Autumn 2024 Independent Brewer Magazine

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Welcome to the Autumn edition of SIBA’s Independent Brewer Magazine

One of the key findings in this year’s SIBA Independent Beer Report was that despite the growth in the popularity of independent beers among consumers (just as many beer drinkers now say they drink independent beer as part of their repertoire as drink global lager), there are a worryingly high number who are unable to tell an independent beer from its mass-produced rivals.

This figure is particularly concerning among younger drinkers, with 22% - almost a quarter – saying they didn’t know what qualities to look for in an independent beer.

This disconnect between consumers wanting to choose independent beer and being easily able to do so is the reason why SIBA has launched its national Indie Beer campaign (see pages 1821) which seeks to educate consumers on what makes a beer truly independent and at the same time give them a simple, easily identifiable, Indie Beer mark to look out for on packaging and at the bar so that they know they are buying an independent beer.

This initiative builds on the original SIBA Assured Independent British Craft Brewer Seal and can be used on the packaging of any independent brewer’s beers. With the support of SIBA members in getting the new SIBA Indie Beer mark out there in the UK market, this could be a game changer for brewers and beer drinkers alike.

Elsewhere in this issue, for our Meet the Brewer feature I caught up with Fyne Ales’ Jamie Delap, this year’s SIBA Brewers’ Brewer of the Year – as voted for by you (see pages 32-39) to find out more about his career in beer. Our Business Profile this issue is on Borders-based Twice Brewed Brewery (see pages 56-61) which, despite its modest size, hit the international headlines last year as the closest business to the Sycamore Gap when the famous tree was felled.

Society of Independent Brewers and Associates PO Box 136, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 5WW Tel: 01765 640 441

www.siba.co.uk

Email: office@siba.co.uk

We also bring you the final instalment in our collab with the team at Pellicle, featuring Sheffield’s Abbeydale Brewery (see pages 46-51) and travel to Belgium for our International Focus with Breandán Kearney (see pages 4245), who marks the publication of his brilliant new book Hidden Beers of Belgium with a quirky look at a beer masterpiece, Cuvée Devillé, and its creator Kloris Devillé.

As ever, the rest of the magazine is packed with plenty more advice, news and views to keep you up to date with all the latest trends, challenges and innovation, to support you in your planning for the rest of the season and beyond.

Happy reading! And 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 Winter edition will be October 25th.

Caroline Nodder Editor

SIBA Independent Brewer Magazine

Editor: Caroline Nodder (caroline.nodder@siba.co.uk)

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Cover

Our cover image was taken for us by Pellicle’s Editor-in-Chief Matthew Curtis at the Abbeydale Brewery brewhouse in Sheffield. The image accompanies the final article in our collab series with the Pellicle team, written by Rachel Hendry, which you can find on pages 46-51.

News

9-17

SIBA News All the news from SIBA HQ

18-21 Indie Beer Campaign The new campaign from SIBA to promote independent beer to consumers

26-27

Membership Update A round-up of the latest SIBA Membership benefits

90-95 SIBA Regional Beer Competitions Results from the competitions in the North East and South East

83-91 Brewery News The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK

92-99 Supplier News Updates from SIBA’s Supplier Associate Members

Comment

7 CEO’S Update Andy Slee, SIBA’s Chief Executive, on how independent brewers can champion cask

8 Chairman’s Comment National Chair Richard Naisby looks at the political climate for brewers under the new Government

24-25 The View From Westminster Our regular political update

30-31 Homebrew In Focus Andy Parker from Elusive Brewing examines Indie Rabble’s stout Tiny Violence

53 Supplier Viewpoint Branding expert Myles Pinfold on how brewers can sell their independent credentials

63 Supplier Viewpoint Mike Benson from Crisp Malt talks Mash Conversion Vessels

73 Tech Focus Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas on the effects of fibre in beer

Features

29 Taproom Focus Featuring the taproom at The Gun

32-39 Meet The Brewer We profile SIBA’s Brewers’ Brewer of the Year, Jamie Delap from Fyne Ales

42-45 International Focus Take a trip to Belgium with award-winning beer writer Breandán Kearney

46-51 SIBA Independent Brewer X Pellicle Pellicle contributor Rachel Hendry visits Abbeydale Brewery

54-55 US Beer & Food Pairing Neil Walker from SIBA attends a US Brewers Association masterclass

56-61 Business Profile We interview Matt Brown from Twice Brewed about hitting the international headlines

64-71 Business Advice Legal, brand & marketing, consumer insight & compliance advice

74-77 Gold Members Close Brothers and Thomas Fawcett and Sons

100 Gold & Silver Members Listing of our key sponsors

102 Contacts Key SIBA contacts

Don’t believe the fallacy that drinkers don’t want cask beer anymore, they do. The figures speak for themselves.

Giving cask a chance

SIBA’s CEO Andy Slee first wrote this comment piece for the Morning Advertiser in July where it prompted much discussion. In it he argues that given better opportunities on the bar, independently brewed cask beer could achieve the success it truly deserves…

Pete Brown recently made some excellent points on Carlsberg’s change of approach to the UK beer market.

Global businesses want to do standardised things wherever they operate on the planet. I know, I worked for the world’s biggest for a while. It’s what makes them successful.

To many of us the term ‘regional’ might mean ‘West Midlands’ or ‘South Wales’, to a global business it often means ‘Europe’ or ‘Africa’. Once you understand that broader perspective, it’s easy to understand why Carlsberg, like other dominant global brewers, is beating an exit from brewing cask beer.

Cask beer is fresh, sold in reusable containers, ecologically sound (typically drunk close to where it’s brewed) and uniquely British.

In pretty much any other product category, those features would be at the centre of any marketing campaign as they play into everything young people tell us is important to them.

Sadly, these features are counter to the global brewers’ drive for ubiquity and efficiency. “Why do we need to brew that cask beer for Britain alone?” I can hear the question being asked in boardrooms as I write.

But now for some good news.

Within strong demand for independent beers, demand for independently brewed cask beer remains buoyant. In 2023, SIBA members reported cask beer production up +14% compared to 2022. Don’t believe the fallacy that drinkers don’t want cask beer anymore, they do. The figures speak for themselves.

Just ask your average community publican. What better way of endorsing the community credentials of a pub than supporting the local brewer from the same community?

But now the red flag. Just because cask beer doesn’t fit the agenda of the global brewers, they must not be allowed to limit the opportunity for brewers for whom it does. A vibrant beer market has room for beers of all styles, formats and ownership types.

SIBA members consistently tell me that access to market is their biggest trading issue. They are confident in the demand for their beers, all they ask is that pubs make their beers available for the drinker to decide.

Back to Mr Brown. It was he who offered a perspective giving evidence to a Parliamentary enquiry that cask beer is ‘Britain’s Champagne’. Unique to our county, part of our DNA and what in many ways we are famous for.

Can you imagine the French talking down Champagne the way we do cask beer? Me neither.

Covid taught us that the British want to socialise with friends and support local businesses of all types. There is demand for our national drink, it just needs space and a fair opportunity for that demand to be met.

Andy Slee Chief Executive SIBA

Welcome to the new term

Evening falls earlier now. School is back. A new government is beginning the Westminster term in earnest. It is only a matter of time before we see and hear Christmas advertising. And the brewer’s mind is gearing up for winter ales. Welcome to Autumn.

Firstly, let me welcome the new Government. Labour has a large majority and a significant mandate to govern. I hope that the many new MPs have digested the SIBA manifesto and are preparing to put it into practice (I can daydream!). At Milton Brewery, we have already contacted and hosted our new MP, LibDem Charlotte Cane, for a brewery tour. In common with many, many new MPs she has a lot on her plate - and much new to negotiate - but she was responsive to the many challenges facing the independent brewing industry and I hope I was able to open her eyes to a few ways in which government has the power to help, or at least not hinder, SIBA members. I can highly recommend an early contact with your MP, they are likely to welcome the approach and often have fascinating tales of their own to tell.

It was a slight surprise to find the smoking ban back on the political agenda. In many ways this is an unwelcome distraction but without sight of any legislation it is too early to comment on how this might affect us.

Concerning news reached me about the behaviour of the large brewers regarding business rates. Many of the largest brewers have a significant business rates advantage over their smaller competitors thanks to the differing classifications used by the Valuations Office. In

practice, this means that a small independent brewery is likely to be paying many times (possibly thousands of times) more business rates (in £pounds per pint) than an established multinational brewer. Ludicrously, we have it on record that the VOA believes that this is because we can easily convert our precious breweries into Amazon warehouses!

Now the big boys are said to be resisting changes to the system, under pressure from the supermarkets – their biggest customers –who’ve all invested heavily in the home delivery model. The social and health benefits of the pub environment come a clear second to commercial interests here!

I continue to believe that the British pub is one of the most civilising influences we have. SIBA has campaigned hard for measures which benefit the health of the sector. We will continue to bang the drum for a reduction in draught beer duty, a reform of the business rates system and positive reforms to business taxation.

Many SIBA members are users of the Kegwatch system. In an ideal world there would be no need for a go-between entity which endeavours to return lost casks to their brewing owners. Sadly, the world in which we all operate is far from ideal and smaller brewers use Kegwatch services disproportionately more than the multinationals. This is understandable, we probably care more about the whereabouts of our assets and lack the vast resources which would allow us to disregard property for years on end. It is probably fair to say that Kegwatch is currently creaking a bit. It is therefore in all our interests that brewers cooperate with cask repatriation in all forms. The current system is

far from perfect but it is the only thing we have which works for the majority of SIBA members.

The SIBA regional beer competitions are well under way. I’d encourage all members to participate. The broader the base of the pyramid, the better the winning beers. And the greater the prestige for winning what is seen as one of the better accolades in British brewing.

Richard Naisby Chairman SIBA

SIBA UK Brewery Tracker reports second consecutive quarter of decline

The latest figures released from the SIBA Brewery Tracker show the total number of breweries in the UK has continued to decline, despite the sector reporting strong sales, with a -29 net closure rate across the UK and no region in growth for the second consecutive quarter.

The figures show the total number of active UK breweries now stands at 1748, a -29 net drop since the end of Q1 2024. The SIBA UK Brewery Tracker takes into account all brewery openings and closures to give an accurate picture of the number of active brewing businesses.

The figures make for sobering reading, with small independent breweries struggling against rising costs and legacy Covid debt despite strong sales in the sector; production volumes now having returned to pre-Covid levels and cask beer production being in double digit growth.

“Independent brewers are reporting good sales growth and strong consumer demand, yet breweries continue to close. For most breweries the challenge is financial pressures from rising costs and market access, as well as lingering Covid debt – something SIBA has strongly lobbied Government for help on,” said Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive.

With the price of a pint at an all-time high independent brewers cannot pass significant

Independent brewers are reporting good sales growth and strong consumer demand, yet breweries continue to close.

price rises in raw materials, energy and production on to their customers, making access to market and help with financial pressures the most pressing factors in helping brewery numbers stabilise.

“Where independent beers are stocked they sell well. They just need more opportunity to do so,” Andy Slee added.

Examining the figures regionally it is clear the Midlands were by far the worst hit in the second quarter 2024, with a net closure rate of -11, followed by the East and South West who each saw a -4 net closure rate. Scotland, the North East and the South West faired only slightly better, each posting a -3 net closure rate.

The East and North West experienced a more moderate -1 net change, with Northern Ireland and Wales both maintaining their brewery numbers during the second quarter, with no change to their net figure.

SIBA UK BREWERY TRACKER Q2, 2024

Covering period 01/04/2430/06/2024

UK: 1748 (-29)

Scotland 133 (-3)

Northern Ireland 29 (-)

East 187 (-4)

North East 248 (-3)

North West 189 (-1)

Wales 96 (-)

South West 203 (-4)

South East 331 (-3)

Midlands 334 (-11)

The above shows the new total number and net change compared to 31.03.23

Please note: Due to a change in SIBA’s membership regional boundaries, from 2024 onwards the breweries previously in ‘West of England’ are now counted within the ‘Midlands’ region www.siba.co.uk/brewerytracker

SIBA Workforce Report 2024 now available

SIBA has published the latest version of its Workforce Report which is free to access for all brewers via the Toolbox.

Recruiting and keeping hold of good team members is a concern for many of SIBA’s members and this report is designed to support brewers with this and issues such as setting salary levels.

The report is an offshoot of SIBA’s annual Independent Beer Report and has been complied by SIBA’s Barry Watts and the academics who help compile the main report.

To download the SIBA Workforce Report 2024 log in to the SIBA Toolbox or contact membership@siba.co.uk

Jamie Delap of Fyne Ales named ‘Brewer of the Year 2024’ by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group

The UK’s biggest All-Party Parliamentary Group has named SIBA Scotland Director Jamie Delap of Fyne Ales as the 2024 Brewer of the Year at its annual awards dinner.

The award recognises Jamie not only for Fyne Ales’ brewing achievements, but also his voluntary work on the Scottish Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – lobbying for changes which led to the scheme’s postponement, which will now give more time to work on a much-needed UK-wide solution.

Andy Slee, Chief Executive of SIBA, attended the awards and had this to say in praise of Delap: “Jamie’s tireless and entirely voluntary work on behalf of Scottish brewers in fighting for necessary changes to the proposed Deposit Return Scheme has led to it being delayed to come in line with other similar schemes across the UK. It's a real victory for the sector, as in its previous form the scheme would have imposed huge bureaucracy and cost on all brewers and pub operators in Scotland. Without Jamie’s work in this area all Scottish brewers would now be worse off and it is for this - in combination with the superb industry-leading beers being produced by Fyne Aleshe has deservedly been named the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group’s Brewer of the Year 2024.”

Find out more about Jamie’s career and achievements in our Meet the Brewer feature on pages 32-39.

Longman Brewery and Hackney Church Brew Co take home Gold in the SIBA

South East Independent Beer Awards 2024

A traditional Best Bitter from Longman Brewery in East Sussex has been named Overall Champion of the Cask Beer competition by SIBA, with Halo by Hackney Church Brew Co taking the day’s other top award, being named Overall Champion in the seperate Keg Beer Awards.

The competition sees breweries from across Greater London and South East England battle it out across a huge range of beer style categories and is organised by SIBA, taking place at the Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, London.

Writing on their Instagram, Hackney Church Brew Co were full of praise for their Head Brewer who also collected the awards on behalf of the team: “This is what a happy brewer looks like! Congratulations to Jay on picking up not one but four golds at the SIBA South East Independent Beer awards and being crowned overall champion of the keg!”

SIBA’s Megan Brecken organised the awards and was on hand to congratulate the winners: “There were some great winners across the awards this year, so huge congratulations to everyone that took home a medal, particularly our Gold Medal winners and of course this year’s Overall Champions Longman and Hackney Church Brew Co.”

The SIBA Independent Beer Awards are judged by beer sommeliers, brewers and expert beer judges, across a diverse range of styles. Gold winners from the awards will now go forwards to the National Finals at BeerX in Liverpool, March 2025. The awards took place at Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, London, with all of the beers from the judging available to the public as part of this year's Big Penny Fest. Hosted in the UK's largest Beer Hall and featuring over beers from the best independent breweries in the South East, spirits and cocktails from selected London distilleries, live music, DJs and more.

See the full list of winners from the South East on pages 78-79.

Save the date: BeerX 2025

BeerX 2025 will be held at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool once again on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th March 2025.

Look out for more details in our Winter magazine, and in our regular Brewing in Brief email updates.

If you have any questions please email events@siba.co.uk

Jamie Delap was presented with his 'Brewer of the Year' award by former MP Alun Cairns, the then-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group

SIBA hosts Scotland’s biggest craft beer festival

Scotland’s largest beer festival of its kind, Indie Beer Scotland 2024, took place in September in the Clyde Rooms at Edmiston House in Glasgow.

The event featured award winning beer from the likes of Fyne Ales, Moonwake, Loch Lomond, Harviestoun, Stewart Brewing and many more, plus live music from the popular Have Mercy Las Vegas, James Gillies and Reely Jiggered along with a host of other superb acts.

The festival featured over 200 different Scottish cask and craft keg beers from 23 different

breweries, as well as independent cider and spirits, plus live music from eight different acts across the three sessions on September 6th and 7th.

Indie Beer Scotland is organised by Scottish brewers from SIBA and is now in its third year, with all ticket and beer prices frozen from 2023 for the 2024 event, making the award-winning pints some of the best value in the City.

Festival organiser Fiona MacEachern, from Loch Lomond Brewery, said the event had found its home at the ‘superb’ Glasgow venue:

Meeting with Exchequer Secretary at Durham Brewery

The team from Durham Brewery recently hosted the new Exchequer Secretary, James Murray, making this his first visit out in trade since being appointed after the recent General Election.

Amongst James Murray’s responsibilities are beer duty, so there was the chance for what was described as a really constructive discussion about opportunities and challenges facing independent brewers at a local and national level.

The group discussed access to market, the intended and unintended consequences of the 2023 alcohol duty review, Covid loan repayment schedules, opening up export opportunities, and a possible timeline for business rates reform.

“We’re proud to be pouring Scotland’s best independent craft beers at Indie Beer Scotland and I think this year’s brewery list shows just how much quality Scotland has got to offer right now.”

Indie Beer Scotland is the country’s biggest beer festival showcasing solely Scottish beers, and is also the home of the SIBA Scotland Independent Beer Awards 2024, with judging taking place to name Scotland’s very best beers prior to the festival opening to the public. The event is sponsored by Kegstar.

Brewer issues with suppliers

A reminder that if brewers are experiencing issues with suppliers they believe to be acting potentially unlawfully, please call Napthens legal helpline in the first instance.

SIBA has a regular dialogue with Napthens to understand trends and issues that SIBA could potentially take up on your behalf.

The Napthens helpline number is 0845 671 0277

L to R: Barry Watts SIBA, Andy Slee SIBA, Elly Bell Durham Brewery and James Murray Exchequer Secretary

SIBA Champion

Homebrewer’s beer goes on sale in Bundobust bars

A ‘New England White IPA’ by the UK’s Champion Homebrewer is going on sale across all five Bundobust bars following a collaboration with Bundobust Brewery in Manchester.

The beer was named best in the UK at the prestigious SIBA Homebrew Beer Awards 2024, a competition judged by professional brewers and experienced beer judges from SIBA. The competition was this year run in association with award-winning brewery and Indian street food aficionados Bundobust, yeast specialists Lallemand Brewing and The Malt Miller, to challenge homebrewers to brew the UK's best tasting wheat beer. It was Matthew Durant’s ‘New England White IPA’ that wowed judges, combining the smooth drinkability of wheat beer with the stone-fruit and tropical hop flavours of a hazy New England IPA.

Matthew Durant, Champion Homebrewer, said: “I wanted something that packed a little bit of a punch but was drinkable, with the yeast bringing some of those soft banana flavours. For me as a homebrewer to go from 19 litre batches to then come here today and brew on the big kit has been a little bit daunting at first, but Dan’s been fantastic in explaining everything to me and I'm really looking forward to tasting the final product. To be able to see the beer in all the Bundobust restaurants, really looking forward to that - it will be a proud moment.”

SIBA welcomes new Government following landslide General Election

SIBA issued a statement welcoming the new Government following the decisive win for Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.

Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive, said: “The people of the UK have clearly spoken for the need for change. SIBA stands ready, and looks forward to working with the new Government in Westminster and across the UK in helping

independent brewers be a part of their plans for sustainable economic growth.

“Independent breweries are a hugely valued force for good in local communities and right now, more than ever, need support to compete against the global beer giants that control the market, as well as a tax system which sets a level playing field for pub and brewing businesses to grow.”

Now in its second year after launching in 2023, the SIBA Homebrew Beer Awards this year challenged homebrewers to brew using Lallemand’s hugely versatile 'Wit' yeast and a minimum of 25% wheat in the recipe. Apart from that it was up to the homebrewers’ imaginations – with various styles including Belgian Wit, American Wheat, German Hefeweizen, and White IPA all entered in 2024.

Neil Walker from SIBA helps run the competition and joined the brew day, he says the quality of homebrewing in the UK has never been better: "This competition is testament to how high the quality of homebrewing in the UK has become, with really talented homebrewers such as Matthew pushing boundaries and brewing incredibly good beers such as his delicious White IPA. It was a pleasure to join the brew day and see his recipe brewed on a commercial scale, something that every winner of the SIBA Homebrew Beer Awards gets to experience."

Scaling the recipe from homebrew size to a full commercial brew kit was overseen by Dan Hocking, Bundobust Head Brewer, who enjoyed having Matt join the brewing team for the day: “It was really nice to have a completely new perspective and explain what you spend

all of your time doing, and then to have another creative mind come at it as well. We’ll be putting Matt’s beer into all the Bundobust restaurants in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool – and we’re hoping to get a keg of it sent to one of Matt’s locals as well, so he can show off his beer to all his buddies.”

Alix Blease of Lallemand also attended the brew day and had some technical advice for other budding homebrewers looking to recreate the recipe: “His [Matt’s] beer is more towards a White IPA in style, so he’s used the yeast to exemplify some of the banana flavours from it. You can do this yourself by making sure you’re adding plenty of nutrients, fermenting with no head pressure, as well as reducing your mash temperature and increasing your fermentation temperature – you should be able to exemplify a lot more of those banana and clove ester characteristics.”

The SIBA Homebrew Beer Awards 2025 will open for entries later this year and is only open to SIBA Homebrewer Members.

For more information on SIBA Homebrewer Membership visit www.siba.co.uk/homebrewer

Wold Top Brewery takes home Overall Gold and Silver in the SIBA North East Independent Keg Beer Awards

In what is thought to be a first for the region, Wold Top Brewery has beaten tough competition to claim the top two spots in the SIBA North East Independent Keg Beer Awards 2024 in Sheffield.

The brewery won Gold and Silver in the Overall Champions judging, where all of the day’s category winners across a broad range of beer styles fight it out to be named the ‘best of the best’.

Alex Balchin from Wold Top Brewery accepted the awards on behalf of the team: “We are

delighted to win these SIBA Regional awards. It is a big team effort to consistently deliver top notch beers and to have the team’s efforts rewarded with a win is all the more gratifying.”

The judging was organised by SIBA, taking place at the Triple Point Taproom in Sheffield, with winners from the judging available as part of a beer festival.

“In what was a superb day of judging in a great venue, I’d like to give a huge congratulations to all of the winners and particularly Wold Top who have grabbed a historic win with the Overall Gold and Silver given to their beers. In what was a tough judging with excellent beers

across the board all of the medalists should be very proud of their achievement,” said Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive, who was on hand to present the awards on the day.

The SIBA Independent Beer Awards included a broad range of beer styles, from pale ales and IPAs to porters, stouts and international beer styles. Gold winners from the awards will now go forwards to the National Finals in Liverpool in March 2025.

For the full list of North East winners see pages 80-81.

SIBA calls on Government to confirm review of Alcohol Duty System one year on

SIBA, on behalf of independent breweries, has called on the new Government to confirm that the new Alcohol Duty System will be reviewed after three years, as research shows its impact on the beer brewed by more than half of breweries.

The call came in August on the first anniversary of the most far reaching changes to the Alcohol Duty System in generations, which were introduced on 1 August last year.

The previous Government pledged that the changes would be fully considered in 2026. SIBA is asking the Government to commit to this deadline to ensure that the changes are properly evaluated.

“One year ago the Government introduced the most radical changes to the Alcohol Duty System in generations which is having an impact on what independent breweries brew and what consumers get to enjoy.

“While it is too early to understand the full implications of the changes, we are already

seeing that large Global companies have significantly reduced their duty bills by benefitting from the new lower rate and that small independent breweries are stopping or reducing production of innovative beers such as imperial stouts. Global cider producers also continue to benefit from a significantly lower rate of duty than beer,” said Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive.

Under the new system, Small Breweries’ Relief (SBR) - which helped small breweries to compete with global breweries - was radically modified and extended to other products under a new Small Producer Relief. It also created a new Draught Relief where cask and keg beer destined for the pub is given a 9.2% reduction in alcohol duty.

The new alcohol structure is already having an impact on what small breweries are producing. Changes to the system meant that strong beers including Imperial Stouts and some Double IPAs are no longer eligible for relief. Research by SIBA shows that in response nearly a quarter (22%) of independent breweries have altered their

beers above 8.5% ABV, with 7% reducing the ABV and 15% have either stopped producing some beers or all beers over 8.5% ABV.

It also introduced a new lower alcohol band at 3.4% ABV which gives a discount on duty to lower strength beers. Over a quarter (27%) of independent breweries have either introduced new beers (18%) or reduced the strength of their existing beers (7%) in response while several Global breweries have dropped the ABV of their beers, reducing their duty bill by millions of pounds. While the new system aimed to remove distortions, global cider producers also continue to benefit from a duty rate 46% of that on beer in the new system which is gives global companies are unfair advantage.

“It’s important that the new system is fully reviewed after three years so that any distortions or issues are understood and addressed and I hope that the new Government will commit to this review in 2026,” Slee added.

Not yet selling your beers through SIBA Beerflex? Now might be the time…

SIBA’s Beerflex system has seen several improvements during the past 18 months. With prices set by a brewer on first listings, and no longer connected to the ABV, alongside an online order portal for customers, ensuring brewers’ brands are marketed to their full potential - if you haven’t recently assessed whether Beerflex is right for you, then it may be worth another look.

How SIBA Beerflex works: direct delivery by brewer to the pub or retail outlet

SIBA’s Beerflex scheme is designed to assist you in your sales efforts by making your beers available in the areas of your choice to those local on- and off-trade retail outlets which are owned by national groups.

SIBA provides details of beers available that brewers have listed via their bespoke Beer Manager Profile to the relevant pub/retail customers within the delivery postcodes upload by you.

With unique access to SIBA’s Online Order Portal, customers are able to view and order the brands brewers have available to be delivered, direct from the brewery to their outlet. Having the ability to search on a specific ABV, allergen, beer style or distance, the search functionality allows the customer to be as specific as they wish.

Alongside orders brewers are supplied with the pub contact details to enable contact to be made to advise of delivery day (within five working days from order date unless otherwise specified by the customer). Brewers go on to make delivery with the paperwork supplied by Beerflex and SIBA will pay brewers.

Beerflex is designed to be simple but effective and give Independent Craft Brewers access to pubs which may otherwise be closed off to buying your beer - and as a not-for-profit trade association the small % of each transaction SIBA earns through Beerflex is reinvested back into the trade association; providing improved member services.

SIBA showcases members’ beers at Imbibe Live

Neil Walker, Head of Comms & Marketing, Megan Brecken, Events & Marketing Officer & Ian Ward, SIBA Commercial Consultant, represented SIBA at Imbibe Live 2024 alongside brewing members showcasing their beers.

A special thank you to The Indian Brewery, Hackney Church, Woodfordes, Hammerton, Not That California and Burnside Brewery for coming along to showcase your beers. It was great to see so many delegates visiting your bars and showing support for Independent Craft Brewers. Delegates also heard from SIBA's Neil Walker during an expert tasting session, hearing about the beer styles that are on the rise and how businesses can capitalise on these growing trends.

Pricing Structures

A brewer must choose the price band they wish to receive when listing a brand for the first time. There are no limits around the price band a brewer may choose.

Price Increases

Annual Price Reviews with 100% of increases passed directly on to brewers.

New customers and opportunities

With new pub company customers coming on to the Beerflex platform for the first time there are now more opportunities to sell your beer, as well as exciting opportunities on the horizon for an expansion beyond cask into keg beer.

Beer Manager makes listing specials a breeze

Beer Manager makes it really easy to list your beers and set how long you would like them to be listed for, making the listing of seasonal or one-off specials quick and easy.

For more information or if you wish to join please contact office@siba.co.uk

Reminder: Member Benefit - 30 minute free consultation

To supplement the 1 hour free legal advice offered by SIBA Gold Members Napthens, we are pleased to announce that After Athena, experts in Employment Law, HR & Health & Safety, and part of the Napthens Group, are on hand to assist SIBA Member businesses in identifying the learning and developments needs within their business.

Whether this be people management skills or how to run an HR process from beginning to end, the team can help you understand the skills gaps in your business and provide ideas and solutions to help you engage and develop your employees.

To benefit from your 30 minute free consultation, email the AfterAthena HR Consultancy Team on: SibaLegal@napthens.co.uk and state that you’d like to discuss training.

The aim of the campaign is to make the Indie Beer mark the recognisable standard for high quality craft and cask beer, brewed across the UK, by truly independent breweries.

SIBA launches new ‘Indie Beer’ campaign to champion independent beer and breweries

SIBA first launched an independence seal back in 2016, with the ‘Assured Independent British Craft Brewer’ logo, which many of you have supported and adopted for your packaging. But the industry has changed considerably since then and SIBA has listened to member feedback, conducted in-depth consumer research via YouGov and worked with brand agency Ape to develop a new, more effective campaign to promote and champion independent beer in the UK – via our new ‘Indie Beer’ mark.

The aim of the campaign is to make the Indie Beer mark the recognisable standard for high quality craft and cask beer, brewed across the

UK, by truly independent breweries. As well as encouraging as many breweries as possible to adopt the mark, SIBA is putting considerable investment into a campaign which backs up the Indie Beer mark – giving members the tools to really drive forward the message.

Members can sign up in support of the campaign to be involved in future press activity, and receive a POS welcome back which includes posters and other materials to help promote the campaign in your brewery, taproom, pubs or brewery shop.

www.indiebeer.uk

Today’s beer drinkers have more choice than ever, but are confused as to what is genuine independent craft beer and what is owned by the globals. The Indie Beer campaign creates a consumer pull for independent beer and supports our lobbying activity by showing

Government that independent brewing is worth protecting.

By working together independent breweries of all sizes can push the message for beer drinkers to buy local, buy independent – and in support of this message we have created location-specific campaign posters for each of the SIBA Regions and the UK’s top brewing cities. So no matter where you are located there is a poster that will work in your taproom or pub.

Even more importantly members can access a full toolkit of digital assets and social media templates to help spread the word across your own customer networks. For more information on how to do this check your Toolbox inbox for a message on making the most of the Indie Beer campaign.

Indie Beer campaign: Project working group

The development of the Indie Beer campaign has been led by Neil Walker SIBA’s Head of Marketing, with the support of a project working group of SIBA staff, non-exec directors and brewers from the SIBA Board of Directors.

Consumer tested messaging: Buy local. Buy independent

An important part of the development of the Indie Beer campaign has been to create messaging which really resonates with consumers and will most effectively drive them to purchase beer from independent breweries like yours.

As well as advice and feedback from the working group and other breweries on the SIBA Board we also conducted some new consumer polling with YouGov, to see what really resonated with both beer drinkers and with all consumers. The output of this research was crystal clear and has helped give the campaign a really clear and direct message – Buy local beer. Buy independent.We also tested campaign artwork and consumer-focussed campaign posters and found that tying the campaign to a local area also hit home with consumers, and particularly beer drinkers. Which is why an important part of the campaign is making location-based posters and digital artwork available to all members.

With this in mind we have created:

• 5 UK-wide posters carrying the core messaging

• 2 ‘empty belly’ posters for pubs/taprooms with space to write your own message or events

• 9 SIBA Region based posters i.e. ‘Brewed in the North East’

• 24 City posters featuring UK cities with the most indie breweries i.e. ‘Brewed in Manchester’

• A huge selection of social media assets including customisable templates

Don't sell locally?

We have you covered... We recognise that for some independent brewers 'local' might not quite work, as you sell more into other regions or cities, so we also have the 'Buy independent beer. Brewed with passion' message available as an A3 poster (below) and social assets for all brewers to use as you see fit.

Get involved in the campaign

What are we asking members to do?

1. SIGN UP in support of the Indie Beer campaign using the QR code to receive the free promotional welcome pack and be part of the PR launch

2. DOWNLOAD the campaign assets here including the new logo

3. SHARE the campaign across your socials on Tuesday 22nd Oct

4. ADD the Indie Beer mark to your bottle, can and pumpclip labels as soon as you can

5. USE the campaign point of sale such as the Indie Beer bottle caps (via Croxsons, 50% subsidised by SIBA - use code INDIE500), Keg and cask crowners (via Colorscan), and more TBC

IndieBeer.UK - the new website exposing Global-owned craft beer

An important part of the Indie Beer campaign is giving beer drinkers the ability to see when a beer is from a genuine independent brewery and crucially when it isn’t – removing the confusion for consumers and showing clearly when a beer is brewed or owned by a Global beer company.

Via the newly developed mobile-optimised website beer drinkers can search for a brewery and see whether it is independent or whether it is owned by a Global beer company such as Heineken, Budweiser, Asahi, Molson Coors etc.

This function really does give the campaign the ability to change consumer understanding of what is and isn’t independent beer.

We also know this important to consumers as the YouGov research conducted as part of the development of the Indie Beer campaign showed 40% people thought Beavertown Neck Oil was independent – higher than genuinely independent breweries such as Vocation, Fyne Ales and Five Points – and 75% of people believe consumers are being misled when buying Neck Oil, Camden Hells etc (rising to 81% beer drinkers).

So in a nutshell, consumers are being misled when purchasing these beers, and they do care about it.

SCAN HERE TO REGISTER

75% of people believe consumers are being misled when buying Neck Oil, Camden Hells etc (rising to 81% of beer drinkers)

Consumers want to choose independent beer – let’s give them the tools to do that!

This year’s SIBA Independent Beer Report found that a growing number of beer drinkers are choosing to drink local, independent beer – in fact it is now as popular as global lager among our surveyed drinkers with 55% of consumers saying they drank it. But an alarming number don’t know how to tell the difference between an independent beer and one produced by a national or global brewer at the point of purchase.

Our 2024 SIBA Independent Beer Report YouGov survey found that a growing number of consumers believe genuine craft beer must be produced by a small, independent brewery. Our survey found that 55% say that genuine craft beer should be made by a small brewer and 53% believe that brewery should be independent.

However, 10% of consumers in our survey said they don’t know what qualities indicate a craft beer, which in the 18-24-year-old age group rises to 22% - almost a quarter. Only 3% of our surveyed consumers believe a craft beer can be made by a big multinational brewer – but can they spot a ‘crafty’ beer at the point of purchase?

This underlines the need for SIBA’s Indie Beer campaign to both educate consumers, and give them an easy way to spot an independent beer on the bar or supermarket shelves using the new Indie Beer mark.

DRINK LOCAL CRAFT BEER

(64% OF 35-44 YEAROLDS AND 43% 18-24-YEAR-OLDS)

THIS COMPARES TO 47% WHO SAID THEY DRANK IT IN 2023

OF CONSUMERS THINK CRAFT BEER SHOULD BE MADE BY AN INDEPENDENT BREWERY

UP +3% FROM 50% IN OUR 2023 SURVEY

OF CONSUMERS DON’T KNOW WHAT MAKES A BEER A CRAFT BEER

RISING TO 22% OF 18-24-YEAR-OLDS

THINK CRAFT BEER CAN BE MADE BY A MULTINATIONAL GLOBAL BREWER

THIS FIGURE IS UNCHANGED FROM OUR SURVEY IN 2022 AND 2023

The view from Westminster

A huge thanks to all those brewers who hosted a politician over the last few months. During the election we collectively managed to arrange more than 50 visits to independent breweries across the UK. This introduced these budding MPs (many for the first time) to the brewing process, giving them a chance to increase their understanding of the challenges we face and, most importantly, to try your beers.

We now enter a new Parliamentary term with a radically different set of MPs and a Government with a more interventionist approach. This will have implications for what you brew and how you run your business. So how can we understand what the new Government’s agenda is? And what can we expect from them?

The best starting point to understanding its approach is the five national missions which are the Government’s long term objectives. Most of what we have seen announced or hinted at by the Government so far fit within

these overarching missions and there are three in particular which are of interest to brewers.

The first is around economic growth and the Chancellor has highlighted a £22 billion blackhole in the budgetary plans this year with more needed to fill the gaps for future years. This means that the Budget scheduled for 30 October will be tough and involve tax rises to “fix the foundations” with the aim to improve growth over the longer term.

For brewers, the Chancellor has to make a decision on alcohol duty in that Budget and if she doesn’t it will increase automatically by RPI on 1 February 2025. While she has said it will be a tough Budget, there is still a strong case to be made for policies that support our community pubs and our local independent breweries, such as Draught Relief. SIBA will be encouraging you to write to your local MPs ahead of the Budget and ask the Chancellor to increase this Draught Relief to 20%, which could be paid for by equalising cider and beer duty so that Global producers of cider pay their fair share of duty.

The new Environment Minister has indicated that she is considering bringing the start date for DRS forward from October 2027 – which would not give independent brewers enough time to prepare.

We also want to see the new Government commit to a full review of the new alcohol duty system which was introduced last year. The previous Government promised that there would be a review after three years, in 2026, and the new Minister has not yet committed to this timetable. We have already seen that it has impacted the beer you make with 22% of breweries having altered their beers above 8.5%. And below 3.5%, over a quarter (27%) of you have either introduced new beer or reduced the strength of existing beers.

As part of the Government’s mission to increase economic growth, it has also promised to reform Business Rates. However, don’t expect any meaningful changes to this until midway through the Parliament as it will require consultations and legislation. The other big area is employment rights including changes to zero hour contracts which may impact small breweries.

The second mission is around energy and climate change. For brewers this means the Extended Producer Responsibility (which

directly impacts larger brewers but indirectly will probably mean that prices will rise on materials such as glass), and the Deposit Return Scheme. The new Environment Minister has indicated that she is considering bringing the start date for DRS forward from October 2027 – which would not give independent brewers enough time to prepare. We’ve asked the Minister to clarify this urgently and to ensure that we have at least 18-24 months once meaningful decisions have been made.

Thirdly, the Government also wants to build an NHS fit for the future and this includes preventative measures. That is why we’ve seen suggestions over the summer that it could include banning smoking in pub gardens, introducing Minimum Unit Pricing in England as well as mandatory labelling changes and SIBA will be lobbying on your behalf on each of these issues.

We can expect that many other issues will come up over the next five years and that’s why it’s important for those who haven’t had time to do so to host your local MP if you

can. Hosting gives you the opportunity to explain how each of these issues will impact your business and improves the knowledge and understanding of our elected politicians.

As ever, if you want to know more or have any views on any of these issues please do get in touch using the details below.

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.

IS YOUR BREWERY

MISSING OUT?

Offering a range of Membership benefits from as little as £162 per year, SIBA, the Voice of British Independent Brewing is the one stop shop for Independent Craft Breweries SIBA are committed to ensuring that our Members’ are equipped with the Tools, Legislative advice, access to market and insight data required to run a successful Brewing business Look out for the * to see what you could be saving by joining SIBA.

SALES

Various opportunities for increasing sales within the on and off trade accounts through direct delivery, resources or exclusivity at prestigious events

PROMOTION Exclusive access to promote your beers at prestigious events such as the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards, BeerX and much more Access to the BGBW event would cost a single brewery *£4k, with other events costing much more

INDEPENDENCE CAMPAIGN Standing out from ‘big beer’ by increasing visibility on bottled products with Independent Crown Caps and independence badges for beer labelsassuring consumers that they are buying from an Independent Craft Brewer.

An option for all SIBA members to develop on trade sales by supplying to large pub operators at a price band of your choice and with favourable payment terms

The average Beerflex Member generating *£15k turnover.

INTEL

Raising the bar for your brewery and beer by obtaining invaluable industry information and data

REGIONAL MEETINGS Access to quarterly meetings, with presentations from industry experts and members of the SIBA Management Team, with complimentary food and beer for you and your fellow brewers

LOBBYING Securing Support & Advice via Political representation with a user friendly synopsis of Government Legislation available to members.

GOVERNANCE Eligibility to take a seat at the table of SIBA Board Directors, helping set the strategic direction of the trade association

BREWING IN BRIEF Weekly email newsletter, containing member news, Industry news and upcoming events A snap shot of the week in brewing.

CRAFT BEER REPORT Opportunity to contribute towards data insight and analysis on brewing businesses and the industry, providing invaluable data for your business planning

BUSINESS ADVICE & ACCOUNTANTCY FREE one-hour consultation from Johnston Carmichael, who currently offer brewers a wide range of services, from payroll and accounting to corporate finance, taxation and business strategy

LEGAL ADVICE Members can contact the dedicated SIBA Legal Helpline, facilitated by Napthen’s Solicitors for 1 hour FREE advice With legal specialists not only covering England, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ensuring no eligible SIBA member goes without There is no limit on the number of times members can contact the helpline. Potential saving of *£200 per call.

Unlocking access to exclusive

whether it be entering

BUSINESS

From Legal issues, to user friendly calculators and Tools, SIBA has its members covered in all areas with the Business Benefits, potentially saving each member a substantial amount of time & money

HR & EMPLOYMENT Covering all areas within HR & Employment, SIBA Members have access to an array of Templates to customise to their own business branding in addition to a 30 min *free* HR consultation with a team of HR experts. Estimate value exceeding *£3000.

COMPLIANCE Assisting members with legal compliance, a number of Tools are available for members to customise to their own business needs From HACCP and traceability tools to a H&S guide and practical guide to labelling your draught and packaged products, with a value in the region of *£3000

COSTING TOOL A Tool aimed at smalled brewers whom perhaps are unable to justify the expense of accounts personnel Members can access at any time the Brewery Costing Tool to ensure that your sell price is calculated to run a sustainable business

DEBT RECOVERY & DISPUTES Debt recovery & insolvency are hot topics at the moment and members can access free of charge template letters to customise and issue Saving on average *£500

ALCOHOL DUTY In addition to ensuring Independent Brewers voices are being heard in Government, SIBAs Political team supply members with user friendly guides and simplified Duty calculators.

LEGAL PORTAL Taking away from our members the stress and pressures of being kept up to date on Legislations The SIBA Legal Portal, in collaboration with Napthens Solicitors contains every day legal documents tailored to Brewing Businesses

INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS From brewery equipment to ingredients, to business saving experts and promotional items Members can find a SIBA Supplier Associate Member for every business need from the SIBA Trade Directory

EXCLUSIVE SERVICES Access to a range of discounts and offers - from Business & Commercial, Brewing Services & Capital equipment, SIBA have a range of offers provided by our Supplier Members Saving *£’s.

JOINT PURCHASE SCHEMES From glassware to beer mats and bar runners - SIBA are able to offer its members promotional items at competitive rates.

WEBINARS Opportunity for you and your team to attend an unlimited number of live & recorded webinars covering a range of subjects. Saving *£80 per webinar.

AWARDS With Beer Competitions for cask, keg and packaged judged by beer sommeliers and Business Awards judged by industry leaders, members have unlimited entries into SIBA Competitions with winners having the opportunity to be included within exclusive event promotions and to liaise with buyers and retailers across the UK *£450 (based on three entries into similar awards)

FREE ADVERTISING Forget Facebook Marketplace - SIBA Classified Ads is the place to advertise everything and anything Brewery related From equipment for sale or a wanted section, all ads are free to members. Job vacancy? Find the right candidate by posting for free on the SIBA Jobs Board. *£85.

CASK REPATRIATION INC ORANGE LABELS Protecting your assets with cost effective semi-permanent labels to affix to containerskeeping track of your containers across the country!

BEERX Owners of the UK’s largest Independent Brewing Trade Show, members can access SIBA’s flagship event FREE A forever expanding Trade Show showcasing the best beer industry suppliers and packed seminar schedules, from workshop to informative seminars led by key industry personnel - saving *£65, based on 2x Delegate Passes

Taproom Focus: Gun Brewery

Taproom focus with Neil Walker

SIBA’s Head of Comms & Marketing Neil Walker highlights one of his favourite taprooms to visit in the UK…

Name: Gun Brewery Taproom

What’s on offer: 12 keg and 4 cask lines plus a curated list of wines and soft drinks and food from a rotating selection of local street food vendors.

Location: Hawthbush Farm, Gun Hill, East Sussex, TN 21 0JX

Taproom Hours:

Monday Closed

Tuesday Closed

Wednesday 4 – 9:30 pm

Thursday 4 – 9:30 pm

Friday 4 – 10 pm

Saturday 12 –10 pm

Sunday 12 – 4 pm

Gun Brewery was founded in late 2014 and after a number of years of growth the team found they had outgrown their brewery site, but were faced with a problem: They couldn’t expand in their current building, but didn’t want to move away from the spring water they use for brewing.

So in August 2020 they were granted planning permission and began building ‘brewery and taproom 2.0’ in the September. Their vision was to create a beautiful space that in design terms was more like a New World winery, than a standard brewery taproom. A building where the detail of the design and overall aesthetic would celebrate the beautiful rural setting and reflect the attention to detail and care that they put into making their beers.

Eventually opening post-Covid in March 2022, what they created is one of the most iconic taprooms in the UK, which perfectly fits its rural location and the Gun Brewery brand itself.

My pick of their beers is the super refreshing Scaramanga, an extra pale session ale brewed using Sussex spring water, extra pale malts and zesty, floral hops. It’s a multiple award winning beer that just happens to be gluten-free too.

Indie RabbleTiny Violence Stout

Andy Parker from Elusive Brewing, a former British Guild of Beer Writers’ Brewer of the Year, caught up with Alex Rowlands from Indie Rabble to find out more about the recipe and brewing technique behind his core stout Tiny Violence…

Indie Rabble celebrated its first birthday in August 2024 and it’s been quite the first year - one which culminated in them being named Best New Brewery at the recent SIBA Independent Business Awards. They also recently scooped their first beer medal as Mantle, their core Pale Ale, gained recognition at the SIBA London & South East awards.

Indie Rabble are Alex Rowlands, Naomi Hayward, Alison Steele and Dave Hayward. Naomi and Dave met Alex and Ally after they opened their first beer outlet, A Hoppy Place Windsor, in August 2019. Alex was one of the first customers through the door and like many of 'The Rabble' that tended to fill the courtyard garden on a Friday evening, they have come to be close friends.

The idea to launch the brewery came about after the four of them got talking seriously about it in between one of the 2020 lockdowns. And what started with Alex's plan to launch a 150 litre brewhouse in his garden somehow soon escalated into their Windsor Arch home and the 20HL brewhouse it now contains. Alex is no newcomer to brewing, though, having previously gained experience with Thornbridge, Windsor & Eton and Phantom Brew Co.

Homebrew in Focus columnist Andy Parker

Tiny Violence Stout

OG 1.053

FG 1.015

IBU 25

ABV 5.0%

Water

Indie Rabble targets a water profile of 110ppm chloride, 70ppm sulphate and 150ppm calcium with a mash pH of 5.4 to 5.6

Mash for 60 minutes at 69C

Crisp Extra Pale Ale Malt - 3.45kg

Crisp Light Munich Malt - 0.5kg

Crisp Chocolate Malt - 0.5kg

Crisp Crystal 240 Malt - 0.25kg

Boil for 60 minutes

3g Flex @ 60 minutes (or any bittering hop for 20 IBUs)

15g Celeia (Styrian Goldings) 20 minute whirlpool after flame out

Yeast

Pitch 1 pack (11g) of WHC Labs LAX or 1 pack (11.5g)

SafAle Fermentis US-05 at 18C and allow fermentation to free-rise to 21C.

fruit and dark berries. The finish is smooth and sweet but balanced by the bitterness to make you want to come back for another sip."

When designing the recipe, what were your considerations? What ingredients do you feel work well in a stout?

"For a beer like Tiny Violence the malt character is the star of the show, but it was important to me that it was balanced and drinkable without being too sweet or hoppy. The malt bill, water treatment and IBU of the finished beer all had to be balanced to give that big, smooth malty stout feel without making a beer that was too sweet or cloying. For me, for stouts in general, whatever the finishing gravity is, the bitterness must be there to balance it out. This can be a challenge because darker malts can also add their perceived bitterness. I decided to go rather light on the bitterness despite the higher finishing gravity, banking on the large chocolate malt addition to balance it. I feel this was the right thing to do because it meant the bitterness doesn't come across as astringent or acrid, just a nice drying of the palate ready for another sip. Ultimately, I think balance is the key to a really good stout."

Tell us about the recipe and how each element comes together to create the beer

Noami and Dave always knew that one day they wanted to move onto the brewing side. But they were very aware that the biggest single issue for breweries was (and remains) route to market. That's why they'd always hoped to have three or maybe four bars open before taking the plunge and jumping into the production side. But they also knew they wanted the brewery to be in Windsor, so when they saw the row of arches that they and neighbours Two Flints now occupy listed as available to rent, they decided to go for it.

Indie Rabble describe themselves as fiercely independent and prone to strong opinions, though usually lightly held!

I caught up with Head Brewer Alex to discuss their core stout, Tiny Violence, and we got right into the details of how the recipe was constructed and how to brew it.

Stout can be quite a broad style category. How would you describe Tiny Violence and what can people expect when they drink it?

"Tiny Violence for me is just a straightforward stout. It's not too dry and it's not too sweet. Although there is a small whirlpool hop addition, it blends into the more fruity aspects of the dark malts, as opposed to being a hoppy stout. The aim for me was to have a jet black, roasty beer that I could drink by the pint. You can expect lots of chocolate and light treacle characters, with undertones of dried

"I am a fan of building layers into the malt bill to achieve more multifaceted malt character. This is why for me using four different malts of darker colours and different characters was really important. The extra pale gives it a solid base. The munich adds in light biscuity characters. The crystal 240 brings the dried fruit and treacly characters and then of course the chocolate brings the chocolate. All of these flavours together give for a much more interesting drinking experience, especially as the beer gradually warms up. Initially you get predominantly chocolate but as the temperature slowly rises you start to get more dried fruit and dark berries, which the small hop addition also contributes to. This also made the decision on yeast strain very easy. LAX is a classic US strain that ferments super clean with pretty much no esters produced. This was important to allow all of the different malts to have their time to shine without being overshadowed."

What advice do you have for home brewers looking to brew Tiny Violence at home?

"As I've said, balance is really the key to a beer like Tiny Violence. The mash temperature is very important to get the finishing gravity right. Too high and it'll be too sweet and too low, and it'll be too dry. Fermentation temperature is also very important. LAX is a very forgiving strain but if it gets too warm the esters can overshadow the subtler characters. Keep an eye on your temperature readouts and it'll be quite hard to mess up. The malt is doing most of the work!"

A Fyne romance

For a man who has just, in a single six-month period, taken home two of the most coveted trophies in the UK brewing world, Fyne Ales’ Jamie Delap is on characteristically modest form when Independent Brewer’s Editor Caroline Nodder catches up with him in early September. Sitting, basking in the sunshine in the courtyard of his family’s farm in Achadunan, Argyll, which is also home to his brewery Fyne Ales, he is quick to give credit to his team for what in anyone’s book is something of a career mic-drop moment. Delap has been widely credited not only for building one of the leading independent brewing businesses in the UK, but for his more recent voluntary work as a Scottish Director of SIBA, among other things

representing his fellow brewers to Government and winning the significant concessions that it is hoped will lead to a workable Deposit Return Scheme eventually emerging. This time-consuming work has all been done alongside his day job, leading the team at Fyne Ales in blazing a path for independent beer in Scotland, driving innovations such as Fynefest – a beer Glastonbury that now attracts 3,000 people each year to the stunning Fyne Ales farm site – and maintaining a dedication to producing quality beers that have stood the test of time. As SIBA’s 2024 Brewers' Brewer of the Year, voted for by his peers, Caroline Nodder was keen to hear more about his extraordinary journey…

Meet the Brewer: Jamie Delap

Brewer’s CV

Name: Jamie Delap

Years in the industry: 15 years

Qualifications: Masters degree Manufacturing & Engineering, Cambridge and MBA in Manufacturing, INSEAD

Career history: 10 year career at Coats textile manufacturers, working his way from the shop floor to European Operations Director, before launching his own manufacturing business, which he sold to join the family business at Fyne Ales in 2009

Current role: MD, Fyne Ales & SIBA Scotland Director

Awards: All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group Brewer of the Year 2024, SIBA Brewers’ Brewer of the Year 2024

What is your background and how did you first get in to brewing?

“I started off actually working in the textiles industry. I spent almost 10 years working for Coats in textiles, knocking around the world, designing, building, and running manufacturing businesses for them. So everything from supervisor on the shop floor during the night shift in Paisley through to European Ops Director responsible for lord knows how many 1,000s of people across 27 different countries. Coats is the leading manufacturer of sewing thread, and number two in zips, which are actually two fascinating industries. I think anything is fascinating, when you dive into the detail and really understand what it takes to be really good at whatever it is you're doing, absolutely so. After that I did my MBA, and then decided I really wanted to work for myself. So I did a management buy in of a couple of manufacturing businesses in the UK and moved most of the manufacturing out to Romania, which I knew well from my Coats life.”

What led to you taking over at Fyne Ales?

“In the 2008/2009 period, there was the financial crisis, so I ended up selling my manufacturing business and then almost at the same time, while that was going through, my dad sadly died. So the business up here Fyne Ales had been started by mum and dad as a bit of a farm diversification project to bring more employment back into the glen up here. My family's had the farm here for 120 years or something. Back in the day, it would have employed loads of shepherds and their families and all their dogs and everything else that went with it. But these days, the estate’s much smaller than it used to be, as it's been split up through the generations, and with the advent of quad bikes, etc, we just have one farm manager now. So this has obviously been a big drop off in the number of people employed up here and mum and dad wanted to build something that really brought some employment and life back into the community. Having cast around various ideas, what was really lacking at that time back in 2001 the ability to get

good beer up here, and so that was what led them to start a small microbrewery. By 2009 when dad died it was still what you might call a bit of a hobby business. It was losing money and I think there were four people employed. My brother and I discussed whether to shoot it gracefully, or try and make something of it. I've always been passionate about manufacturing, but food and drink has also always been my passion outside of work, so I quite wanted to do something in the food and drink space anyway. And then when dad died, I thought OK let’s take a look at this. And we had a nice, good reputation, the beers were decent, and it looked like a good platform to build on. Going out to the States at the time, I was seeing how even huge businesses like Sierra Nevada had started from operations very much the size we were back in 2008. So I thought this was something that we could really make a go of, make a living out of, and turn this into a proper business.”

What is the ethos behind the business?

“The broader ethos and motivation was that we are in a beautiful location up here. It's a glorious place. We employed really nice people, and we employ lots more, very nice people now. So if we are here, with a really nice team of people, we had to do something special and worthwhile. The place deserves it, doing something with integrity for the long term. And then at the same time, there’s the fact that the farm has been in the family for 120 years. So when we built the new brewery, we planted a large broadleaf woodland up above the brewery. And when you're planting woodlands, you’re thinking on a 50 to 80 year timeframe before that woodland’s really going to make an impact. You're used to thinking for the long term. And I really wanted to build a business that would be here for the long term. So the question is, really, how do we create something which might actually stand the test of time? The goal was to create a business that will absolutely be here for the very long time, so we were trying to get our foundations right every step of the journey.”

Continued on page 35

We had just shy of 3,000 people this year for Fyne Fest, just on the fields, literally right beside the brewery.

Meet the Brewer: Jamie Delap

How have you seen the business evolve since then?

“When I came in we had a 10 barrel brew kit we were brewing on two or three times a week. So initially, we really just focused on maximising what we could do with the small brewery. And we got to the stage where we were brewing nine times a week, pretty much every week of the year. That got us up to about 6,000hl coming out of the little brewery. And then beer wise, when mum and dad started the brewery in 2001 it was fairly classic, real ales done well. But when I got involved, one of my very formative trips was going over to the Craft Brewers Conference in the States, and then visiting a lot of the breweries around Northern California - Russian River, Bear Republic, Anderson Valley - and seeing what was going on over there. My takeaway, speaking to a lot of the American brewers, was that what they really respect about Britain is cask ale. So that's our contribution to world brewing heritage. So if we were going to be an authentic British craft brewery, which is very much what we wanted to be, we wanted to marry the best ideas coming out of the craft world with the best of British cask brewing traditions. And that's what we've been trying to do since I joined on the beer side. We have now evolved. Our range very much does feature keg, bottle, mixed fermentation beers - we do very much the full gamut. But the core of the business straddles IPAs on keg and cask done really well. Obviously, Jarl [Fynes’ flagship session blonde ale] is what we're best known for, and that summarised what we are about really, it's a really good cask beer, but its purely Citra hopped so it’s trying to take ideas from both the American craft industry and also building on the British brewing platform.”

How did you come to launch Fyne Fest?

“My focus is to make the best beer we possibly can, and then probably to make this the best destination we can as well. We get an awful lot of people coming to visit us, either just at the taproom, or at Fyne Fest every year. We had just shy of 3,000 people this year for Fyne Fest, just on the fields, literally right beside the brewery. Some of it happens actually up here at the brewery, we do pub quizzes, bingo, and other things in the brewery courtyard, then most of the music stages are down on the field, right beside the brewery. The first one was in 2009 when I joined, and it was much, much smaller. It was literally a marquee in the courtyard testing the idea out. Then it grew progressively from there. The idea behind Fyne Fest was from thinking about what we really enjoyed

about growing up here. And it was sitting around with friends, having a barbecue, drinking beers beside the river - those were the happy days of my childhood. And Fyne Fest was about putting on that kind of experience, but for a lot more people.”

How did you first get involved with SIBA?

“When I first got involved with the brewery, Mum was still on the SIBA Board, so I very much left all SIBA stuff to her. But one of the things that has always been clear to me, right from the get go and that very formative trip out to the Craft Brewers Conference in San Francisco, was the idea that, individually, we all build our businesses, but together, we have to build craft beer as a category and as an industry. We need to work together with everyone else in the industry to actually make the ecosystem a better place, so that we can all thrive better. We had a Scottish Brewers Association, but at that stage, SIBA wasn't very engaged with the Scottish Government. There are a lot of things, licensing etc, which are Scottish based, so initially, I threw my time into that and helping to make that work. To be honest, we never really got very much traction with that. And then SIBA was getting much more involved, not just with Westminster, but with Holyrood and presumably Cardiff as well. Then a vacancy came up on the SIBA Board, and I thought, I’ll see if I can get involved.”

You have been very active on behalf of SIBA members on issues such as the DRS proposals. How did your interest in the political side of SIBA’s work come about?

“Through Covid, I worked with Barry [Watts, SIBA’s Head of Public Affairs & Policy] and James [Calder, then-CEO of SIBA] and the Scottish Government, and we were quite successful in getting more support for Scottish brewers. Scotland actually had a specific scheme to help Scottish brewers that we couldn't achieve anywhere else. So that was my first taste of speaking to ministers and making the case and understanding what you can do. Then when DRS [Deposit Return Scheme] came along, our whole business here we're trying to make as sustainable as we can. I'm absolutely passionate about climate change and about everything to do with sustainability. So when DRS came on the radar, it was both an opportunity and a threat. There's no doubt we're going to all have to make big changes to our lives and our businesses in order to get to net

Continued on page 37

zero. So conceptually, the fact that Scotland was pushing forward with it was a good thing. But it was also quite clear that, while there had been some fairly early consultations on it, people really weren't listening to small businesses. There was an opportunity to deliver a DRS scheme that would really work and make an improvement. But there were also clearly threats that the scheme was designed and controlled by people that only really had big businesses’ - the biggest manufacturers, the biggest retailers - interests at heart. Since I had already started working with Barry on some of the regulatory stuff I was quite happy to pick it up as an interesting challenge. It's good to learn new things. It's good to challenge yourself. And I've never been involved in that kind of space before, so it was good to tackle something different. The biggest win would have been if we had been listened to at an earlier stage, and we'd actually managed to get a successful scheme off the ground. But given that we couldn't achieve that, the fact that it's all now going to happen across the UK at once, and we've got the opportunity to learn the lessons from what Scotland did, then there's the opportunity to do it well and do it right. We were able to avert what, at one stage, would have been really unmanageable for an awful lot of small businesses, and it really would have made a heck of a difference to the range that was available for Scottish consumers. It would have been a disaster for a lot of Scottish independent bottle shops. We really showed that you can't just ignore the interests of small breweries. We are too numerous. We've got a support base that's too deep within the community. And actually, if we mobilise and talk to people, we're a force that can't just be ignored.”

What current challenges do you see facing brewers like yourself?

“For me, it's very much about access to market. There is so much unfair competition in this industry. It is riddled with practices that, frankly, I would say are legally questionable. The way the big brewers compete is designed to make it more difficult for the smaller, independent people to get in. I would say that now, in Scotland anyway, there's not much in the way of cask taps that we can't compete for - mostly the cask market in Scotland is now fairly free because Belhaven, who now produce Caledonian IPA for Heineken, is about the only Scottish macro cask beer that's available. But when it comes to keg taps, it's completely the other way around. I would say that probably around 90% of all keg lines in Scotland are, in one form or another, tied. And there are a multitude of different ways those ties can happen, it’s not just the classic tenanted pub tie, not by any stretch in Scotland, it’s much more about loan agreements. So I really feel that our biggest challenge as an industry now is to actually get a fairer level of competition for everyone. What I want is a fair shout. It's a fair ability to make that proposition because I'm bored of going into bars and restaurants where people have got on their menu where they source all their food from, they've got a really nicely put together wine

Meet the Brewer: Jamie Delap

list, they've got all these fantastic whiskeys, obviously, lots of beautifully put together sets of perfect pour gins and tonics, locally produced rums, etc, and then a pile of macro beer on their keg stand. Well, come on, guys, you're putting effort into everything else, and yet, when it comes to your beer choice, you're perfectly happy to put something on which might be available in Glasgow, but it might equally be exactly the same in Birmingham or Manchester or London, or, frankly, overseas as well. If the consumer was actually allowed to choose, we would be selling a lot more beer than we are. And so that, that, to me, is our biggest challenge.”

Do you see a legislative solution to opening up the market for independent brewers?

“We have had some success, we think, with the legislative process where the new Scottish Pub Code, which is going to be introduced this year, which is specifically for tenanted properties, will give all tenants the right to have at least one line from a small independent brewery - a brand with less than 5,000hl production. When that comes in, that will serve to open up a chink in the market, and so that is a legislative success. That will just be in Scotland, though, but it could be used as a hook. More importantly in all this, I must say that Barry is an absolute powerhouse. And really, when it gets down to the progress that we have made, whether it's on the support for brewers through Covid, the Scottish Pub Code, the work we did on DRS, everything I've been able to do is just contributing around the edges of what Barry's done. He has done a fantastic job.”

How do you think small brewers can better communicate their provenance and values to consumers?

“To succeed in brewing in today’s market, you've got to run a great brewery and make some great beers. Definitely. There's no point in trying to put out substandard beers, there's too much good beer out there. You've also got to run a business. You’ve got to know how much everything is costing, and I am a firm believer that if customers don't want to pay a price that means you can cover all of your costs and a little bit more, they're just telling you quite clearly they don't value your product. So you've got to really know your math and run a good business and make sure that you actually make some money every year. But then that's really where marketing comes in, because what you've got to explain to the customers is why they should value what you're doing and why they should pay you that price. And so I think it's incredibly important we are all able to emphasise strongly why people should buy our beer. If we look at the sort of choices that consumers are making these days, independent beer fits with all of those factors that drive consumer decisions - whether it's in farm shops, the farm to table movement in restaurants, the rise of the likes of Etsy and the craft movement, people wanting to recycle and use vintage, all of these sort of things.

MOVING BEVERAGES FORWARD.

I think craft beer is speaking to a lot of the same emotions people want to buy into, rather than just buying big, faceless brand. So we’ve all got our own different marketing stories, and we've all got to tell them as well as we possibly can. And if you can't tell your story convincingly you're going to really struggle in the current market. So the SIBA Indie Beer mark is potentially, if we can manage to do it well, another method of explaining to consumers, this stuff you say you care about, these are the beers you want to be buying. But I think it's really important we have to explain to consumers why they should care, because if we do that, and then we make it easy for them to make choices informed on that decision about things that they care about, then they should care about buying indie beers because it speaks to them as consumers.”

Is cask ale making a come-back?

“I struggle a bit with everyone talking about cask ale like it's a single product. And that's where I think things like BeerFlex have sort of blindsided us as an industry into thinking of cask beer as a commodity. And the last thing any of us can afford to be doing is making a commodity. Commodities get competed out to the lowest possible price, and the lowest cost producers are the big guys. So we need to totally de-commodify cask beer. Cask beer is not a commodity. It should not be. All these pubs would expect to sell it all at the same price point. Well, you don't sell all your whisky at the same price point. You don’t have all your wines just at a flat £12 pounds, whatever the bottle is. There has to be a little bit of variety. We can't accept commoditisation. We have to create branded products. We have to explain to consumers why they should drink our beer, why they should care about it, and we have to present it in a way that appeals to where the audience actually is. We have to think about the audience that we want, and we have to market to them. And that's down to all of us individually, and we all have different answers to that. I think it is down to us as independents to create compelling offerings that will keep current cask drinkers drinking cask and introduce more people into the category. I think that's an entirely doable challenge. The only people that are going to do it are the small, independent brewers. I really don't think there's any chance that the big guys can do this anymore. Publicans have got a finite amount of lines. That's their most expensive bit of retail space. The question is, how do they earn the most money off each of those keg and cask lines? And our job is to give them products and give them the marketing story that actually persuades them that they're going to sell that beer.”

What are your main goals this year for your business?

“We’ve invested more in people this year. So we've invested in growing

our sales team, invested in marketing and invested in growing expertise more than equipment. As brewers, we always want a bit more shiny stainless steel, but with the market as it is now we have also been investing heavily in systems in order to make our processes work as well as we can, and getting all of that right. For now, my goal is to really try and sweat the assets that we've got as hard as we can before we build up and do the next stage of physical investment. So we're not investing much physically this year. It's more about the people. The banking market for small businesses in this country at the moment is just terrible. It is beyond awful, how bad the banking market is, and what a constraint that puts on growth. And I think it's one of the big differences talking to American friends about how American brewers have been able to grow with their small business loans. SBA loans in the States, which are government backed and relatively easily accessible. You compare that with what's available on the market over here, and the banks just do not have the products for us.”

You were named the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group’s Brewer of the Year for 2024, and also SIBA’s Brewers’ Brewer of the Year this year, as voted for by members. How did it feel winning the double?

“It was lovely. I have to say, I always feel like a fraud. But then it was very, very much appreciated on both sides. It was very kind of both sets of people to decide that I merited that. I think there's a lot of very talented people out there in the industry doing a lot of very good things. But yeah, I'm very, very appreciative if rather humbled. But all of it, even the DRS stuff, I could only have done, because I've got a really, really good team who could actually make the day job work while I'm focused on all of that.”

What do you enjoy most about your current role?

“A bit of variety, I suppose is the thing. I mean, 15 years doing one job is quite a long time to be doing one job. But I think I can only do it because I enjoy all the people that are around me. I'm incredibly lucky. I've got a great team here. Really nice people to work with. I also really enjoy everyone across the industry, almost without exception. And then also, I enjoy the fact that you do get a little bit of opportunity to work with chefs, with other food and drink producers. It's all about that creative drive that's out there. That's the bit that gives me the most positive energy.”

Instrumental

On the eve of publication of his new book, Hidden Beers of Belgium, award-winning author and beer writer Breandán Kearney offers Independent Brewer readers an insight in to how an early career as a concert pianist led Belgian brewer Kloris Devillé to create his beer masterpiece, Cuvée Devillé…

“If your basic yeast is too clean, the Brettanomyces will express itself less.”

— Kloris Devillé, Brouwerij Den Herberg

Breandán Kearney is a writer from Ireland who now lives in Belgium. He is the Editorin-Chief of the website and podcast Belgian Smaak. Breandán has been recognised as Beer Writer of the Year by both the British Guild of Beer Writers and the Irish Guild of Food Writers, and he was named Beverage Columnist of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. He has written for Lonely Planet, National Geographic Traveller (Food), The Brussels Times, and Craft Beer and Brewing.

Like being a musician, brewing requires years of dedication and solitary practice. Yet shared creative endeavours can sometimes be more fulfilling, especially when performed with family.

I.

Allegro

Kloris Devillé always wanted to be a musician. He learned to play his grandmother’s French Pleyel piano, which had taken pride of place in the family home during his childhood.

In 2000, when he was 10 years old, he performed a piano concerto with his brother Akke Devillé, then 13, in the village’s Church of Don Bosco. Piano Concerto No. 10 was the only concerto that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote for two pianos, so that he could play the piece with his sister. The two young Devillé boys tackled it together, just as Mozart had intended with his own family.

While the boys practised, their parents, Bart Devillé and Ann Heremans (a construction worker and a teacher, respectively), attended a brewing course at the COOVI evening school in Anderlecht. Obsessed with the complex character of Orval Trappist Ale – a “wild” amber beer from the Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Orval in Belgium’s Gaume region –they constructed their own 150l homebrew system. The couple longed to sell their beer in their own café, and years later, on 1 February 2007, they finally opened Café Den Herberg in Buizingen.

Propped up against the wall in the middle of this space, amid tall wax candles and large circular tables, was the piano on which Kloris Devillé had learned to play music. Devillé’s brother and his five sisters helped in the bar when they could, but Kloris Devillé was accepted to study music at the Conservatoire Royale de Bruxelles, the most prestigious music school in Belgium. Piano would be his full-time focus for five years, all day, every day. He was going to be a musician.

Continued on page 44

II. Adagio

To fund his years of study at the conservatory, Devillé taught music on the weekends and began picking up shifts at the family café.

In 2008, the Devillés opened a small commercial brewery in a converted garage beside the café. Brouwerij Den Herberg brewed “clean” topfermented ales, including a Blonde Ale, a Witbier, an Amber Ale, and a Brown Ale. Seeing his father and brother brew, Devillé began to take an interest in the production side of the business, and he even attended brewing classes on weekdays after music school.

Devillé’s five years of study paid off. He nailed his final exam in 2012, when he played Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major by Franz Liszt, accompanied by his teacher, the famous Moldovan pianist Mikhaïl Faerman.

But after graduating, it became clear that musicians’ contracts were thin on the ground. Symphony orchestras can require up to 30 violinists and 12 cellists, but only ever need one pianist. In addition, the long days of intense work at the conservatory and the many hours at the evening school had taken their toll. It was “‘teveel hooi op de vork,’ as we say in Flemish,” says Devillé – “too much hay on the fork.” He was tired of studying. He needed a break.

On 1 September 2012, Devillé got on a plane to Australia with his girlfriend, Margo Cammue. They spent the next six months working on raspberry farms, making their way down the east coast from Cairns to Melbourne, on the other side of the world from his family’s café and brewery.

“It was ‘teveel hooi op de vork,’ as we say in Flemish –too much hay on the fork.”

— Kloris Devillé, Brouwerij Den Herberg

III.

Crescendo

Nine months later, Devillé and Cammue returned home. His interest in brewing was still there, so in August 2013, he started working at Brasserie Timmermans in Itterbeek, which claims to be the oldest Lambic brewery in the world. At Timmermans, Devillé learned about complex sugars as opposed to simple ones, and about slow fermentations rather than fast ones.

Back in Buizingen, Devillé’s father Bart and his brother Akke still harboured ambitions to brew a beer inspired by Orval, the Trappist beer fermented with the wild yeast Brettanomyces. But now that Kloris Devillé was gaining a more technical understanding of wild yeasts at Timmermans, they all agreed it was time to work together.

Brettanomyces – “British fungus” – is often seen as a contaminant in beer, the characteristics it imparts considered unwelcome “off-flavours". But the Devillés knew that, used as a “conditioning” yeast in combination with the right primary yeast, Brettanomyces could offer complex character, ranging from pineapple or apricot notes to more “interesting” flavours with barnyard or leather nuances.

Devillé and his family chose a characterful Saccharomyces yeast strain for primary fermentation of their new beer. The idea was that the fruity esters this yeast would produce – compounds such as isoamyl acetate (banana and peardrop), ethyl caprylate (apple), and phenylethyl acetate (roses, honey) – would help the Brettanomyces to create new, more complex flavours over time. “If your basic yeast is too clean, the Brettanomyces will express itself less,” says Devillé.

But Brettanomyces is slow-acting and difficult to manage. The more sugars it eats, the more carbon dioxide it produces. The Devillés endured a frustrating period of trial and error, finding themselves with overcarbonated bottles which poured with ice-cream-like foam. They also had to be more diligent when cleaning tanks, the risk being that a small infection of Brettanomyces would render all their other beers “wild,” and virtually impossible to package and sell.

After much tinkering and experimentation, the Devillés finally had a malty, fruity, and spicy Pale Ale conditioned with a wild yeast. They had created it together, as a family, working side by side. Before they could bring it to market, however, the beer needed a name.

Brouwerij

Den Herberg: Cuvée Devillé

A Belgian Pale Ale that progresses like a piano concerto: from the introductory, creamy mouthfeel to the soft, malty middle section, and a flurry of fermentation notes in the finish.

Brett Pale Ale - 6.2% ABV

Ingredients:

Water: Buizingen municipal water

Grain: Pilsner malt, Pale Ale malt, Munich malt, Light Caramalt

Hops: East Kent Goldings, Hallertauer Mittelfrüher

Yeast: Ester-forward Belgian ale yeast and a blend of Brettanomyces strains for conditioning

Sugar: Dark candi sugar

Specs:

IBU: 36

EBC: 2

Recommended food pairing:

Pork cheeks stewed in a tomato and Cuvée Devillé sauce

About the brewery:

Founded: 2008

Brew capacity: 18hl

Annual production: 1,800hl

Other beers produced by the brewery:

Herberg Blond (Belgian Blonde Ale, 5.5% ABV)

Herberg Tarwe (Witbier, 5% ABV)

Herberg Tripel (Tripel, 8% ABV)

Herberg Bruin (Belgian Dark Strong Ale, 9% ABV)

Oude Geuze Devillé (Oude Geuze, 6.7% ABV)

IV. Coda

The word cuvée derives from the French word cuve, meaning vat or tank, often used to refer to the best grape juice of a pressing or a batch of particularly high quality. In beer, it’s generally used for the most desirable product from a brewery. The Devillés knew the Brouwerij Den Herberg was their best beer. But they didn’t know whether the Belgian public would agree.

The family presented the Cuvee Devillé for the first time publicly at the 2014 Zythos Bierfestival in Leuven. Word quickly spread around the event venue that a small family brewery from the Pajottenland was pouring an “Orval clone”. Queues began forming at their stall. “We were surprised by the reaction,” says Devillé.

Cuvée Devillé gave the family the confidence to pursue beers of even wilder character. In 2020, they released their first Oude Geuze, a blend of one-, two-, and three-year-old spontaneously fermented Lambics.

Kloris Devillé currently works at the breweries of the John Martin Group, including Timmermans, and now leads a new Lambic project at Bobbi Brewery in Ittre. But he’s also more involved in the Devillé family brewery than ever before. “For me today, the main thing is to continue the family brewery,” he says.

With three beer projects on the go, he doesn’t often get time to play music anymore. But when his sister Fien plays the violin, he sometimes accompanies her on piano. He and Margo now have two young children – Sus, born in 2020, and Pie, born in 2022. When they’re old enough, Devillé would like for them to play his grandmother’s old brown Pleyel piano in the family café, while he enjoys a glass of Cuvée Devillé.

Hidden Beers of Belgium

Hidden Beers of Belgium is one-part guide book to Belgian beer culture, one part beautiful photographic coffee table book, and one part reported narrative on Belgium's lesser-known but most exciting beers.

Writer Breandán Kearney and photographer Ashley Joanna have profiled 24 of the most exciting Belgian beers which you likely never knew existed. Learn how each beer was made and why it tastes the way it does. Get to know the diverse places these beers are from and the fascinating people who make them. Read their inspiring stories and navigate this landscape of hidden beers with tips for where you can try them.

These hidden beers showcase all the reasons that Belgium is the greatest beer nation in the world. Discover them in this book. And then, go out there and find them.

SIBA Independent Brewer x Pellicle Collab

The spirit of collaboration is a hugely positive part of the independent brewing sector, with brewers regularly collaborating with their peers on new beers, and indeed ideas. Collaboration makes both parties stronger, through the exchange of knowledge and ideas, or by opening up new routes to market. It’s in this spirit, that SIBA Independent Brewer has been running this regular feature series in collaboration with the team at Pellicle, a title we have huge admiration for. Each issue of Independent Brewer over the last 12 months has featured a brand-new piece written by one of the regular Pellicle contributors on a brewery that is doing great things, but maybe hasn’t had the coverage that some of its peers are getting. As we publish the last piece in the series here in this issue, the SIBA team would like to thank Matthew Curtis and the team at Pellicle for bringing these hidden gems to life on these pages.

Moonshine and magic

In the final instalment in our collab series, Pellicle contributor Rachel Hendry visits Sheffield’s Abbeydale Brewery to learn more about its strong links to the industrial city around it, and find out what the team there keep in their dungeon…

The entrance to Sheffield’s Abbeydale Brewery is an unassuming one. Hiding behind the hustle and bustle of Abbeydale Road, via one turn and then another, the cream and sky blue exterior provides a warm welcome amongst the grey clouds. My day is just getting started but the brewery is already hours into theirs.

“It’s the variety,” marketing manager Laura Rangely tells me, when I ask what her favourite thing about working with Abbeydale Brewery is. “No two days are ever the same, there’s always something different going on, something new to find out… And at the risk of being really cheesy, it’s a very nice team, the people are a big draw.”

Laura started working at Abbeydale nine years ago as office manager and over time transitioned into her current role of marketing manager.

Rachel Hendry is a writer and hospitality worker based in Sheffield. Her work has featured in The Financial Times, Vittles and Pellicle amongst others.

Places form people, after all, and there may not have been an Abbeydale if it wasn’t for the industrial influence of Sheffield

“We’re all encouraged to pursue and develop areas that we are interested in and can see there is a business need for,” Laura tells me and I think how much better the world may be if other businesses followed suit. Seeing there was space for Abbeydale to engage with its local community, especially those drinking the beer outside of direct trade, Laura turned her attention to building and developing what is now a strong online and in person presence for the brewery.

“We’re very much a Sheffield business,” Laura tells me. “We are a part of this community.”

Places form people, after all, and there may not have been an Abbeydale if it wasn’t for the industrial influence of Sheffield. Founded in 1996 - the brewery celebrated its 28th birthday in August - by Patrick Morton and his father Hugh, the Mortons had previously worked together manufacturing scissors as part of their family business situated on West Street. Industries change and workers adapt, however, and Patrick, having trained in Chemistry at Sheffield University and wanting to combine this knowledge with his industrial heritage, turned his attention to brewing with the help of Hugh, and Abbeydale Brewery was born. Patrick now owns the business with his wife Sue, an academic specialising in computing - as a result, learning and development is a huge part of Abbeydale and all of the team, regardless of department, have their IBD General Certificate in Brewing.

Continued on page 49

SIBA Independent Brewer x Pellicle Collab

Soft, smooth and packed with aromatic notes of lemon zest and ruby grapefruit, Moonshine currently makes for over half of the brewery’s production.

Whilst Absolution - an easy drinking golden ale - was the first beer Abbeydale released in cask, it is Moonshine - a classic pale ale hopped with a medley of Willamette, Delta, Citra, Chinook and Centennialthat quickly established itself as not just Abbeydale’s flagship beer, but as a Sheffield icon in itself. Soft, smooth and packed with aromatic notes of lemon zest and ruby grapefruit, Moonshine currently makes for over half of the brewery’s production.

“Sheffield is quite unique in that it has a historical trend for drinking pale beer… Traditional pubs elsewhere sell golden ale and bitter and Sheffield has never really done that. When the brewery was set up it was intended to brew the beer that Pat Morton wanted to drink, which was more hop forward.” Laura tells me when I ask about the inspiration for Moonshine, a beer she describes as a “drinkable, American-hopped, pale. The kind of thing you want to go to the pub and have a pint of and when you’re done think, ooh I’ll have another of those”.

Abbeydale is not just a Sheffield brewery, but a cask one at that. Although that is slowly changing. Robin Baker is Abbeydale’s export manager and he tells me that in 2016, 20 years into the business, cask made up 96.7% of the brewery’s sales with keg making up the other 3.3%. However, four years later, at the height of 2020’s Covid pandemic, sales of cask dropped from almost the entire output of the brewery to just two thirds - 66.5%. Keg sales rose to 10% and then cans, something not previously part of Abbeydale’s output, were quickly introduced to form 17.2%, with mini keg making up the final 6.3%.

“We lost a bit of volume so we replaced the revenue with the cans, but not all the volume,” Robin tells me when I ask about the pivot in packaging amidst the effects of the pandemic.

“Everything we’ve done has always grown organically but Covid meant it wasn’t organic anymore it was an absolute necessity,” Laura adds. Now, four years on, sales are starting to settle again but cans remain a core part of Abbeydale’s offering, coming in at 6.8% of sales. Cask has now worked back up to 77.5% and keg sales make up the rest. But the effects of Covid didn’t stop there.

Continued on page

PVPP/SILICA GELS • ENZYMES ANTI FOAMS • ANTI- OXIDANTS

Unfortunately, The Devonshire Cat - an Abbeydale Brewery pub situated on Wellington Street, Sheffield - did not reopen after the first lockdown ended in 2020. However, The Rising Sun - a previous University of Sheffield Students' Union in Nether Green that Abbeydale took over in 2005 - still proudly represents the brewery.

The ceilings are high at The Rising Sun, light pours in through the many windows and I am greeted by a line-up of Abbeydale’s finest. I opt for a half pint of Daily Bread, a 3.8% take on a Best Bitter, brewed with the regular drinkers of The Rising Sun in mind. It tastes of smooth, orange scented caramel and thick slices of malt loaf and pairs perfectly with a Heresy battered fish finger sandwich and a saffron aioli spiked nduja scotch egg.

The beers are delicious, but I find myself drawn to one of their more intriguing offerings, a Sparkling Hop Water made with Nelson Sauvin.

“We started making that last year,” Laura tells me. “It was important to us that we were producing something that was genuinely, completely free of alcohol. We did a lot of research and investigation into alcohol free beer but because of the equipment required, it would have been a long-term route for us to go down and we [wanted it to be something] that tasted as good as the rest of our alcohol-containing beers.”

The solution was their sparkling hopped water, influenced and inspired by their friends and peers in the US, proudly alcohol free. It tastes wonderfully refreshing, teeming with lime zest and elderflower, aromatic muscat grapes and perfumed blood orange, ripe peaches and juicy pomelo. The amount of thought and care that has gone into it is immediately apparent. And that can be said for all of Abbeydale’s offerings.

As I continue to peruse through the incredible range of beers Abbeydale has on offer my eyes catch on what is referred to as their “Travel Poster Series”. With artwork by designer James Murphy, the aesthetics of the series are inspired by the locations of the breweries Abbeydale has collaborated with, acting as a homage to the mid-twentieth century branding of the British Railway. The poster for Fall For The Lakes, for

example - a transatlantic pale ale brewed for cask alongside Cumbria’s Fell Brewery - depicts the vast and calming blue waters of the Lake District cutting through the verdant green countryside.

“For this range, we wanted to develop a very distinct and visually appealing look that echoed our belief that cask beer is something to be treasured and is a vitally important part of our history and heritage - in the same way that travel posters celebrate our diverse and beautiful country,” James tells me when I ask about the design process for the series.

“The aim of the designs within this range is to connect the drinker with the breweries' locations and extract inspiration from and transport the drinker to that place, with a perfectly poured cask beer in hand.”

Whilst cask is at the very core of Abbeydale, at the other end of their spectrum you can find Funk Dungeon. Led by head brewer Jim Rangely, Funk Dungeon acts as a showcase for the wonders of mixed fermentation.

“We’re all encouraged to have creative input here and one thing that Jim really liked drinking was saisons and mixed fermentation drinks,” Laura tells me. “We used to have a series called the signature series where any member of staff could put forward a recipe and we would make it happen and Jim wanted his to be a sour.”

The result was a mango kettle sour, named Rango Mango and brewed in 2016, that sold incredibly well. Jim squirrelled away a portion of the brew into barrels to see how they developed and his fermentations grew from there. Funk Dungeon is now an established arc of Abbeydale, and the current offering includes a Bretted Best Bitter made in collaboration with Manchester’s Balance Brewery and a Blood Orange Sour made with leftover Sicilian Moro fruit from Locksley, a Sheffield based gin distillery. The growth and success of Funk Dungeon is a reflection of what can happen when a business trusts the instincts and tastes of their staff.

The Bretted Best Bitter pours a beautiful copper. It tastes like a really good whisky marmalade slathered onto soda bread, fragrant with ruby grapefruit and preserved lemons. It’s bold and it’s playful and when I finish my glass I immediately want another. That’s the Abbeydale effect for you.

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WPA Pinfold’s Myles Pinfold examines the qualities that make a beer truly independent, and how brewers can best communicate them to the consumer…

In any blind taste test the vast majority of drinkers would fail to distinguish any one beer brand from the other, except perhaps in the case of the likes of Guinness and Old Peculier. Never mind accurately recognising the different beer styles (there are over a hundred) apart from those on the more extremes of the taste spectrum – for example, how do you tell the difference between a hoppy pale and an IPA?

What makes a difference is branding, it identifies your beer and, when properly managed, gives a compelling reason for the consumer to choose your product in preference to the competition. In particular, branding has been embraced by the brewers that grew out of the craft beer revolution, they disrupted the beer sector and created demand for a whole new diverse range of styles and flavours.

Moreover, they created provocative brands and used design to position their beers in the high-end sector, convincing consumers to pay more for less. This new generation of brewers were small, independent and challenged the status quo of the big brewers, discovering a multitude of beer styles in the process.

However, now the market is normalising and settling back to some of its old ways (continental beers and Guinness are in fashion), where does the independent brewer stand in this evolving market?

Craft brewers are fast losing their status as the darlings of the beer sector and the pioneers of all that is ‘craft’, the market is moving on – sessionable beers are popular again; the big brewers (and multiples) are flexing their economies of scale; and cask ale, this unique

The meaning of independence

In order to survive and thrive in today’s evolving beer market, independent brewers need to play to their strengths, being smaller means flexibility in their ability to quickly adapt to consumer preferences and provide variety

phenomena of the UK beer market, is being rediscovered by a new generation of brewers and drinkers.

What does independence mean to today’s brewer and, more importantly, to today’s drinker? If you reference the wider meaning of independence, in the USA, which is where the craft beer revolution started, the United States Declaration of Independence was about the basic ideas: ‘that God made all men equal and gave them the rights of life, liberty and independence’. Would that this sentiment could be applied by the many to the beer industry too, men and women alike.

The challenge for the independents is that their place in consumers’ eyes has been eroded in recent years; many of the brand smart brewers have created clearly distinctive identities and outstanding market positions, and have managed to capitalise on their investment by being acquired by the bigger players. Whilst several of those that have followed the ‘arty’ approach to their branding have tended to disappear down a rabbit hole of confusion, losing sight of their differentiating independent values - on bar and on shelf they have now become indistinguishable.

In order to survive and thrive in today’s evolving beer market, independent brewers

Supplier Viewpoint

need to play to their strengths, being smaller means flexibility in their ability to quickly adapt to consumer preferences and provide variety – flexibility is something that the larger brewers lack. There is also a propensity for consumers to prioritise locally based producers, with surveys both in the States and the UK stating that beer drinkers preferred to support their local independent brewery. These brewers need to make intelligent use of their branding to differentiate their beers in the overcrowded market (there are still almost 2,000 brewers in the UK alone). They need to zig when the market is zagging and focus on their individual identities and ensure that they are aligned to the consumers that really matter, this can be achieved by creating compelling propositions and positionings that are engaging and place value on their unique assets.

Being independent is a state of mind, an attitude, it’s about having a unique voice and personality that stands out and resonates. Take BrewDog for example, love them or hate them, they have built a beer dynasty around being a challenger brand in the face of the big brewers and standing up for independence. They have done it their way, you need to do it your own individual way. Your product is all about your brewing prowess, whilst your brand channels your passion and personality and makes the meaningful case for your independence – it makes the difference between success and failure.

Be brave, be different, be outstanding… Myles Pinfold is a brand and strategy director at WPA Pinfold, he has an indepth insight into the world of drinks branding and writes extensively about it, and is a citizen of Nowhere Kitchen and Brewery. Find out more at www.wpa-pinfold.co.uk

Beer and food matching masterclass with the American Brewers Association

SIBA resident Beer Sommelier Neil Walker on the BA’s annual beer matching dinner at Brat @ Climpson’s Arch in London Fields, London.

The Brewers Association’s Executive Chef Adam Dulye is one of the leading experts in beer and food matching globally, and the annual event run by the BA is always hugely enjoyable and inspiring, seeing a collaboration between him and a London restaurant and chef.

This year it was Brat in Climpson’s Arch, one of London’s most exciting restaurants featuring a menu focusing on open-flame cooking and modern, delicious cooking. Their collaboration with the BA focused on fermentation, with fermented elements across each of the dishes paired with a great list of super-fresh American independent craft beers.

“This menu is a culmination of two restaurant groups from the US and the UK spearheaded by Chefs Mara King & Song Soo Kim who are global leaders in the world of fermentation. Built from fermentation techniques and ingredients from across all restaurants, the menu brings fermented flavours together to demonstrate how they can complement and elevate the flavours of American craft beer. It will explore the flavour highlights of fermentation from spice to salt, sweet to tangy and to fermentation’s ultimate by-product, alcohol. The flavours of each dish are designed with the respective American craft beer in mind, building to a peak with the squab and finishing gently with a lightly sour beer and ice cream,” said the Brewers Association’s Executive Chef Adam Dulye We were greeted upon entry with Rahr Texas Red, an amber American lager using Tettnang hops, that was wonderfully bright and aromatic. A great beer to waken up your tastebuds.

This menu is a culmination of two restaurant groups from the US and the UK spearheaded by Chefs Mara King & Song Soo Kim who are global leaders in the world of fermentation.

The Amuse Bouche was a delicious sourdough served with cultured butter, radish and fresno sriracha – the incredibly fruity fresno chilli peppers bringing a brightness to the dish and a touch of heat which worked really well with the Rogue Honey Kolsch, brewed with Wildflower honey, subtle floral notes.

The first course was aged beef tartare with fermented Korean gochujang, fermented inhouse using leftover sourdough to create a chilli paste with huge umami and subtle spice. The beef was simply served with salted fried potato crisps and cured egg yolk, paired with Paradox Pils, a bright Czech inspired pilsner with a range of Noble hops. Bright, peppery and with a good malt backbone it worked incredibly well with the spiced beef and was one of my favourite pairings of the meal.

The second course featured the always enjoyable Allagash White, a Belgian style witbier brewed with oats, malted wheat and unmalted raw wheat spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel. This was paired with Konbu cured fish with fresh and aged daikon radish with an enriched stock called brodo and apricot kosho. It was a really interesting pairing and the refreshing character of the beer helped with

what was quite a salty dish, featuring sea water and cured fish served sashimi style.

The main course was roasted Squab (young pigeon), rice and pickles, served with homemade Worcestershire sauce and Koda farms rice. The squab had been dry rubbed, deep fried, then rubbed again, stuffed with herbs and finished in Brat’s wood fired oven.

The charred and rich flavour of the pigeon balanced really nicely with the Alpine Duet, a West coast style IPA brewed with Simcoe and Amarillo hops. The intensely flavoured pigeon stood up really well to a beer that was really bold and punchy – not an easy thing to achieve and a highlight of the meal.

Dessert came in the form of Japanese amazake ice cream, fruit and a ‘chocolate’ created with fermented roasted barley which set on top of the ice cream and really did taste like a combination of chocolate and roasted grain. Really unusual and surprisingly delicious! This was paired with Virginia Beer Co. Lovey Dove, a stone fruit sour beer featuring peach, apricot and mango – finishing the meal with a perfect pairing that was fresh and clean, without being overly sour.

© All images The American Brewers Association Planning a beer pairing event or want to upgrade the beer suggestions on your menu? Neil would be happy to help. Drop him a line on neil.walker@siba.co.uk

Neil Walker Head of Comms & Marketing

Mind the Gap

It’s not every day that a small independent brewery in a historic rural hamlet just next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland makes it into the headlines of the New York Times. But that is exactly what happened last year when Twice Brewed Brewing Co found itself at the centre of the media storm over the felling of the iconic tree at the nearby Sycamore Gap. As the nearest business to the Gap, Head Brewer Matt Brown and his team found themselves besieged by national and international journalists, who had descended on the area to cover the story. Though its connection to the Sycamore Gap is a strong one, with the brewery counting Sycamore Gap pale ale among its range, Twice Brewed is more used to catering to the thousands of tourists who flock to see Hadrian’s Wall each year. The neighbouring pub, which has shared ownership with the brewery, boasts 24 letting rooms and a planetarium and observatory, from which visitors can view the clear skies of the remote national park at night. The area is also steeped in brewing history, with the Romans first recorded as brewing beer within a mile of the brewery almost 2,000 years ago. Independent Brewer’s Editor Caroline Nodder caught up with Matt at the start of September to find out more…

Business Basics

Name: Twice Brewed Brewing Co

Founded: 2017

Location: Hadrian’s Wall, Twice Brewed, Northumberland

Owners: Reuben & Sophie Straker

Annual production (hl): 855

Production split: 50% cask, 33% small pack, 17% keg

Head Brewer: Matt Brown

Total Staff (not including retail): 6

Core beers: Sycamore Gap (Pale Ale), Juno Original (Bohemian Pilsner), Juno Lite (Session Pilsner), Hazy IPA, DDH Pale.

Number of pub/taproom sites: 1

"We're in what I think is the UK's biggest dark skies park and I can see Hadrian’s Wall from the front door. It's the most visited part of the Wall and the most photographed."

When was Twice Brewed founded and how has the business developed since then?

“There's also a pub here up at Twice Brewed, and it got new owners back in 2015. It's always been a beer-focused place, even before there was a brewery here, dating back to the early 2000s they used to serve about seven real ales in the pub site. The brewery has the same owner, but we are run independently to the pub. When we got the new owners, they thought that because we shift so much beer in the pub, it makes sense to make it on site. And because the hamlet we're in is actually called Twice Brewed, it seemed like a great name for a brewery! We've also got things on site, we've got our own water, our own borehole, and we have our own waste management up here with a reed bed filter system. There's also some great brewing history in the area. There's been a pub in the area since at least the mid 1700s and also just a mile away from us, is where the first named brewer in British history was based. His name was Atrectus and he was from Belgium, and he brewed in what was then Roman Vindolanda, which is just a mile down the road from us. And we've got a record of him brewing there in what would have been about AD 89. So nearly 2000 years ago, he was brewing there according to the writing tablets that they have discovered there. With that kind of significant brewing history locally, and with the hamlet’s name, it seemed like the obvious thing to do to set up a brewery. So the brewery was added in 2017, and I was managing the pub next door at the time and began working in the brewery as well as managing the team at the pub. I was essentially doing both roles for a bit, so working in the brewery, and then also on the management

team of the pub. And then in 2019 we had a management restructure, which then allowed me to come into the brewery full time. We are essentially in an extension connected to the pub but we have quite a decent footprint. We’ve got a five barrel kit with flat bottom open top fermenters, so quite traditional.”

What is the ethos behind the business?

“So when we set it up, we knew that the pub would be one of our biggest customers. But it was always the plan to supply other places in the area. The environmental side of things was important from the beginning, there are several reasons why having our own water supply is great. Obviously, water rates, but you also get a nice, consistent water. We don’t have to worry about chlorine, which is great, we just treat our water with salt, which is a fantastic thing. And obviously the final product is about 97% water, so you’ve got to make sure you've got good water going in there. And then with the reed bed filter system, I saw that as a nice perk, it’s more of a natural way of filtering out the waste. The pub next door's also got 24 bedrooms as well, so we haven't even had any issues about putting the chemicals down the drain, because the amount of effluent going down there from having 24 bedrooms means it gets really diluted. It's been seven years now, and the reed beds are nice and healthy. Next door has a restaurant as well and a planetarium and star gazing observatory as well. We're in what I think is the UK's biggest dark skies park and I can see Hadrian’s Wall from the front door. It's the most visited part of the Wall and the most photographed.”

Continued on page 59

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What styles of beer do you focus on?

“It was very much cask-led and traditional stuff, that's where we started from. With the tourist side of the market, obviously they want the more traditional styles, so that's what a lot of the places around here were doing, especially the local pubs and bars, so it’s really hard to get keg into places. Most places, their keg lines are tied to Heineken or Carlsberg, so cask is pretty much the only route into most pubs, especially rural pubs it seems. So we started doing traditional beers, but with a modern twist. But then when I took over as Head Brewer in 2019 that's when we started doing a bit more experimentation. Our first batch of cans we did in 2018, we did 330s and we experimented with that market a bit, and things were going fairly well. We moved to 440s in 2019 and then obviously, Covid hit in 2020 and we thought we'd have to knock a lot of stuff on the head and just try and survive. But for the brewery side of things, Covid actually went really well for us. We adapted really well, and we actually were selling a lot of beer, so we kept on brewing as normal throughout Covid, doing that through online sales. And then that allowed us to do more experimental beers, because that got our product out to more of a national audience. And we've actually found that the more variety of beer we stocked on a web store, the more beer we sold. We did a pick your own pack, and it meant people would come to us and treat us more like a beer shop than other breweries. So that's when we could really push on with our small pack range. Especially some styles that could never be sold on cask locally. Now we do quite a few experimental brews, and we always like to learn stuff and learn different styles. We have also started experimenting with sour beers as well, and a lot of the sours are going down really well.”

You hit the international headlines last year when the Sycamore Gap tree was felled, how did that come about?

“That morning I actually took a different route to work, so I didn't actually drive past it. But Egg [a colleague] did, and he came in and showed me a picture, just a very distant picture of it. I thought it was a joke. I’m a runner, so I stuck on my trainers and ran up there, because it’s only a mile up the road. So I think I was one of the first people to get a closer picture. Then the rest of that week was just mad, because we went from being a brewery to essentially a press office. We're pretty much the closest business to the site. Our main beer we brew, and the first ever beer we brewed, is Sycamore Gap pale ale and we brew it every single week. And between me and Steve who runs the pub we spoke to pretty much every major news outlet. We were in the Spanish press, I was in the New York Times, one of us did Radio 5, one of us did Radio 2 and we did

a couple of tv news interviews too. I did a live interview for Channel 5 News, we had the BBC and ITV in here, and we’ve done interviews for a documentary that’s being made about it all. It was a weird couple of days!”

When did you open your taproom and how has that side of the business developed?

“Since Covid we've added our own little taproom, which is mainly a shop - we do have some draught beers you can sit in and drink, but it is mainly operated as a beer shop, especially over the summer. We have four keg lines in there, and I can put six on if I need to. It’s really about engaging with customers, so they can try the beer before they buy it. We try to have the more experimental beers or the ones you can’t get anywhere else because they’re only made in small batches, on the keg lines. It gives us the opportunity to interact with the customers and show them what new products we’ve got coming out, and really engage with people. The whole idea is that we've been taking people on a journey. I'm just packing up a big, thick, hazy IPA today, if I brewed that four or five years ago and just launched that, I’d definitely have had a terrible reaction to it. But what we're trying to do with some of our customer base is walk them through this journey of going from a lightly hopped traditional beer to a super heavily hopped, big, thick IPA by just taking little steps along the way.”

Do you think ‘big beer’ is too dominant in the UK market?

“It's way too dominant. It frustrates us sometimes that we will approach a local pub and go, ‘Oh, do you want to try our keg pale ale, a hazy pale ale?’ And they just have no interest in it. And then you could see, a couple of weeks later, they're now stocking Camden's hazy pale ale. So it wasn't the fact that you didn't want a hazy pale ale, it was that you didn't want our hazy pale ale. And then people say it's about price point, but it's not. For example Beavertown is not cheap to buy in, but they’ll still buy in Beavertown. My big pet peeve is when you'll see a venue, especially a local independent business, that sources all its food locally. And then you ask them what beer they have on and it’s Peroni and Morretti. And then you've got places arguing those big brands sell better. But they’re not putting the effort in to sell their beer. Obviously, a lot of people go in and they'll see a brand they recognise, and they know it's safe, and they don't want to risk getting a pint they don't like. So I can see why they order a big brand, but you need to engage with the customer, and as long as it's a good product, you can sell any beer to them. It's that engagement with customers, I think a lot of places just aren't doing that.”

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How do you ensure you stand out in such a crowded market?

“I like to think it’s quality and inventiveness. We don't try and cut corners anywhere. We're not brewing for a price point. We're brewing for what tastes the best. So we experiment with new yeasts or new hops or different flavours in our sour beers. I hadn't brewed before working here on the job, so I always like to learn stuff. I like to learn and know how things work. So every time we do a new style, we do our research. When I used to manage pubs, I did a lot of courses in mixology. So I like to know how flavours work together. I think that's definitely helped. I think that people are enticed by our beers, because there's that element of experimentation there, which can be quite fun for customers.”

What are your key goals for the business in 2024 and beyond?

“We want to expand our reach and push on with some more of our core brands into some of the big outlets. We're working on our lager. We've been doing lager for a good five years now. We won some big awards to our lagers, and I've just been chatting with Sainsbury's, and they're interested. They're very much aware of the craft lager scene, which is really good. They're just not quite sure where it fits into their range and how to present it to customers. But I know they're currently working on it, and I know they've onboarded some other smaller breweries who do good craft lager. I know some people actually hate the supermarkets, but there is a positive side to them. There is scope to put pressure on supermarkets to keep stocking beer from independent craft breweries, and maybe not give as much shelf space to people like BrewDog and Beavertown and really focus on genuine craft breweries. It'd be great if they could focus more on regional stuff. So, you know, if you went to Sainsbury's in the North East, it had a different section to Sainsbury's in the South West.”

What do you see as the main challenges for the UK’s independent craft beer sector currently?

“I'd say draught sales are definitely down. We've got around that by increasing our outlets, but with certain outlets that we supply to, we do a house beer for them, and they’ve gone from, say, six nines a week to two. We're still brewing more beer than we did then, because we've increased the amount of outlets we're selling to, but if you look at each individual outlet they’re shifting a lot less. There's definitely less footfall in places, and now the overheads are going up, so their prices go up. And it can be a bit of a vicious circle.”

Where do you get your inspiration from?

“I've done some mixology courses in the past, looking at flavour profiles that go together. So the approach to beer is that you can make a beer taste just like beer, if you wanted to, but you can also use it as a base. So because it's an alcoholic liquid, you can then make it taste like anything you want it to, it depends on how you treat it. There's no reason why it has to taste like a standard beer. So I like to experiment with flavour profiles. We’ve used loads of random stuff in beers. I've done a medieval recipe before. I’ve done a Roman recipe before – we actually did one for 1,900 years of Hadrian’s Wall that we researched with some archeologist friends of mine and was like something that would have been drunk in Vindolanda.”

Who do you most admire in the craft beer sector and why?

“There are loads of great breweries out there. I think anyone who's independent and who is just doing their own thing, I think they're great. Anyone who can still survive in this climate, is doing well, to be honest. But I like do like breweries have a very specific focus. For example, First & Last in Northumberland, their whole thing is around foraging ingredients. I think it's good that people are really testing the water and experimenting, and trying to see where the market's going to go next.”

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lines, shouldn’t you be talking to us?

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Mash Conversion Vessels

Crisp Malt’s Mike Benson offers an overview of the pros and cons of Mash Conversion Vessels – how they work, whether they are right for your brewery and how to integrate them into the brewing process…

Mash Conversion Vessels, or MVCs, convert the starch in the mash into soluble, fermentable sugars. They don’t filter or boil the mash. They simply provide controllable, repeatable conditions for the conversion process.

MCV’s are fitted with sensors, meters, probes and timers all running to a program that replicates the process on every brew. It’s this automation that delivers consistency.

Why would you want one?

For starters, they allow you to have stepped mash without the time and extra vessels to do a decoction mash.

And even if you don’t do a stepped mash, you’ll get improved extract recovery; consistent wort quality; reduced process times; and lower energy use.

Arguments against having one?

The capital costs might be off putting, and when the automation fails, it is, as Mike says, a real headache. However, he still thinks the pros outweigh the cons.

What is an MCV and how do you use it?

It’s a stainless steel vessel with a heating jacket and a multi-speed mixer. You cover the base with foundation liquor, then the mash is introduced via a hydrator, which helps the liquor to catch dust, increasing extract recovery.

The grist and liquor are thoroughly mixed, reducing clumping and oxygen uptake. The mixers are designed to limit shear forces that

could damage the mash, and cause poor filterability. The paddles are large, sometimes offset, and have adjustable rotation speeds –normally ‘slow’ and ‘slower’!

During mashing, the mixer runs slow enough to avoid shear forces and oxygen pickup, but fast enough to keep the mash mixing and the temperature even.

When the grist stops flowing, bang the grist case a few times to make sure it’s empty. The liquor continues to flow for a bit to flush out the hydrator.

Top tip: ensure the grist runs out before the liquor does - otherwise you lose extract and dough balls will form!

Liquor-to-Grist Ratio

Take account of both the foundation and flush liquor volumes when working out the liquor-to-grist ratio. MCVs use a higher ratio (2.9 to 3.2 : 1) compared to mash tuns. This helps increase extract recovery, reduces the viscosity of the mash, counters shear forces and supports filterability.

Higher liquor-to-grist ratios dilutes the enzyme content of the malt.

Another tip: run the mixer eliminate any temperature fluctuations and keep the enzymes in their optimal temperature range. This helps reduce mash stand time.

Temperature

The mashing temperature depends on the malt and general grist composition. For high levels of beta glucans, add a 450 to 500C (1130 to 1220F) step to the mash. But beware: proteolytic enzymes are active at this temperature, and they break down proteins and increase malt modification. This can harm head retention and increase the FAN content, which results in colour pick up. Great head retention on decocted mashes

Supplier Viewpoint

is likely to come from denatured proteins during the boiling step, not the protein rest. Mashing at 350C (950F) or using exogenous beta-glucanase helps get round this.

In reality, most malts are suitable for ‘high temperature’ mashing - over 600C (1400F) so the temperature steps are usually optimised to create a consistent mash. If the strike temperature is a little low, the heating jackets come on and warm the mash. During the mash stand, the mixer runs at its slowest. If the temperature drops below the set point, the heating jackets come on and the mixer speed would increase.

You can have several stand times at several different temperatures on the way up to 720C (161.60F). The large starch granules in malt gelatinise easily at about 600C (1400F) and the smaller ones at over 700C (1580F). If left unconverted, these can cause filtration and attenuation issues. Luckily, alphaamylase is still active at 72°C (161.60F), so problems averted! At the end of the 72°C (161.60F) stand, the next temperature rise fixes the sugar spectrum of the wort.

There’s normally a manual input before that rise - and this is when you would check the mash for conversion using starch.

The final temperature depends on your preferences. 74-750C (165.20-1670F) may extract less tannins from the mash, but 770-780C (170.60-172.40F) will reduce wort viscosity, aiding filtration. If extracting tannins concerns you, think about using some Crisp Clear Choice malt which is tannin-free: it has no proanthocyanidins (flavonoid polyphenols that impart astringency and also form chill haze with proteins in the final beer).

For more information go to www.crispmalt.com

In 2024 all businesses face significant challenges from a wide range of outside influences beyond their ordinary control. The impact of these influences can be particularly felt across the leisure and hospitality industry, and for all SIBA members.

So, how does an industry that relies directly on consumer spending ensure it negates some of those influences?

Industries that rely directly on consumer spending are particularly vulnerable to economic fluctuations, changing consumer preferences, and other external factors that influence consumer behaviour. To mitigate these influences and ensure stability, there are several strategies which could be adopted:

1. Diversification of revenue streams

2. Expanding range of products or services to capture different segments of the market

3. Expand operations to multiple regions or countries can reduce local economic downturns

4. Leveraging technology to balance operations between online and offline sales channels and adapt to changing consumer behaviours

5. Rewards programs to retain customers can provide a more predictable revenue stream

6. Increase customer satisfaction and encourage repeat business by leveraging data to offer personalised experiences

7. Build a strong community around the brand through social media, events, and other initiatives can create a loyal customer base less sensitive to economic fluctuations

8. Maintaining a flexible cost structure, such as using variable cost models or outsourcing, can help more effectively during downturns

The key challenges facing independent brewers

Napthens’ Jamie Allison takes a look at the main challenges facing brewers in 2024 and how they can best prepare for them…

9. Continuously innovating and refreshing the product line can keep the brand relevant and maintain consumer interest, even in challenging times

10. Partnering with other companies, including those in different industries, can open up new revenue streams and reduce dependency on direct consumer spending.

11. Maintain healthy cash reserves can help businesses weather periods of reduced consumer spending

12. Establishing strong relationships with financial institutions and securing lines of credit can provide a safety net during economic downturns

By employing these strategies, sectors, such as this who are reliant on consumer spending, should better navigate economic fluctuations and other external pressures, ensuring greater stability and long-term success. But: not all of the above can be achieved without investment but many can be adopted without incurring huge cost to a brewery.

Property finance

Whether you own or lease a building to carry out your business needs, there are several ways to review this potentially significant financial outlay.

In the current economic climate, it's not uncommon for difficulties and disputes to arise between commercial landlords and tenants, leading to break clauses being activated, forfeiture and increases in rent or mortgage repayments.

Often break clauses can help both parties alleviate stresses on finances, but they can sometimes be missed or forgotten about, leading to potentially sudden changes in property availability.

Meanwhile, forfeiture will only occur when a tenant has usually breached a lease condition or a covenant, so knowing all the finer details

of a lease is vital.

Checking all documentation linked to your business’ property is crucial, and often the reassuring attention to detail can be found with a commercial property solicitor. We also find that invariably, if a landlord wants to sell the property to an occupying tenant, then subject to a proven level of trading, the tenant can borrow money form a bank, for example, to fund a PropCo/OppCo model. It is worth exploring if a landlord wants to sell its asset.

Contracts

All contracts are vital to a business, be they for suppliers of key products, such as hops, equipment, IT, employment and utilities, to customers who purchase your products. Whilst contracts can allow flexibility around market conditions they can, if not set up or scrutinised properly, lead to financial issues through contracts that don’t favour the business.

All contacts should ensure a business’ needs are protected and always supported, and they include:

• Agency and distribution agreements

• Agreements on the sale and purchase of businesses

• Consultancy and subcontractor agreements

• Employment contracts

• Introducer/referral agreements

• Sale and purchase of services and/or goods (suppliers or customers)

• Software licences (including SAAS), IT maintenance and support

• Trading terms and conditions (suppliers or customers)

Diligence around current and new contracts will keep a business moving in the right direction.

Never underestimate the value of a trade mark, be that for a flagship product of beer which nets the greatest sales or whether it is for the brewery’s name where brand equity could be an important factor in selling merchandise.

Licensing conditions

The benefits of selling products onsite can be huge for a business, they can be the lifeblood of some businesses, but with this comes the importance of agreeing and then adhering to the conditions on a premises licence –whether its selling through a taproom, from a designated retail unit on site to sales straight out of the brewery doors.

Our licensing system in the UK is heavily regulated, and within it there is a process called a review, designed to tackle problems, and pull premises back into line or even close them.

This gives authorities, local residents and other businesses the power to bring a premises owner in front of a licensing committee within eight weeks to answer to claims of wrongdoing.

A premises doesn’t have to be a problem for there to be a problem with the licence, but a premises licence holder is under a duty to prevent crime and disorder. Any crime associated with the premises can be tackled through the licence as an alternative to a lengthy court process

Licence holders tend to seek out licensing support services, such as AfterHours from Napthens, after a problem is triggered. This can often highlight compliance issues with

the terms of the licence, exacerbating the problem.

However, prevention is better than cure with licensing, and by carrying out an audit of a premises licence, when everything is going well for the business, can ensure full compliance of the conditions will continue to be met, and a business can trade onsite, secure in the knowledge that outside organisations such as local authorities don’t enforce a review.

New opportunities

Maintaining a business and exploring new opportunities to expand are part and parcel of being a business owner.

But who do you seek advice from and what do you ask to help achieve those goals?

Often it can be the current professional support a business utilises, from accountants, suppliers and solicitors.

They are well placed because they know how a business is being run, where possible savings or additional benefits can be made, and will always want you to succeed.

Employees can also be a good source of advice, as they often see things a business owner doesn’t, from potential new markets or savings time/money of the manufacturing process.

Protect your Intellectual Property (IP)

A business’ IP is what helps make the business what it is. Standing out amongst the crowd to ensure a business maintains sales and brand equity in an often-tough market, gives businesses that competitive edge that’s needed to survive and prosper.

But how do you identify what intellectual property a business may have, and what happens if someone else if profiting on using your IP?

An audit of all your intellectual property will establish what you need to protect, such as trademarks, licensing agreements and trade secrets. Then it’s down to protecting those IP assets.

Brand protection is an ongoing security consideration and if anything looks to contravene a business’ IP, then it’s always best to speak to an IP solicitor, who will review and handle any claims and disputes.

Never underestimate the value of a trade mark, be that for a flagship product of beer which nets the greatest sales or whether it is for the brewery’s name where brand equity could be an important factor in selling merchandise.

A trade mark can give you a competitive advantage in your marketplace or in adding value to the balance sheet’s bottom line.

Napthens LLP is a north west law firm with a specialised leisure sector team dealing with all the legal requirements of clients in the leisure and licensing sector.

With 29 partners and more than 300 colleagues, Napthens is able to provide true strength in depth across a range of services.

The leisure team has particular expertise in licensing (through AfterHours), commercial property, corporate, employment and dispute resolution

Whether a pub chain, brewery, micro-brewery, hotel, restaurant or pub, the team has experience of working with businesses within our sector, meaning they understand the particular issues facing leisure industry clients and are able to provide proactive, commercially focused advice.

The Napthens SIBA Legal Helpline number is 0845 671 0277

We have produced the most ergonomically designed handle hole that is large enough and fully rolled under to eliminate sharp edges.

A closely welded finger guard keeps fingers from being caught between the chime and keystone. Precision

I recently finished reading The Anchor Brewing Story: America's First Craft Brewery & San Francisco's Original Anchor Steam Beer by David Burkhart. This beautifully illustrated hardback book delves into the enduring history of the brewery and provides fascinating insights into the mindset of Fritz Maytag, often celebrated as the Grandfather of Craft Beer.

Spoiler alert: Throughout the first threequarters of the book, readers are treated to anecdotes highlighting Fritz Maytag’s meticulous attention to detail in ensuring that every facet of Anchor Steam Beer was brewed and marketed to perfection. He engaged renowned designers to create classic, detailed illustrations for the bottles, frequently making minor tweaks but seldom overhauling the iconic branding entirely.

In contrast, the final quarter of the book shifts focus to the post-Maytag years, when the brewery was sold first to The Griffon Group, a private equity firm, in 2010, and then to multinational beverage company Sapporo Holdings in 2017. Sapporo's acquisition marked a new era for Anchor Brewing under international ownership, and the tone of the book reflects this shift. It adopts a somewhat overly optimistic view of the brewery’s future, just before Sapporo’s decision to overhaul the brand, introducing new offerings such as Mango Hazy IPAs and Hard Seltzers.

The most contentious aspect is the rebranding of Anchor’s classic core beers. The book argues that Anchor’s traditional labels were becoming lost amidst colourful, eye-catching designs from competitors. Sapporo’s solution was to adopt a bold, sleek, minimalistic approach, which starkly contrasted with the brewery’s longstanding, distinctive branding.

So, why am I sharing this?

The core question is whether your brand needs a refresh or a complete overhaul.

Evolving your brand identity

Brand and marketing guru Nick Law looks at how to decide if your brand needs a complete re-think, or just a gentle refresh, and how to go about the process most effectively…

Rebranding and brand refreshing are two distinct strategies, each with its own set of advantages and pitfalls. Understanding which approach best suits your situation is crucial for achieving your desired outcome.

Rebranding

Rebranding involves a comprehensive overhaul of your brewery’s identity, potentially including changes to your logo, pump clips, labels, website, and even the business name. While rebranding can revitalise your business and make it stand out in the market, it also comes with significant risks. The process can be costly and may not resonate with your existing customers if not executed carefully. Rebranding requires thorough market research and a strategic plan to ensure that the new identity aligns with your business goals and appeals to your target audience.

For example, the rebrand of Anchor Brewing, while strategically planned, ultimately failed to connect with its loyal customer base who valued the timeless, classic designs. This illustrates the risk of rebranding when it alienates existing customers while trying to attract new ones.

Rebranding involves rethinking every aspect of your brand’s identity, from colour schemes and typography to photography and messaging. To ensure a successful rebrand, it's essential to consider the financial costs, time requirements, and staffing needs. A wellcrafted strategy and timeline are crucial for a cohesive rollout across all platforms.

Brand refresh

In contrast, a brand refresh updates certain elements of your brand to modernise its appearance and messaging while preserving its core identity. This approach is generally less expensive and disruptive than a full rebrand and can keep your brand relevant in a contemporary market without the risks of a complete overhaul. However, a refresh may not address deeper market issues if the

changes are too incremental.

A successful brand refresh requires assessing which elements need updating and ensuring that these changes enhance rather than dilute the brand’s core values. Engaging with customers through surveys, focus groups, or feedback from trusted patrons can provide valuable insights and help gauge the effectiveness of the proposed changes.

A prime example of a successful brand refresh is Starbucks. Over the years, Starbucks has updated its logo and store design to stay current while maintaining its core values of quality coffee and a welcoming atmosphere. The most notable refresh occurred in 2011, when Starbucks simplified its logo by removing the text and focusing solely on the iconic siren image. This change modernised the brand’s look while retaining its connection to its heritage.

When considering a brand refresh or rebrand, it’s vital to first understand the underlying reasons for the change. Are you aiming to attract new customers, address market shifts, or resolve issues with the current brand? Engaging key stakeholders, including employees, customers, and partners, is crucial to ensure buy-in and gather valuable feedback. Developing a detailed plan outlining objectives, timelines, and budgets will help ensure that the brand change aligns with your overall business strategy. Clear and transparent communication is essential to inform customers and stakeholders about the changes and the reasons behind them. Sometimes, there’s no need to discard everything; a brand refresh can often provide a much-needed update to your brewery’s image without a complete overhaul. However, there are times when a thorough rebranding is necessary. Whether you opt for a refresh or a full rebrand, approaching the process thoughtfully and strategically will help ensure that your brand evolves in a way that truly resonates and drives success.

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

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How Brits socialise is evolving; the types of venues we visit, the time and days we go out, and also the F&B we’re consuming.

According to new research from KAM and futures agency High & Dry, nearly 1-in-5 UK adults have now tried a CBD infused drink (19.4%). A further 28% say they haven’t tried them but would be interested in trying them in the future. The research shows that Brits are becoming increasingly ‘psychotropic-curious’ when it comes to socialising. Of those who take CBD, 1-in-3 take it on a weekly basis.

The research – The Future of Socialising – What’s next for the dry economy?investigates UK adults’ evolving relationship with cannabis (THC and CBD), alcohol and other mood-altering substances and looks at how this might impact the food, drink and hospitality industry.

Feedback from 975 adults (18+) defined as ‘psychotropic-curious’ identified that the reason people use psychotropics (e.g. CBD and THC) actually closely mirror the patterns traditionally associated with alcohol. ‘Helping me to relax’ (70%), relief from anxiety (60%), socialising with friends (58%) and to ‘unwind after a busy day’ (57%) are the main drivers consumers gave for using these mood-altering substances. These substances are currently most likely to be consumed at home (77%), although 64% say people are likely to use them at events (such as gigs, festivals, comedy nights) and 31% in pubs and bars.

Unsurprisingly Generation Z are much more like to have tried CBD infused drinks, with 38% having tried them and 10% consuming regularly, compared with 4% of the national average, but it certainly isn’t unique to this age group, just much more normalised.

Brits are waking up to CBD infused drinks

We know from recent research - in partnership with Lucky Saint - that UK adults are drinking less alcohol, less frequently and that although there are financial drivers, 47% of people say that ‘mental wellness’ is a significant reason for moderating their alcohol in-take. So, this research looks at what the future alternatives to alcohol are likely to be and how they’ll impact the food, drink and hospitality industry and will help businesses navigate this transformative era.

Ten of the biggest alcohol companies in the world already have cannabis investments, for example, Constellation Brands invested in Canopy Growth, a Canadian cannabis producer; Molson Coors Brewing Company partnered with Hydropothecary, a Canadian cannabis producer, to explore opportunities in the non-alcoholic cannabis beverage market; Heineken launched Hi-Fi Hops, a THC-infused beverage available at select medical marijuana dispensaries in California through its American brand Lagunitas. Despite a small number of brands being available in both the off-trade and on-trade, such as TRIP which is now listed in the likes of Sainsbury’s and Stonegate venues, the majority of consumers are purchasing CBD infused drink online either from an online marketplace (28%), direct from the brand (26%) or from an online pharmacist (26%.) Many psychotropic-infused brands have been built online ‘direct to consumer’, including Space Goods, Impossibrew, PerfectTed and Collider.

So what’s the current situation in the UK? According to High & Dry, CBD, derived from cannabis, is legal and widely used in the UK for its therapeutic benefits. The market has seen a surge, with top-selling products

including CBD drinks, oils, capsules, and topical creams. Popular drinks brands like TRIP and Good Rays dominate the market, offering products aimed at overall wellness. Other mood altering substances, including functional mushrooms been used in traditional medicine for centuries. In the UK, their popularity has surged due to their health benefits. Top-selling products include: Space Goods, Dirtea as well as the OG’s of the category Four Signatic and also Mudwtr, from the US. These products are marketed for their immune-boosting and cognitiveenhancing properties. We are also seeing adaptogenic beers, such as Impossibrew and Collider, as well as spirits such as Senita and 3 Spirits, who are really breaking the mold! What has this all got to do with the British brewing industry? 40% of respondents said their alcohol intake reduces when they take these other mood-altering substances leading the report to predict that people will increasing turn away from alcohol and find different ways to relax while socialising. Change is coming so brewers need to understand the potential opportunity and impact now.

The full report is a ‘beginners guide’ to understanding how cannabis (THC and CBD), alcohol and other mood-altering substances might impact the food, drink and hospitality industry and is available free on the KAM Knowledge Hub – www.kaminsight.com/knowledgehub

Katie Jenkins, Marketing & Partnerships Director at KAM, looks at whether British consumers are following their US cousins when it comes to the growing CBD drinks market…

Budweiser Budvar’s recent investigation by the Environment Agency (“EA”), which led to it paying out over £400,000, should be a wakeup call to the brewing industry of the need to ensure compliance with existing packaging producer responsibility requirements, but also to have arrangements in place to comply with new packaging extended producer responsibility requirements.

Existing Packaging Producer Responsibility Requirements

Businesses with annual turnovers of more than £2 million that handle 50 tonnes or more of packaging annually qualify as “producers”. “Handling” includes putting products into packaging, importing packaged products, and selling packaged products to end users. “Packaging” includes anything for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and presentation of goods.

Producers must register with their relevant national environmental regulators and purchase packaging recycling notes (“PRNs”) from accredited waste reprocessors and/or packaging export recycling notes (“PERNs”) from accredited waste exporters. PRNs and PERNs certify that a certain tonnage of packaging waste has been reprocessed or exported for reprocessing. Producers must have PRNs or PERNs evidencing that a tonnage of packaging waste has been reprocessed or exported for reprocessing equivalent to the tonnage of packaging that they have handled. They must then certify to the regulator confirming that they have met their requirements. Producers can comply with their requirements by joining a compliance scheme. It is a criminal offence for producers not to comply with these requirements, for which the maximum penalty is an unlimited fine.

Budweiser Budvar

In the case of Budweiser Budvar, the EA determined that the company should have

Packaging regulations for breweries

Rob Biddlecombe from law firm Brabners looks at how changes to packaging responsibilities affect brewers, and how to avoid being caught out for non-compliance which can be extremely costly…

registered as a producer in 2004, but that it had failed to do so. The company claimed it was unaware of the regulations until the EA stepped in. Rather than prosecute, however, the EA accepted an enforcement undertaking from Budweiser Budvar. An enforcement undertaking is a formal legal agreement whereby the party providing it undertakes to address the effects of their offending (including impacts on third parties) and to ensure compliance in future. Enforcement undertakings generally involve the party providing them paying a sum of money partly based upon the amount of money that they have saved through noncompliance, which is donated to an environmental good cause. Accordingly, Budweiser Budvar paid £414,003.54 to Keep Britain Tidy for use in their Great British Spring Clean campaign. Whilst Budweiser Budvar has avoided the stigma of a criminal conviction, the amount of money that they have paid is not much lower than what they may have expected to pay if a court had imposed a fine.

Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility Requirements

Whereas the existing requirements focus on recycling, packaging extended producer responsibility is being introduced to help finance council collections from street bins and of household waste.

Businesses are obligated under the new requirements if they carry out a packaging activity (for example, placing their own branded packaged goods on the market, putting products into packaging or importing packaged products) and:

• Have a turnover of between £1m and £2m and supply or import more than 25 tonnes of packaging annually; or

• Have a turnover of more than £1m and supply or import between 25 and 50 tonnes of packaging annually.

All obligated businesses are required to record and report the quantity and type of packaging that they supply or import, although the deadlines vary depending on the size of the business.

If a business carries out a packaging activity, has a turnover of more than £2m per annum and supplies or imports more than 50 tonnes of packaging per annum, it will qualify as a “large organisation”. From October 2025, large organisations will be charged for the household packaging that they supply or import based on their reports for 2024. “Household packaging” is defined as primary packaging (for example, a can or bottle containing a drink) and shipment packaging (i.e. packaging added in addition to primary packaging on items which are sold online or by a mail order which are either delivered direct to the purchaser or collected by the purchaser from a shop or other collection point after they have been purchased). In future, the charge will depend on how easy the household packaging is to recycle.

Furthermore, some businesses will be required to supply information (known as “nation data”) about from which UK nation their packaging was supplied and in which UK nation it is discarded.

Takeaways

It is clear from the Budweiser Budvar investigation that many high-profile businesses are not aware of their existing requirements, let alone the new requirements. It should be noted that the new requirements affect a far wider range of businesses than the existing requirements. It is, therefore, incumbent upon businesses in the sector to ensure that they are up to speed with what they are required to do under both the existing and new requirements forthwith. Afterall, as Budweiser Budvar proved, ignorance is no defence.

Brabners can assist you in carrying out a review of your packaging handling to identify whether you are obligated under the existing or the new requirements, and what your obligations are. The team can also assist you in complying with those obligations.

Brabners is a purpose-led, full-service law firm with an extensive track record in acting for multi-site operators in the hospitality and leisure sector. If you need support around any legal matters, talk to Rob by emailing rob.biddlecombe@brabners.com.

Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas looks at the impact of fibre content on beer and how to go about controlling some of its effects…

There is a phrase, ‘a load of old rope’, often used to indicate an item or process of poor quality. Applying this to beer is perhaps a misnomer. Clearly, we wouldn’t wish to taste, or sell, a beer with such connotations but even good beer does have a substantial component of rope - fibre.

Anyone with an eye on nutritional benefits will be aware that fibre is one ingredient we need to increase in our diets but is sadly lacking in many. Typically associated with stewed veg it has less of an association with beer. However, thanks to beer’s heavy cereal input there is good opportunity to enhance its content.

At this point we should note the more occasional, and disconcertingly visual appearance of rope in beer arising from a particularly heavy bacterial contamination. This rope is more of a slime composed of sticky polymers secreted into beer, particularly by lactic acid bacteria. Agitation can then aggregate these together into a string producing a visible thread of translucent goo suspended in the brew. With its associated acid production this is an obvious customer deterrent to your sales and, unless marketed as a novel kombucha, not a positive promotion.

Returning to fibre itself. Here we have the residues of plant digestion from malting and mashing releasing soluble and insoluble polymers into the beer. Most of these arise from plant cell walls, both cereals and hops, and are notably an invisible addition to your product. As such they pass along the brewing production without concern but contributing substantially to viscosity and mouthfeel.

Both of these are relevant to efficiency and character. Viscosity slows the flow of beer requiring more effort to move through pipework. Not, perhaps, an issue with small scale production but more evident with long

High fibre

Anyone with an eye on nutritional benefits will be aware that fibre is one ingredient we need to increase in our diets but is sadly lacking in many. Typically associated with stewed veg it has less of an association with beer.

pipe runs where it will reduce pump efficiency and incur more maintenance costs. Further, and more obvious difficulty with thicker beers arises on filtration as fibre will accumulate on filter surfaces and blind the routes of flow. Frustration all round. Perhaps a necessary burden for a unique beer but inevitably an increased cost.

If your beer requires a low mouthfeel then minimising or reducing fibre content not only contributes to its character but also reduces the viscosity issues noted. Management of ingredients can be a major approach here. Barley and cereals with low fibre are available in the major grist components while supplementation with adjuncts such as rice and maize will reduce the fibre balance further.

Much fibre arises from the husks of cereals so beer from hull-less barley varieties with reduced husk will be less viscous and give better filter life. Pearling barley by shaving away the outer husk will have similar effects and both of these approaches will result in more compact spent grains with less water retention. In contrast though there will be less residue and hull material to filter the mash making lautering less efficient. Installing a mash filter to overcome this has limited potential for small scale production. As we know from so many other initiatives here’s always a balance to any development.

In contrast what of the nutritional benefits of fibre? Does beer contribute to a positive and balanced diet? Can it be enhanced and alleviate

deficiencies elsewhere?

In any such consideration we need to acknowledge the negative impact of alcohol to health and which would alleviate any nutritional benefits. We do though have the increased interest in low and no alcohol beers which have the potential to provide high quality nutrition. Not just fibre but vitamins, minerals but potentially pre and probiotic components.

The benefits of fibre are increasingly recognised – both soluble and insoluble. Polysaccharides, β-glucans and arabinoxylans are major components and known to associate with health benefits. High fibre diets correlate with lower lifestyle diseases including weight gain, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular conditions and even sleep apnoea. Inevitably it is a complex association but an additional and well researched benefit is promotion of bacterial metabolism in the digestive system – pre- biotic stimulation. Growth by these bacteria exclude more harmful species, protecting against disease and producing positive metabolites for the body.

And if beer ingredients aren’t enough the potential for additional contributions are increasingly applied. Adjuncts are a simple inclusion in the mash but also further additions in maturation. Herbs and other botanics inevitably provide opportunity but wood cask maturation will also leach polymers to your brew. The addition of fungal extracts has been promoted extensively in beverages and more recently in beer. Shitake, lion’s mane, oyster and reishi mushrooms are examples and while specific health benefits are as yet unclear at least do provide additional fibre components – as well as good marketing opportunities for promotion. Oyster stout with oyster mushrooms for authenticity perhaps?

For the latest news from Brewlab go to www.brewlab.co.uk or see Supplier News page 97.

Equipment finance

Close

Brothers Brewery Rentals fund specialist equipment used for the drinks industry in the UK and Ireland.

CASE STUDY:

Our

customer

Freedom Brewery doubles capacity with equipment finance

Freedom Brewery doubles capacity with equipment finance

Founded in 1995, Freedom Brewery have a long legacy, as pioneers in creating craft lagers without compromise. They have since grown into one of the largest and most unique independent producers in the UK.

Relocating from London to the Staffordshire countryside in 2004 enabled the brewery to expand and grow but also more importantly utilise the famous Burton water, packed with salts and minerals and perfect for brewing. This was just the start of a sustainable and ethical brewing process where beer is brewed at its own pace, resulting in gentle, naturally carbonated, flavoursome craft lagers.

Now a market leader, they continue to innovate and develop, focusing on growing the reach of the brand.

The challenge

After being bought by a private equity firm in 2015, further expansion and growth was prioritised. With a need to scale up and expand production, accessing funding for new equipment was a primary objective and the team turned to Close Brothers Brewery Rentals for support.

Close Brothers Brewery Rentals has been instrumental in financing and growing the company. Our continued relationship demonstrates the value we see in having a trusted partner.”

Matt Willson, Managing Director | Freedom Brewery

The solution

Our industry specialists worked closely with the key decision makers to develop an equipment finance solution to fund larger brewery tanks allowing them to meet their production goals. Impressed with the expertise and flexibility from the partnership, Freedom Brewery has worked with the team on several expansion projects since.

The pressures of the coronavirus pandemic required the business to shift distribution directly to consumers and increase canning capabilities, diversifying the products and bringing packaging in-house to manage costs. Close Brothers Brewery Rentals were able to fund the additional equipment needed, supporting the transition to greater canning and packaging capabilities.

The result

Since partnering in 2018, Freedom Brewery has doubled their capacity with the support of our specialist funding team. The additional assets purchased has allowed the business to increase off-trade capacity, with opportunities to fulfil large retail contracts, increasing brand awareness.

With continued ambition for the brand in the coming years they will be further innovating and improving efficiency in production, supported by Close Brothers.

Matt Willson, Managing Director at Freedom Brewery, said:

“We can drive forward with our business development safe in the knowledge of ongoing support from Close Brothers, with teams that will engage and understand our motivations and the best ways to achieve success.”

To find out more about our products and services call us today on 01425 485421 or visit closebreweryrentals.co.uk

To find out more about our products and services call us today on 01425 485421 or visit closebreweryrentals.co.uk

DRINKS EQUIPMENT FUNDING SOLUTIONS

DRINKS EQUIPMENT FUNDING SOLUTIONS

Our flexible funding packages are tailored to meet your individual business requirements. We can finance a wide range of assets, from an additional cask washer to the total installation of a new brewery.

Our flexible funding packages are tailored to meet your individual business requirements. We can finance a wide range of assets, from an additional cask washer to the total installation of a new brewery.

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ESTABLISHED 1809

THOMAS FAWCETT & SONS, LTD.

MALTSTERS AND MALT ROASTERS

EASTFIELD LANE CASTLEFORD

TELEPHONES 552460 & 552490

TELEGRAMS “FAWCETTS”, MALTSTERS, CASTLEFORD

Crop Report 2024

REGISTERED IN ENGLAND No. 153755

The weather was once again a major factor in determining the quality and availability of the 2024 harvest. Winter crops went in on time but the subsequent wet winter and early spring resulted in large areas of low lying land being flooded, and winter sown crops rotting underwater. By March, we had had the wettest 18 months on record. A lot of farms tried to reallocate fields to spring crops, in the hope that conditions would dry up in time, providing they could also source sufficient seed. Many of those remaining winter crop fields suffered with bare patches, and farmers struggled to get on the land to apply fertilisers, herbicides, and insecticides at the right times. This had a detrimental effect on yields and there was a noticeable increase in ergot and disease at harvest time. Fortunately most malting barley is grown on lighter land that drains well, and the impact on winter malting barley was not quite as severe as seen with winter feed barley and winter wheat. Harvest started slightly later than last year with the first delivery of Maris Otter barley from Norfolk arriving at store on 22nd July, exactly one week later than in 2023. Most of the Maris Otter samples were low nitrogen and good quality, although farm yields were reduced, and some had to be dressed before going to store. This was quickly followed by other winter malting barley samples from the key growing areas and all the winter malting barley was completed by early August. Samples were low nitrogen, and generally of good quality, although grain size was slightly smaller and levels of screenings (small thin grains) were more apparent due to the lack of sunshine and cooler weather during June and July

The spring crops have been the surprise of the year; with so much rain over winter and early spring, ploughing and drilling was delayed, with some not being completed until the end of April. Despite the shorter growing season, it was remarkable how well the spring crop performed. The cooler weather and frequent showers during May and June gave the perfect conditions for vegetative growth and any fertiliser nitrogen went into the plant rather than the ear. Although farm yields were also down, the resulting early samples of Spring malting barley were low nitrogen and good grain size. As harvest progressed, it became apparent that earlier concerns of a high nitrogen spring barley crop (as per previous years) were unfounded and the premium for low nitrogen barley was eroded. The first spring barley samples arrived together with the last of the winter barley, and movement off farm into stores continued simultaneously. However, there were many areas of England further North and to the East where fields of spring barley were still green, resulting in a prolonged harvest and increasing variability amongst some of the later samples.

As I write this article (early September) the majority of the English barley harvest has been completed. In summary, it was a much better harvest than anyone expected, and we have managed to buy enough quality malting barley, carefully selecting the best earlier samples and moving the barley off farm and drying into store in order to preserve the quality. Everything is hand-evaluated and visually inspected before being approved, and we have secured sufficient quantities of every barley variety (Maris Otter, Golden Promise, Pearl, Halcyon, Laureate, and Craft) we use to make our full range of quality malts, ensuring they will be available throughout 2025 and that all our customers can be re-assured of our commitment to supplying them with the very best malts available.

Brian Hickman Production Director Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd.

Regional Beer Competitions

South East

Overall Champion of the Cask Beer Competition

G GOLD: Longman Brewery Best Bitter 4.0%

S SILVER: The Flower Pots Brewery Cheriton Porter 4.2%

S SILVER: Elusive Brewing Level Up 5.0%

Cask Imperial & Strong Beer

G GOLD - Champion: Wimbledon Brewery XXXK 10.0%

Cask IPA

Sponsored by: Rankin Brothers & Sons

G GOLD - Champion: Elusive Brewing Oregon Trail 5.8%

Cask British Dark Beer

S SILVER: The Five Points Brewing Company Railway Porter 4.8%

B BRONZE: London Brewing Co 100 Oyster 4.6%

B BRONZE: Pilgrim Brewery Saracen 4.5%

Cask British Best Bitter

Sponsored by: Rankin Brothers & Sons

G GOLD - Champion: Sambrooks Brewery Junction 4.5%

S SILVER: The Flower Pots Brewery Limited Goodens Gold 4.8%

Cask Pale Ale

Sponsored by: Crisp Malting Group

G GOLD - Champion: Elusive Brewing Level Up - Level 32: Citra & Centennial 5.0%

S SILVER: Only With Love Brewery Bobson 5.5%

S SILVER: The Park Brewery Ltd Goodnight Pete 5.0%

B BRONZE: Surrey Hills Brewery Gilt Complex 4.6%

B BRONZE: Wantsum Brewery Ltd Hurricane 4.5%

B BRONZE: New River Brewery Isle of Rye 5.2%

Cask Session Dark Beer

G GOLD - Champion: The Flower Pots Brewery Limited Cheriton Porter 4.2%

S SILVER: Windsor and Eton Brewery Sligo Bay - Irish Red 4.0%

B BRONZE: TRIPLE FFF BREWERY Pressed Rat & Warthog 3.8%

Cask British Bitter

Sponsored by: Rankin Brothers & Sons

G OVERALL GOLD - Champion: Long Man Brewery Best Bitter 4.0%

G GOLD: TRIPLE FFF BREWERY ALTON'S PRIDE 3.8%

S SILVER: The Crafty Brewing Co Blind Side 4.0%

S SILVER: Brewhouse & Kitchen Horsham Rock 4.0%

S SILVER: Ramsgate Brewery Seasider 4.3%

S SILVER: New River Brewery Chadwell 4.2%

S SILVER: Wantsum Brewery Ltd Imperium 4.0%

S SILVER: Renegade Brewery Good Old Boy 4%

B BRONZE: London Brewing Co Beer Street 4.0%

B BRONZE: Only With Love Brewery The OG 4.2%

B BRONZE: Iron Pier Brewery Limited Bitter 4.0%

Cask Session Pale Ale

Sponsored by: Rankin Brothers & Sons

G GOLD - Champion: Signature Brew Roadie 4.3%

S SILVER: The Crafty Brewing Co El Dorado 3.9%

B BRONZE: 40FT Brewery Dalston Sunrise 4.4%

B BRONZE: Brewhouse & Kitchen Highbury The Goalscorer 4.0%

B BRONZE: The Flower Pots Brewery Limited Hopton IPA 4.1%

B BRONZE: Burning Sky Brewery Plateau 3.4%

Keg Double, Triple & Imperial IPA (7.5% and over)

G GOLD - Champion: Hand Brew Co Evil 3 11.5%

Keg IPA (5.6% and over)

Sponsored by: Charles Faram

G OVERALL GOLD - Champion: London Brewing Co Beano! 6.0%

G GOLD: Hammerton Brewery Ltd Tank 7 5.6%

S SILVER: The Crafty Brewing Co Distant Horizon 5.6%

B BRONZE: Brewhouse & Kitchen

Southampton The Professor 6.0%

B BRONZE: Hackney Church Brew Co Flip Flop 6.5%

B BRONZE: Elusive Brewing Oregon Trail 5.8%

B BRONZE: 3 Locks Brewery West Coast IPA 6.0%

B BRONZE: Powder Monkey Brewing Co

LTD Explosion IPA 6.0%

Keg Stout & Porter (up to 6.4%)

G GOLD - Champion: Ramsgate Brewery Black Pearl 6.2%

S SILVER: Hackney Church Brew Co Raven 5.4%

B BRONZE: Hammerton Brewery Ltd

Tint 4.3%

Overall Champion of the Keg Beer Competition

Sponsored by Konvoy

G GOLD: Hackney Church Brew Co Halo

S SILVER: The Park Brewery Ltd Amelia

B BRONZE: London Brewing Co Beano!

Keg Premium Lager (4.5 to 6.4%)

G OVERALL GOLD - Champion: Hackney Church Brew Co Halo 5.0%

G GOLD: Pillars Brewery Pillars Helles 4.8%

G GOLD: Sambrook's Brewery Pagoda Pilsner 4.5%

G GOLD: Windsor and Eton Brewery Republika Lager 4.8%

S SILVER: The Park Brewery Ltd 1637 Pils 4.9%

B BRONZE: Wimbledon Brewery Wimbledon Lager 4.8%

B BRONZE: Anspach & Hobday Ansbacher - Premium Lager 5.0%

B BRONZE: Orbit Brewing Ltd Nico Köln Lager 4.8%

Keg Continental Style Beer

G OVERALL GOLD - Champion: Hackney Church Brew Co Sprout 6.6%

S SILVER: Hand Brew Co Sparren 6.0%

B BRONZE: Windsor and Eton Brewery Diablo Rojo 8.4%

Keg Amber, Brown & Red Ales (up to 6.4%)

G GOLD - Champion: Elusive Brewing Level Up - Level 32: Citra & Centennial 5.0%

Keg Pale Ales (4.4 to 5.5%)

G OVERALL GOLD - Champion: Neckstamper Brewing Moon Curser 5.2%

G GOLD: The Park Brewery Ltd Birthday 5.0%

SIBA South West competition winners 2022

G GOLD: Jiddler's Tipple Hop and Cold IPA 5.5%

S SILVER: Signature Brew Backstage IPA 5.2%

S SILVER: Hackney Church Brew Co Renaissance 4.5%

S SILVER: Steam Town Brew Co West Coast IPA 5.4%

S SILVER: East London Brewing Company Ltd. Twist Hazy Pale 4.5%

S SILVER: Burning Sky Brewery Quench 5.2%

B BRONZE: London Brewing Co Gigglemug 4.9%

B BRONZE: Indie Rabble Ltd Mantle 4.5%

B BRONZE: 3 Locks Brewery Hazy IPA 5.5%

Keg Sour & Wild Ale

G OVERALL GOLD - Champion: 40FT Brewery Frankie Gose To Dalston 4.8%

G GOLD: Hackney Church Brew Co Raspberry & Lemon Salt Gose 5.0%

Keg Speciality IPA

G GOLD - Champion: Windsor and Eton Brewery Uprising's Caught By The Fuzz 5.0%

S SILVER: Jiddler's Tipple Juicy Chug IPA 3.8%

B BRONZE: Brewhouse & Kitchen Hoxton Bia 4.5%

Keg Speciality and Flavoured Beer

G GOLD - Champion: Hackney Church Brew Co Agadoo Doo Doo 8.4%

S SILVER: Renegade Brewery Brewski 4.1%

Keg Session Pale Ale (up to 4.4%)

G GOLD - Champion: The Park Brewery Ltd Amelia 4.2%

S SILVER: Brockley Brewery Brockley Session IPA 4.4%

S SILVER: By The Horns Brewing Co. Hopadelic 4.3%

B BRONZE: London Beer Lab QED Session Pale 4.0%

B BRONZE: 3 Locks Brewery Session IPA 4.0%

Keg Session Lager (up

to 4.4%)

G GOLD - Champion: Pillars Brewery Pillars Pilsner 4.0%

S SILVER: Renegade Brewery Renegade Lager 4.1%

S SILVER: Long Man Brewery Long Man Lager 4.0%

S SILVER: Titsey Brewing Co Ltd Innes Lager 4.0%

B BRONZE: The Five Points Brewing Company Five Points Lager 4.1%

B BRONZE: Signature Brew Studio Lager 4.0%

B BRONZE: howling hops double heavy Barley Pop 4.4%

Keg Non-Alcoholic & Low ABV

Hammerton Brewery Ltd ZED 0.5%

North East

Overall Champion of the Keg Beer Competition

Keg Speciality and Flavoured Beer

G GOLD - Champion: Little Critters Brewing Company Vanilla Chinchilla 4.5%

B

5.5%

G

G

S SILVER: Little Critters Brewing Company Head Banger 4.4%

S SILVER: Harrogate Brewing Company Wavey Marms 3.8%

B BRONZE: Triple Point Brewing Cryo 4.2%

B BRONZE: Saltaire Brewery Nectaron 3.9%

B BRONZE: Brass Castle Brewery Ltd Pacer 3.4%

Keg Amber, Brown & Red Ales

(up to 6.4%)

G GOLD - Champion: Wold Top Brewery Headland Red 4.3%

S SILVER: Daleside Brewery Ruby 5.5%

Keg Pale Ales (4.4 to 5.5%)

Sponsored by Sure Purity

G OVERALL GOLD - Champion: SALT Huck A Back 5.5%

G GOLD: Vocation Brewery Ltd Crush Hour 4.6%

S SILVER: True North Brew Co haze 4.5%

S SILVER: Wold Top Brewery Sun Drench 4.5%

B BRONZE: Brew York Coney 4.5%

B BRONZE: Rudgate Brewery Jorvik Blonde 4.6%

B BRONZE: Northern Monk Brewing Co Faith 5.0%

Keg Non-Alcoholic & Low ABV

G GOLD - Champion: Brew York Loris 0.5%

B BRONZE: Twice Brewed Brew House

LLP Tiny European Cars 2.4%

B BRONZE: Northern Monk Brewing Co Holy Faith 0.5%

Keg Continental Style Beer

G GOLD - Champion: Alnwick Brewery Belgian Blonde 5.0%

S SILVER: Twice Brewed Brew House LLP Juno Black 4.7%

Keg Sour & Wild Ale

G GOLD - Champion: Vocation Brewery Ltd Death by Amaretto Sour 4.5%

B BRONZE: Rooster's Brewing Co, Wild Wild Life 7.0%

B BRONZE: The First & Last Brewery Ltd Rhubarbia 4.0%

Keg Session Lager

(up to 4.4%)

G GOLD - Champion: Wold Top Brewery Landmark Lager 4.2%

S SILVER: Brass Castle Brewery Ltd Beowulf 4.2%

S SILVER: Rudgate Brewery HUS 4.0%

B BRONZE: Triple Point Brewing Helles 4.1%

B BRONZE: True North Brew Co sheffield lager 4.0%

Keg British Ales (up to 6.4%)

Sponsored by: Sure Purity

G GOLD - Champion: Alnwick Brewery Alnwick IPA 4.5%

S SILVER: Acorn Brewery Ltd Barnsley Bitter 3.8%

Keg IPA (5.6% and over)

Sponsored by: Charles Faram

G OVERALL GOLD - Champion: Harrogate Brewing Company Iris 6.3%

G GOLD: Hadrian & Border Brewery Northern IPA 5.2%

S SILVER: Bayonet Brewing Millionaires Weekend 6.5%

B BRONZE: Abbeydale Brewery Ltd Voyager 5.6%

B BRONZE: Three Brothers Brewing Company Ltd North East IPA 5.8%

B BRONZE: Northern Monk Brewing Co Heathen 7.2%

B BRONZE: Twice Brewed Brew House LLP Nectaronicon 6.0%

B BRONZE: Full Circle Brew Co Looper 6.4%

Woodforde’s New World Brewing range broadens horizons with Conquest Pilsner

A new range of beers celebrating the rich background of Woodforde’s American-born Head Brewer is proving popular – with its most recent addition unveiled ahead of Oktoberfest.

The New World Brewing range honours Aaron Taubman, who learnt his trade during the US craft beer boom of the 90s and early 2000s. Both Tropical IPA and Hazy IPA were announced as the first additions to the range in spring – before Conquest Pilsner was unveiled in August.

The 4.5% ABV Bavarian lager is brewed using Goldings, Cascade and Summit hops to create a light yet invigorating flavour, balanced with a malty sweetness.

Aaron said: “It’s really exciting to grow our New World Brewing Range with the addition of Conquest Pilsner. The world looks to us here in the UK when it comes to ale, but for lager it really is Bavaria and the Bohemian region which take the biscuit for making incredible beer. That’s why we’ve looked over to our German friends to create a pilsner that’s crisp, fresh and light – the perfect choice for lager lovers.”

Aaron added he has enjoyed developing a craft range for Woodforde’s, although remains steadfast in his support for cask ale.

He said: “New World Brewing isn’t just about American influences – it’s about introducing our customers to new and exciting flavours that they wouldn’t necessarily expect from

Woodforde’s. We remain a proud champion of cask ale and will continue to bring customers their beloved favourites like Wherry and Volt – but we also continue looking for ways to innovate and excite.”

The whole New World Brewing line-up is available to both on-trade and off-trade customers – including a Discovery Pack containing cans of all three beers for those looking to try the entire range.

More information can be found at www.woodfordes.com

Arkell’s brewhouse team celebrates trio of awards

Arkell’s Brewery is celebrating the hard work and dedication of its brew team after scooping a trio of awards in recent competitions.

Haze Pale Ale and Malthouse Craft Lager were awarded Gold and Bronze, respectively, at the SIBA South West Independent Beer Awards, and Kingsdown Ale bottled beer received Gold in the South West Taste of the West Awards.

Haze is the brewery’s first vegan and gluten-free beer, described as a 4% ABV pale ale with a tropical fruit nose and a tropical fruit and mango flavour.

Receiving Gold in the Keg Session Pale Ale category at the SIBA South West Independent Beer Awards, Alex Arkell, Head Brewer said: “It

couldn’t be better feedback on our brand-new beer, straight in with a Gold for its first ever award. We are equally delighted that our Malthouse Craft Lager has been recognised with Bronze in the Keg Session Lager category. It’s a fantastic award for our newly rebranded Malthouse, and reconfirms that the lager is as good as we think it is!”

Malthouse is a 4.2% ABV, handmade, refreshing, characterful English lager, brewed using local barley.

Alex added: “Unlike many lagers, we like to slow ferment Malthouse for up to a month, creating a softer, cleaner flavour with a satisfying fullness in the mouth. After this, rather than pasteurising and cooking the aromas, we gently triple micro filter the beer to lock in the thirstquenching flavour.”

Arkell’s also received an award from The Taste of the West Awards programme, which has been promoting and supporting the South West food and drink industry for over 30 years. They are regarded as a benchmark for excellence across the whole South West region.

Kingsdown Ale, one of the brewery’s long-standing brews, was successful in the Taste of The West product Awards 2024, achieving Gold for the bottled beer. Alex Arkell said: “It’s fantastic to see the hard work of the brew team recognised again. With a combined length of service in the team of over 100 years, they always aim to craft exceptional beers that reflect our heritage and unwavering commitment to quality, while exploring innovative ways to keep up with changing trends. This trio of awards celebrates the culmination of the hard work, passion, and dedication of Arkell’s brew team. Cheers to them!”

Find out more at www.arkells.com

Stroud Brewery’s epic 18th birthday bash celebrates community spirit and the future of pubs

Stroud Brewery’s Malty Story Party, celebrating the brewery’s 18th birthday, was the talk of the town this summer with more than 1,200 people converging on the brewery to drink, dance, eat and merrily celebrate its coming of age!

The three-day free party hosted over 50 bands and performers as a thank you for the fantastic support the brewery has received from Stroud’s community since 2006.

Greg Pilley, the brewery’s founder and MD, was thrilled to have been able to celebrate the brewery’s birthday with the local people he believes are one of the main reasons for its success. With the future of hospitality looking tough, he says pubs have to look to their roots and their community to future-proof themselves and the environment rather than slavishly follow the usual business approach of constant expansion.

“It’s so fantastic to be able to give something back after all these years. This party is a thankyou for people’s past support, and we hope they’ll feel they can support us for another 18 years,” said Greg.

“That support has been crucial for us,” he continued. “The brewery was able to get started and then expand twice thanks to money the local community invested in us. We survived the pandemic because the £114,000 raised by the crowd-funding appeal organised by Stroud’s community which, added to the help from Stroud District Council, Triodos Bank and our landlords, Howard Tenens, kept us afloat.

“Local people’s support through drinking our beer and using the taproom is still as vital as ever as times are very tough for us and hospitality in general. Last year, 508 pubs shut down in the UK because of the current economic situation affecting both the commercial world and the public. We make very little profit, the same as for most hospitality companies, which we have to be very careful running the business.

However, we’re confident we’ll be here in another 18 years as we have plenty to be proud of – our great tasting, organic beer has won nine awards just in this year alone so we’re obviously

Innovation rewarded for Hogs Back Brewery

getting the hang of this brewing lark!”

“If pubs are going to survive, they need to be more than just an ‘altar to beer’. By creating meaningful partnerships within its community, a multitude of opportunities open up for both to not only survive, but thrive and create a better life for everyone. Pubs have always had to evolve and, by re-defining their role to provide a supportive and inclusive space for anyone whatever their background, the future for our pubs – and our communities and environmentwill flourish and prosper.”

For more information go to www.stroudbrewery.co.uk

Product innovation by Surrey based Hogs Back Brewery secured it a new listing with multiple grocer Aldi over the key summer trading period.

The brewer is now listed in four of the UK's top five national grocery retailers, with Aldi selling a new range of cocktail beers brewed by Hogs Back. Inspired by classic cocktails, Passion Fruit Martini, Peach On The Beach and Strawberry Daiquiri are 4% ABV pale ales with a light refreshing flavour.

The cocktail beers were created by the Hogs Back brewing team led by head brewer and deputy MD Miles Chesterman, who said: "Served chilled, these beers capture the essence of summer cocktails enjoyed al fresco on a warm evening, as well as the enjoyment of a well-crafted beer made with awardwinning English Cascade hops grown in our own Hop Garden.

"The off-trade beer sector is as tough as it's ever been for brewers and securing listings is a challenge. Retailers are looking for new products that will add excitement to their beer offer and give them a point of difference with their consumers. The cocktail beers are very different to the ales such as Tongham TEA that we're best known for, so they demonstrate that our ability to reinvent our beers, while still brewing with the best quality ingredients including our own hops."

Find out more at www.hogsback.co.uk

Low Carbon Malt Makes Low Carbon Beer

Titanic Brewery reopens community pub in Lichfield

Titanic Brewery has acquired a much-loved community pub in the heart of Lichfield, and reopened it under a new name in August.

Formerly known as The Pig, the pub is located on Tamworth Street in the centre of Lichfield and becomes Titanic Brewery’s 17th location, going by a brand new name: The Beacon.

The name recognises Lichfield’s Beacon Park, a thriving community space that is also the home to a statue of the captain of the RMS Titanic, Stokeborn Edward John Smith.

“This pub has had various names over the years, and with this new chapter starting in the building’s history, it felt right to give the pub a new name,” said Jonathan Wright, Titanic Brewery’s Head of Retail. “We asked local residents for their thoughts, and overwhelmingly they wanted something that recognised Titanic’s stewardship of the building, but also had a local link. ‘The Beacon’ was the perfect fit.”

The Beacon is Titanic Brewery’s second location in Lichfield, after the brewery opened one of its Bod café bars on the outskirts of the city last July. The opening creates 12 new jobs, and local suppliers will also be used wherever possible.

On the bar are some of Titanic’s most popular beers including Steerage pale ale and Plum Porter. They will be joined by a range of ever-changing beers from guest breweries both local and from further afield.

A selection of wines and spirits is also available, alongside freshly-prepared rolls and other locally-produced bar snacks. There will also be regular live music performances, and there are plans for other events in the coming months.

“In our opinion, pubs play an essential role in keeping communities together and helping them to thrive,” said Titanic Brewery Director Dave Bott. “We are privileged to have the opportunity to re-open the doors of this pub and welcome back local residents and visiting drinkers alike. A Titanic pub is a place where people can come together to enjoy great times with great beer, and we are certain that The Beacon will be no different.”

For more information go to www.titanicbrewery.co.uk

Bays Brewery launches Madgull Lemon Lager

Family-run Bays Brewery in Paignton has added a brand-new beer to its local line-up called Madgull Lemon Lager, a vibrant and refreshing small-batch special inspired by the iconic seagull.

The latest beer offering brewed in the heart of Torbay pairs a punchy citrus flavour with a hint of lime and grapefruit notes aimed at taking drinkers’ tastebuds to new heights.

Taking its name from Torbay’s iconic seagull, the launch of Madgull was perfectly timed for summer, with the lemon lager the perfect accompaniment to sundowner sessions on the beach.

Available in 330ml bottles, the latest beer offering has been described as a “passionate project” by the three brothers who founded Torbay-based Bays Brewery 17 years ago.

Bays Brewery Director, Mark Salmon, said: “As a familyrun brewery that has been crafting beers the Devon way for almost two decades, we’ve always wanted to launch a beer that bottles up our passion for the place we are fortunate enough to call ‘home’.

“And what says Torbay more than the iconic seagull – a winged-resident synonymous with seaside life. Love them or hate them, nothing says ‘summer’ more than a seagull soaring above the shoreline with a stolen chip, and Madgull Lemon Lager shares in its zest for life.”

Throughout 2024, Bays is also supporting a number of top Devon charities with the release of four limited-edition charity beers, all of which aim to give something back to the local community.

For more information see www.baysbrewery.co.uk

L to R: Bays Brewery Head Brewer & Director Will Freeland with Bays Brewery Directors Mark and Peter Salmon.

Sibling Yorkshire coast businesses shortlisted in national farming awards

The team behind Yorkshire coast brewery Wold Top and Yorkshire's first whisky distillery are celebrating after being announced as finalists in the 20th annual Farmers Weekly awards.

Wold Top Brewery and its sister company, Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery, have reached the final of the Diversification of the Year award alongside two other Yorkshire businesses. Both businesses source their barley from the original family farm, Hunmanby Grange, which is also home to the brewery.

Co-founder of both Wold Top and Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery, Tom Mellor, said: "The Farmers Weekly awards is a prestigious awards programme in the agriculture industry, and

we're proud to have been judged finalists in the competitive Diversification sector on account of the partnership between the farm, the brewery and the distillery.

"It's good to know that, irrespective of who wins, the trophy will be coming back to Yorkshire."

Wold Top is run by Mellor's daughter, Kate and husband Alex Balchin, and his other daughter,

Jenni Ashwood, is the marketing director at Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery.

As this magazine went to press, the awards winners were due to be announced at a gala dinner on 3rd October at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Find out more at www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk

Scots ‘brewlyweds’ toast marriage with Innis & Gunn wedding tribute

Two Innis & Gunn superfans, whose romance blossomed following a sliding doors moment working for the brewer at the Edinburgh Festival, celebrated their marriage with a party kitted out by the premium lager brand.

Scots Jonny Coe and Jess Menon tied the knot in front of more than 120 guests in a dream ceremony at the Log Cabin at Ravensheugh in Tyninghame, East Lothian, in July. And the occasion was made extra special by their former employers, with Innis & Gunn donating a bar, decorations, and even personalised beer mats in honour of the pair’s touching origin story.

The couple met in 2015 when working at an Innis & Gunn bar in St Andrew’s Square during the Fringe. Jess was asked to relieve one of the barmen working and join Jonny on the shift. And whilst it wasn't ‘love at first sight’, the pair quickly clicked, leading to a fairytale summer romance that flourished despite the couple living at opposite ends of the M8.

It could all have been so different, however, had Jonny been sent home early by the manager instead of the other barman, James.

Jess said: “It’s wild how it’s all worked out,

and nine years later we are married. It was an unbelievable day, made extra special by the Innis & Gunn bar. It’s mad to think what might have happened had Jonny been sent home instead.

Talk about a sliding doors moment!”

Dougal Sharp, founder of Innis & Gunn, said: “We can’t help but feel partly responsible for Jonny and Jess tying the knot – so it felt only

right we ply them with free beer to help make the big day run smoothly. They both looked resplendent with a glass of Innis & Gunn in hand, and we’re glad to see a boatload of beer was enough to get the party started. Congratulations to the hoppy couple!”

Find out more at www.innisandgunn.com

Brewery and distillery team members Jenni Ashwood, Kate Balchin, David Thompson and Tom Mellor. Photo credit: Jim Varney courtesy of Farmers Weekly.

Harrogate-based brewery, Rooster’s Brewing Co. is celebrating having won three awards at the North East SIBA Keg Competition.

Easy-Going Assassin, the brewery’s session IPA, added to Rooster’s core range at the start of 2024, scooped a gold medal in the Session Pale Ale category at the awards and will now move forward to the National competition to be judged in Liverpool next year. Taking its name from Rooster’s flagship IPA, Baby-Faced Assassin, the scaled down, 4.3% ABV version of the brewery’s most decorated beer is gluten free as well as being vegan friendly in line with the rest of the brewery’s core range.

Tropical Assassin, a fruited version of BabyFaced Assassin and another spin-off added to the brewery’s range in January also came out

on top in the Speciality IPA category. It too will be heading to Merseyside for the judges’ consideration at SIBA’s annual BeerX event in March 2025 and was also voted to be the third best beer in the entire regional competition.

The keg awards for Tropical Assassin mirror the beer’s success at the North East SIBA Cask Competition held in May. Having won gold in its category, one of six awards Rooster’s walked away with on the day, Tropical Assassin picked up overall bronze in the competition and will be judged at the National competition next year.

Speaking of the brewery’s latest awards success, Rooster’s Tom Fozard said: “I’ve always been immensely proud of the success Baby-Faced Assassin has enjoyed across all package types. To have Easy-Going Assassin and Tropical Assassin follow in its footsteps – both bringing home gold medals – is incredibly rewarding. Our team of brewers should feel extremely proud too; the collective consistency in the quality of their work is there for all to see with award wins like these.” Find out more at www.roosters.co.uk

Gosnells of London and Northern Monk of Leeds launch a limited edition mead

Named Northern Wild 005, a new mead from Gosnells and Northern Monk has been brewed without the use of any water, resulting in a nice sweetness coming through from the honey, a bit of acidity and tannin from the blackcurrants, and with everything brought together by the apple to give you something that’s nicely balanced and very drinkable.

Created with a blend of Gosnells Signature Wildflower honey and Northern Wildflower honey, handpicked blackcurrants, blackcurrant puree and fresh apple juice, the 10% ABV brew will be sold on draught at Gosnells Enid Street bar, in 75cl bottles in Northern Monk’s Leeds Brewery and in the brewery’s Manchester Refectory Bar. Gosnells Sales director Cameron McKenzie-Wilde said: “As a Manchester lad, this just feels so right and it’s a real excitement to be working alongside

Northern Monk. This go-getting brewer has inspired us to throw away the rule book. As it’s brewed without water, the brewing team has created a really intense drink with the acidity of the blackcurrants quelled by the honey before the apples help re-balance the whole fruit (skin and all) tannin with a burst of freshness.”

Northern Monk added: “We’re all about collaboration at Northern Monk, working with the most exciting breweries and artists wherever possible. So to work with Gosnells, who are pioneering with their nectars, has been epic. Our Northern Wild series has traditionally focused on Saisons, Wild ales and farmhouse brews, so to work with Gosnells on NW005, where together we have really pushed the use of honey and fruit and ramped everything up into a mead, a style of drink that’s really growing in popularity, has been brilliant."

Find out more at www.gosnells. co.uk and www.northernmonk.com

Suitable for brewers wishing to experiment

An ideal yeast for American- and European-style lagers, as well as the light lager styles of Asia and Australia; and the latest innovative India Pale Lager. Also suitable for adjunct based lagers, and rice lagers.

Apparent attenuation: 78-85%

Fermentation temp: 10-13°C | 50-55°F

Flocculation: High

Alcohol tolerance: 10%

Aroma & Flavour

Crisp brews perfectly clean, well-balanced lager style beers with a dry finish and high drinkability. This yeast ferments efficiently resulting in little to no residual sugars in the beer, giving a crisp, dry finish and a clean aftertaste. It is the perfect yeast for lager brewing aficionados and experimenters.

www.aeb-group.com

Personalisation available Prepare for winter gifting

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020 7737 4040 sales@wbc.co.uk

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Windsor & Eton Brewery wins four medals at SIBA Independent Beer Awards for South East and London

Windsor & Eton Brewery has achieved notable success at the SIBA Independent Beer Awards, winning four medals and bringing its total of awards for this year to a new outstanding record of 17.

Windsor & Eton Brewery's awards this time are:

• Gold Medal for “Caught By the Fuzz” in Special IPA's (Keg)

• Gold Medal for “Republika” in Premium Lagers (Keg)

• Silver Medal for “Sligo Bay” in Cask Session Dark Beers

• Bronze Medal for “Diablo Rojo” in Continental Style Beers (Keg)

Paddy Johnson, Production Director, said: “It’s gratifying to see our beers recognised once again in such a respected competition. Winning across

Milton Brewery hosts its new local MP

The Milton Brewery, Cambridge, recently hosted the new Member of Parliament for Ely and East Cambridgeshire, Charlotte Cane MP.

Charlotte enjoyed a selection of Milton beers and a tour of the premises. The Strangers bar in the Palace of Westminster will also be featuring Milton Pegasus at some time in the near future.

various categories highlights the hard work and skill of our brewing team in the breadth of styles we are known for. Despite being a small brewery, these awards show we are competing at the highest level both in the UK and Internationally. Earlier in the year, we won six awards at the International Beer Awards so we are respected both locally and internationally.”

Santiago Bello, the Head Brewer, said: “Our brewers work incredibly hard to make sure that each beer we make is something we can be proud of. This year we are looking to see the biggest haul of awards yet, and it is so rewarding to know that experts across the industry are recognising the hard work and creativity that goes into every brew. It is especially exciting when a brand new recipe like Sligo Bay receives such acclaim.”

For more information got to www.webrew.co.uk

Tim Cowper, Brewing Director (left), Charlotte Cane MP, Richard Naisby, Managing Director (right)

Innovus Engineering has announced the newest addition to its fully automatic beverage canning line up. The CF35 is a seven head inline machine rated for 2,100 cans per hour, utilising servo driven seaming technology – giving the user full control over seam settings via the touchscreen HMI.

New product launch for Innovus Engineering Croxsons makes changes to management structure

Leading glass packaging company, Croxsons, has recently made changes to its management structure.

Tracey Kendall, formerly business development manager - export, has been appointed as the new warehouse & logistics manager, while Justin Giddings, previously the area sales manager covering the southeast, has taken on the new role of commercial manager.

Tracey, who has been an integral part of Croxsons for the past nine years, will now be responsible for overseeing the logistical operations within the UK. Her new role

As with all Innovus machines, the CF35 is built from all stainless steel for caustic safe CIP; features integrated brite tank pressure monitoring for highly repeatable fill levels to +/- 2ml; and delivers industry leading dissolved oxygen pickup levels of less than 20 ppb. The remote access feature means Innovus engineers can quickly offer insight and advice on fill or seam parameters

if required, as well as monitor service requirements and the general operating health of the machine.

The CF35 is Innovus’ most technologically advanced beverage machine to date, all packed into a compact footprint and starting at just £72,000.

Contact sales@innovusengineering. com for more details

includes managing stock, determining optimal stock levels and understanding client requirements to ensure efficient stock management. The position reports directly to commercial director, George O’Brien. Tracey will still be taking and managing Export enquiries and accounts.

With seven years of service at Croxsons, Justin will be focusing on evaluating and improving the current supply chain to enhance cost efficiency and operational effectiveness, ensuring the company's long-term strategic goals are met. He will also be identifying new initiatives

to drive business growth, while continuing his sales responsibilities in the southeast. He will still report to sales director, Paul McGrane. Croxsons CEO, Tim Croxson, commented on the appointments: “We have an incredible team and are proud of our track record of staff retention. We are pleased that both Tracey and Justin have committed to the Croxsons family and look forward to our continued growth.”

For more information about Croxsons, visit www.croxsons.com

St. Peter’s Brewery elevates beer quality with Anton Paar’s Alcolyzer 1001

St. Peter’s Brewery, renowned for its award-winning beers crafted from the finest East Anglian malt, has further enhanced its brewing process with the integration of Anton Paar’s Alcolyzer 1001.

This state-of-the-art instrument ensures precise and rapid measurements, bringing confidence and consistency to the brewery’s operations.

“Everything we did was roughly accurate before Anton Paar. That’s just confirmed that we weren’t far off in the first place, but it’s given us the confidence that we’re not having any issues

Kemtile helps lay groundwork for Isle of Man’s new brewery

Kemtile, a division of Stonhard, has delivered another ‘single-source’ brewery flooring solution, this time for Odin’s Manx Beer at its brand-new brewery on the Isle of Man.

As part of the brewer’s ambitions to set up a new 1,000-litre facility with four fermenters, a grain store and a cold room, Odin’s Manx Beer required hygienic, hard-wearing and brewerycompliant flooring along with associated drainage. The brewer approached Kemtile to complete the work after seeing the team’s superb results on another craft brewery.

Kemtile carried out a thorough review of the site before starting the works and completed the entire job within the specified two-week period. The first phase of the works saw Blucher stainless steel drainage installed on the site, whilst the second phase involved Kemtile installing the new Stonhard flooring system.

To comply with good hygiene practices, Kemtile installed its own long-standing CoPolymer screed to form the all-important floor

with anything at all. It’s rapid and accurate, and that’s all you need,” said Steve Groves, Head Brewer at St. Peter’s Brewery.

The Alcolyzer 1001 addresses several challenges in the brewing process, particularly in maintaining beer quality. The instrument allows for multiple samples throughout the brewing run, enabling the brewery to monitor the state of fermentation before filtration and packaging. This early detection of potential issues allows for timely adjustments, ensuring the final product meets the highest standards.

“With Anton Paar, we are able to do multiple

samples throughout the run. We can see the state of fermentation of the extracts even before we go to filtration and packaging. We are always pre-warned if there’s an issue, and we can put it back. Because it’s so quick – because it takes so little sample – it’s just perfect,” Groves explains. “The more you sample, the more consistency you have. Because it’s such a rapid, accurate test, it’s no issue. If you get it spot-on at the start, it should follow on right through to the end. It’s totally accurate; there’s nothing better.”

Find out more at www.anton-paar/uk-en/

“falls”, ensuring there will be no standing water on the brewing and FV floors. Following the installation of the Co-Polymer, Stonclad UF was installed. Stonclad UF is a single application, a high-performance polyurethane floor screed which has HACCP accreditation and a matching resin cove detail completed the installation.

Stonclad UF has good impact resistance. Because of its polyurethane chemistry and specially blended hard-wearing aggregates, it provides good slip resistance along with excellent abrasion, thermal shock, thermal cycling and chemical resistance. These characteristics minimise the risk of deterioration from the beer and caustic solutions used extensively in the brewing industry. The solution is also hygienic and easy to clean due to its dense, waterproof, seamless surface. These factors make it an ideal choice for the food and beverage industry.

Storey, Owner of

said: “We couldn’t be more satisfied with Kemtile who provided us with a single-source service, delivering a robust flooring solution and drainage system. Not only did the Kemtile team exceed our expectations with their expertise, but they also showed exceptional flexibility, accommodating our request for a logo into the Stonclad floor, which wasn’t initially planned but Kemtile willingly incorporated it within the works.”

Mike Sleight, Contracts Manager at Kemtile, who led the project, commented: “This project had its unique logistical challenges due to its location on the Isle of Man. But our team led by the ever-reliable Ryan seamlessly completed the project, installing a durable flooring system that we are very proud of and the client loved.” Find out more at www.kemtile.co.uk

Rob

Odin’s Manx Beer,

i-Keg launches new polymer kegs and casks

The team at i-Keg recently announced the availability of an eagerly awaited range of polymer kegs and casks.

Following extensive customer feedback and many months of fine-tuning, i-Keg's tooling arrived in the UK, with their factories commencing production this summer and breweries taking delivery of the first release of the 9g cask and 30l keg with Sankey valve in the following weeks. This was followed by production of a 4.5g cask plus a 20l and 50l keg.

i-Kegs and casks are made from high quality food grade polymer and offer many benefits over traditional steel kegs including being lighter, inter-stackable, reducing noise

pollution, being easier to handle, with robust durability but operating exactly the same.

i-Kegs and casks are also theft-resistant, as they have no scrap value and are less likely to be repurposed for barbecues, firepits, or urinals etc.

i-Keg also offers a unique and world patented internal IoT device, the ‘i-Spear’ suitable for all i-kegs and even existing steel keg fleets.

This device provides never seen before, near real time data insights, assisting breweries in streamlining their total operation including sales targeting and forecasting, grey trade elimination, logistics efficiency , increased keg turn rates, reduced technical services costs and more.

To find out more call freephone 0800 975 0298 or email sales@i-keg.com

Trappist brewery launches new beer in Beatson Clark bottle

The UK’s only Trappist brewery has released a second beer which is now on sale in a bottle designed and manufactured by Beatson Clark.

Mount Saint Bernard Trappist Brewery in Coalville, Leicestershire, has brewed a tasty blond beer to join its internationally renowned Tynt Meadow dark ale – both of which are sold in the 330ml amber beer bottle from Beatson Clark’s standard range.

Trappist beers are traditionally sold in bottles because they undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle, a process that is ideal in glass.

It means the beer matures in flavour for the first three years, and because of the inert nature of glass it can have a much longer shelf life than that if the bottle isn’t opened, something that isn’t possible in other packaging materials such as cans.

“Because of this process, if the bottles are kept in the right conditions – out of UV light, at a consistent room temperature – and the crown and bottle is kept sealed so that no oxygen can get in, the beer will last indefinitely,” explained Peter Grady, Brewery Manager at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey.

“The flavour profile of a Tynt Meadow changes drastically over the course of the first three years and, in our opinion, less so after that. This is why we put three years on the bottle, but it will last much longer than that as it’s packaged in glass.”

Because the bottle is made from amber glass it offers extra protection from the harmful effects of UV light.

“The bottle design is exactly the same – it has already become quite iconic and recognisable,” said Peter. “The only differences in the packaging are minor adjustments to the label and the gold-coloured crowns on top.”

Find out more at www.beatsonclark.co.uk

Brewlab announces change of ownership

Sunderland-based Brewlab, which supports the brewing, distilling and wider drinks industry, has announced a major change in ownership.

Brewlab Ltd has been owned and led by Dr Keith Thomas, a former senior lecturer in Biosciences at Sunderland University, for the last 38 years. It has been a major contributor to the education of brewers and distillers from all over the world, as well as carrying out analysis and projects for drinks businesses of all sizes.

Husband and wife team Phil and Alison Douglas now plan to take up the reigns as Keith stands down from day-to-day involvement in the business. Alison, who has worked alongside Keith for 25 years running the laboratory side of the operation, said: “When Keith approached us about taking on a management buyout, it

was too good an opportunity to miss. Phil and I have over 75 years’ experience in the industry, so we feel we have a great deal of knowledge to train and support brewers, distillers, and anyone else in the drinks industry.”

Keith is not going away totally though, as Phil says: “He is a fountain of knowledge in all aspects of the drinks industry and whilst he is taking a step back, he will still be around as Company Founder to provide help and advice, invaluable to us going forward.”

Simpsons Malt releases 2024 Sustainability Report

Simpsons Malt Limited, the UK’s largest independent malting company, has released its 2024 Sustainability Report.

The annual report offers a background to the fifth-generation, family business and references carbon reduction efforts within its own operations (Scope 1 & 2 emissions) and engagement with the wider supply chain (Scope 3 emissions), with exciting updates on the company’s low-carbon fertiliser and Energy Centre projects.

But, as a Certified B Corporation – for which the company is currently undergoing reverification – sustainability goes beyond environmental, so the report also contains colleague and community updates, as well as feedback about the product quality and customer service it provides both its malting and farming customers.

The Sustainability Report can be read on the company website at www.simpsonmalt.co.uk with some of the headlines from it including:

- An 11% carbon footprint reduction from the 2019 baseline, despite acquiring the W.N. Lindsay Ltd business in 2021

and integrating it into the company’s operations.

- Progress on the Tweed Valley Maltings Energy Centre project, which is set to reduce company-wide Scope 1 & 2 emissions by around 55% when it is operational in 2025.

- Information on how the company is tackling Scope 3 emissions through industry- leading partnerships with two of the world’s leading fertiliser brands – Yara and OCI – on the supply of low-carbon fertilisers.

- The link-up with BASF Agricultural Solutions and use of its Xarvio platform to detail all on-farm management practices which, over time, will build up a comprehensive data set that will enable growers to farm more precisely, efficiently and sustainably.

- The donation of £182,854 to charities and good causes local to the company’s two malting sites and six grain storage sites in 2023.

Alison will continue to run the laboratorybased projects and analysis side of the business whilst Phil will take on the teaching, projects and brewing areas. They look to continue the success of Brewlab whilst exploring new areas such as corporate events, in-house training and developing their own brewing operation under the banner Brewlab Brews, which operates a taproom at Brewlab’s Sunderland headquarters. Find out more at www.brewlab.co.uk

- Certification as a Great Place to Work with a 75% positive response rate.

- An A- rating for Supplier Engagement on Sustainability by the CDP , which is above the global average for food and beverage processing.

- Improved results in Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys across both the Simpsons Malt (68 to 87) and McCreath Simpson & Prentice (21 to 33) divisions of the business.

- Case studies on the development of Growers Groups with The Macallan for malting barley and Chivas Brothers for distilling wheat.

- Details of continued investments across all sites.

If any readers would like to find out additional information on any of the initiatives mentioned in the report, contact bam@simpsonsmalt.co.uk

Hobsons Brewery in Shropshire decided it was time to upgrade its existing bottling line with something faster, but taking up the same space, and chose Enterprise Tondelli to undertake the project.

The project was carried out in two phases with phase one being the installation of a new counter pressure rotary rinser/filler/crowner from Enterprise along with conveyors. The new filler had the same footprint as the old machine, but could produce twice as much. The machine is designed for the craft sector so it is simple to use and easy to maintain. Low oxygen pick up is always important, so the machine has double pre-evacuation to achieve less than 50 ppb.

The Charles Faram Hopwalk® hits the road Enterprise Tondelli completes new project for Hobsons Brewery

More than 360 brewers gathered over six days in September to absorb themselves in the intensity of the 2024 hop harvest and hop innovations.

The HopWalk® On Tour is a brand-new event from Charles Faram, in a completely reimagined, new format that replaced the original flagship two-day event.

Phase two was installed once an additional remote warehouse was built and ready for the new automatic depalletiser, also supplied by Enterprise. The high level all stainless steel machine allows short stack bottles with inverted trays to be depalletised in a very small space. Bottles are automatically discharged at high level, conveyed outside the warehouse, across a pedestrian walkway and then vertically lowered into the bottling room. To lower the bottles from high level to filler a pad type stainless steel

lowerator was also included.

Enterprise Tondelli has been working in the industry since 1977 worldwide, and the Hobsons Brewery project is just one of the latest from Enterprise that has ranged in scope from nitro beer canning, high speed wine bottling, to turn-key beer bottling.

Find out more at www.enterprisetondelli.co.uk

This new format road trip delivered a more intimate experience for those taking part.

Brewers and distributors joined in from the UK and internationally in an increased number of smaller focused groups across two weeks of hop harvesting, fostering a stronger connection between brewers and the sources of their ingredients.

Each day began with a site tour of Charles Faram facilities, taking in information about improvements and processes. Visitors then boarded a coach that whisked them away on a road trip to two Charles Faram member farms.

Brewers were introduced to cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices on the farms and with the Charles Faram Hop Development Programme. At Hawkins Farming, attendees marvelled at the 12-month-old, state-of-the-art picking machine that has revolutionised the process

of hop picking. And at Pridewood Hops, guests saw the very latest in new varieties growing in a secret plot and enjoyed more engineering marvels in the modern kiln.

The HopWalk® on Tour not only highlights the importance of supporting British farmers but also provides brewers with an appreciation for the hops that contribute to their craft.

One attendee said: "It was an incredible opportunity to explore the rich diversity of hops and gain firsthand insights into the latest breeding programmes. The event is more than just an educational experience - it’s an inspiring journey through the hop fields, where we connect with fellow brewers and hop growers to better understand the ingredients that shape our beers.”

Find out more at www.charlesfaram.com

SIBA Gold members

BrewMan

James Gardner james@premiersystems.com

Breww Ltd

James Collier hello@breww.com

Charles Faram

Any of the team sales@charlesfaram.co.uk

Close Brothers Brewery Rentals

Becki Mason Rebecca.Mason@closebrothers.com

Crisp Malting Group

Colin Johnston colin.johnston@crispmalt.com

Kegstar

James Bleakley jamesb@kegstar.com

Loughran Brewers

Select

Digby Fullam marketing@malt.ie

Murphy & Son

Frances Maud frances.maud@murphyandson.co.uk

Napthens LLP

James Allison

James.Allison@napthens.co.uk

Rawlings Group with Vigo

Tom Wood thomaswood@rawlingsbristol.co.uk

Thomas Fawcett & Sons

James Fawcett james@fawcett-maltsters.co.uk

William Croxson & Son Limited Sales Team sales@croxsons.com

SIBA Silver members

Anton Paar Ltd

Tertia Rimell tertia.rimell@anton-paar.com

Beatson Clark Ltd

Charlotte Pike sales@beatsonclark.co.uk

Beer Box Shop

Simon Hulse sales@beerboxshop.co.uk

Core Equipment Ltd

Jonathan Chaplin claire.white@core-equip.com

Festival Glass

Kelsey Cheesbrough sales@festivalglass.co.uk

GEA UK

Micro Can Ltd Canning Lines

Warren Stanley info@microcan.co.uk

Muntons PLC

Vanessa Makings vanessa.makings@muntons.com

Pneumatic Scale Angelus

Tom Bowdige tom.bowdige@bwpackagingsystems.com

Rankin Brothers & Sons

Jim Rankin sales@rankincork.co.uk

Paul Leeman sales.unitedkingdom@gea.com

Glassware Branding

Richard Ross richard.ross@cnc-group.co.uk

IGC Engineering Ltd

Chris Hamlett chrishamlettigc@onetel.com

Konvoy

Christian Barden konvoy@konvoykegs.co.uk

Lallemand Brewing

Andrew Paterson apaterson@lallemand.com

Lemon Top

Creative

Andy Mogg hello@lemontopcreative.com

Rastal GmbH & Co KG

Timo Leukel timo.leukel@rastal.com

Saxon Packaging

Mike Impson mike.impson@smurfitkappa.co.uk

Simpsons Malt

Richard Simpson orderoffice@simpsonsmalt.co.uk

Vale Labels Ltd

John Riches john@valelabels.co.uk

Willis Publicity

Carl Andrews carl@willispublicity.co.uk

Wine Box Company

Marketing Team marketing@wbc.co.uk

LALLEMAND BREWING

SIBA Head Office: 01765 640441

SIBA Team

Andy Slee Chief Executive andy.slee@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

Elle Spencer-Blanchard

Membership Services Administrator elle.spencerblanchard@siba.co.uk

Emma Guneyogullari

Membership Services Assistant emma.guneyogullari@siba.co.uk

Megan Brecken Events & Marketing Officer megan.brecken@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 Richard Naisby

Vice-Chairman of SIBA Anthony Hughes

East

Chair Richard Naisby Milton Brewery (Chair of the Board)

Ian Rydings Leigh on Sea Brewery

Marcus Beecher Elgood & Sons Ltd

John Cussons Ferry Ales Brewery

Midlands

Chair Anneli Baxter Loose Cannon Brewing Co Ltd

Anthony Hughes Lincoln Green Brewing Co Ltd (Vice-Chair of the Board)

Sam Back Attic Brew Co Ltd

Tim Wilkins Bewdley Brewery

North East

Chair Joe Joyce Harrogate Brewing

Ian Fozard Rooster’s Brewery Ltd

Alex Balchin Wold Top Brewery

North West

Ben Croston Fuzzy Duck Brewery

Paul Jones Cloudwater Brew Co

Northern Ireland

Chair William Mayne Bullhouse Brewing Co

Chris Morris Modest Beer Brewing Co

Scotland

Chair Fiona MacEachern Loch Lomond Brewery

Jamie Delap Fyne Ales

Ian McGrath Beath Brewing

South East

Chair Andy Hayward Thames Side Brewery

William Harris Wild Card Brewery

Andy Parker Elusive Brewing Ltd

South West

Chair Paul Arrowsmith Isca Ales Ltd

Alan Collyer The Exeter Brewery

Paul Dimond Branscombe Vale Brewery

Wales

Philip Thomas Bragdy Twt Lol Brewery

Craig Edmunds VOG Brewery

Sara Webber S A Brain & Co

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