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There is no doubt times remain tough out there. News of closures, from people we know, has been a regular source of shock and sadness in recent months.

But speaking to brewers for this issue of the magazine I sense that those that have made it through are beginning, albeit cautiously, to plan more than two to three months ahead, as they have been forced to do during all this turbulence.

It’s also impossible not to be infected with some sense of excitement and hope for the year ahead when someone new arrives on the scene – and indeed for this issue I had the great pleasure of interviewing our new SIBA Chief Executive Andy Slee (see Andy’s first CEO Update for us on page 7 and our Big Interview on pages 36-43). I have known Andy for many years now, and I can tell you that it is impossible to come away from speaking to him without being infected with his enthusiasm and passion for the industry he quite obviously loves.

Likewise at this time of year there is also always a sense of excitement building about BeerX in March, SIBA’s flagship event and a must-attend for anyone working in brewing and beer in the UK (see our BeerX Preview on pages 61-67 for all the highlights to watch out for at this year’s event). BeerX is a fantastic opportunity for me, too, to put faces to the names of the many SIBA Members I speak to over the year, so do come and find me and the Independent Brewer team on our stand near the main entrance to BeerX, or drop me a line at the email address below and we can arrange time to catch up over a beer.

Our keynote speaker at this year’s BeerX is Bob Pease, the CEO of the American Brewers Association, who will be sharing insights from the US market. We bring you a flavour of his presentation in our market insight piece on pages 56-59.

Another positive that we can all take from the post-pandemic world is the way that brewery taprooms have really come into their own when it comes to supporting and nurturing the community around them. Our Guest Columnist this issue is the very talented Emmie Harrison-West, who investigates how taprooms have become even more vital community resources during tough times (see pages 24-25). Elsewhere in this bumper Spring edition we also feature Business Profiles on Five Points (see pages 26-33) and Renegade Brewery (see pages 48-55), businesses in very different parts of the market with really interesting stories to tell. And for our Homebrew in Focus, columnist Andy Parker from Elusive Brewing spoke to Alex Troncoso from Lost and Grounded in Bristol about his seasonal Saison D-Avon beer (see pages 34-35).

Finally, make sure you are maximising the value you get from your SIBA Membership by checking out the Membership Update on pages 22-23 for a round-up of all the benefits available to our members.

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 Summer 2023 edition will be April 28th

Caroline Nodder Editor SIBA Independent Brewer Magazine

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

Published by: Media Alive Limited

Produced on behalf of SIBA by: Media Alive Limited, 2nd Floor, The Red House, 119 Fore Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1AX. T: 01992 505 810

Creative Director: Darren Kefford (darren@wearema.co.uk)

Studio Manager: Jon Hardy (jon@wearema.co.uk)

Advertising Manager: Claire Rooney (claire@wearema.co.uk)

Printed by:

& George Print Group

Cover

Our cover star for this edition is Alana Lim, Shift Lead Brewer at Five Points brewery in London.

We interviewed Five Points Co-Founder Greg Hobbs for our Business Profile feature in this issue, to find out more about his career in beer and the rise of Five Points. Read more on pages 26-33.

News

9-15 SIBA News All the news from SIBA HQ

17 Changes To Beerflex An update on the new improved SIBA distribution scheme

80-87 SIBA Online Regional Bottle & Can Competitions Results from the East, Midlands, North East, North West, Scotland, South East and South West regions

88-97 Brewery News The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK

105-111 Supplier News Updates from SIBA’s Supplier Associate Members

Comment

7 CEO’s Update Our first column from Andy Slee, SIBA’s new Chief Executive

8 Chairman’s Comment Chair Richard Naisby looks at the year ahead

19 The View From Westminster Our regular political update

34-35 Homebrew in Focus Andy Parker from Elusive Brewing looks at how Lost and Grounded in Bristol makes its exceptional seasonal Saison

24-25 Tapping in Emmie Harrison-West explores how taprooms have won the hearts of their communities

46-47 Supplier Viewpoint Warminster’s Robin Appel argues the case for malt

69 Supplier Viewpoint Dominic Smith from Collective Motion Brewing on how to reduce your running costs

78-79 Supplier Viewpoint Gary Robson from Sure Purity looks at the risks presented by the CO2 shortage

77 Technical Focus Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas on brewing in wood

103 Supplier Viewpoint The team at Loughran Brewers Select on what makes a quality hop

Features

22-23 Membership Update Are you making the most of your SIBA benefits

26-33 Business Profile We meet Greg Hobbs, co-founder of Five Points, to find out more about this awardwinning business

36-43 The Big Interview Andy Slee, new to the SIBA Chief Executive role, outlines his plans for the organisation

45 Taproom Focus Featuring Camden's Werewolf Beer

48-55 Business Profile Industry legend Ian Rogers tells us how he’s launched Renegade Brewery from the ashes of the failed West Berkshire business

56-59 Market Insight The Brewers Association’s Lotte Peplow offers an overview of the US craft beer sector in 2023 and the challenges ahead

61-67 BeerX UK Preview A taste of what lies ahead at SIBA’s flagship event in Liverpool

71-75 Business Advice Intellectual property, brand & marketing and consumer insight

98-101 Gold Members Croxsons and Vigo

112 Gold & Silver Members Listing of our key sponsors

Contacts Key SIBA contacts