CAMRA Pub of the Year. We got the announcements about a week apart as well. And that was from a lot of very traditional beer drinkers and we're obviously mostly a craft beer place, but we do have cask and it's kept well, because I care about such things. I try not to spend too much time talking about what we do, I try and spend more time just doing it. Just making it a nice space.” And we managed to explain to them the virtues of keg beer that isn't just fizzy lager, you know, and what it can be and is. Our local brewery, Windsor & Eton, were very good to us. And we'd actually spent a lot of time talking to Paddy Johnson, one of their directors, about what our plans were, and he gave us quite a lot of support as well. Just reaching out locally, as much as we possibly could. But also going online. I'm a member of basically every big beer Facebook group and sharing what I could on beer reviews etc, so it was about getting as much editorial

as we could get rather than anything paid for, trying to build up A Hoppy Place as a brand and get it some likes and followers and reach of its own.”

What have you done to promote inclusivity within the business and for customers? “I think it's important to us that the managing director of our company is my wife, Naomi. So we’re a woman-led business. She's the person behind the bar most of the time when people go in. It's not so much that we've gone out and made a big song and dance about telling everyone, I quite a few people in the industry spend a lot of time telling people what they do, rather than doing it. It's that from day one, we've got people behind the bar that want us to be a space where everyone feels safe and want us to be specifically a space that's appealing to female craft beer drinkers. We don't have any negative biases against the groups that we want in, we are clearly very positive towards them, and I think that just comes across quite organically. That is our friendship group, those are the kinds of people we want to drink with, so those are the people that end up in our bar. I try not to spend too much time talking about what we do, I try and spend more time just doing it. Just making it a nice space.” Continued on page 51

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Meet the retailer: A Hoppy Place

How do you, as an independent retailer, compete against the large supermarkets? “I think this is the million dollar question for craft at the moment. It's very difficult to say and it depends on who's asking. But if a customer comes in and says, ‘Well, you know, I found this four pack in Tesco, and they thought I'd check out some extra craft and now I’ve found you’, then that's obviously great. I don't know how true that is, or how often it really happens in reality, that there is this sort of ‘gateway’ effect happening. One thing that we absolutely have to do, is if a beer, or a brewery full stop, appears in the supermarket, we just have to pull it. The reality is they've got scale economies that we can never dream to have. They buy, they push on margins, they buy bigger volume. And they're prepared to earn less margin because it's a tiny part of what they do. We can't do that. And what I don't want our customers to do is come in and see a beer £1 or £1.50 more expensive on our shelves than it is in a Tesco, and think that we are in some way pocketing that money. Equally, if I see a brewery that very heavily focuses on big macro retail, we usually make the decision to stop stocking it.”

How do you support your local community? “We've done a couple of charity initiatives. One of our regular customers unfortunately lost a young child to cancer at about the age of two, a long time ago now, but of course it's always there with them and they put us on to Helen & Douglas House, which is a local charity. We've done a couple of big charity initiatives for them, we've raised I think just under £1,000 now. We did things like Tryanuary with a donation bucket rather than Dry January try our new area with

a donation bucket rather than like dry January, we also did a similar event in October. And I've done a few other bits and pieces like charity walks for Shelter - there's a good amount of homelessness in Berkshire, especially Windsor and Reading. Outside of purely charity stuff, during lockdown, I was in the car, delivering beer to people trying to keep people talking, and I think a big part of why we won the SIBA award was the lockdown online pubs that we did. Getting beer to people who hadn't seen each other in six months. Granted, it works for me, I'm selling beer. But it's genuinely getting people together that have been in lockdown, and are at their wit’s end, to have an excuse to see loads faces again. I got a hell of a lot out of seeing people enjoying that as well.”

this big trade body as the Craft Retailer of the Year, I think that makes a massive difference for us.”

You recently won an award for Best Independent Retailer at the SIBA Business Awards. What did that mean to you and the team?

Who do you most admire in the craft beer retail market at the moment and why?

“For us, our application was a very personal story. So winning felt great, because it was a ‘well done’ for what we'd done personally. It felt like we were personally getting that praise. So when it was announced, we very genuinely jumped up and hugged each other. It did mean a lot to us. Obviously what we're trying to do now is use it positively. Make something out of it and get some momentum from it. The first thing I did is put it straight up on the front of our website, and it goes out on our email. And it adds a little bit of extra gravitas. Certainly if I'm trying to cold sell to someone I can definitely throw in, ‘by the way, we’re Craft Beer Retailer of the Year’ and it's never going to do any harm. We’ve been talking about expanding into a second outlet and being able to go to a large established developer, with being quite young business, the fact that we’ve been recognised by

What is your all-time favourite beer? “I've got a controversial answer to this question, because what I said about supermarkets, but the beer that got me into craft was definitely Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and I found it in the supermarket. It was one of the first beers that I had that wasn't a lager that just made me kind of sit up. I don't think that's my all time favourite beer now, but I progressed from that and it's Sierra I still love and it is their Torpedo. I absolutely love West Coast IPAs, and I think that remains about the best one in the world for me.”

“It's hard to name just one. But having spent some time over at Wild Card at the weekend, the person that brings to mind immediately is Jaega Wise. There's everything about keeping a craft brewery going through this time. They also lost a contract with Tesco and have had to bounce back from that. They got delisted on a fairly short notice, so they've really focused back in on the smaller craft sector. And I hope it stays that way. Obviously it’s about all the things we talked about to do with inclusivity as well. I was there at a homebrewers convention and I'd say there were about eight people there that weren't white males in the entire building, so I think Jaega is in a position as a non-white nonmale head brewer for pretty big craft brewery now, to be a good role model for an awful lot of people.”

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Business advice: Legal

Changes to Licensing Laws Although a certain amount of pandemic related legislation has been relaxed, with so many changes over the past few months, Napthens Head of Licensing, Sam Faud, provides a useful recap and highlights some further changes coming up… Pavement Licences

Off-Sales

So, what about Plan B…?

Emergency legislation was brought in to relax the granting of pavement licences which allows tables and chairs to be placed on the highway. This was to encourage customers to be outside and assist with premises complying with covid legislation. Prior to this relaxation, the process of obtaining a pavement licence could be time consuming and arduous and included applying for planning permission.

Again, to allow premises to work with the covid regulations, the government decided to relax the legislation surrounding off-sales.

We have been hearing in the media that Plan B is off and then back on…the real truth is that we don’t know what’s going to happen. Latest reports have stated it is unlikely the country will trigger new covid restrictions (Plan B) but it will be a case of wait and see.

Prior to this relaxation, the process of obtaining a pavement licence could be time consuming and arduous.

If the premises licence only permits the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises, then there is an automatic extension to allow the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises. The following conditions restricting off-sales, where the premises licence permits on and off-sales, are also suspended:

The most controversial element of Plan B had been the proposed covid passports for larger events. Scotland has apparently been hit hard by the covid passports and it has been an “unmitigated disaster”. The issues appear to have stemmed from lack of guidance and assistance to premises. If Plan B is introduced then we should at least have had some warning on the pitfalls and how to avoid them.

1. Off-sales being made at a time when the premises are open for the purposes of selling alcohol for consumption on the premises (subject to a cut off time of 11pm or the The relaxed rules have been extended until 30 closure time of an existing outdoor area Premises have had to deal with so much in September 2022. This means you can continue whichever is earlier the last 18 months or so and the resilience 2. off-sales being sold in an open container to apply through the fast-track procedure. and remodelling works have been incredibly As usual, you apply to the Local Authority, but 3. deliveries to buildings used for residential or impressive. Let’s hope we keep moving in the the application process is simpler and shorter work purposes right direction. But in the meantime, if you - and the fee is only £100. need advice on the latest licensing - or other There are limitations to this relaxation, It should be noted that if the relaxed rules legal issues - please contact the Napthens including off-sales will cease from 11pm do indeed expire in September next year, team through the SIBA helpline. or the time any outside area is to close then you will need to apply for a pavement whichever is the earlier. licence under the Highways Act 1980 as usual. As mentioned, this process can be time consuming, therefore make sure you apply in plenty of time to avoid having a time where For advice on this topic or on legal issues affecting your business, please you are unable to use tables and chairs on the contact SIBA Legal Helpline on 0845 6710277 highway. North West Law firm LLP is a SIBA supplier associate and Silver Standard Sponsor. The firm has a team of specialists looking after legal requirements of clients in the leisure and Allergens licenced trade sector, with clients including Daniel Thwaites Plc and Titanic Brewery. From 1 October 2021 Natasha’s Law was Napthens manages the SIBA Legal Helpline which offers legal advice and guidance brought into force, changing how preon a wide range of legal issues affecting your business, including: General commercial, packaged food for direct sales (PPDS) is intellectual property, corporate finance, dispute resolution and litigation, commercial labelled. Any PPDS now must have the name property, licensing, employment law and HR advice. Any enquiry through the helpline will of the food and the full ingredients listed, receive up to 1 hour of free legal expertise (if further work is required, you’ll be advised together with any allergens highlighted. 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 | Winter 2021

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Business advice: Consumer insight

SUS

INABI

Why being kind is so important in 2022

BRE WIN

Consumer insight specialist Katy Moses from KAM Media says being kind to you staff, customers and the planet can not only make you a better business but a more profitable one too…

One of the first hot topics of 2020 to disappear when the pandemic struck was ‘sustainability’. All talk of single use plastics and buying ethical brands went out the window as consumers and retailers went into survival mode. Drinking more at home often means more packaging, indeed sales of bottles and cans of beer and lager from supermarkets soared. But now we’re seeing a 2020 trend re-appear in a 2022 landscape. ‘Sustainability’ is back and this time it’s serious - Brits say the environment is now the third most important issue facing the country, after health and the economy. For beer that means that terms like ‘vegan’, ‘local’, ‘home brewed’, ‘certified organic’ and ‘carbon-neutral’ will become even more prevalent in the industry as brands seek to stand out from the crowd and meet consumers increase demand for ‘kind’ brands. Now things have calmed down somewhat, consumers have started to care again. They want to be kinder to themselves (their bodies and their minds) and also their planet. And consumers want to buy from brands that care. Consider all the factors at play when deciding upon which brands to buy - price, taste, quality, availability, value for money, health, pack size, allergies etc. Yet, for around 1-in-3 of Brits a brand’s impact on the environment and their ethical stance are all major factors in influencing their decision. 70% say they buy products with eco-friendly packaging even if they are slightly more expensive.

And it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that younger consumers are even more driven by environmental factors. To 18-24-yearolds it is the most important issue facing the country today. Think of it rather like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, when the basic needs such as price, quality, customer service, etc. have been established and compared there are psychological and self-fulfilling needs, and this is where the ethics and ideals of the business in question come into play. However, it’s not as easy as just saying you care about the environment, you need to ‘live’ your ideals in order to resonate with the consumer. Being kind isn’t just about being good to the environment it’s also about being ethical, inclusive, and fair towards humans too And being kind isn’t just about being good to the environment it’s also about being ethical, inclusive, and fair towards humans too, that might be in your boardroom or at the distant end of your supply chain. This has never been so relevant as it is this year, when company culture and harassment incidents reported by staff within the sector have hit the headlines and been exposed.

Authenticity is a key word for this generation and one with far reaching implications Nurturing and maintaining authenticity is a sure-fire way to gain credibility and loyalty. More so, a lack of authenticity or worse – trying to fake it - is a one-way ticket to the bottom of the pile. So, whatever else you do in 2022, put ‘being kind’ at the forefront of every decision you make: Kind to your customers - You have a duty to advocate responsible consumption. Put hygiene and safety at the top of your agenda. Kind to your staff - Promote health and safety. Actively create for a diverse and inclusive workforce. Kind to the planet – Source sustainably. Focus on reducing CO2 emissions in production, in cooling and logistics. Re-look at your packaging. There are likely to be opportunities to reduce emissions across the entire operating spectrum—from the brew house itself to bottle washing in the packaging area. How you treat your staff, your political stance, what you stand for, what your CEO says in public – all this and more has a profound impact on what your customers think of your brand now and ultimately the extent to which they will engage with it.

Everything a brand does from how it treats its staff to how it disposes of its waste and how it interacts with the local communities in which it operates – is all, somehow or another, in the public domain, and it’s by these actions that many consumers measure a company, not by what it says in its adverts.

KAM Media is a boutique research consultancy, specialising in hospitality and retail, running bespoke and syndicated customer research programmes for both pub companies and on-trade suppliers. Find out more at www.kam-media.co.uk.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Business advice: Brand and Marketing

Drowning in the Metaverse: Why your brewery needs a social media strategy Nick Law, the Creative Director at Hop Forward, offers his advice on building a successful social media strategy for your business, and why having one is so important… Recently, Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg announced that its various platforms were all coming under one umbrella brand: Meta. In a video that was a bizarre hybrid of Tron and the Tweenies, Zuckerberg cast his vision for a more ‘embodied internet’ using augmented reality, artificial intelligence and other future technologies that, hopefully, won’t result in a Terminator style scenario. Already, you’re probably rolling your eyes and thinking, ‘Great! Not another platform to get our heads around?’. If brewing beer and being ‘on it’ with current social media trends wasn’t enough, the thought of having to adapt yet again to the relentless onslaught of new mediums may send many brewers TikToking over the edge. But, by developing a social media strategy, even the most under-resourced breweries can build their brand and community while saving time and energy in the process.

A simple strategy will enable you to hit something.

4) How will we allocate time, resources and people? Managing content is time consuming and needs resourcing. Whether you employ What should a simple social media a marketing manager, hire a freelancer, strategy look like? outsource your social media, or take on the Social media strategies can range from a role yourself, by having a solid plan in place one sheet document that you stick to the of who will manage socials, how they’ll do it brewery office whiteboard through to a fully and when posts will be scheduled will help branded slidedeck with specific KPIs for each focus your efforts and create much needed platform. consistency. A simple strategy should cover the following: 5) What kind of content will we post? This requires some creative thinking and the 1) Does it reflect our Mission Statement? possibilities and mediums are truly endless. There’s no point posting anything unless it Posts should do one of four things: Educate, fits in with your brewery’s mission statement: Empower, Entertain and Engage your the statement which should answer those questions at the heart of any business. Why do customers. we exist? Who do we exist for? How do we go Don’t forget, the primary goal here isn’t sell, about our existence? sell, sell! You’re creating mental real estate with your brand so every time consumers Your whole brand should hinge on your scroll through their feed and see your posts, mission statement, and this will be the first they’re more likely to engage with you on both guideline that will direct any social media a digital and, more importantly, real-life level. activity; the compass that will point you in the right direction. If your brewery’s mission How will we know if it’s working? statement is to introduce new drinkers to Why put a social media strategy Ultimately, you need to measure your efforts an exciting world of crazy flavours, then in place? with some cold hard data. There are lots of everything you post has to look exciting and Many breweries - or businesses generally come ways to do this: start simply by looking at innovative; photographing a keg clip just isn’t to that - post to social media with no rhyme which posts outperformed which others, and going to cut it. or reason. You only have to scroll through then identify why. 2) Are our social media goals S.M.A.R.T? Instagram to see Hazy IPA after Hazy IPA Goals should be S.M.A.R.T: specific, looking, well… hazy! It’s hardly stand-out In conclusion measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. content in a world full of digital noise. There’s no one magic bullet to make your ``We want to grow our social media” is not Having a good strategy in place will ensure brewery go viral - your social media strategy is you to build a strong online presence, save you a smart goal. “We want to improve brand just one part of a wider marketing plan. time through planning and scheduling content awareness on Instagram by increasing our With a clear plan, you can surf the social in advance, make sure you’re in line with your follower count to from 4.5K to 5K by the year media wave, rather than sink into the quagmire end’ is a smart goal. wider business goals, target your customers of the metaverse. And, if the whole thing is more effectively, leave room for creativity, and Goals don’t necessarily have to be numerically enough to make you want to drown yourself stay ahead of the competition. driven; to increase the visual quality of your in hazy IPA, you can always call in the experts. brand by hiring a freelance photographer Size Doesn’t Matter to capture some stunning shots of the ‘But I don’t have time for all that!’, I hear you brewhouse and taproom for regular content is lament, ‘I’m too busy mashing in!’ Whether equally as valuable a target as numeral growth. your mash tun is 5hl or 50hl, a strategy will Nick Law is the Creative Director of 3) Have we defined our target audience? help you focus your online activity more Hop Forward: a branding, marketing You may have noticed LinkedIn is vastly concisely and should free up time rather than and business consultancy for the different from Instagram, as is TikTok from cost it. brewing industry. He works with a Untapped. Your defined target audience and What your strategy will look like will depend variety of beer businesses both in how you choose to communicate with them on who you are. Either way, whether you’re the UK and overseas and also runs should be platform specific. There’s no point a single brewer slaving away over a hot kettle a weekly podcast with a variety of crafting TikTok videos if you’re making or you’re a SME with 40 employees and a guests from across the world of beer. traditional cask ales drunk mainly by people marketing manager whose job is to post Find out more at www.hopforward. over 45; choose your content based on your on social media, if you aim at nothing, you’ll beer or email nick@hopforward.beer defined audience. hit nothing.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Business advice: Intellectual Property

Munich lays claim to Oktoberfest trade mark

Chris Baume

Cameron Malone-Brown

In May of this year, the city of Munich was successful in its long-running attempt to secure EU trade mark protection for the term “Oktoberfest”.

such a popular drink, it seems implausible to many that one might call their brew by this title, but then be prohibited from producing that name on any merchandise.

Many in the brewing sector and wider hospitality industry will have been surprised to see this development, given how established Oktoberfest celebrations have become in many parts of the world – miles away from the city of Munich.

In response to this sentiment, and in support of the firm’s clients across the brewing and hospitality industry, Potter Clarkson is mounting a challenge to both the EU registration and the pending UK application. In conjunction with a number of clients, Potter Clarkson is seeking to cancel the EUTM registration and challenge the UK application, at least in relation to the goods and services for which concerns have been raised by several brewers.

It is the scope of the registration that gives cause for concern and has the potential to severely restrict the commercial activities of long-established events and merchandising that have been built around Oktoberfest across Europe. With a further application by the city of Munich pending in the UK (at the time of writing this article), the impact would extend further if successful. While the EU trade mark for Oktoberfest does not include coverage for beer, or indeed any alcoholic beverage, it does extend to huge swathes of merchandising opportunities such as clothing, glasses and coasters, as well as exhibitions and events that generate income or publicity. This is likely to affect present uses of the term Oktoberfest for a significant number of brewers, hospitality venues and event organisers. Serving an Oktoberfest beer in a glass which bears the word, for example, could be a side door to a costly infringement action. Many of our brewing clients do not believe the city of Munich should own the exclusive rights to the word ‘Oktoberfest’ either in the EU or in the UK, given the free reign that the brewing, hospitality and events industry has enjoyed for many years. In particular, with the Oktoberfest amber lager being

The risk posed at present to parties using the term “Oktoberfest”, in relation to the relevant goods and services, will depend on the city of Munich’s intention behind the application. Certainly, it seems implausible to expect the city of Munich to challenge all users of “Oktoberfest” in relation to these goods and services, as the cost of pursuit would be disproportionate to the harm posed and it may end up being a very expensive game of whack-a-mole. That said, we cannot rule out the possibility of an aggressive strategy. In addition, it is entirely possible that third parties which are directly licensed by the city of Munich to use this right may take an aggressive stance against those who use the mark without seeking a licence.

Chris Baume and Cameron MaloneBrown, trade mark attorneys at European intellectual property law firm Potter Clarkson, offer some advice on the use of the now trademarked term Oktoberfest… We only need look at the recent response to plans for an Oktoberfest event in Dubai to see how the city of Munich might approach what it deems to be ‘copycat activities’. Following the cancellation of this year’s Munich Oktoberfest, plans for a large-scale event, being marketed as ‘Oktoberfest goes to Dubai’ event was challenged in the court. The city of Munich was successful and the organisers of the Dubai event were restricted in the way they could promote it. The merits of an infringement action brought by the city of Munich will be heavily case dependent. Indeed, given the long-established events and activities around Oktoberfest in many parts of the world, it would seem unlikely that third party use of this term will cease overnight. Certainly, until the intentions of the city of Munich are clear, it would be advisable to EU based parties to avoid any use of Oktoberfest which implies that the goods or services are those of the city of Munich, or otherwise insinuate an affiliation with the city. For now, it seems, that the brewing and hospitality industry may just have to think a little more carefully and creatively about how to keep the Oktoberfest tradition alive outside of Munich.

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 | Winter 2021

Comment: Technical focus

Re-useable Bottles

The milk round What of dairies, though? Plenty of dairies use returnable bottles and, because of the constraints of recent lockdowns increasing delivery services, have gained trade. For a start milk has a harder bottle clean than beer having a high protein content and a more stringent hygiene standard being more likely to harbour pathogens. However, many milk bottles are returned soon after use through doorstep collections so limiting microbial growth. Nevertheless, milk bottles still go through a 1.5% caustic

SUS

Empty returnable bottles need to be stored in returnable crates and a good stock held for times of maximum sales, such as Christmas. This will eat into valuable space and increase inventory costs. You will not be able to fill to order, sell the bottles and forget about them. A whole new distribution system will have to be set up to get your bottles back and sorting out those bottles to get the ones you use will again cost time and so money. All of these add cost and complexity to the operation. One other aspect will be microbiological control. Most detergents, particularly caustic, will remove routine soil and sanitisers, particularly peracetic acid, will kill remaining microbes. This works very well for new bottles which all have the same origin and condition. Not so for bottles, as mentioned earlier, with variable contents, possibly with materials of food spoilage or personally contaminated items. The concentration of cleaners and sanitisers needs to be high enough to cover these even if most bottles just have beer residues. Higher soil also means chemicals are used up more rapidly and, without regular monitoring, may fall below effective concentrations. The deposit scheme will undoubtably be introduced as it is imperative that we, as a society, encourage people to have an incentive to reduce waste. The point I am trying to make is forget about re-using glass bottles as it is better for the environment to have an effective system to re-cycle containers. It will be better for the consumer to get a consistent higher quality, safer product and in the end make life for the brewer a great deal easier.

INABI

In a recent online course, a few weeks ago, our discussions led to the proposed Deposit Return Scheme which will undoubtably be implemented in Scotland next year. Consultations have occurred in England and Wales. So again, we may follow Scotland's lead just as we did with plastic bags and the smoking ban. Without getting too embroiled in the merits, or not, of the scheme itself, the conversations led to the possibility of reusing returnable glass bottles. Certainly, cans can never be re-used but bottles were re-used quite commonly in the recent past. The only UK brewer still to use returnable bottles is Harvey’s of Lewes who persist in using their bottles at least five times. Bottle washing machines are expensive to buy and need extensive maintenance as they have many moving parts held in harsh conditions. These machines use hot detergents to effectively remove the labels and clean and sterilise the bottles. The bottle washing machine uses a great deal of energy and water. The labels come off as a messy pulp and must be disposed of. If any of you have tried to remove pressure sensitive labels you know they are a nightmare as they stick to the bottles fast. This means if you begin to reuse bottles you will have to change your labeller to the much more expensive and complicated wet glue type just to remove the labels! Returnable bottles suffer misuse by the public just like our casks. Crisp packets are a common ingress to a returned bottle never mind some more unmentionable objects. These must be spotted either by humans or machine before they enter the filling system. Again, an expense and something which may well indeed go wrong resulting in a complaint from a customer. The bottles must be robust to cope with repeated fillings and are prone to wear and tear from numerous knocks it encounters through the distribution system. So, the light weight, cheaper bottle option is not there. The knocks will result in higher bottle bursts rate on the filler and a reduction in bottle line efficiencies with a greater risk of the scary scenario of glass in product.

Brian Yorston

Dr Keith Thomas

Brewlab colleagues Dr Keith Thomas and Brian Yorston look at the practicalities and challenges of re-using bottles…

BRE WIN

wash, a double rinsing and a peracetic soak - similar to that needed for beer bottles. Aside from the wet label issues a further difficulty is temporary storage of returns to ensure that bottles are warm enough to avoid shattering when plunged into hot caustic. Cardboard won’t last long for regular reuse so investment in crates would be needed, most probably plastic. Another major difference with beer bottles is how to achieve brand distinction and allow wide distribution? Dairies do have branded milk – typically full cream, skimmed and semi-skimmed but these can be distinguished by the colour of the foil cap which can also detail nutritional data. Considering the labelling and separation problem of different bottle sizes and brewery identity it looks a tall order. There may be possibilities if your distribution is mostly to a tied estate or if a collection system is enacted from independent retailers. And this is without the capital costs involved. of a bottle washing system or the equally undesirable labour cost of menial bottle sorting. On a broader scale, if bottles are to be re-used a more structural solution to collection is needed possibly based on local collaborative systems to cover capital costs. Ideally these should integrate collection and distribution to national systems such as supermarkets as on the continent. Or perhaps major pub chains could participate – another community role for Wetherspoons perhaps??

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

SIBA Midlands competition winners 2021

Overall Champion of the Cask Beer Competition Sponsored by: Murphy & Son Ltd Presented to: Dom & Craig Presented by: Stephanie Brindley

G Navigation Brewery American 5.2%

S Loose Cannon Brewery Reunion Tripel 8.5%

Cask British Dark Beers (up to 4.4%)

Cask British Dark Beers (4.5 to 6.4%)

Presented to: Matt Willers Presented by: Ken Munro

Presented to: Emma Hough Presented by: Anneli Baxter

B Blue Monkey Brewery Guerrilla Chocolate Amaretto 4.9%

G Littleover Brewery The Panther Stout 4.2%

G Dancing Duck Brewery Dark Drake 4.5%

S Navigation Brewery Eclipse Stout 4.1%

S Loose Cannon Brewery Robust British Porter 5%

B Shipstones Beer Company Nut Brown 4%

B Weal Ales Brewery Centwealial Milk Stout 4.9%

Cask British Bitter (up to 4.4%) Presented to: Stu Sutherland Presented by: Ken Munro

Cask British Premium Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%) Sponsored by: Charles Faram & Co Ltd Presented to: Ken Munro (proxy) Presented by: Beth Eaton

G Rebellion Beer Co. Ltd Overthrow 4.3%

G Towcester Mill Brewery Steam Ale 4.5%

S Brampton Brewery Brampton Best 4.2%

S Brampton Brewery Wasp Nest 5%

B Dancing Duck Brewery 22 4.3%

B The Chiltern Brewery Three Hundreds Old Ale 4.9%

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

SIBA Midlands competition winners 2021

Cask Session IPA (up to 4.3%) Sponsored by: Beer Box Shop Presented to: Emma Hough Presented by: Dom Gallimore

Cask Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%) Presented to: Dom & Craig Presented by: Stephanie Brindley

G Dancing Duck Brewery DCUK 4.3%

G Navigation Brewery American 5.2%

S Charnwood Brewery Blue Fox 4.2%

S Blue Monkey Brewery Infinity IPA 4.6%

B Brampton Brewery Terminus 4.2%

B Weal Ales Brewery Weller Weal 4.6%

Cask IPA (5.5 to 6.4%) Sponsored by: Premier Systems Ltd Presented to: Blue Monkey Brewery Presented by: Anneli Baxter

Cask Speciality Light Beers Presented to: Ken Munro Presented by: Anneli Baxter

G Blue Monkey Brewery Infinity Plus 5.6%

G Milestone Brewery Raspberry Wheat Beer 5.6%

S Brampton Brewery Speciale 5.8%

S Hollow Stone Brewing Co. Sorbeto - Grapefruit IPA 6%

B Derby Brewing Company Quintessential 5.8%

B Weal Ales Brewery Lemon and Ginger Weal 5.5%

Cask Speciality Medium to Dark Beers

Cask Strong Beers (6.5% and over)

Presented to: Blue Monkey Brewery Presented by: Ken Munro

Presented to: Will Laithewaite Presented by: Anneli Baxter

G Blue Monkey Brewery Guerrilla Chocolate Amaretto 4.9%

G Loose Cannon Brewery Reunion Tripel 8.5%

S Old Sawley Brewing Company Plummeth The Hour 4.5%

S Backyard Brewhouse Bad Santa 6.8%

B Hollow Stone Brewing Co. Krubera Stout 5.2%

B Grainstore Brewery Nip 7.3%

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

SIBA Scotland competition winners 2021

Overall Champion of the Cask Beer Competition Sponsored by: Murphy & Son Ltd Presented to: Christie Slater (proxy) Presented by: Nick Brading

Cairngorm Brewery Company black gold 4.4%

S Ardgour Ales Ltd

Gobhar Reamhar 6.5%

Cask British Dark Beers (up to 4.4%)

Cask British Dark Beers (4.5 to 6.4%)

Presented to: Jenna Barningham, SIBA Presented by: Christie Slater

Wee McAsh Bitter 4.5%

G Cairngorm Brewery Company black gold 4.4%

G Kelburn Brewing Co Ltd Dark Moor 4.5%

S Stewart Brewing Stewart's 80/- 4.4%

S Loch Lomond Brewery Silkie Stout 5%

B Strathaven Ales Ebony 4.4%

B Cairngorm Brewery Company Wildcat 5.1%

Cask British Bitter (up to 4.4%)

Cask British Premium Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%)

Presented to: Jenna Barningham, SIBA Presented by: Fiona MacEachern

B Five Kingdoms Brewery

G Fyne Ales Hurricane Jack 4.4%

G Five Kingdoms Brewery Wee McAsh Bitte 4.5%

S Swannay Brewery Scapa Special 4.2%

S Windswept Brewing Co. APA 5%

B Harviestoun Brewery Bitter and Twisted 3.8%

B Fyne Ales Highlande 4.9%

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

SIBA Scotland competition winners 2021

Cask Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%)

Cask Session IPA (up to 4.3%)

Presented to: Jenna Barningham, SIBA Presented by: Nick Brading

Presented to: Fiona MacEachern Presented by: Nick Brading

G Loch Lomond Brewery Southern Summit 4%

G Swannay Brewery Orkney IPA 4.8%

S Stewart Brewing Jack Back 3.7%

S Loch Lomond Brewery Lost in Mosaic 5%

B Swannay Brewery Island Hopping 3.9%

B Windswept Brewing Co. Co Hurricane 4.5%

Cask Speciality Light Beers

Cask Speciality Medium to Dark Beers

Presented to: Jenna Barningham, SIBA

Presented to: Craig Steven Presented by: Christie Slater

Presented by: Fiona MacEachern

G Harviestoun Brewery Schiehallion 4.8%

G Orkney Brewery Dark Island Reserve 10%

S Strathaven Ales Ginger Jock 4% B Cairngorm Brewery Company Trade Winds 4.3%

Cask Strong Beers (6.5% and over) Presented to: Fergus Stokes Presented by: Christie Slater

G Ardgour Ales Ltd Gobhar Reamhar 6.5% S Strathaven Ales 500 7% G

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

SIBA North West competition winners 2021

Overall Champion of the Cask Beer Competition Sponsored by: Murphy & Son Ltd Presented to: Stuart Hurst Presented by: Nick Brading

Hophurst Brewery Ltd Love is Noise 8%

S Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd West Coast 4.1%

Cask British Dark Beers (up to 4.4%)

Cask British Dark Beers (4.5 to 6.4%)

Presented to: Andy & Robin Presented by: Nick Brading

Presented to: Mark Dickman Presented by: Dave Sweeney

B Hawkshead Brewery Windemere Pale 3.5%

G Beartown Brewery Skinful 4.2%

G Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd Oatmeal Chocolate Stout 6.4%

S Big Bog Brewing Company Limited Stog 4.1%

S Brewsmith Beer Oatmeal Stout 5.2%

B Bank Top Brewery Dark Mild 4%

B Prospect Brewery Ltd Pudding Shop Milk Stout 4.6%

Cask British Bitter (up to 4.4%) Presented to: Mark Dickman Presented by: Dave Sweeney

Cask British Premium Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%) Sponsored by: Charles Faram & Co Ltd Presented to: Wayne Roper Presented by: Paul Corbett

G Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd West Coast 4.1%

G Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd Kiwi 5%

S Crankshaft Brewery Ltd Sherpa 4.2%

S Marble Beers Ltd Extra Special Marble 5.5%

B Hophurst Brewery Ltd Cosmati 4.2%

B Bank Top Brewery Pavilion Pale Ale 4.5%

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

SIBA North West competition winners 2021

Cask Session IPA (up to 4.3%) Sponsored by: Premier Systems Ltd Presented to: Jenna Barningham, SIBA Presented by: Paul Corbett

Cask Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%) Sponsored by: Napthens LLP Presented to: Phil McLaughlin Presented by: Samantha Faud

G Hawkshead Brewery Windemere Pale 3.5%

G Weetwood Ales Jester 4.8%

S Big Bog Brewing Company Limited Hinkypunk 4.1%

S Marble Beers Ltd Berimbolo 4.5%

B Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd USAle 4%

B Liverpool Brewing Co Big Juicy 4.5%

Cask IPA (5.5 to 6.4%) Sponsored by: Beer Box Shop Presented to: Jenna Barningham, SIBA Presented by: Dave Sweeney

Cask Speciality Light Beers Presented to: Andy & Robin Presented by: Dave Sweeney

G Liverpool Brewing Co IPA 5.7%

G Beartown Brewery Kahuna 4.5%

S Hophurst Brewery Ltd Arlo 5.5%

S Liverpool Brewing Co Tropical 4.3%

B Bollington Brewing Co Eastern Nights 5.6%

B Hophurst Brewery Ltd Milkshake IPA 4.5%

Cask Speciality Medium to Dark Beers

Cask Strong Beers (6.5% and over)

Presented to: Stuart Hurst Presented by: Dave Sweeney

Presented to: Stuart Hurst Presented by: Nick Brading

G Hophurst Brewery Ltd Irish Cream Porteresque 5.5%

G Hophurst Brewery Ltd Love is Noise 8%

S Marble Beers Ltd Uppe Hela Natten 5.1%

S Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd DIPA 8%

B Chapter Brewing Dead Man's Fist 5.5%

B Bank Top Brewery Herkules White Walker 6.5%

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

BeerX UK preview

SIBA is delighted to be set to return to Liverpool Exhibition Centre next March for BeerX UK 2022

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

BeerX UK preview 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. 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. One things for certain, mark the 16-17th March in your calendar as BeerX UK 2022 is not to be missed!

Free tickets for BeerX UK providing you pre-register BeerX UK next March will be free for all SIBA Members, and we won't be putting any limit on the number of tickets your team can apply for by pre-registration - This goes for Supplier Associate and Not Yet Brewing Members too. SIBA want BeerX UK to be our biggest and best ever and given how tough times have been for brewers we don’t think it’s right to charge for tickets, or limit how many members of staff from your team can come along. We will still be charging on the door, so make sure if you are intending on attending you apply for tickets for whoever would like to attend once registration goes live. We'll be announcing further details including seminar titles, speakers and fringe events in the run up to the event but for now keep an eye out for pre-registration going live.

More tasting sessions than ever before lined up BeerX UK 2022 The full BeerX seminar schedule is still being confirmed, but as part of our commitment to increase the number of interactive tasting sessions a number of sessions have already been confirmed. You can look forward to: The Beer sommelier's table: Beer & cheese matching American Craft Beer Tasting with the Brewers Association Advanced 'off-flavour' training with the Beer & Cider Academy Where does the line between lambic, graft and real cider become blurred?

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

BeerX UK preview

British Craft Beer Report to return in 2022 in association with Croxsons The SIBA British Craft Beer Report is to return next year – having been postponed in 2021 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic – and due to be launched at BeerX UK in March 2022. 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 SIBA British Craft Beer Report 2022 is being published in association with Croxsons, who have come on board as the first ever Official Industry Partner. 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 former The Publican Editor and current Independent Brewer Editor Caroline Nodder. “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 industries foremost writers. I am delighted to see the return of the report in 2022 and look forward to seeing what emerging trends and insight it throws up.

The most comprehensive report of its kind published in the UK it provides incredibly valuable insight into the independent craft beer market in the UK.

I would also like to say a huge thankyou to Croxsons, who have come on board as the first ever industry partner for the report and with whom we have been able to continue offering industryleading research, analysis and commentary.” James Calder, SIBA Chief Executive.

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 commented, “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 the Society of Independent Brewers’ (SIBA) flagship event, BeerX UK in Liverpool, the UK’s biggest beer and brewing trade event.

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

BeerX UK preview North Brewing Co named Brewery Business of the Year 2020.

SIBA Business Awards 2022 The winners of the SIBA Business Awards 2022 will be announced live at BeerX UK in March next year. The 2022 award categories have been updated in response to 'shifting consumer buying habits' with new categories for Online Beer Retailers, Brewery Webshops and Community Engagement The SIBA Business Awards 2022 will include three new categories, making them the biggest set of awards ever dished out to the industry by the craft brewing trade body.

SIBA Business Awards 2022 categories: • Marketing Implementation • Sustainable Business New

• Best Individual Design • Best Concept Design

The 2022 awards, which are now open for entries, will include categories for the “UK’s Best Independent Craft Beer Retailer – Online”, “UK’s Best Independent Craft Brewery Webshop” and “Community Engagement”, the latter award aimed at breweries which have cemented themselves as assets of their local communities in recent years. The SIBA Business Awards are organised by SIBA and 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 hotly contested award for the “UK’s Best Independent Craft Brewery Taproom” will also return for 2022, following huge interest since its launch in 2020. The SIBA Business Awards 2022 will be presented by YouTube beer vloggers Jonny Garrett and Brad Evans of the Craft Beer Channel at a live Awards Show in Liverpool, as part of the UK’s biggest beer and brewing trade event BeerX UK 2022. “The SIBA Business Awards 2022 will see a triumphant return to our home at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre and are set to be our biggest and best awards ever. The new categories which recognise the huge growth in online beer retail, as well as the new Community Engagement award which highlights breweries who engage with and benefit their surrounding communities, make these awards more important than ever. Judged by a panel of industry experts and presented in front of the largest gathering of beer and brewing professionals in the UK, the SIBA Business Awards 2022 really are a unique opportunity to get your beer or brewing business the recognition it deserves.” Neil Walker, Chair of Judges, SIBA Business Awards.

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• UK's Best Independent Craft Brewery Webshop • UK's Best Independent Craft Beer Retailer Multiple • UK's Best Independent Craft Beer Retailer Single

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www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

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Brewery news

Powderkeg launches exciting new can range

Powderkeg has captured the magic of some of its renowned keg beer offerings in a new range of 440ml cans. Devon’s session craft specialist is expanding its packaged offering to include cult craft beers such as Mandarina K*lsch and Dream Land in can for the first time. Added to Powderkeg’s small but mighty 330ml core range, the brewery now offers a strong on-shelf presence across eight different styles. Head Of Sales Dan Poulson said: “We felt it was the right time to expand our packaged range, and offer some of these hugely popular keg beers in cans. Our mail order and home delivery service has taken off over the last 18 months and now our customers can get hold of what were previously draught-only beers in portable form, to be enjoyed at home or outdoors. “Also, independent shops have shown such strength and adaptability, and have been an absolute lifeline for people through the pandemic so we want to support them more than ever, and hope that these new lines give customers even more reason to visit them.”

The 440ml size is a proven hit with craft beer aficionados, and makes them the perfect offering for independent craft beer and premium food and drink outlets. The first two beers which are available now are Dream Land, the popular session NEIPA (New England style India Pale Ale) and Mandarina K*lsch, a style from Cologne which is ultra pale and has a zesty orange zing from Mandarina Bavaria hops. Following this will be the brewery’s new 4.2% Helles lager Harmony, a crisp, perfectly tuned session lager, the hoppy might of PK IPA, and Inkling, a coffee stout made in partnership with Devon’s innovative socially conscious coffee shop and roastery, Gaia. These beers are also Vegan and Gluten-Free. The larger size cans feature stunning new artwork from illustrator and longtime collaborator Jem Panufnik, who brings the themes and stories behind the beers to life with his colourful imagination. Find out more at www.powderkegbeer.co.uk

Driftwood and Fallen Acorn collaborate on a Biscoff biscuit beer A new, limited-edition beer made with Lotus Biscoff biscuits and spread has been released as part of a collaboration between two leading microbreweries – The Driftwood Spars Brewery in St Agnes, Cornwall, and Fallen Acorn Brewing Co. in Gosport, Hampshire. The small batch release of just 800 litres has a hefty 10% ABV and was made using over 2,000 of the famous biscuits – loved for their unique caramelised taste - plus a significant amount of Lotus Biscoff spread. Not surprisingly, it’s described as ‘sweet, malty and loaded with silky caramel’. The beer, available in can, cask and keg from a limited number of outlets, is called Niflheim Imperial Biscoff Stout, and the striking monochrome label belies its seductively sweet contents. Mike Mason, Head Brewer at The Driftwood Spars Brewery where the beer was brewed, explained: “We’ve got a great relationship with Fallen Acorn. As breweries we share a

very similar ethos, brewing both traditional and contemporary beers with a mindset for innovation and experimentation. Lead Brewer Felix Granell and I both worked at the Brewhouse and Kitchen chain of brewpubs, albeit at different sites, so we had a similar beginning to our brewing careers and have parallel views on the future of brewing.” Mike continued: “We decided to collaborate on two beers which would push the boundaries of our respective brew kits – the first of which is Niflheim, a beer we brewed over two days and four very sticky mash cycles. I actually brewed a lower ABV Biscoff coffee caramel stout a few years back in collaboration with an excellent pub called The Dog in Burton on Trent. It went down really well, so we decided to revive and adapt the idea for the first leg of the collaboration.”

The beer launched at simultaneous events in Cornwall and Portsmouth; Red Elephant Beer Cellars in Truro, and Fallen Acorn’s own Taproom in Gosport on 9th October. Felix of Fallen Acorn said: “We’re really pleased with the result of our first collaboration with The Driftwood. It was a brilliant way for both of our teams to meet for the first time, and we got the chance to enjoy the amazing Trevaunance Cove - plus the beer isn’t bad either!” He continued: “Now we're really looking forward to getting part two brewed here in Gosport with input from the boys in Cornwall. The beer will be a highly hopped New England IPA, using the English hops which The Driftwood Spars Brewery is renowned for sourcing.” Find out more at www. driftwoodsparsbrewery.com or www.fallenacornbrewing.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Brewery news Much-loved Wakefield brew-pub Fernandes Brewery Tap & Bierkeller has taken on a new lease of life following a major spend by the progressive Ossett Brewing Company. Located in the Grade II-listed St James Since closure in July, Ossett has invested a significant amount to refurbish the Fernandes Brewery Tap & Bierkeller in the Old Maltings, Avison Yard, Kirkgate. A former winner of Yorkshire CAMRA Pub of the Year, Fernandes is steeped in brewing history and relaunched on Friday 24th September as Luis Bar - a tribute to the Portuguese immigrant Luis Fernandes who constructed the three story maltings building in the 1800s. Publicans Liz and Howard Hughes

Ossett invests in major relaunch for popular Wakefield brew-pub Historic Hydes Brewery is looking to take customers to cask!

With several uses during the 20th century, the building became a brewery and off-licence when local couple Maureen and Dave James acquired the property in 1994 and installed a 2.5bbl brewing plant. Ossett Brewing Co purchased the building in 2007 to create a popular cask ale venue with 10 hand pumps plus the Bierkeller with a wide range of authentic continental lagers. Under a new management team, Luis Bar will remain a cask lover’s paradise with Fernandes and Ossett ales to the fore while also offering selected craft beers and cocktails on tap. Former Ossett telesales manager, Liz Hughes, will run the new look venue alongside Howard Hughes and Gerald Wood, local businessmen who have supplied the brewery with artwork and signage for years.

Manchester brewery Hydes kicked off Cask Ale Week (September 23rd to October 3rd) by unveiling updated branding of some of its favourite beers – showcasing Manchester heritage and introducing new drinkers to ‘Britain’s speciality beer’. The brewery, based in Salford, has refreshed its cask ale brands, with plans to launch these across the entire Hydes estate to demonstrate their importance not only to Hydes but the cask ale industry as a whole. During the pandemic, cask ale has faced tough times, with an unprecedented fall in volumes due to hospitality closures, with industry bodies championing sale revival and commercial stability. Hydes’ Managing Director, Adam Mayers said: “It’s no surprise that the pandemic has given cask ale a challenging time, but we are determined to keep cask ale in people’s minds. Cask ale is unique to the UK and important to Hydes. It’s central to our heritage and an important element of what our pubs offer.

They are the first licensees to enter into a tenancy with Ossett Brewing Co. Howard and Gerald will also take over the brewing of the highly regarded Fernandes ales. Jamie Lawson, Co-owner of Ossett Brewing Company, said: “Fernandes is a much acclaimed brew-pub in the heart of Wakefield. However, a substantial refurbishment was needed to ensure it could continue to welcome its very loyal customers while also attracting new supporters in today’s very vibrant and challenging pub scene. “Consequently we decided to make this key investment in a major uplift and makeover for the venue, while maintaining its highly valued ambience and character. It is a ground-breaking step for our pub estate, we are very pleased to welcome aboard the new management team under our first ever tenancy agreement. All three have a long association with us and will play an important role in an exciting future for this much-loved venue under its new identity as Luis Bar.” Joint licensee Liz Hughes said: “After working with Ossett Brewing Co for nearly 20 years in various roles, I am delighted to be carrying on a relationship in this exciting new role alongside Howard and Gerald, who also both know the company very well. We are very much looking forward to working with Ossett and tackling the challenges ahead to take the new Luis Bar forward as a top-class pub venue for the town” Find out more at www.ossett-brewery.co.uk

“Refreshing our branding shows our commitment to the business, both the brewing and the pub estate, but also our passion for continuing the tradition of quality ales, which we have been known for across Greater Manchester since 1863.” Throughout Cask Ale Week, Hydes revealed, day by day, the new core cask ale branding, sharing the five core brands, Original, 1863, Lowry, Hopster and Dark Ruby, across the period. Adam Mayers added: “Our range of Cask ales offers something for everyone from sweet and bitter to a zingy citrus hit. Cask ale is becoming much more accessible, and I challenge people to come in and try one. We know that once people try cask ale, they are pleasantly surprised by the taste and flavour and are often converted and have it as their ‘go to drink’.” Find out more at www.hydesbrewery.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Brewery news

What’s that’s flying overhead? The beady eyed among you might recently have noticed a mysterious black shape floating in the air above the Stewart Brewing site, the shape was visible from the A720 and miles around. The high-flying blimp featured a Beer and Pizza message from brewer Stewart Brewing which recently opened a brand-new beer and pizza kitchen and was flying the blimp to promote the new offer. The brewery said: “We really want our new facilities to be a great local spot and thought what better way to spread the word than an 8ft blimp flying 200ft high in the sky!” The blimp flew for several days on the week of the launch and customers were invited to enter a special note when booking a table – ‘Bring out the Blimp' - to get a free bruschetta for their table. Find out more at www.stewartbrewing.co.uk

Salcombe Brewery Co. launches Salcombe Beer Club

Salcombe Brewery is delighted to announce the launch of the Salcombe Beer Club, a three, six or 12 month subscription package for its much loved, award-winning beers. Bronze, Silver and Gold memberships are available to buy online at www. salcombebrewery.com, with prices from just £75 for a Bronze package. Commercial Director Jordan Mace said: “Following the success of our online business, we wanted to create a Club so that members not only continue to enjoy Salcombe beers, but they also become part of our wider crew, benefitting from exclusive launches, year round special discounts and free delivery. This new package will make sure you always have a taste of Salcombe to hand.”

Membership choices are: Bronze membership – monthly Salcombe beers of your choice for three months. Silver membership – monthly Salcombe beers of your choice for six months, plus a welcome pack of Salcombe goodies. Gold membership – monthly Salcombe beers of your choice for 12 months, plus a welcome pack of Salcombe goodies, including brewery tour vouchers. The first 50 Gold members will also receive a bottle of Salcombe Brewery Co.’s award-winning Aged Porter. Full details can be found at www.salcombebrewery.com/product/ salcombe-beer-club/

SUS

INABI

on this initiative. As a brewery that prioritises sustainability and the environment, working alongside Toast and other like-minded brewers to raise awareness of climate issues is really important and we hope this project captured the imagination and attention of those attending Cop26," said Wold Top Director, Alex Balchin. Barm, 4.4% ABV, is a dry hopped lager with notes of apricots, honey and spices. It is brewed using 100% British ingredients, including barley grown on the Wold Top farm, as well as surplus bread. The breweries have also signed an open letter calling on world leaders to work together to combat the climate and nature emergency.” Find out more at www.woldtopbrewery. co.uk or www.toastale.com/beers

The team at a Yorkshire Wolds brewery brewed a bespoke beer in collaboration with planet-saving beer brand Toast to raise awareness of climate issues. Wold Newton based Wold Top Brewery's ‘Barm' beer is one of 26 ales that has been brewed using surplus bread for the limitededition Companion Series that will raise a minimum of £65,000 for conservation and regenerative agriculture projects. The beers, that have been boxed, along with snacks, treats and a branded glass, cost £89.95 and are available online from www.toastale. com/item/75/toastale/Companion-Series. html. £26 from the sale of each box will go to conserving and restoring nature via Rainforest Trust UK and Soil Heroes. "As one of Toast's early brewing partners, we were proud to be invited to collaborate

Yorkshire Wolds Brewery launches Cop26 inspired fundraising beer

Stewart Brewing celebrates new launch with a blimp!

BRE WIN

Alex Balchin with the fundraising Barm beer

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

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Brewery news

same schoolhouse, said: “To be named as the only Scottish brewery, alongside some iconic and big brewers is quite some recognition. I believe this upholds our reputation for brewing beers of great quality and flavour. For me and our team, it is just brilliant news, and we hope also for our customers and consumers, as we start to enjoy some more of life’s freedoms after a difficult period.” The award comes as the brewery celebrates another milestone. Normans’ son, Arran, has headed to Edinburgh, to begin studying at the world-renowned centre of excellence for Brewing and Distilling, Heriot Watt University. Cask brewing for The Orkney Brewery again started in Spring this year, as pubs in Scotland started opening back up post lockdown. Demand has seen Orkney’s cask beer range now grow up to eight beers, including Raven, the first beer the brewery launched, the iconic Dark Island and new beers Island Life and Cliff Edge IPA. For more information go to www.orkneybrewery.co.uk

INABI

Fans of Gloucester Brewery were invited to invest in the business to help it become one of the leading sustainable drinks producers in the country. The award-winning company launched the public phase of its £500,000 crowdfunding campaign this Autumn and enlisted the help of Gloucester Rugby Head Coach George Skivington as an early investor and ambassador for the project. Investors could invest from as little as £10, with the money being used to fund a host of ambitious projects from brewing more quality beer to opening new bars across the region. Managing Director Jared Brown said: “This crowdfunding campaign will help us realise some long-held ambitions at the brewery. We want to establish ourselves as one of the leading independent eco-friendly breweries and distilleries in the UK by producing high quality, progressive beers and spirits.

Gloucester Brewery runs £500,000 crowdfunding campaign

The Orkney Brewery in Quoyloo, has received yet another Golden Award, this time for its dedication to delivering excellence and impact on brewing in the UK. The award was a national recognition, by members of CAMRA, who were asked to nominate brewers, who were still brewing great beer for drinkers today. CAMRA awards director Gary Timmins said: “Winners have been chosen for their success in standing the test of time. They are breweries or cider and perry producers that have gone above and beyond in delivering excellence or innovation over the years.” The Orkney Brewery was the only brewery in Scotland to receive such an accolade and one of only 18 nationally. They originally started brewing on Orkney in 1988, in an old schoolhouse building at Quoyloo. The brewery has been consistently recognised nationally and internationally, for the quality of its brewing and range of beer. Orkney Brewery’s managing Director, Norman Sinclair, an Orcadian, whose father attended the

To celebrate its third birthday, Grimsby's Docks Beers has upped its brewing capability by 40 per cent. The 14,400 litre set up has seen a giant new 60 hectolitre fermentation tank, supplied by Ninkasi, added at the rear of ‘The Church’, taking the brewers’ overall capacity to more than 20,000 litres, and giving an additional 10,500 pints each time the tank is filled. Demand for the brewer’s beer from its new venue on the first floor, plus the new Docks Beers container bar in the Mariners Trust fanzone, and new trade customers in London such as Pan Pacific hotels and Beer & Burger has made the expansion a necessity. It is also seeing strong growth through recent listings of its canned beer with the Co-op convenience store chain. Director Shahram Shadan, who has overseen the transformation of the King Edward Street premises to a brewery, tap room and events venue, described the benefits of the tank: “This is a fantastic birthday present. This new fermentation vessel is essential to ensure we can keep up with demand. “In spite of the pandemic we have seen strong demand for our beer and now the Docks Academy and GTFC bars are online local demand has skyrocketed. This is exacerbated by people coming back to our taproom and trade customers in increasing numbers as consumer confidence grows following Covid.” To cope with demand, Rory Lynch, an experienced brewer from Grimsby, has joined director Mike Richards and senior brewer Lewis Birch, along with two brewing assistants Sam Denford and Jack Gibbons. Find out more at www.docksbeers.com

Golden recognition for excellence for The Orkney Brewery

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Docks Beers turns three and adds 40% more beer

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“Closer to home, the money will also help us to further develop Warehouse 4 to include a stunning mezzanine floor that will link into a sustainable wedding venue and event space above our existing Fox’s Kiln brewery. We also want to grow our portfolio of bars across the South West.” Despite the challenges to the industry due to COVID, Gloucester Brewery has recorded very strong financial performances over the last year. In August 2021, revenue was 612% up on January this year and in October it was up 140% on October 2020. “This year we are celebrating our 10th year of business and it has been our most successful to date despite the uncertainty of the pandemic. With the help of our supporters investing in Gloucester Brewery Group we can scale even higher heights in the years ahead,” Jared said. For more information go to www.gloucesterbrewery.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Brewery news

Swannay Brewery wins at Scottish National Beer Awards

Simple Things Fermentations launches new Core and Seasonals ranges

Orkney-based craft beer maker Swannay Brewery has continued its winning ways at the annual SIBA Scotland competition.

The latest awards take Swannay’s haul of national and international accolades to well over 150 since brewing started in 2006.

Swannay came away with three awards - bronze, silver and gold - for its cask beers at the 2021 competition recently held in Bolton (*not held in Scotland due to C-19) – see the full results on pages 64-65 in this issue.

Lewis Hill, general manager at Swannay Brewery, congratulated the dedicated Swannay team on the latest awards: “The last 18 months have been somewhat challenging so to receive recognition for our beers in a competition like this gives us all a great uplift. To win not one but three awards at the same time also gives us confidence that we are making good beers across the range, we have the fundamentals right. Cheers to everyone at Swannay.” Find out more at www.swannaybrewery.com

Glasgow brewery Simple Things Fermentations is marking the transition from young upstart to having been around for a while now with the launch of their Core and Seasonals ranges.

The brewery has built on this ethos to make a range of festive beers that live up to the Wild Beer tradition of being more memorable and more flavourful because the team make them using nature, science, and a little Somerset magic.

The Seasonals range is a showcase for beer styles that suit the time of year and kicks off with Best Bitter (4.5% ABV), hopped with East Kent Goldings from Brook House and Bramble Saison (6.0% ABV); a farmhouse ale with blackberries from Blairgowrie in Perthshire contributing an extra layer of complexity.

Judging is done via blind tasting by chosen industry professionals; winning beers are rightly recognised as excellent examples of their style. For winning the gold prize, Orkney IPA will now move forward to the UK-wide SIBA competition to be held in March 2022 at BeerX.

The Wild Beer Co. launches new Christmas products Based on a farm in rural Somerset, The Wild Beer Co. was born out of a love of fermentation, barrel-ageing and most importantly, flavour

The beers are also designed with food pairing in mind, something that has been at the heart of Wild Beer’s decision making in nearly 10 years of brewing. The new range includes: B.A.B.S - put simply stands for ‘Barrel-Aged Blended Stout’, with 11 different barrels used to blend this stout, including French pinot noir, Kings Estate pinot, sherry, rum, and previous B.A.B.S barrels. Wineybeest 2021 - Wildebeest stout was matured it in wine barrels to produce the balanced acidity and red berry notes of this remarkably complex imperial stout. Big Buck - Inspired by old aged beers of yesteryear, this barrel aged barley wine was made from heritage Chevalier Malt and British EKG hops, then aged in 2nd use sherry and bourbon barrels for 10 months. Beyond Modus 8 - the 8th child of Wild Beer’s first ever beer: Modus Operandi; an untamed beast that thrives on the unpredictability of wild yeast and the subtlety and complexity of maturation in oak. Find out more at www.wildbeerco.com

The Core range will be permanently available and consists of Twisted Pilsner (4.8% ABV), a Czech-style Pilsner brewed with 100% Czech Pilsner malt and Saaz and Kazbek hops and Pale Ale (5.6% ABV), which achieves the intensely fruity profile of a modern US-style Pale Ale using three carefully chosen European hop varieties.

To coincide with the launch the brewery is moving from bottles to cans, with new branding for all products courtesy of Glasgow’s Selected Works studio. The beers continue to be vegan friendly and re-fermented in the package for natural carbonation. Commenting on the launch, brewery owner Phil Sisson said: “We’ve produced more than 20 different beers since we started almost two years ago and a few of those have naturally risen to the top in terms of popularity with customers, so as we ease into phase two it makes sense to make those more readily available. We'll continue to brew new styles as part of the Big Ideas Series, perhaps a bit less frequently but with no less enthusiasm for unearthing and highlighting beer styles and ingredients that are less well represented. We’ve got a fourth strand for our mixed ferm stuff on the way too. A move into cans is long overdue and as usual our designer, Neil, has blown us away with his work. It feels like we’ve got a great foundation for the next few years.” Find out more at www.simplethingsfermentations.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Brewery news

Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery’s venue The Royal Barn hosts The Hairy Bikers The Hairy Bikers visited Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery’s venue, The Royal Barn, as part of their Go North BBC series.

and brewed using fine Maris Otter malted barley, complimented with Magnum and Brewers Gold hops, to give a fruity and spicy characteristic, with a lasting dry finish.

The duo, Dave Myers and Si King, visited the brewery and tap house as part of their quest to find the best beer in preparation for making a steak and ale pie. They spoke to co-owners Stu Taylor and James Law, before sampling the venue’s popular paddle board, (10 half pints of some of their most popular ales).

Speaking of the special visit, Stu said: “Ruskin’s has been selling out every week since the show was aired and the Hairy Bikers used it for their pie. The Royal Barn has been really busy too, and our tasting paddles have been flying out – everyone wants to give them a go since Dave and Si’s glowing praise!

The Hairy Bikers decided on Ruskin’s, before cooking their ‘perfect pie’ – steak, mushroom and ale. Ruskin’s is 3.9% ABV

“We filmed the show in August 2020, and it was great to meet them. We had fans of theirs coming in, wanting to see them, and asking them to sign books. It was a great show, and it’s brilliant that they really appreciate local produce. They were really

down to earth and great to chat to; it was a pleasure to have them at the Barn.” Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery has been going from strength to strength since its launch in 2009. Its aim has been to tap into the founders’ passion for beer and ales, together with offering something new to the South Lakes area. During lockdown, they expanded their off-site brewery – and have now doubled their brewing capacity. They’ve invested in 250 new casks with the expansion, which means they’re now using more than 2,000 casks. Another important investment has been in brand-new brewery equipment fuelling further growth in all areas. Find out more at www.klbrewery.com

Alcohol-free beer gets the Autumn treatment Alcohol-free brewer Big Drop has teamed up with Square Mile Coffee Roasters to produce a new coffee flavoured beer that combines the aromas and colours of Autumn.

As with all Big Drop beers, Leafkicker is naturally brewed-to-strength which allows it to be fully fermented while staying below the 0.5% ABV threshold throughout the whole process. The result is a delicious beer that Thought to be the first of a kind in the alcohol- delivers earthy tones and subtle hints of vanilla alongside mellow Citra hops. free category, ‘Leafkicker’ is a coffee-infused amber ale that comes in at only 0.5% ABV. As part of its mission to create great tasting alcohol-free alternatives to any popular style of craft beer, Big Drop chose Square Mile to collaborate with because of its shared values and passion for delivering a product of exceptional quality. For Leafkicker, the brewing team used Square Mile's Red Brick Seasonal Espresso blend which is known for offering a sweet, slightly fruity, textured and versatile cup. It was added during the hot side of production, whilst transferring the liquid from the kettle and through the heat exchange to the fermentation tank. This option was chosen to ensure there was minimal risk of over-extraction from the coffee.

Rob Fink, Founder & CEO of Big Drop, said: “There’s often more than meets the eye with a collab and this is no exception. For coffee and beer to work well together requires the roaster and brewer to be in sync with all the flavour profiles involved. Thankfully all of that togetherness is revealed when it meets your mouth. Leafkicker brings out best of both worlds and is a perfect pairing for this time of year.” Felicity Tahtis, Managing Director of Square Mile, added: “We were blown away by the parallel values and processes between Big Drop and Square Mile. As a result, the collaboration came together with ease, and the whole journey from the initial conversations to profiling and tastings were rewarding and inspiring.” Find out more at www.shop.bigdropbrew.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Gold members

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Gold members

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

Gold members

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Now with even more integrations to reach all areas of your business

Gold members BrewMan has helped free up time spent on administration to allow us to focus more on production and sales. The setup was very straightforward and having the demo brewery data to play around with helped in figuring out anything that I didn’t understand at first. The support from the BrewMan team has been first class. Ken Lynch| Co-Founder| Serious Brewing Company

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Supplier news

Muntons celebrates 100 years of malt Muntons, the Stowmarket based malt and malted ingredient manufacturer, has begun a year of celebrations in honour of its 100th year in business. The maltster is marking its anniversary with a series of commemorative events to celebrate the business’ longevity. Plans include gifts and a family fun day for team members, an Olympic torch inspired event that sees the Muntons flag travelling around the globe with all colleagues signing it, and the planting of a 100year woodland area, with a tree planted for every team member based at the headquarters site at Stowmarket.

SUS

INABI

BRE WIN

From its origins in Bedford, Munton Baker-Munton established the maltster on 27 September 1921. Breaking away from the family business, which had been trading malt and grains since the 1800s, Baker-Munton aimed to meet the needs for malt extract within the brewing and food industries. Over the last 100 years, Muntons has embarked on a continuous transformation alongside the ever-evolving food and drinks market. As a key ingredient found in beer, whisky, breads, confectionery, and cakes to name just a few, resiliency, adaptability, innovation, and accomplishment have been key in Muntons’ journey.

This mentality of its team members has allowed the business to help its customers embrace product development through its expertise in all things malt related. Fast forward 100 years and Muntons is well-established in the malt and malted ingredients industry; supplying products to some of the world’s most loved food and drink brands. Now based in the Suffolk countryside, Muntons has its second maltings in Bridlington, with a peating malt plant in Tithe Top, also in Yorkshire. Internationally, it exports its products to over 90 countries, has offices in Singapore and the Netherlands, a plant in Thailand and a sales operation in the USA.

For over 30 years, Muntons has consistently focused on its sustainability commitments, rising to the challenge of being a responsible global player in the malt industry. More recently, construction on a bio-energy plant at its Cedars Maltings at Stowmarket has started. The new bio-energy plant, which is being worked on in partnership with AMP Clean Energy, and Vital Energi, is near completion and will reduce carbon emissions by over 50%, allowing the headquarters site to become fully self-sufficient for heat. This is the second bio-energy site that the business has invested in, the first started to operate at its Flamborough Maltings in Bridlington in 2019.

Speaking about the anniversary, Managing Director for Muntons, Mark Tyldesley, said: “To be going strong for 100 years is an achievement that all of us at Muntons are incredibly proud of. Supporting customers with the creation of some of the world’s favourite food and drink for a century is an honour and underlines how passionate we are about malt. “Our team members play a huge role in the strength of our business. We’re fortunate to have some of the best experts in the industry, some of whom have been with us for over 40 years! These colleagues ensure they pass this knowledge down to the next generation of malt specialists. “It means a great deal to all of us to be a much-trusted maltster both in the UK and abroad, and so I extend my thanks to our loyal customers, suppliers and team members who have made this possible.” For more information go to www.muntons.com

SUS

INABI Johnston TA Logistics UK ‘goes wild’ BRE WIN with Green Space initiative

Leading warehousing and logistics provider Johnston Logistics UK has gone wild to support its sustainability policy by allowing green spaces to blossom. The grassy areas, spread around Johnston Logistics UK’s 130-acre site in Norfolk, have been encouraged to grow with plants and foliage that support local wildlife. As part of their focus on enhancing sustainability, the warehousing and logistics experts are allowing their outdoor spaces to grow to benefit both the environment and their staff and visitors. They have made changes including minimising their mowing routine and allowing plants to flower to create nectar for bees and other pollinators. “We’re making the most of our green areas by encouraging nature to take over. We’ve seen big improvements already including in our lagoon which is flourishing and has already welcomed back ducks and other visitors,” said Jane Bull, Head of Compliance for Johnston Logistics UK. Allocating green spaces for nature gives a number of benefits, including providing habitat for insects and wildlife, capturing CO2, reducing emissions by not mowing or using pesticides, improving biodiversity and encouraging native wildflowers. Greener spaces also benefit Johnston Logistics UK’s employees as they are associated with better physical, social and mental health. “It seems everyone is experiencing benefit from our re-wilding project! Whilst plants, birds and animals are clearly benefitting, its lovely to hear the insects buzzing and see the wildflowers blossoming again. Many staff have commented how it makes the working environment much more serene and tranquil,” continued Jane. “Going wild has been a big success but we’re not finished yet. By encouraging the right species of native plants, we can encourage even more wildlife to re-enter our site and breathe life into our environment.” For more information go to www.johnstonlogistics.co.uk

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Supplier news

SUS

World brewing ‘Oscars’ unveils new Chairman of Judging

INABI

Due to the ongoing growth within its retail and eCommerce sectors, WBC, the UK and Ireland’s leading wholesale supplier of off-the-shelf packaging, display and fabric bags to the specialist food and drinks market, has moved its distribution warehouse to a new stateof-the-art logistics hub strategically located in Crawley, next door to Gatwick, one the UK’s most established distribution hubs. The new 34,000sqft warehouse with its 10 metre eaves height increases current capacity by around 1,000 pallets which, with WBC’s portfolio of over 1600+ product lines available for next day despatch, will allow for increased stockholding and faster deliveries, particularly during the busy Christmas retail period.

WBC expands to new state-of-the-art warehousing facility with improved efficiency and green technologies

BRE WIN

Importantly the new warehouse is rated Grade A for efficiency with low energy solutions, zoned temperature control and 40% of its power coming from renewable sources. WBC Chairman Andrew Wilson said: “Ultimately the change allows us to focus strongly on creating a smoother and more efficient shopping experience for all our customers, from online click to delivery. Green technologies and sustainability continue to be key priorities for our customers, most of whom are independent retailers who also have a demand for greater choice in product range and faster turnarounds that reduces their storage requirements. We’re excited to join an area that’s already home to so many leading global brands and innovative small businesses. “ For more information go to www.wbc.co.uk or call 020 7737 4040.

The world’s most historic beer competition, the International Brewing and Cider Awards, has announced a new Chairman of Judges. Canadian Rob McCaig has taken over from Australian Bill Taylor who stepped down ahead of the 2021 awards in November after 10 years as Chairman. Mr McCaig, who most recently was Chief Brewer at SABMiller/Asahi Breweries Europe, is a former judge at the International Brewing and Cider Awards. Mr Taylor was due to preside over the 2021 competition but travel restrictions between Australia and the UK, where the competition is held, have made this logistically impossible. As well as leading the international judging panels for 10 years, Mr Taylor was instrumental in the resurgence of the awards in 2011 and returning the event to its historical home in Burton-uponTrent after the awards were moved briefly to Munich in 2005, followed by a short hiatus. Mr McCaig has over 39 years of brewing industry experience, holding the position of Managing Director for Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) for 11 years. Prior to that he spent 22 years at Molson Canada in Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario and was instrumental in the development of more than 100 new beers. Rob has a Master of Science degree in Applied Microbiology from the University of Guelph and is a Past President of the American Society of Brewing Chemists and the Master Brewers Association of the Americas. In 2010 he was named a Fellow of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.

Ruth Evans MBE, Director of the International Brewing and Cider Awards, said: “We’d like to thank Bill Taylor for his hard work and dedication to our awards for the last decade. Under his leadership, the awards have become synonymous with the best of the brewing industry. Leading our judging panels of some of the foremost brewers from across the globe to achieve consensus on the diversity of entries was challenging. Bill has taken on this task with enthusiasm and passion. “We’re honoured to welcome Rob McCaig to the role of Chair of Judging. His international experience will bring new perspectives to the competition.” Bill Taylor said: “It has been an honour and a joy to work with the judges, stewards and sponsors over the past decade of the International Brewing and Cider Awards. My sincere thanks to everyone involved. While unusual circumstances have prevented my attendance this year, I believe that this also represents a new opportunity. I know Rob will bring fresh thinking and enthusiasm and with his great experience this can only be good for the future of the awards.” Rob McCaig said: “I am very excited to take on this challenge as Chairman of Judging and look forward to continuing the work of Bill to make these the most recognised international brewing awards.” For more information visit www.brewingawards.org

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

02/12/2016 17:01

Supplier news Supplier Case Study

Innovus launches new canning line

ICE Vulcan labeller finds its Vocation in craft beer market Clearmark Solutions has partnered with the enterprising Vocation Brewery to install its first ICE Vulcan print and apply labelling system at the Halifax factory, guaranteeing to meet GS1 criteria, saving on cost, waste and increasing turnover through quicker print runs to label boxes of beer for shipment to the top five UK multiples.. Last year, with sales of small pack craft beers soaring due to lockdown restrictions when the nation’s drinking habits became home-based, Vocation Brewery had to look at new, faster ways of applying labels to their boxes whilst being compliant with GS1 regulations. Previously, labels were printed using a desktop printer and applied by hand, meaning the process was slow and the labels were not always clearly printed or positioned in a neat, uniform way. Now with the investment in the ICE Vulcan print and apply labeller, the cost to label each box of craft beer has dropped by an incredible 90%, costing the brewery just half a penny per label. Print speeds can reach over 120ppm with a label capacity of 17,000 labels, more than twice the capacity of other labelling systems. Since John Hickling established Vocation Brewery in a rebuilt chicken shed in 2015, it has gone from strength to strength, now employing 60 staff, and selling up to 14 million cans per year. Vocation Brewery won its first listing in Tesco stores in 2016 and now supplies standard and bespoke product lines to multiple retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Booths and Marks & Spencer. Dan Sutcliffe-Tasker, Head of Packaging at Vocation Brewery, said: “Growth in supermarket chains and orders for seasonal and one-off product lines has seen production increase to 60,000 hectolitres this year, up from 10,000 when we first started, that’s approximately 12-14million cans this year.

“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.” In the early days Vocation had 26 pallets returned as a result of incorrect barcodes and human error, causing the brewer to re-call and re-label the goods, which was both time consuming and costly. With the ICE Vulcan system, using CLARiSOFT™ label design software, labels are designed and programmed for the operator to select using the CLARiTY operator touchscreen. CLARiTY allows operators to select the job from a list or pre-programmed jobs, eliminating operator intervention and human error. Vocation compared systems but were most impressed with Clearmark’s unique direct apply application rather than a blown on label which can create creased labels . Thanks to a height adjustable stand, the system can accommodate changes to box size in just a few seconds. “The main concern for us was individual placement of the label. There is no way a human operator can stand there on an eight-hour shifts and hit the same mark every time, especially when things were operating so quickly. We needed stability and guaranteed repeatability that automation is known for,” added Dan. “Since the ICE Vulcan was installed in March, accuracy has improved dramatically with no issues. The print quality is also of a higher standard as the desktop printer ink sometimes faded due to condensation on the craft board from the temperature, turning the black print grey. But we have had no issues like that with the ICE Vulcan.” Find out more at www.clearmark.uk

Innovus Engineering prides itself on listening to its customers, even more so as Covid has brought unexpected and evolving challenges for craft brewers. In response to customer demand, it has recently added a new 1,000 can per hour model to its CF canning line range. The CF15 is a new, compact two head canning line, based on the previous success of the five head CF25 model. The CF15 retains all the industry leading features of the CF25, including the automated lid dispenser, with undercover gassing and pre-fill purge and post-fill gas injection for consistently low levels of dissolved oxygen. There is also the option to integrate a rotary infeed table, to assist the machine operator and increase the level of automation, along with further options for adding a date coder and can labeller. The CF15 canning line is suitable for standard, slim and sleek cans, and changeovers between different can heights are quick and easy. All Innovus seamers have the major advantage of a vacuum hardened cam for mechanical seaming operation. A mechanical seamer has much more repeatable performance than a pneumatic machine and is ideal for producing commercial quality double seams. Innovus seaming technology is supported by Crown Bevcan, who have recently ordered additional can seamers to add to the multiple Innovus machines installed at their Wantage R&D site in 2020. All machines are supplied with a tool kit that includes a seam micrometer and seam tear down tool, so that customers have the capability to carry out accurate seam checks. The CF15 is available on a short lead time, with prices starting at £32,500. With a capacity of 1,000 cans per hour, this canning line represents a competitive price point for breweries that want to start canning in-house. All Innovus canning machines are built in the UK, and training, service and spare parts are also all available from the UK. For more information visit www.innovusengineering.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Supplier news

Brewing Services Ltd expands

Bringing with her a wealth of operational experience and technical knowledge, Hayley Young has joined David and Rob Smith at Brewing Services Ltd. Hayley started her brewing career designing pump clips and washing casks at Loweswater Brewery, but quickly learnt how to brew and was promoted to Head Brewer at Cumbrian Legendary Ales in 2009, where she won Champion Golden Ale of Britain for Loweswater Gold in 2011. In 2014, Hayley was headhunted to join Sharp's as Operations Brewer. She formed part of the Production Leadership Team and was ultimately responsible for the smooth running of the 250hl plant. Since 2018, Hayley has been working as a consultant, helping smaller breweries and vineyards with technical, quality and compliance issues. Holding a Diploma in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling, Hayley is now bringing her passion for quality to the Brewing Services team. Find out more at www.brewingservices.co.uk

BrewMan and Sellar integrate to make trade ordering seamless for breweries Brewery management software BrewMan and trade ordering platform Sellar are pleased to announce their new integration. The integration makes selling to trade seamless for BrewMan and Sellar’s mutual partners. Orders, inventory and customer data will be instantly synchronised across both platforms. This means Sellar talks to Brewman and displays real-time product availability to trade buyers. Orders through Sellar are then automatically pushed back to Brewman for processing. Sellar is a trade ordering platform focused on providing the most seamless ordering experience for breweries and their trade customers. Sellar simplifies the overly complicated and time-consuming processes allowing breweries to focus on building their customer relationships. Sellar launched in 2020 and has quickly grown to working with thousands of businesses across the UK. BrewMan V7, the new web-based version of the industry-leading, brewery and distillery management software, is used

by over 300 businesses in the UK and launched in June 2021. Premier Systems has completely rebuilt BrewMan to combine the features and functions that have been developed alongside brewery customers for 20 years with new modern interfaces and intuitive controls that can be accessed through a browser on any device. This allows users to calculate duty, track production, place orders, manage stock and track casks, all from their smartphones as well as at the office. Sam Williams, Commercial Director at BrewMan, said: “Both Sellar and BrewMan are designed to save time and make life easier for breweries so collaborating to make our systems work together and more efficient for our mutual partners was an obvious choice for us.” Neil Smith, Head of Product at Sellar, added: “We’re entirely focussed on building the best possible commerce experience for the industry. Integrating with Brewman is an important step towards achieving this.” To find out more about the integration, email support@premiersystems.com or hello@sellar.io

Close Brothers launches EkegPlus EkegPlus is a new short-term rental solution that enables brewers to only pay for containers when they are using them. This means the shorter the hire cycle, the less they are charged. EkegPlus customers can access a container pool of over 400,000 ekegs and ecasks and have the freedom to adjust the size of their rental fleet as often as needed. The pay-asyou-fill model gives users more control, with charges calculated per day, providing the flexibility to increase output or reduce costs. This cost-per-fill option also aims to make costs more transparent. Prices start at just 99 pence per unit for the first 30 days, with a price cap for hire periods over 80 days. In addition, you can view cost-to-serve and live daily hire charges 24/7 via the PlusPortal technology. With fixed RFID tags, brewers can track and manage hundreds of containers in seconds. Plus, they have access to data that enables better understanding of products, logistics and supply chains, as well as increased asset visibility. Driven by technology, the hire cycle works in four simple steps: 1. GET containers you need – brewers can collect them from a local depot or arrange for a stockpile to be kept on site 2. FILL AND SCAN containers to start the hire cycle 3. DELIVER the product direct to a venue or to an approved wholesaler 4. COLLECT AND RESCAN the empty containers – brewers can reduce charges by collecting themselves or wait for EkegPlus to collect, automatically ending the hire cycle. The launch follows the company’s innovative use of RFID which saw them win Best Use of RFID to Enhance a Product of Service at the RFID Journal Awards in 2019. David Beswick, Managing Director, said: “Our customers told us they want competitive pricing, transparent billing, and the flexibility to send direct to venues as well as to wholesale, so that is exactly what EkegPlus brings to the market. “The new pricing model can help brewers to drive down costs. There are no surprises or hidden costs and each container cycle could cost you as little as £1 for the first month. With daily hire from 12p and charges capped for protection, there is considerable cost saving available to brewers.” To find out more visit www.ekegplus.com

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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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.

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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.

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Supplier news

Thielmann is here to get your kegs ready to roll again!

As the hospitality industry re-opens, Thielmann is providing a full suite of maintenance services for brewers. As the hospitality industry re-opens, Thielmann is providing a full suite of maintenance services for brewers. After more than a year and a half since the pandemic began, we are on the path back to some sort of normality. Bars, pubs, and restaurants have opened their doors once more, and after a long time dormant, Thielman is there to help get small brewers’ kegs ready to roll again. Thielmann prides itself on the resilience of its kegs, however, kegs can present performance issues when faced with prolonged lack of use. That’s why Thielmann is advising brewers that before their beer goes out to meet the public, they need to ensure their fleet is in top condition.

Supplier Viewpoint

The lowdown on high-end branding

In this issue, Myles Pinfold from WPA Pinfold looks at the qualities that make craft beer a premium product… “The craft beer movement has been a phenomenon and a game changer for the sector – long may it continue. I cannot think of any other industry that has gone through such a transformation in such a short space of time. It is an exemplar for

Thielmann offers a safe, compliant keg decanting service to ensure that any wasted beer is properly disposed of. The company also offers a complete cleaning service, with bespoke processes for each keg type. This whole solution includes collection and return, even for large fleets, all turned around in record time. For wear and tear, Thielmann also offers a comprehensive repair and maintenance service. This is especially useful for fleets that have been out of action for extended periods, as prolonged storage can place stress on keg parts, particularly the spear. The service includes internal and external inspection, neck repair, chime straightening, pressure testing, and importantly, spear maintenance. On request, Thielmann can also fit its kegs with predictive maintenance features. This includes log fault analysis sensors, which evaluate the overall condition of the fleet, ensuring servicing is timely and efficient. Advanced tracking solutions are also available on request. Find out more by emailing sales@thielmann.com

any other sector wanting to reposition to the high-end, and it is worth understanding the key factors that have enabled this success. Especially how formats that were previously on the commodity end of the beer category (keg and canned) have become the stars. Who would have thought it 15 years ago when cask ale was king (certainly for the aficionados) and PBAs (Premium Bottled Ales) held sway over the premium end of the supermarket aisle. The term ‘craft’ was first adopted by the American micro-brewers in defiance of the big monolithic and monopolistic brewers who dominated the USA with their ‘bland’ (their words, not mine) beers. The descriptor is still indefinable although it implies artisan and small scale (even though there are some pretty big craft brewers nowadays) and has come to represent an attitude and lifestyle. The ascendency of the artisan producer is not exclusive to beer, however it has probably had the biggest and most profound impact on this sector than any other by truly capturing the imagination of the consumer. This success has been to the detriment of the big brands who are now fighting back. Having tried with varying degrees of success to emulate the craft movement there is now an ongoing wave of acquisitions, based on the business paradigm ‘if you can’t beat them, buy them’ – and who can begrudge those craft beer pioneers reaping their hard-earned rewards by selling to the big brewers?

For the over 2,000 independent UK brewers emerging into a post-pandemic market, what does the future hold? Certainly, picking up and running with the momentum created before the lockdowns has to be a key strategy – the consumer still appears to have a growing desire for innovation, choice and variety, and craft is still in the ascendancy. However, the market is becoming overcrowded and for the smaller brewers who lack the economies of scale, retaining a premium pricing is essential. At the end of 2018 Asahi, in association with Mintel, published an interesting report on premium brands and how they engage consumers – it gives some very salient wisdom for brewers. The report acknowledges high-end consumers’ desire for ‘quality over quantity’ and their willingness ‘to pay more for less’ if the product is truly good. However, quality in this case goes beyond simply the product itself, it is all about the qualities and values that the brand exudes and for highend consumers this means authenticity, provenance and individuality. So, if you are planning your next move and want to continue to capitalise on craft beer’s premium positioning, it is worth bearing those three essential brand characteristics in mind - capturing the hearts of consumers is essential.” Myles Pinfold is founder and strategic director of WPA Pinfold. Find out more at www.wpa-drinks.co.uk

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

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Supplier news The Business Intelligence Group has recognised PakTech for its Sustainability Product of the Year in the 2021 Sustainability Awards program. The Sustainability Awards honour those people, teams and organisations who have made sustainability an integral part of their business practices BRE WIN or overall mission. Throughout all aspects of development, PakTech embraces a sustainable and circular approach to waste, embodying the reduce, reuse and recycle principles in product designs. In addition to being 100 per cent recycled and 100 per cent recyclable, PakTech’s handles reduce unnecessary plastic with their minimalist design. The handles are reusable and recyclable infinitely. “We are proud to reward and recognise PakTech for its sustainability efforts,” said Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer of Business Intelligence Group. “It was clear to our judges that PakTech’s vision and strategy will continue to deliver results toward a cleaner, more sustainable world. Congratulations!” In all aspects of its business operations, PakTech is committed to creating a more circular and sustainable economy and society, to reducing waste and helping brands achieve their sustainability goals. The company aims to provide circular packaging solutions manufactured from 100 per cent recycled resin and its own recycled handles because it believes this practice can help achieve a circular economy, one where no plastic becomes waste and the demand for virgin plastic is greatly reduced. When PakTech handles are recycled, they are transformed back into recycled resin and used to make new handles, composite lumber, flower pots, pipes, park benches and more, completing the circular loop. The unique handles have provided leading brands and retailers globally with fully circular and sustainable packaging solutions for 30 years.

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Counter Pressure Filling Beth Kelsey from Core Equipment explores the differences in different can filling techniques… “The first and most important concern when packaging a beverage is preventing contamination exposure by two of the main culprits that reduce shelf-life and modify taste, UV rays, and exposure to oxygen. Cans offer versatility, sustainability, and portability and are a great option for craft beverage producers, but most importantly, eliminate the disadvantages to packaging in a bottle such as UV exposure. As the can appears to have gained a permanent spot on the supermarket shelf, the debate has now shifted to the options around canning line solutions and is now on the canning line itself. Counter pressure technology gives the operator complete control over the atmospheric conditions inside the can during the fill process. The process allows for faster filling whilst simultaneously preventing oxygen absorption and product loss as the liquid travels through a series of valve operations and pressurisation.

This method was previously only used by large-scale beverage producers, but this technology has been successfully scaled down and made available for craft beverage producers at an affordable price. The alternative to counter pressure filling is gravity filling. The disadvantages with gravity fill compared to counter pressure are that gravity fillers rely on head pressure and liquid temperature to control fills supplied directly from the product holding tank. By using a gravity filler, the operator can lose control over fill levels resulting in product loss as liquid is exposed to the atmosphere during the entire fill process. As foaming becomes difficult to control, this causes unnecessary overflow and oxygen absorption as liquid is piped filled into cans. Oxidation not only causes adverse effects on the aroma and flavour, but also reduces shelf life and nutrient retention of a beverage as compared to counter pressure filling. It is crucial for maintaining quality to mitigate dissolved oxygen absorption during the packaging process. In comparison, by equalising the pressure from tank to can, cans can be filled faster whilst the Snift feature allows pressure to release slowly so foaming can be controlled at the same time as maintaining carbonation levels. By keeping liquid under pressure throughout the fill process, CO2 is kept in the beverage, ensuring it tastes the way it was intended to. Nitrogen-infused beverages are also supported by counter pressure fillers, as their design means there is no fill tube that interferes with the widget.”

Supplier Viewpoint

Core Equipment are suppliers of the CODI CCL-45 counter-pressure filling machine which has a capacity to fill up to 3,500 cans per hour, for can sizes 150ml slim to 500ml standard and can work with both carbonated and non-carbonated products. Find out more by emailing sales@core-equip.com or calling 01327 342589

www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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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Winter 2021 | 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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www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Winter 2021

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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 Barry Watts Head of Public Affairs & Policy barry.watts@siba.co.uk Louise Henley Membership Services Administrator louise.henley@siba.co.uk Jenna Barningham Membership Services Administrator jenna.barningham@siba.co.uk Elle Spencer-Blanchard Membership Services Assistant elle.spencerblanchard@siba.co.uk

All General Enquiries contact office@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

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

Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk

Milestone Brewery White Horse Brewery

North East northeast@siba.co.uk Chair Ian Fozard Rooster’s Brewery Ltd Ewen Gordon Saltaire Brewery Ltd Mark Anderson Double Maxim Beer Co North West northwest@siba.co.uk Chair Kirsty Ridge William Mayne

Lakeland Inns Group & Lakeland Brewhouse Bullhouse Brewing Co

Scotland scotland@siba.co.uk Chair Christie Slater Loch Leven Brewery Jamie Delap Fyne Ales Fiona MacEachern Loch Lomond Brewery South East southeast@siba.co.uk Chair Andy Hayward Thames Side Brewery Peter Hills Hackney Brewery Robert Wicks Westerham Brewery Co Ltd South West southwest@siba.co.uk Chair Paul Arrowsmith Red Rock Brewery Darren Batten Palmers Brewery Alan Collyer The Exeter Brewery Wales & West west@siba.co.uk Chair Roy Allkin Buster Grant Glenn White

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Milton Brewery Leigh on Sea Brewery Elgood & Sons Ltd

Boss Brewing Cold Black Label Ltd Brew Monster Group

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Independent Brewer Winter 2021

Articles inside

Supplier news Updates from SIBA’s Supplier

BeerX UK preview What to expect from SIBA’s flagship event in 2022

Meet the retailer A profile of SIBA Business

Supplier viewpoint The team from V-Brew an arm of Vitikit, considers the brewery of the future

Business profile We meet Dave Grant from Fierce Beer

Brewer's viewpoint David Holliday, the Co-founder of Moon Gazer ales at The Norfolk Brewhouse,

Taproom focus We feature the top class taproom at Big Smoke

CEO’s update James Calder talks sustainability

Sustainability case study An insight into Stroud

SIBA news All the news from SIBA HQ

Out with the new Will Hawkes looks at the revival of traditional beer styles

SIBA membership update Learn more about

Sustainability profile We feature the work

Chairman’s comment Roy Allkin on the power of collaboration