SIBA Journal Spring 2019 by SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers

ISSUE 112 S P R I N G 2 0 1 9

GOOD THINGS

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FAMILY BUSINESS

EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH

THE SIBA BRITISH CRAFT BEER REPORT THE SIBA BRITISH CRAFT BEER REPORT 2019 THE UK’S INDEPENDENT CRAFT BEER SECTOR IN FOCUS

BEERX UK REVIEW ALL THE 2019 HIGHLIGHTS

SIBA AWARDS

THIS YEAR’S NATIONAL WINNERS

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CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE

EDITOR'S COMMENT

WORDS EMMA INCH PHOTOGRAPHY DOUGLAS BARCLAY

WELCOME

TO THE BUMPER BEERX UK ISSUE OF THE SIBA JOURNAL! I am fresh off the train back from Liverpool after an action-packed visit to BeerX UK as I sit down to write this column. What a few days it was! I managed to catch up with quite a few of you between panel discussions, awards and presentations and fringe events and for those I didn’t see, I hope you found the event as useful as I did for catching up with all the news and views from the brewing sector. From my perspective this year I felt there was a great feeling of camaraderie in the room, a feeling of small brewers coming together to share their own experiences and challenges and hopefully come away stronger for it. That is the aim of the event, to enable small independent brewers to amplify their voices and add weight to SIBA’s own lobbying work as well as taking away ideas to boost their own businesses. Power in numbers in action! But of course if you were not able to join us this year for BeerX UK then we bring you a few of the highlights here in this issue (see our BeerX UK Review, pages 68-75), and also of course we are delighted to bring you news of our 2019 award winners. Both the SIBA Business Awards (see pages 76-79) and our National Beer Competitions (see pages 80-87) enjoyed some of the most competitive fields of finalists we have ever seen and I congratulate not only our national champions but ever single one of you who made the finals for the high bar you have set for future competitors. As ever in the Journal we have tried to feature some of our main award winners' businesses in this issue so you can see why they stood out to our judges, and I was delighted to catch up with Chris Drummond, one of the founders of our overall SIBA Brewery Business of the Year award winner, Good Things Brewing, for our Business Profile (see pages 52-59). I also spoke to one of our champions from the beer awards, the overall Cask Gold winner Jared Brown from Gloucester Brewery for our Meet the Brewer feature on pages 29-35.

Society of Independent Brewers PO Box 136, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 5WW Tel: 01765 640 441 www.siba.co.uk Email: riponoffice@siba.co.uk

Our guest columnist this issue, the Guild of Beer Writers Beer Writer of the Year Emma Inch, was also at BeerX UK, on stage in fact giving the keynote address, and she talks here about why we need to look outside the beer community if we want to win over new consumers to craft (see page 37). I am also delighted to be able to include the highlights in this issue of a new report that SIBA launched at BeerX this year – the SIBA British Craft Beer Report 2019 (see pages 16-25). This builds on our annual members’ survey data, broadening it into a wider look at the whole sector, the trends that are affecting your business and the future for genuine craft beer. To download the whole report go to the SIBA website at www.siba.co.uk where you will find a link on the homepage. Elsewhere in this edition we meet the new leaders of CAMRA (see pages 38-45), and travel to the US to find out how Left Hand Brewing are using the Brewers Association Independent Craft Brewer Seal to shout about their genuine craft credentials (see pages 46-51). Finally, I would like to join my colleagues in wishing departing SIBA Chief Executive Mike Benner all the very best for the future as he heads off to pastures new (read his final column for the Journal on page 7). He has ably led the organisation through five of the most transformational years in UK craft brewing history, and it has been a pleasure to work with him. I hope to have further news of the search for a new SIBA Chief Executive in our Summer issue. Until then, please keep those updates, news and views coming in to me at caroline.nodder@ siba.co.uk, and feel free to add me to your press release or media distribution lists to be included in our Supplier and Brewery News sections – the deadline for submissions for the next issue will be June 3rd. Happy reading!

Caroline

CAROLINE NODDER EDITOR, SIBA JOURNAL caroline.nodder@siba.co.uk

Editor: Caroline Nodder (caroline.nodder@siba.co.uk) Published by: Media Alive Limited Produced on behalf of SIBA by: Media Alive Limited, 2nd Floor, The Red House, 119 Fore Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1AX. T: 01992 505 810 Creative Director: Darren Kefford (darren@wearema.co.uk) Studio Manager: Jon Hardy (jon@wearema.co.uk) Advertising Manager: Claire Rooney (claire@wearema.co.uk) Managing Director: Dan Rooney (dan@wearema.co.uk)

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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SPR IN G

CONTENTS

2019 ISSUE 112

MEET THE BREWER

GUEST COLUMNIST

THE BIG INTERVIEW

GOLD AWARD WINNER JARED BROWN FROM GLOUCESTER BREWERY

BEER WRITER OF THE YEAR EMMA INCH LOOKS OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE

WE SPEAK TO CAMRA’S TOM STAINER AND NIK ANTONA

PAGES 29-35

PAGE 37

PAGES 38-45

NEWS 9-15 80-87 93-105 107-117

FEATURES

SIBA NEWS

16-25

All the news from SIBA HQ

NATIONAL BEER COMPETITIONS

The winning beers from the National finals at BeerX UK

SIBA BREWERS’ NEWS

The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK

SUPPLIER NEWS

News and views from SIBA’s Supplier Associate Members

COMMENT 7

29-35

Mike Benner signs off his last column for the Journal

The key findings of SIBA’s sector report

MEET THE BREWER

Gold award winner Jared Brown from Gloucester Brewery

38-45

THE BIG INTERVIEW

46-51

AROUND THE WORLD

52-59

CEO’S UPDATE

SIBA BRITISH CRAFT BEER REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

61-65

Tom Stainer and Nik Antona from CAMRA

We meet US brewer Left Hand Brewing

BUSINESS PROFILE

SIBA’s Brewery Business of the Year Good Things Brewing

BUSINESS BACK OFFICE

Expert advice on the law, finance and digital marketing

CHAIRMAN’S COMMENT

68-75

BEERX UK REVIEW

THE VIEW FROM WESTMINSTER

76-79

SIBA BUSINESS AWARDS

37 67

Ian Fozard looks back at an inspiring BeerX UK

Our regular political update

GUEST COLUMNIST

Emma Inch, the award-winning podcaster and current Beer Writer of the Year looks outside the bubble

TECHNICAL FOCUS

Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas on what goes down your drain

88-91 121

All the highlights of this year’s show

This year’s winners and finalists

GOLD MEMBERS

Croxsons and Napthens

MEET THE SIBA REGIONS

Introducing two of SIBA’s regional representatives

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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CEO’S UPDATE

FAREWELL

FROM THE SIBA CEO

By now you will have heard that I have decided to move on from SIBA after five years as your Chief Executive. As I sat to write this, my final Journal article in this role, I was focused on the many exciting events of the last five years, but I tore that up and started again. The past is, well, behind us and what this industry needs now is a clear vision for the future. You’ll read much in this issue about BeerX UK 2019; what a great event it was. I was inspired by the renewed camradarie and the excitement amongst brewers ready to face up to the challenges of today’s crowded craft beer scene. The collective spirit required for small businesses to compete with global mega-brewers is with us once again and that is very good news.

craft brewers sold at the premium prices they can command will unlock the future for our members. A recent holiday visit to New York City after BeerX UK underlined this for me. While not everything is rosy in the US craft beer garden, craft beer, local and otherwise, is pretty much everywhere and sold at premium prices to sustain the industry. The report also establishes how consumers view craft beer. The headlines set out that only 2% think global brewers can make craft. Craft is small scale, traditional and it helps if it comes from an independent brewer embedded in their community. Every indicator is there; stock genuine top-quality craft at the right premium price in your pub, bar, restaurant, hotel, café, shop, etc and you will create more footfall and increased sales. Simple.

"THE COLLECTIVE SPIRIT REQUIRED FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO COMPETE WITH GLOBAL MEGABREWERS IS WITH US ONCE AGAIN AND THAT IS VERY GOOD NEWS."

The issue is also focused heavily on the longawaited SIBA British Craft Beer Report and I was very happy to be able to present the key learnings at the SIBA AGM to a crowded room. The outcomes create a canvas for the future and will guide SIBA in its mission to ensure an environment in which your business can thrive undeterred by poor regulation, red tape, bad practices, predative pricing and restricted access. The success of SIBA rests upon having the right solutions to the problems and challenges which lie before all independent brewers. First and foremost the report finally gives an authoritative and credible voice to SIBA when it comes to craft beer, providing not only new original research but also the collation of other sources of insight into craft beer to try to make sense of a product which remains universally undefined. Providing convincing evidence that retailers of all kinds need beer from genuine independent

Our strategy is justified and SIBA will continue to fight for improved access to market, promote the independence of our members and champion quality and high standards. The tools to deliver include our excellent Assured Independent British Craft Brewer seal and the hugely successful SIBA Food Safety & Quality standard, now adopted by a number of retailers as a minimum standard for brewers.

Next year SIBA will celebrate its 40th anniversary. I will not be at the helm to enjoy that party with you, but I hope that by then we will be seeing clear signs of the positive impact the report aims to bring. Genuine craft beer everywhere and for everyone. It’s been a pleasure being your Chief Executive and I wish you all the very best for the future. Cheers!

Mike

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

MIKE BENNER CEO mike.benner@siba.co.uk

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

SIBA CHAIRMAN'S COLUMN

WHATEVER DIFFICULTIES WE AS AN INDUSTRY FACE, IT IS FOR ME THE MOST FRIENDLY AND CONVIVIAL INDUSTRY TO WORK IN.

PROUD TO BELONG I write this column the week after a very successful BeerX UK in Liverpool.. Everyone I have spoken with agreed that this was the best BeerX UK to date. The whole layout of the Exhibition Hall was inclusive so that trade exhibitors were always accessible. To move around the hall between various seminars, debates, plus accessing food and beer meant passing through the trade exhibition. Full credit should go to the whole BeerX UK team for delivering this fantastic event which just seems to get better and better. We also held a successful AGM this year, free of some of the acrimony of last year and which incorporated a presentation from award winning beer writer Emma Inch who gave us an insight into the world of British beer from her fascinating perspective. A few days away at BeerX UK is a great way to meet, network and reflect. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the problems and challenges that face small brewers before BeerX UK are still there! As I write, the Treasury consultation on Small Breweries Relief has just closed. Reform is desperately needed for brewers who are caught in the “cliff edge” trap above 5,000hl production but, as the motion which was overwhelmingly passed at the AGM made clear, this

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

should not be at the expense of smaller brewers’ existing duty relief. As our 2018 cost benchmarking survey found, small brewers’ profit margins are already very tight if indeed they are profitable at all and duty increases will surely only result in brewery closures. Given that the vast majority of small brewers view their biggest threat as coming from global brewers, it is so important that our industry comes together on this divisive issue and recognises that we are stronger together. At BeerX UK, SIBA’s first ever British Craft Beer Report was unveiled. This pioneering survey brings together all you need to know about the state of Britain’s craft beer market in 2019. The key headlines for me are: n Only 2% of those surveyed believe that craft beer can be made by global brewers – instead those surveyed assert that genuine craft beer should only come from a small independent brewery. n Cask beer is still viewed by many of those surveyed as craft beer. n 45% of UK consumers are happy to pay more for genuine craft beer. You can download the full report on the SIBA website at www.siba.co.uk by clicking on the report link on the homepage – it’s a good read!

There’s much comfort to take from the report’s conclusions but I’m under no illusion that there are calmer waters ahead for many small brewers. The resurgence of the global and national brewers with their soft loan ties forecloses the market for many small brewers. And major wholesalers and Pubcos are driving ever harder deals. Not to mention the difficulties that many pubs face from business rate increases and competition from the take home market. To succeed, most small brewers will have to continue to work harder and become ever more innovative. One of the highlights for me at BeerX UK was the National Beer Awards. It’s always a pleasure to see the joy on the winning brewers’ faces when they hear that they have won a national gold award against stiff competition. And that brings me to my final point – whatever difficulties we as an industry face, it is for me the most friendly and convivial industry to work in. I’m long enough in the tooth to be on my fourth career and I can genuinely say that the small brewing community is one I’m proud to belong to – there is so much cooperation and sharing of resources and knowledge. That’s something to celebrate as we move forward in a world of much uncertainty! Cheers

Ian

IAN FOZARD CHAIRMAN ian.fozard@siba.co.uk

SIBA NEWS

SIBA British Craft Beer Report shows 98% of consumers believe Global Brewers can’t make craft beer The ground-breaking SIBA British Craft Beer Report 2019, launched at BeerX UK, has revealed that 98% of consumers do not believe craft beer can be made by the likes of AB InBev, Molson Coors and Heineken, with just 2% saying craft beer can be made by a Global Brewer. The extensive report is the largest of its kind ever undertaken in the UK and pulls together existing consumer and industry research as well as newly commissioned surveys of consumers and independent brewers. In the SIBA YouGov survey carried out in February 2019 as part of the British Craft Beer Report research over 2,000 UK consumers were asked what the term ‘craft’ meant to them, and the results supported previous research on the subject which indicate that while there are multiple definitions of ‘craft’ there are some important common themes to its meaning.

THE SIBA BRITISH CRAFT BEER REPORT 2019 THE UK’S INDEPENDENT CRAFT BEER SECTOR IN FOCUS

Whilst the largest proportion of respondents said craft beer should be made by a small brewer (43%), the next most popular answer was 42% who said the brewery must be independent – a number which shows it is significantly more important than the brewery being local to the consumer, which was selected by just 23% of people. SIBA CEO Mike Benner said: “SIBA launched the ‘Assured Independent British Craft Brewer’ seal as a way of differentiating beer from truly independent craft brewers from the mass produced products of global brands – many of which are now being marketed as craft. This new research shows that if consumers were fully aware of what they were buying then they wouldn’t consider any beers from the global beer companies as craft, something which is hugely important for supporting and growing the independent beer market.”

This protection of authenticity in craft beer is a trend which can be seen happening across the globe, with the Brewers Association in America and a string of independent brewing trade associations across Europe fighting back with their own independence brewers seals alongside SIBA. A third of SIBA members now use the seal on their pumpclips or keg fonts, with many more looking to add it soon as over 85% of brewers are now aware of the campaign.

Read highlights of the report on pages 16-25 or download the full report at www.siba.co.uk.

Beer Day Britain Returns on June 15th Beer Day Britain returns for the annual celebration of the national alcoholic drink on June 15th. Beer Day Britain is a popular event with beer drinkers. The focus of the day is the National Cheers To Beer at 7pm when beer drinkers unite across the country to raise a glass and post a social media message with the hashtag #CheersToBeer. This hashtag always trends. Beer Day Britain was recognised in March 2019 at SIBA's annual business awards with nominations in two categories - Best Independent Craft Beer Promotion in the On Trade and Best Independent Craft Beer Promotion in the Off Trade. It was the winner in the On-Trade category. Beer Day Britain is good for business! Jane Peyton, instigator of Beer Day Britain said of the 2019 event: "Planning for this year’s event is already well underway. We've already had a commitment from several breweries including Four Pure to get involved, with dozens of brewing and pub companies finalising their plans. Brewster’s Brewing Company will brew a new iteration of ‘Britannia’s Brew’ as they do each year. Beer Day Britain 2019 is already shaping up to be the biggest and best yet. Anyone who wants to know more or get involved by holding events, brewing a beer or helping to raise awareness can visit www.BeerDayBritain.co.uk for ideas.”

For more information go to www.BeerDayBritain.co.uk Twitter: @BeerDayBritain FaceBook: /beerdaybritain

Are you using the Independent Craft Brewer logo?

We're going to be featuring breweries using the Assured Independent British Craft Brewer logo on the SIBA website, on Social Media and in upcoming press activity, so make sure if you've started using the logo on your bottles, cans, or pumpclips you submit your artwork showing the logo on the SIBA website or through the Brewing in Brief emails – scroll down to the bottom of the email for the link to submit.

For more information contact Neil Walker at neil.walker@siba.co.uk.

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

SIBA NEWS

Good Things Brewing named SIBA Brewery Business of the Year The awards, run by SIBA and judged by a panel of industry experts, were revealed in an awards ceremony in Liverpool in March. As well as winning the overall top award for Brewery Business of the Year, the brewery also won the Green Business Award for their unique process of drying the grain that is left over after the beer brewing process is finished.

Good Things Brewing Co have been named SIBA’s Brewery Business of the Year 2019 at the prestigious SIBA Business Awards at BeerX UK.

“Good Things Brewing Co impressed judges with their unique approach to all aspects of their business and how their core beliefs as brewers shone through not only in their branding but in their actions as an independent craft brewer. Their truly innovative process for drying and repurposing spent grain as flour that could then be used for baking. Not only does this solve a common problem for all breweries, but the unique solar powered

process showed a broader respect for the environment,” said Neil Walker, SIBA Business Awards Judges Chair. “We want to be the world’s first selfsustaining brewery. One thing that isn’t really tackled in the beer industry is spent grain,” said Sam Robinson, Co-Founder of Good Things Brewing Co. The SIBA Business Awards also congratulate excellence across the beer and brewing industry – from independent craft breweries making efforts to improve their green credentials such as Good Things Brewing, to bars, retailers and restaurants who have shown a talent for supplying the best beer in the UK.

For the full list of winners go to pages 76-79, and the read more about Good Things Brewing see the Business Profile on pages 52-59.

New Portman Group Code guidance will damage the market for specialty beers like Imperial Stouts, Porters and IPAs, says SIBA SIBA has warned that aspects of the new Portman Group Code of Practice could be damaging to the independent craft beer sector. Whilst much of the updated code is sensible and includes new measures to prevent alcohol packaging causing serious or widespread offence, protection for the vulnerable in society and preventing associating alcohol with illegal behaviour, the new guidance on moderate consumption could be very damaging for independent craft brewers. Mike Benner, SIBA CEO, said: “The new guidance on the ‘immoderate consumption’ rule threatens new, innovative specialty beer styles like Imperial Stouts, Porters, IPA’s and British interpretations of traditional strong Belgian styles – many of which are now being packaged in large cans designed for sharing and sold at a premium price point. SIBA is disappointed that the Portman Group are pressing ahead to introduce new guidance which says that ‘single-serve’, non-resealable containers shouldn’t contain more than four units of alcohol. “SIBA, as the responsible trade association for British Independent Craft Brewers understands that some products like super strong, super cheap lagers and ciders are

Supplier Associates:

Get involved!

abused by some members of society. We recognise this is a problem that causes massive harm to families, individuals and communities and costs the NHS millions of pounds every year. More needs to be done. But SIBA does not believe this new guidance from the Portman Group will address the problem it seeks to change – preventing ‘immoderate consumption’. SIBA will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Portman Group to discuss the impact of this new guidance.”

The new guidance on the ‘immoderate consumption’ rule threatens new, innovative specialty beer styles like Imperial Stouts, Porters, IPA’s and British interpretations of traditional strong Belgian styles.

The new code would treat these products differently: 1. An 8% ABV ‘white’ cider in a 440ml can sold as low as £1.00 containing 3.7 units of alcohol 2. A UK craft brewer working in collaboration with a Belgian brewery creates a Hazelnut Imperial Stout at 9% ABV. This is also sold in 440ml cans but at around £8 and upwards and contains 4 units of alcohol. SIBA strongly argues that the first example encourages immoderate consumption, and therefore harm by virtue of its strength, price and intention. Some consumers see this kind of product as a way to regularly consume a lot of alcohol for very little money. But this example wouldn’t be captured by the new guidance and could remain on sale. SIBA argues the second example doesn’t promote ‘immoderate consumption’ but could be caught by the new code and would potentially have to be unfairly withdrawn from sale. This kind of beer is enjoyed much like a fine wine, is often shared with others, enjoyed infrequently and decanted into a glass.

If you are a Supplier Associate Member of SIBA and you are interested in:

• Attending a Regional Forum • Speaking to brewers • Hosting a small exhibition stand • Sponsorship • Presenting a brewing or business seminar

Why not get in touch and find out more about how you can get involved by emailing neil.walker@siba.co.uk?

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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SIBA publishes an open letter to

SIBA NEWS

Robert Jenrick MP on SBR Reform

Dear Robert Jenrick MP, Review of Small Breweries’ Relief I write in response to your launch of the Small Breweries’ Relief review questionnaire for brewers and your article setting out your views on the matter. As you know we’re committed to working with you and your officials to make the review a success. SIBA has circulated the article to its members and encouraged them to have their say by completing the questionnaire. We will continue to work closely with your officials to promote the questionnaire to all UK brewers over the next 6 weeks to ensure your department has the widest possible evidence base. We are encouraged to hear that the Government is fully behind vital brewing businesses and wants to make sure the industry continues to flourish while recognising the importance of SBR in achieving that goal. However, while SIBA is supportive of positive reform this must not be achieved by reducing the relief for any small brewer. This has always been SIBA’s position. We were therefore very concerned to see the introductor y statement to the questionnaire sent to brewers which said, ‘Please note to ensure that SBR remains fiscally sustainable an increase in relief at one level or in one way will need to be balanced by a decrease elsewhere.’ This was reinforced by your letter which states, ‘there are good opportunities for reform without further costs to the public purse’ and ‘While I don’t believe further cuts to SBR are necessary in order to reform it, we must be mindful to make sure any changes don’t put further strain on other sectors or public services in order to finance them.’ As you set out in your article, we recognise your wider responsibility as a Minister to ‘balance the books’. However, in the case of SBR and as previously set out by SIBA, a small investment of around £10m would transform the scheme, removing the damaging cliff edge at 5,000hl while continuing to support small brewers below 5,000hl who rely on current levels of relief to remain sustainable and competitive. This investment would usher in a new chapter for UK brewing. Making this change will in time encourage growth in the industry, counterbalancing the initial investment and the overall cost of SBR. Within Governmen t total managed expenditure this is a tiny amount of money for a world beating, exciting, growing sector of which the UK is proud. It is our view that reductions in SBR below 5000hl would lead to many brewery closures. This view is supported by the results from our latest benchmarking survey of actual costs of members analysed independen tly. I enclose a comparison of the results[1] with those set out in the Europe Economics report published in 2017 (which used hypothetica l cost typologies) and which was used by other groups as evidence that a redistribution of relief was justified by matching the level of relief to the ‘real’ economies of scale. This survey blows that argument out of the water as it quite clearly demonstrat es that the actual production costs are much higher than the EE report claims. With the very high rate of beer duty, any cuts to relief below 5,000hl would make many businesses unsustainable. The results also demonstrate the clear need for reform above 5000hl. We believe that this latest cost-benchmarking survey is the best available data on small brewery businesses. It’s important to bear in mind that most brewers below 5,000hl are relatively new firms, still in their early establishment phase, unlike longestablished firms with strong balance sheets and in many cases substantial unmortgaged tied estates, guaranteeing outlets for their beers. The review must have regard to the original objectives of SBR in compensat ing for diseconomies of scale, enabling small brewers to compete with bigger brewers in bringing their goods to market and promoting diversity. Ensuring access to market for small brewers is key to a sustainable future for the sector. Having read your letter and the preamble to the questionnaire, many small brewers will be left confused, with the view that the Governmen t is already minded to reform SBR by redistributing relief from smaller to larger brewers. This has no economic, political or moral basis. This would have a devastating impact on an industry defined by its contributio n to local economies throughout the country and its international reputation. I would be grateful therefore if you would clarify that reform above 5,000 remains on the table, but that no brewer will lose any relief as the result of any reform. I would also be grateful if you could confirm that a full public consultation will take place following the brewery questionnaire to allow all stakeholders and consumers to have their say in this important matter. We are committed to working with you and Treasury to usher in the next chapter of SBR as the voice of British Independent Brewing. Yours sincerely,

Mike Benner SIBA Chief Executive

PO Box 136, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 5WW SIBA Head Office: 01765 640441 • Cellar Services: 01765 641099 Account Queries – riponoffice@siba.co.uk • Membership – members hip@siba.co.uk Political – political@siba.co.uk Beer Competitions – beercompetitions@ siba.co.uk Cellar Services – techservices@sibaatm.co.uk • Container Care – container s@siba.co.uk

For the latest on SIBA’s SBR campaign visit www.siba.co.uk

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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SIBA NEWS

Gloucester, Swannay, and Wibblers Brewery take overall UK Gold Gloucester Brewery and Swannay Brewery took home Overall Champion Gold in the Cask and Keg Awards at the SIBA Independent Beer Awards 2019, with Wibblers Brewery being named the best bottled or canned beer. Judged by brewers and industry experts and awarded at SIBA’s flagship BeerX UK event in Liverpool in March, the awards run across a huge range of beer style categories in cask, craft keg, bottle and can. The Overall Champion Cask beer is Gloucester Brewery’s 9% ABV ‘Imperial Stout’ - a punchy beer described as ‘rich,

smooth, and warming, with aromas of roasted coffee and sultanas.’ In the craft keg competition it was Scottish brewery Swannay that took home the Overall Gold with their ‘Muckle IPA’, explained by the brewers as such ‘Muckle means big and this is one mighty IPA, breathe in the hops!’. In the can and bottle competition it was Wibblers Brewery’s ‘Port Infused Imperial Stoat’ which like the cask winner is another big and bold imperial stout, this time infused with the flavours of port, and also 9% ABV.

SIBA Competitions Chair Guy Sheppard, a brewer himself at Exe Valley in the South West, congratulated the winners on their huge achievement: “The SIBA Independent Beer Awards represent the culmination of a year’s worth of regional awards in the run up to the National Finals held at BeerX UK in Liverpool. These really are the best of the best independent craft beers in cask, keg, bottle and can, and I would like to congratulate all of the winners and in particular our overall golds. Very well done!”

For the full list of winners see pages 76-83.

SIBA comments on DEFRA consultations on waste Commenting on the consultations published by DEFRA on tackling Britain’s waste, SIBA’s Head of Public Affairs and Communications James Calder said: “Britain’s small independent brewers want to see the amount of recycled and re-used material go up, litter go down and the costs of new cans and bottles to drop through increased use of better-quality recycled materials. But new reforms to producer packaging responsibility and a deposit return scheme for cans and bottles

will hit small brewers much, much harder and in a grossly disproportionate way compared to global producers. We’d like to see a de-minimise threshold introduced, taking the smallest and most burdened producers, like independent brewers, out of scope.” James went on to say: “Small brewers in a highly competitive marketplace working on tight margins will find it very difficult to absorb costs like these. To protect jobs

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and investment in our exciting sector we’re working closely with DEFRA to ensure that the financial impact on small brewers is mitigated, whilst working responsibly to ensure that we protect our natural capital. When the vast majority of craft beer is consumed in a licensed premise or in the home (and not on-the-go) existing closed loop recycling for commercial venues and kerbside collections for homes do a great job of collecting empty craft beer cans and bottles already.”

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

THE SIBA BRITISH CRAFT BEER REPORT 2019 THE UK’S INDEPENDENT CRAFT BEER SECTOR IN FOCUS

Proud to be independent

It is an exciting time for craft brewers facing challenges and opportunities in equal measure. Our report provides a one-stop shop for much-needed insight into what is really going on with genuine craft beer from independent brewers. Our members are proud to be independent and are at the ready to provide the nation’s drinkers with the high quality interesting beers they increasingly demand while working together to overcome any obstacles placed in their way. It is clear that there are major benefits to be enjoyed by retailers who recognise the need to get their British craft beer offer right.

Craft continues to grow

The report shows our members produced more beer last year, with volumes up 0.8%, despite the challenging market. While a fall in our membership numbers in 2018 indicates the start of a likely period of consolidation for the sector, the volume growth demonstrates that established brewers will continue to expand in 2019. In fact, craft beer is widely predicted to continue to grow as a category over the coming years at the expense of standard lager and keg ale, driven by increasing consumer demand for premium quality genuine craft beers.

Genuine craft beer is made by small independent brewers

The consumers in our survey overwhelmingly told us that they believe genuine craft beer must come from a small independent brewer, and should be made using traditional methods and quality ingredients, rather than being mass produced by a large global manufacturer. SIBA brewers tick all those boxes when it comes to the qualities consumers are looking for in a genuine craft beer.

SIBA’s Assured Independent British Craft Brewer scheme

The SIBA Assured scheme is a badge of premium quality and a seal that sets beers from small independent brewers apart on the bar. Consumers tell us they care where their beers come from so this kind of visual prompt is key. We will be working to push that message out to retailers in 2019 and beyond to ensure that consumers can differentiate between our members’ beers and their ‘crafty’ rivals at the point of purchase.

Craft beer commands a premium

Consumers also say they are happy to pay more for a genuine craft beer which makes it an essential for retailers, helping them to premiumise their offer at a time when all indications are that consumers will be drinking less but drinking better. Our report also showed that consumers no longer differentiate between craft in cask and keg – a huge opportunity for retailers to begin to raise the price of craft cask to truly reflect the care and attention that goes into producing and keeping it in perfect condition.

Quality is key

Today’s consumers demand quality every time, and can be put off the whole craft category by a bad pint. SIBA’s Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) certificate was introduced to help set a benchmark for SIBA members when it comes to quality standards and our report suggests ‘kite marks’ like this will become increasingly important to beer buyers and consumers alike.

Ethical businesses and brand values

The report also looked at consumer trends and one of the key ones likely to affect the craft brewing sector is to do with shared values. Younger drinkers are already more selective in the purchases they make and are looking to buy into brands with ethical standards and values they trust and respect. This is another area where small independent craft brewers are already going above and beyond with community investment, charity work, environmental projects and ethical working practices helping them to build a loyal following.

The future for craft

Looking ahead, the future for craft beer in the UK market looks bright and small independent breweries have all the qualities that our report suggests will be in growing demand in the coming months and years. The key will be to promote those qualities to both retailers and consumers, to ensure genuine craft beer is recognised for the premium product it is and becomes an essential on every bar, something we at SIBA will be devoting a lot of time to this year.

THE MAIN HEADLINES • Consumers believe genuine craft beer should come from a small independent brewery. • Using the SIBA Assured Independent British Craft Brewer seal logo on the bar allows drinkers to choose genuine craft beer. • Cask can be ‘craft’ - consumers no longer differentiate between cask and keg formats so the disproportionately low retail price of craft cask needs to rise. • Younger drinkers are drinking less but drinking better quality beer. • Consumers will increasingly choose beers from breweries they share ethical values with. • Consumers and retailers will increasingly need assurances on quality through schemes like the SIBA brewers Food Safety & Quality standard. •

Brewers need to diversify and stop chasing the same taps with new routes to market including their own tap bars, micropubs, hotels, restaurants and new retail opportunities like independent cinemas, hairdressers and street markets as well as direct online sales.

• Demand will continue to rise for craft lager and no/low alcohol products.

THANK YOU! We would like to thank all the SIBA members who took time out of their busy schedules to fill out our members’ survey this year. We had 325 responses, which represents 43% of SIBA’s brewing membership and makes the survey a statistically useful insight into the current market.

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

The UK Independent Craft Beer Market in 2019 The UK’s independent craft beer market has reached a critical point in its evolution, and the next 12 months are likely to be pivotal in setting the tone for the future direction of the sector. Growing volumes….

TOTAL UK BEER SALES*

Yet again this year the annual SIBA members’ survey reveals an increase in the volume of beer being produced by our members – an estimated total of 2.86 million hl in 2018, up 0.8% compared to 2017 and demonstrating a continuation of the growth seen in previous years’ survey results. It also mirrors positive movement in the overall beer market, with the latest 2018 British Beer & Pub Association Beer Barometer figures showing the biggest growth in total annual beer sales in the UK for 45 years. Although the increase of 2.6% can be partly attributed to the World Cup and long hot summer of 2018, it marks a continuation of the upward trend which started in 2013 when the beer duty escalator was scrapped and there was a 1p cut in duty on beer, helping to slow, and eventually reverse, the previously consistent decline in beer sales. Indeed, beer sales in the on-trade were back in growth in 2018 for the first time since 2011, albeit only by 0.1%. Over the same period, growth in the craft beer sector has also been a significant factor in the turnaround of beer’s fortunes as a whole, with volume growth out-performing the total beer market.

YEAR

TOTAL BEER SALES

ON-TRADE

OFF-TRADE

2014

0.3%

1.1%

1.8%

2015

0.4%

2.3%

2016

0.9%

2.2%

2017

0.7%

2018

2.6%

1.4%

0.4%

2.4%

3.6%

0.1%

4.7%

*BBPA annual beer barometer figures

Thousands

ANNUAL BEER PRODUCTION BY SIBA MEMBERS 2011‑2018 (HL)

† Actual value *Estimated

3,000 2,824

2,801

2,839

2,861

2,800

2,674

2,584

2,600

2,400

2,361 2,234

2,200

2,000 1,885 1,800 2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

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2015

2016

2017†

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

2018*

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

OF UK ANNUAL BEER PRODUCTION COMES FROM SIBA MEMBER BREWERIES IN 2017 SIBA BREWERS PRODUCED 2,839,000HL OF BEER AND ANNUAL BEER PRODUCTION WAS 40,480,000HL (BBPA)

This is not by any means the whole story though….. Despite this positive rise in sales and the continued increase in SIBA members’ volumes, membership of SIBA has fallen significantly for the first time this year from 831 breweries at the time of last year’s Annual Members’ Survey to 753 at the start of this year. This reflects an increasingly competitive marketplace, continued pub closures and shrinking margins which have meant more breweries have closed this year than have opened. Our survey found that while 57% of breweries who responded are still expecting turnover to rise this year, 25% are anticipating a fall in turnover in 2019, a larger number than in previous years and a sign of uncertainty in the market. Total brewery numbers for 2018 have yet to be finalised as closures can take months to register with Companies House but estimates suggest that growth has slowed and overall numbers may have fallen, for the first time since the craft beer boom began.

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

But there is good news as well… Looking to the positives, and the consumer love affair with craft beer appears far from over. Within the beer sector as a whole, craft remains one of the fastest growing categories, with Marston’s On-Trade Report suggesting craft will continue to grow market share for the next five years as standard lager and keg ales decline by as much as -22.5% and -27.8% respectively. The consumer demand for premium products is key to craft’s on-going success. As the Millennial generation (currently aged 23-38) gives way to Generation Z (currently aged under 22), all indications are that consumers will be drinking less, but drinking better – choosing quality products such as local craft over mainstream beers. Mintel’s consumer trends report also suggests younger consumers increasingly value and will seek out ‘genuine’ products with heritage, a hand-crafted nature and trusted values – all areas where craft beer has a proven track record. There are also opportunities to broaden craft’s appeal with female drinkers, harness the health conscious consumer and expand craft’s routes to market…..more on that later in the report.

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

+0.8%

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2018 SIBA MEMBERS’ SURVEY… GROWTH SIBA MEMBERS PRODUCED 2,861,000hl* OF BEER IN 2018 *Figure estimated from SIBA Members’ Survey data

753

SIBA BREWERIES MEMBERSHIP DOWN FROM 831 IN 2017

DROP IN CASK 66% OF TOTAL 2018 SIBA MEMBERS’ PRODUCTION IN CASK DOWN FROM 69% IN 2017

13%

-3%

OF WORKFORCE AGED 16-24 YOUNG PEOPLE MAKE UP MORE THAN ONE IN EIGHT WORKERS IN SIBA MEMBER BREWERIES

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

1 in 4 890* EMPLOYEES IS FEMALE

SIBA MEMBERS EMPLOYED A 25.3% FEMALE WORKFORCE IN 2018

JOBS CREATED IN 2019

SIBA MEMBER BREWERIES EXPECT TO CREATE ALMOST 900 NEW JOBS THIS YEAR *Estimated from SIBA Members’ Survey data

57% EXPECT

25% EXPECT

THIS IS LOWER THAN THE 63% OF SIBA MEMBERS WHO EXPECTED AN INCREASE LAST YEAR

AN INCREASE FROM 20% OF SIBA MEMBER BREWERIES WHO PREDICTED A DECLINE LAST YEAR

TURNOVER TO INCREASE IN 2019

TURNOVER TO DECLINE IN 2019

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW…

✔ SIBA membership fell in 2018, reflecting tough market conditions and brewery closures. This is likely to signal further consolidation in the market over the coming year. ✔ SIBA members’ total beer production went up +0.8% in 2018 despite the fall in member numbers, so members are on average producing more beer.

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

✔ Independent Craft beer continues to outperform the market at the expense of standard lager and keg ale and is predicted to continue growing market share for the next 5 years. ✔ There were mixed feelings about 2019, with 57% of SIBA brewers expecting turnover to increase this year but 25% predicting a drop.

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

Why independent British craft matters With the UK beer market the most competitive it has ever been and a range of challenges facing small independent craft brewers, it has never been more important to give retailers a reason to choose beer from a genuine independent small local brewer.

Size matters!

WHAT DOES THE TERM ‘CRAFT BEER’ MEAN TO YOU?*

In the SIBA YouGov survey carried out in February 2019 over 2,000 UK consumers were asked what the term ‘craft’ meant to them, and the results supported previous research on the subject which indicate that while there are multiple definitions of ‘craft’ there are some important common themes to its meaning.

42%

36% 30%

31% 26% 23%

20%

22%

22% 18% 13%

10%

Don’t know

None of these

Has interesting packaging/design

Is crafted, not manufactured

Brewed using traditional methods

Is a better quality beer

Has big bold flavours

Is a real ale

Made by a global brewer

Made by a brewer in my local area

ANSWER

Made by an independent brewer

Made by a small brewer

This most recent YouGov survey supports more detailed 2016 market research undertaken by SIBA which found that 46% of beer drinkers regard craft beer as ‘made by small brewers rather than large corporations’, and 35% regard craft breweries as ‘artisanal’ with 22% associating the term with ‘small’ and 14% with ‘local’. In short, SIBA member breweries tick all the boxes when it comes to consumer understanding of genuine craft beer.

43%

40%

TOTAL

The most striking thing about the survey results is the clarity with which consumers see the importance of the brewery’s size when defining ‘craft beer’. Only 2% of those surveyed said a craft beer could be produced by a global brewer, in comparison to the 43% (the most common answer to this question) who said craft beer should be made by a small brewer. This was just slightly more important to the consumer than the brewery being independent (42%) and significantly more important than the brewery being local to the consumer (23%). Interestingly a significant 36% of consumers said that craft beer should be brewed using traditional methods, which shows how important it is to promote the artisanal nature of SIBA member breweries.

50%

*Feb 2019 YouGov survey of 2,000 consumers for SIBA Craft Report

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

HOW OFTEN DO YOU DRINK BEER?*

The craft beer drinker The traditional, middle-aged white male beer drinker is, quite literally, dying out. So who is going to replace this regular, core consumer in tomorrow’s pubs and bars?

Who is drinking craft beer? The British Craft Beer Report survey, conducted in February 2019 through YouGov, used a good representative sample of 1,054 beer drinking adults from 2,051 total consumers. We compared the results to those of the previous YouGov SIBA survey carried out in August 2017 to see how drinking habits had changed.

FREQUENCY

TOTAL % 2017 2019

MALE % 2017 2019

FEMALE % 2017 2019

26%

21%

32%

28%

13%

ONCE A WEEK

21%

19%

23%

22%

18%

14%

ONCE EVERY 2-3 WEEKS

15%

18%

15%

20%

14%

16%

ONCE A MONTH

14%

11%

12%

20%

16%

ONCE EVERY 2-3 MONTHS

12%

11%

10%

16%

18%

ONCE EVERY 4-5 MONTHS

ONCE EVERY 6 MONTHS

16%

MORE OFTEN THAN ONCE A WEEK

LESS THAN EVERY 6 MONTHS

DON’T KNOW

*Percentage of beer drinkers in YouGov samples

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2019 YOUGOV CRAFT REPORT CONSUMER SURVEY

-5% 16% 22

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

DECLINE IN NUMBER OF PEOPLE DRINKING BEER MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK FROM 26% IN 2017 TO 21% IN 2019

EXACTLY THE SAME PROPORTION OF CONSUMERS SAY THEY NEVER DRINK ALCOHOL AS IN 2017

-10% 24% 16%

A SHARP DROP IN NUMBER OF 25-34’s DRINKING BEER MORE OFTEN THAN ONCE A WEEK FROM 26% TO 16% SINCE 2017

OF CONSUMERS WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO VISIT A PUB OR RESTAURANT IF IT HAD A GOOD SELECTION OF CRAFT BEERS

OF CONSUMERS WOULD CONSIDER SWITCHING SUPERMARKETS BASED ON THE CRAFT BEER SELECTION

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

“Ten pubs a week are closing – but the overall number of licensed premises is increasing. Now I’m not personally aware of a great modern pub that I can take my family to that closed down. I’ve seen plenty of 1960 décor, still tobacco-stained pubs that closed and got turned into flats. But we supply beer to cafes, to art galleries, to bicycle repair shops, to any manner of outlets, and people are looking for more flexibility in how they do things. Where they enjoy socialising. People want to enjoy beer but they might not want to go to the pub round the corner, they might want to drink it in the hairdressers. I don’t feel the narrative around pubs closing is helpful for beer.”

The craft beer retailer The retail market for craft beer has been expanding steadily over the last few years as the craft boom has opened up beer to a wider audience. Beers from small independent brewers can now be found in restaurants, cafes, hotels, micro-pubs, bottle shops and even more unusual sites like hairdressers. However, there is still not enough craft beer available outside of the pub market, and other routes to market like direct online sales and export are being underexploited.

Daniel Lowe, Fourpure

Potential UK market SIBA members are currently fighting over the non-tied fonts within the pub sector, but in the context of the entire licensed retail sector that is a very small slice of the potential market which is itself shrinking as pub closures continue. SIBA brewers could, and should, be spreading their net wider to help them compete. However, surveyed breweries appear to indicate free trade pubs, owned pubs and wholesalers as the main channels for their sales (same results indicated by the in 2017 survey). In particular, an average 51% and 12% of breweries’ production seems to be supplied to free trade pubs and to owned pubs respectively (very similar percentages compared to previous surveys), while slightly less than 5% goes to pubco-tied outlets and nearly 10% of surveyed production is sold through national and regional wholesalers (same results gathered from the 2017 survey). Sales through the SIBA Beerflex DDS and reciprocal sales with other breweries account for an average 4.54% and 2.6% of total sales respectively. Very low percentages of the beer production captured by this year’s survey are supplied to restaurants and hotels (2.6% and 1.7% respectively; only +0.1% for both categories compared to 2017 survey). UK PUB MARKET*

BREWERY OWNED PUBS

19%

INDEPENDENT PUBS

PUBCO OWNED PUBS

31%

UK ON-TRADE LICENCES*

INDEPENDENT PUBS

PUBCO OWNED PUBS

UK LICENSED PREMISES*

BREWERY OWNED PUBS -6%

11%

INDEPENDENT PUBS

OTHER ON-LICENCES

27%

17%

PUBCO OWNED PUBS - 4% BREWERY OWNED PUBS

50%

OTHER ON-LICENCES

66%

OFF-LICENCES

59%

*Figures from BBPA 2017

The SIBA Access to Market report, produced by CGA in September 2017, highlighted the potential for craft to push out into the hotel, restaurant and catering (HoReCa) part of the market which continues to grow – up 31% in the 10 years to 2017 to a total of 33K sites, as compared to an on-trade decline of 37% to 54K. This is a huge and largely untapped market for small craft brewers. “The biggest thing we do for our retail customers is the Oakademy of Excellence programme. Anyone who stocks one of our beers permanently can join the Academy and they’ll get some glassware, permanent pump-clips, a regular call from the sales team, and we do some special beers through the year that are available to them only – six new ones are coming on this year. We also have a yearly event, just before the Peterborough beer festival, where the Academy members will have an invitation to come and have a couple of beers with us. And our top stockists will be invited to the brewery and we put them up overnight and present them with special certificates. It is a thank you to them for being loyal to us – a number of them have been with us for many years.” Nigel Wattam, Oakham Ales

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Cask vs keg SIBA’s latest Members’ Survey showed a 6% swing from cask to keg among our member breweries, and this reflects an ongoing move away from cask across the whole market. The 2018 Cask Report confirmed this continued decline in cask volumes which it blamed on a failure to capture a following among the new generation of drinkers, a fall in volumes drunk by the core cask market of consumers who are now older and going out less and the drop in the number of pubs. There were also issues identified with quality, in particular temperature at dispense, and concern that a new breed of licensee who is used to keg has not got enough experience of conditioning cask ales correctly. When it comes to consumers perception of craft on cask, interestingly, research shows that more people think cask ale can be craft beer than don’t. But most people don’t know the difference. Our 2019 YouGov consumer survey found that the older you get, the more likely you are to think that ‘real ale’ can be ‘craft beer’ and 41% of men think real ale is craft beer, but only 29% of women do. Cask needs to shake off its ‘old man’ image if it is to revive its fortunes, as well as a continued gender issue, with female drinkers less likely to sample cask than men. News that both Cloudwater and BrewDog are re-entering the cask market could be significant, not only for helping to turn the image of cask around with younger drinkers, but also in driving up the price at retail – something that is critical to cask’s revival and to small brewers’ success. CAN REAL ALE ALSO BE CRAFT BEER?* ANSWER

80%

70%

60%

*Craft Report YouGov survey 2019

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

NO 18-24

25-34

45-54

DON’T KNOW

YES

DON’T KNOW

YES

DON’T KNOW 35-44

NO WOMEN

MEN

TOTAL

YES

NO 0

YES

20%

10%

DON’T KNOW

YES

DON’T KNOW

YES

30%

DON’T KNOW

40%

DON’T KNOW

50%

55+

CRAFT REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Beer style trends for 2019 While session beers are still the most popular, consumers have progressed from the early days of the craft boom and become far more willing to experiment with new styles and flavours, which has opened up the market to more experimental brews and allowed brewers to let their creative juices flow.

What styles prevailed in 2018? The 2019 SIBA Members’ Survey found that session beers were still leading the way, with average beer strength remaining at 4.2% and golden ales still the most popular style with 90% of brewers producing at least one. Almost half of SIBA brewers (48%) now produce keg beer, up from 38.5% in 2017, and 39% produce a lager style beer which is an increase on the 31.8% who made lager in 2017. Most brewers produce between four and six regular beers and 93% also brew seasonal beers. BEER STYLES PRODUCED BY SIBA MEMBER BREWERIES* 100% 90%

Lower alcohol beer (<2.8%abv)

Super-premium bottled

17.1% 16.8% 13.7%

Gluten-free beer

Local ingredients beer

Foreign-style ale

19.9% 19.3%

Themed series of beers

23.1%

Strong ale/barley wine

24.3% 23.4%

Wheat beer

31.5% Traditional mild

34.6% Specialty ingredient

Bottle-conditioned beer

10%

38.6% 36.8% Lager-style beer

20%

47.7% Craft keg beer

Stout/Porter

30%

Strong bitter/IPA

40%

Pale golden bitter

50%

Strong mild/old ale

68.5%

60%

Unfined cask beer

79.1% 77.6%

70%

Special hop beer (e.g. single variety, green)

90.0%

Traditional brown/copper

80%

9.3% 5.9% 5.3%

Beer Styles

The growth in keg and lager production (keg is up 10% since 2017) supports the sales growth reported in the wider sector – Marston’s On Trade Report for 2018 has keg craft as its biggest area of growth at +48% with craft lager at +25%. THE SIBA BRITISH CRAFT BEER REPORT 2019 THE UK’S INDEPENDENT CRAFT BEER SECTOR IN FOCUS

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT FREE FROM THE SIBA WEBSITE AT WWW.SIBA.CO.UK. SIMPLY CLICK ON THE LINK ON THE HOMEPAGE.

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

THE VIEW FROM WESTMINSTER

The View from Westminster

In every issue of the Journal James Calder updates you on some of the things that SIBA has been doing in Westminster (and beyond) on your behalf.

Parliamentary Debate on the Taxation of Beer and Pubs Towards the end of March, Parliament debated beer and pubs. Despite all the disagreement, vitriol and difficult debate we’re having in the beer world at the moment, Parliament was juxtaposed. On beer and pubs it wasn’t really a debate at all. Everyone in the House of Commons agreed that beer and pubs were a force for good and the brewers that supply them are heavily burdened. The excitement and buzz of craft beer dominated the discussion. Just bubbling under the surface however the SBR debate was there. There were superbly helpful interventions from MPs like Ruth Smeeth (Stoke on Trent, Titanic), Stephen Crabb (Pembrokeshire, Bluestone Brewing Company, Little Dragon and Seren breweries) and Toby Perkins (Chesterfield, Brampton Brewery, Raw Brewing Co and Spire Brewing Company). MP for CAMRA HQ in St. Albans Anne Main put it succinctly “This debate has been very good humoured, and it is a pleasure to take part—I’m fed up with this place at the moment [because of Brexit]!”. Perhaps, for once, we can learn something from MPs when discussing the politics of beer? Be a bit more good humoured, and take pleasure in taking part?

SBR review update At the time of writing this (late March) the questionnaire being run by the Treasury has just closed. Thankyou to the 500 brewers who sent in your views and data. A great result. Now we move into the political phase of the review. Last week we were once again in Number 10,

Everyone in the House of Commons agreed that beer and pubs were a force for good and the brewers that supply them are heavily burdened. banging on the drum for small brewers. The following day we were across the road, seeing the team around the Minister and the Chancellor in Treasury. This is all part of the regular dialogue we’re having on your behalf. This is such an important issue, it’s only right that we’re seeing the top people in Government. By the time this lands on your doormat, it may be a different set of ‘top people’, of course, but we will wait and see. In the meantime, I encourage you all to contact your MPs. Tell them why SBR is important to you. Tell them why it matters and why without it, there wouldn’t be a craft beer movement in the UK. I’m also meeting as many backbench MPs as possible, so we create a ‘groundswell’ of political support.

Portman Group Following the publication of the Portman Group’s new code, SIBA was on the front foot. We issued a strong statement on the four units in a bottle or can issue, again reiterating why we think this was a mistake. We have since met with

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the Portman Group and it was a very constructive meeting, and they have also presented to brewers at BeerX. The important thing to remember here is that self-regulation of the industry works. The alternative is the Department of Health, fuelled by the temperance movement legislating against us. That’s manifestly worse. The vast majority of the Portman Group code is sensible and works for us. We do still disagree on the four units issue, however. That’s why the Portman Group have granted us access to the panel that makes decisions. We’re going to go in and give them a briefing on the craft beer industry, and present evidence on why DIPAs, Imperial Stouts and Belgian Styles don’t cause harm. Never before have the Portman Group allowed any group to do this, so this is a win for SIBA members. We’re hoping the guidance may be interpreted differently after this briefing. Hopefully so.

Mike Benner Just want to put down on the record a huge thankyou to SIBA’s Chief Executive Mike Benner, who is moving on at the end of June. Mike gave me my break in the beer world and gave me my dream job. Working for you on the issues that matter. He’s been a great boss who simply lets us crack on with things in the way we judge best. A big thanks, congratulations and best of luck, Mike. James Calder is Head of Public Affairs and Communications at SIBA. He covers political relations, policy and PR for SIBA members. He can be contacted at james.calder@siba.co.uk or on 07840 639089.

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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MEET THE BREWER

JARED BROWN, GLOUCESTER BREWERY BREWER'S CV: own, Jared Br y Gloucester Brewer

n, ed 15, The Ram In 1994 – Potwash, ag e ir sh er cest Woodchester, Glou d at various pubs an 1996 – 2006 – Chef restaurants les s and Marketing ro 2006 – 2009 – Sale ies at various compan y brewing as a hobb 2009 – Began home ning ous industry trai 2009 – 2011 - Vari s ing consultant courses with brew ith Sm including David ewery, ded Gloucester Br 2011 – 2015 – Foun s ck Do on Gloucester on original site Brewery Moved Gloucester 2015 – Present – ster West Quay, Glouce to current site, site d room Tank on ol and launched tap from General Certificate 2016 – Completed ng Brewing & Distilli the Institute of

A passion for food was born at an early age in Gloucester Brewery founder Jared Brown, after he took a role as a potwash in his local pub, The Ram Inn at Woodchester, at the tender age of 15. Shortly afterwards, at the same pub, he had his first sip of beer, and the perfect match was made. His initial career as a chef saw him champion the synergy between his food creations and the beers he loved, and after becoming a passionate home brewer it seemed like a natural progression when eventually 17 years later he launched his own brewery and then tap house, serving dishes matched with the beers he created. Having launched in 2011 with Gloucester Gold, a 3.9% ABV golden ale that remains their best seller to this day, the brewery has branched out from its core sessionable ales over the years and Jared recently took to the stage at the SIBA National Beer Awards at BeerX UK in Liverpool to receive the overall National Champion Gold in cask award for Gloucester’s 9% ABV Imperial Stout. The win has already led to a flurry of orders from both the UK and further afield and sparked the brewery’s first foray into export. Caroline Nodder, the SIBA Journal’s Editor, spoke to Jared to find out more about his path to becoming a Gold medal winner…. Continued on page 31

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MEET THE BREWER

I ENDED UP PLAYING AROUND AT HOME WITH VARIOUS INGREDIENTS AND GETTING A FEEL FOR BREWING AND PRETTY MUCH FELL IN LOVE WITH IT STRAIGHT AWAY. At the age of just 15, Gloucester Brewery owner and founder Jared Brown began a love affair with food after taking a role as potwash in the kitchen of his local pub. It was there that he not only began his career in kitchens as a chef, but also where he first tried the local beer and took an interest in the flavours and ingredients behind good beer and food. He explains: “My background is primarily as a chef, I actually started out washing dishes at my local pub, the Ram Inn, when I was 15. And I fell in love with food quite quickly, and I had my first sip of beer at my local too. It was Uley Bitter from Uley Brewery which is near us and still makes great traditional cask beers. So that was what first got me into tasting it, and as a chef I was interested in mixing ingredients and playing around with recipes and was cheffing for about 10 years before I went off and got a job in the corporate world and got bored of it very quickly.” Jared’s passion for taste and flavour and hand-crafting a dish meant that his move into sales and marketing for various companies threw into stark relief how different the corporate world was from the world of food and drink and Jared very quickly realised he needed to get back to what he loved. “I really missed doing something handson,” he says. “And so I ended up playing around at home with various ingredients and getting a feel for brewing and pretty much fell in love with it straight away.

Then I decided to get some training and a qualification, so I went off and got qualified with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) and it went from there.” By 2011 Jared felt he was ready to swap home brewing for the real thing, and took the plunge on a site in an up and coming dockside area of Gloucester. “We started brewing our first batch of Gloucester Gold down here in Gloucester docks and I have loved being in the industry ever since. We moved into a disused workshop which was previously stables for canal boat horses. It was a lovely little spot, and the area was just starting to undergo some regeneration so we got in at the right time,” says Jared. “Very quickly we were surrounded by shops and restaurants moving in, and we outgrew that premises by about 2015 and moved across to the building we are now in which was a disused malt house. And then the old site became our tap room, called Tank, which is where a lot of our beer now goes.” The first ever beer Jared brewed commercially is still their best seller, but the brewery has also expanded its range to meet growing consumer interest in more unusual beer styles. “Gloucester Gold was the first one we ever brewed and it is still our best selling beer – really easy drinking 3.9% golden ale,” says Jared. “But over the years we have experimented a bit more, played around with different hops, we have created sour beers, we have tried playing around with different fruit recipes and created different stouts and porters and all sorts. But what

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we have found really is that we have gone back to the ones that sell the best. For us the cask beers are still our best selling beers, but we are seeing a lot of growth in the can and keg market now as the cask market has stabilised a little bit. We are trying to keep up with the times and make sure we have a fresh offering. We try to aim for modern, easy drinking, session beers most of the time and we also do some more full on, full flavoured IPAs and American pales and that sort of thing.” One of their most successful ‘experiments’ has been their 9% ABV Imperial Stout which was recently crowned the overall National cask Gold winner in the SIBA National Beer Awards at BeerX UK, something that has led to so much interest that Jared intends to speed up his ambitious expansion plans. “It was definitely a surprise,” he smiles. “Not to say we don’t have the utmost faith in our beers of course, it is just that there are so many breweries competing for that award, and so many that we respect and admire. So to come out on top as the Gold medal winner for cask overall is absolutely fantastic and we were all really blown away and were celebrating till the early hours that evening! What it means is that we have already started getting extra interest off the back of it. We have had exporters contacting us and wanting to order in fairly large quantities, which is fantastic, but the problem we have got at the moment is that we can’t actually produce much more than we are producing at the moment because we are at capacity.”

Continued on page 33

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MEET THE BREWER

Gloucester currently has a 10bbl kit and brews up to four times a week, producing around 2,000hl-2,500hl each year. The plan was always to double if not treble this, aiming for a five year plan of producing at least 5,000hl-6,000hl annually. Jared explains: “We were planning on expanding anyway, but this has pushed it forward even more, so we are currently working on how we can rearrange the site downstairs and looking for more premises to move into. It is certainly going to mean additional growth for us on top of what we were already planning. Ideally we are looking into moving into some additional buildings near the premises while retaining the existing site. But if that takes longer than we would hope we are going to rearrange the existing layout which could approximately double capacity.” The scheme will likely need investment of around £500K, which will be raised through some third party investors who have come on board and an additional crowdfunding campaign which Jared is currently working on. The focus for the business is also on expanding their share of the growing keg and can market, with the brewery still cask heavy at 60% of production verses 20% each for keg and cans\bottles. “When we started in 2011 we didn’t even think about doing keg, it just wasn’t an option,” says Jared. “We already do cans and bottles but are looking to focus more on cans in the future because that is where we believe most of the growth is going to be. We are also just about to release a lager which has taken up a whole tank, but we sell quite a lot through our tap house which we are having to buy in at the moment and I have always wanted to make a really good well balanced lager. That should be ready to be kegged next week which is something we are all really looking forward to. We have always tried to focus on delivering quality, so that people can come back to us time and time again for that quality and consistency. But as brewers we are always

wanting to experiment and try new things, and try the new hop that’s on the market, and have a play around with sours and that kind of thing. So we are maintaining our core range we know sell well and then experimenting with more modern progressive beers to keep things interesting – it is a bit of a balance between the two.”

their money back within a month because they are in there all the time. We are just creating a Facebook page specifically for our members so they get first refusal on tickets and so on, plus little perks like t-shirts and other bits of merchandise and it helps build loyalty with some of our best customers.”

In an increasingly crowded market I ask Jared how he makes sure that Gloucester stands out, and he points to the diversity already obvious in the income streams he has built for the business. “We do wrestle with how we differentiate ourselves, but for us it is more about the fact we have a great location and we are not just a brewery,” he says. “We do our best to make great quality beer and push that out into the market but we also have events, we host comedy nights, we do private venue hire, we hold regular brewery tours, we do beer and cheese tasting sessions, we hold regular beer festivals – it is more about Gloucester Brewery as a place to come and visit and not just another brewery on a trading estate trying to get pubs to sell their beer. It is about making the place a venue, which gives us a real point of difference and is something in Gloucester that is unique and that you can’t really imitate.”

Direct retail now makes up 15% to 20% of overall turnover for the business, and Jared has a keen focus on expanding this profitable arm of the brewery. Jared envisages five or six bars around the county and possibly nearby cities like Bristol and Worcester within the next few years, depending if the right sites at the right price can be found.

Tank, the brewery tap, has already won a place in the hearts of locals with its vibrant programme of events and wide selection of beers from both Gloucester Brewery and other small local producers. There is also an event space at the brewery site across the way, which includes another bar and shop and can take up to 300 people for festivals and special events. The brewery has launched a membership club to reflect the regular following both sites have, an interesting concept where an upfront fee translates into permanent savings. Jared explains: “Because we have the two sites, we have a lot of people drinking in Tank and also buying beer from the other site, so they pay a £50 fee up front for membership and get 15% off across the board at the Tank, the shop and the brewery bar – some of our regulars get

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“We see retail as an area key to growth – people buying the beer direct from us is obviously much more profitable and gives us more money to expand the business, so if we can expand into nearby buildings we will certainly be looking at putting in a bigger retail offer.” The local Nepalese restaurant has successfully trialled Gloucester Gold which performed favourably against the likes of Cobra and this is an area the business is looking to build on. “Restaurants are another part of the market we would like to expand into and it is often a case of just knocking on doors. We have a lot of Indian restaurants in our area that we feel would be a good outlet for our beers. Then there are also the small independent shops – the farm shops and delis – and we are also in talks with local wholesalers to see if they can distribute our beers more widely,” says Jared. “We also find online sales is an area we are going to be looking at – we don’t currently have an online shop which is shocking really for the number of years we have been going! So our website is being rebuilt as we speak and will have an online shop soon so we can reach into new markets, especially with our marketing and social media push we have got lined up.”

Continued on page 35 SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

MEET THE BREWER

IT IS A VERY INTERESTING TIME TO BE IN THE INDUSTRY AND WE HAVE SEEN IT CHANGE A LOT SINCE WE HAVE BEEN BREWING

But despite having such exciting plans for the future, Jared is conscious of the challenges faced at the moment by every small brewer in the UK market and is watchful of his bottom line at a time when competition is fierce. Jared says: “There is Brexit uncertainly, although we don’t export at the moment so that won’t affect us as much, but there are business rate rises, minimum wage increases, pricing pressure from hop suppliers, we have had a malt pricing increase this year and to top all that there is increasing competition from other breweries. So while it is an exciting time with lots of things to look forward to, there are lots of market forces and pressure from all angles that brewers have to contend with. Just like every other brewer we have to constantly be looking at the numbers to make sure we are making a profit, otherwise there is only one way it is going to go. We are also looking to expand so that is a challenge in its own right. We are looking at ways to raise finance for that and I think crowdfunding is something we will be doing shortly. We have also got some private investors on board, so we are in a good position to grow, but there are a lot of things in the marketplace that are outside our control that we have to contend with at the same time.”

MIDDLE OF PUBLICATION

In fact, looking back over the last eight years since he founded the brewery, much has changed. “It is a very interesting time to be in the industry and we have seen it change a lot since we have been brewing – coming up to eight years now!” he explains. “We are seeing the cask market stabilising, some brewers are seeing a slight decline, but we are seeing slower growth in that area. But we are seeing much more rapid growth in the cans and craft keg side of the market which we are trying to grow our share of. There are lots of breweries popping up left right and centre and micros, and pubs having breweries put into the back, so it is a very exciting time for the industry but also very busy. There is always someone coming out with a new beer. So we have to keep on our toes and make sure we are keeping

up with some of the trends in the market while staying true to our original beers and original ethos.” Beer styles and the availability of different styles has also changed since 2011 beyond all recognition and Jared is keenly aware that his beers must appeal to a whole new generation of drinkers as well as growing categories such as the female market. “My wife, when I first met her, said she hated beer! And she tried quite a few of our beers and just didn’t like them. But eventually we made a kettle sour beer with lactobacillus, and she loved it. So she is now an avid beer fan, but only of certain styles. We are seeing a lot of that sort of thing coming through. Obviously the New England IPAs which everyone is raving about, but also sours are becoming increasingly popular and there is a brewery down the road using spontaneous fermentation methods – Mills Brewery – that is really interesting. Then there are people like Wild Beer who have transformed how people think about beer. It is no longer about going down to the pub on a Friday night and downing 10 pints. People are drinking less but of a higher quality – so breweries need to shift how they think about things. It is not about churning out as much as you can at the cheapest price, it is about really getting down to the quality and appealing to new drinkers.” Every item on the Tank food menu has a beer match thanks to Jared’s experience not only as a brewer but as a chef. “We have also run a lot of beer and food events,” he adds. “And they are always well attended. People are getting more involved. And if beer can start to compete a bit more with wine then that is a really good way for brewers to tap into new markets.” Speaking of which, Sweden looks to be potentially one of the first export markets for Gloucester and Jared has been doing his homework on export as a huge potential opportunity for the business. He says: “I attended the SIBA

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export workshop at BeerX which was very interesting and met one of the exporters there which was very useful and it opened my eyes to the fact the export market it potentially huge and growing. But it also made me realise we would have to seriously increase our capacity for that so it is maybe a bit further down the line and we can do some smaller exporting initially to get a feel for the market. The message I was getting was that you need to be very well organised – it is not just a case of selling a pallet of beer and forgetting about it. You need to really go right to the source of where people are consuming your beer and really understand the marketplace and the sellers as well as the drinkers.” No doubt Gloucester Brewery beers will begin to appear in the wider global market in due course, but it is clear that Jared’s expansion plans, while ambitious, are also measured and extremely well planned. So it is no surprise that as we near the end of the interview, and I ask his who else in the market he admires, that he does not just quote some of the trendier names like Tiny Rebel and Cloudwater but also expresses his admiration for the brewers who have consistently put out quality beers over many years. “I really admire breweries that start up from scratch and very quickly establish themselves in the market like Tiny Rebel and Cloudwater who have been very successful at that and do produce really great beers,” he says. “But I also think sometimes we forget about some of the more traditional brewers, for example Wye Valley who are just up the road and they produce really good quality cask ale and have been doing so for many years. They might not be the hippest or coolest brewer in the marketplace but it is important to recognise that the quality is still there and they are very good at what they do.” And with eight years under his belt already, and quality still at the heart of everything Gloucester Brewery does, there is no reason that Jared Brown won’t soon be able to claim a similar place in brewing history.

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GUEST COLUMNIST

BEYOND THE CRAFT BEER ECHO CHAMBER Emma Inch, the current Guild of Beer Writers’ ‘Beer Writer of the Year’ and host of the award-winning podcast Fermentation Radio, gave the keynote presentation at this year’s BeerX UK. Here she looks beyond the beer bubble… The beer world has changed; the liquid in our glass, the language we use to describe it, the people who are drinking it and – importantly for the industry – the people who are not. But the conversations we have around changes in the beer world often take place within the confines of an echo chamber - a space populated by people who share our world view and who generally think the same as us – and sometimes we fail to notice that the door to the outside world has sealed up and the windows of that echo chamber have grown opaque with the steam from our breath. SIBA’s Craft Beer Report indicates that more than 40% of people believe craft beer is made by a small brewery, and roughly the same believe it’s made by an independent brewery. Nearly 40% said they think it’s made using traditional methods and around 30% understand it to be crafted not manufactured. Significantly, only 2% of consumers think craft beer can be made by a multinational, global brewer. So, it would seem there are people outside our echo chamber who share our world view. These are the people we need to be communicating with and luckily, we know who some of them are. Firstly, SIBA’s research indicates that the number of people aged 25-34 drinking beer more than once a week has fallen by 10% in the past two years. This is probably in part because young people are

notoriously short of disposable income. However, they are still spending, they just want a bit more from a night out than beer: they want an experience. This is something that small and independent brewers are well-placed to provide. The success of tap rooms demonstrates that drinking in a brewery is an experience many people want to enjoy. But, even without a tap room, you can add value to your beer offering in other ways. PUB19’s recent ‘Pub Trends Report’ indicated the most popular pub experience people wanted was a tasting. And small brewers – with their interesting ranges, great back stories and often charismatic brewers - are proficient at delivering stimulating tastings. A second group of people who often stand outside the echo chamber are women. According to research carried out by Dea Latis last year only 17% of women drink beer at least once a week, compared to 53% of men. 27% of women report that the main barrier to them drinking beer is male oriented advertising, and this figure rises to 48% for younger women. So, if you have a sexist pumpclip, if you advertise your beer solely with men in mind, if you behave in a disrespectful way to women on social media, you’re excluding half your potential customer base. I’m no expert, but that doesn’t seem like a very wise marketing ploy. A final group of people standing outside the craft beer echo chamber are those who drink beer made by multinational, global companies. Route to market is a massive issue and many of the bigger brewers are also producing their own ‘crafty’ ranges which can restrict this even further. But small independent brewers have a secret weapon, an element that

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people both inside and outside the echo chamber believe is important: people are increasingly interested in the provenance of their food and drink. They want to know where it comes from, how it’s made, where it’s made, and even who makes it. A recent study by Edelman Earned Brand showed that 57% of UK consumers are ‘Belief-Driven Buyers’ who will choose, switch, avoid or boycott a brand depending on where it stands on issues they care about such as whether it’s local, uses sustainable methods or takes an ethical standpoint. That’s not to say that larger companies cannot be ethical – of course they can - but small, independent brewers can talk up their own credentials in this area much more than they already do. There’s no denying it’s a difficult world for small independent brewers, but there are opportunities. We need to throw open the doors to our echo chamber and have conversations not only with people who buy craft beer, but also with people who might be persuaded to: young people, women, and people who drink beer made by multinational, global brewers. Because the beer world is not only changing – it has already changed, and we need to ensure that we are changed too.

Emma Inch is the Guild of Beer Writers’ ‘Beer Writer of the Year’ for this year, and also the creator, producer and presenter of awardwinning Fermentation Radio, one of the UK’s leading beer and brewing podcasts. You can find out more about Emma at www. fermentationonline.com or follow her on Twitter @fermentradio.

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

THE BIG INTERVIEW

THE

BIG

INTERVIEW

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

TOM STAINER, CEO

NIK ANTONA, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN

TOM STAINER, CEO, & NIK ANTONA, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, CAMRA Consumer beer and pub champion CAMRA has been through a series of changes at the top over the last 12 months, including a change of CEO and National Chair in quick succession. The spell of turbulence comes at a time when the organisation faces a number of challenges, including the industry-wide issue of falling cask sales, a lack of engagement among younger beer drinkers, accusations from some quarters of an ‘old fashioned’ outlook and continuing changes to the pub retail landscape. As the leading consumer campaign group for the sector and an influential and important champion for beer and pubs, the SIBA Journal’s Editor Caroline Nodder spoke to newly appointed CEO Tom Stainer and National Chair Nik Antona, to see how they were approaching the organisation’s future strategy…

THE BIG INTERVIEW

What is your background and how long have you been involved with CAMRA?

How did your election to your new role come about?

What do you see as CAMRA’s key purpose?

TS: “My background is in journalism, although I’ve been around long enough now to claim the majority of my career has been spent involved in the pub and beer trade. After starting in local press, I ended up working for the Morning Advertiser and then the Morning Advertiser Scotland. I’ve been with CAMRA for almost 12 years now, joining as Editor of What’s Brewing and launching BEER magazine in 2008. In the last five years I’ve taken on responsibility for our internal and external communications as Chief of Communications, then adding responsibility for campaigning as Chief of Communications and Campaigns. I was appointed Chief Executive in January 2019.”

NA: “CAMRA’s current Chairman, Jackie Parker, is coming to the end of her third three year term as a member of the National Executive (NE). For personal reasons she felt it was the right time to step down from CAMRA’s National Executive. As a result there will be a vacancy for Chairman. Under CAMRA’s articles the Chairman of the Campaign is a member of the National Executive and is elected from within the NE by the NE. An election was held at our last board meeting, NE members proposed me, and a fellow NE member, as Chairman and at the subsequent election selected me.”

TS: “CAMRA is a consumer organisation, with a focus on cask conditioned beer, real cider/perry and the places which serve it. Our purpose is to ensure that real ale, cider and perry continues to be widely available and that drinkers continue to get a wide choice of the best quality products. Similarly, we’ve got to make sure drinkers have a wide range of places to enjoy those products.”

NA: “I’ve worked for BT for over 30 years and I'm currently a Senior Business Improvement Consultant within the Business Customer Service Division. I joined CAMRA back in 1992 after I had relocated to the West Midlands with BT. Since then I have held many branch positions in both Dudley and Burton branches as well as serving for five years as the West Midlands Regional Director before being elected to the National Executive in 2009. In April 2019 following the AGM and Members’ weekend in Dundee I will be taking over as the National Chairman.”

OUR PURPOSE IS TO ENSURE THAT REAL ALE, CIDER AND PERRY CONTINUES TO BE WIDELY AVAILABLE AND THAT DRINKERS CONTINUE TO GET A WIDE CHOICE OF THE BEST QUALITY PRODUCTS.

NA: “Last year CAMRA’s objectives in our Articles were updated to: n Securing the long-term future of real ale, real cider and real perry n Promoting and protecting pubs and clubs as part of the UK's heritage

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n Recognising the benefits of responsible, moderate social drinking n Educating and training all of those with an interest in beer, cider and perry n Ensuring producers of beer, cider and perry act in the best interest of consumers. Our purpose going forward is to deliver on all our objectives and ensure the survival of real ale, cider and perry and well run community pubs.”

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

What are your priorities in your new role over the next 12 months? TS: “We’ve been through several years of consultation and change - what’s important now is building those changes into CAMRA’s activities while providing the stability and continuity our volunteers need to be as effective as possible. We need to focus on our festivals and make sure they are modern and engaging. We also need to make sure CAMRA is welcoming and inclusive in everything it does - to ensure we continue to attract members to take us into the future.” NA: “We have a new Chief Executive and a new Chairman. We have seen a turnover of members on the National Executive of CAMRA. Over the next 12 months I will be looking to build on the changes voted on by our members and embed them into our campaigns so that we can continue to be as effective as possible. I would also hope to increase the focus on campaigning to save the ‘Great British Pub’ by campaigning to mirror legislation in England to those of the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I would also like to see increased campaigning covering the whole of the UK to protect pubs. Without pubs we have nowhere to drink good quality locally-produced draught beer, cider and perry.The final area of focus will be embedding our fourth objective: educating and training all of those with an interest in beer, cider and perry. We have already started this work at some of our beer festivals and will be looking to expand this across the whole campaign over the coming 12 months.”

What challenges do you see CAMRA facing at the moment and are you working on any major new projects as an organisation? TS: “CAMRA is not unique as an organisation in being challenged to remain relevant in a changing landscape. The last few years have seen our members ask, and answer, questions about where we should be positioned and what we should

be campaigning for. We now have to make sure the answers to those questions become part of what we do. Fighting pub closures and particularly ensuring the Pubs Code works properly to help provide a wide-range of viable pubs is vital to maintaining consumer choice. Continuing to campaign for realistic business tax and beer duty is an important part of this as well. Our big project this year is launching our Learning and Discovery initiative. It’s designed to help people explore the entire beer world, understand where real cider, perry and cask-conditioned beer sits within that world and appreciate why CAMRA members think there is something special about it.”

CAMRA has undergone a few changes within its leadership over the last year, what sparked these and are there any more changes to come? TS: “I think most of those changes were to be expected and natural, although as often happens, several always seem to come at once! Our volunteers, especially in senior positions, give up a great deal of their personal time, and energy, and endure a huge amount of criticism and little praise, for free and it constantly amazes me that they serve for such long periods. Our previous chairman (Colin Valentine) had served a long term and had been talking about stepping down for some time, the momentum of the Revitalisation Project and Colin’s dedication to see it to a suitable point to hand over meant he probably stayed in his role longer than planned. The conclusion of the consultation and voting on the outcomes was an appropriate place for him to stand down. Jackie, who retires/ retired in April, was naturally coming to the end of her third term as a National Executive member and had to decide between staying for another three years, or standing down. Finally, our previous Chief Executive Tim Page had made no secret of the fact he was motivated by facilitating change within an organisation. I suspect he felt that, having seen the vast majority of the outcomes of Revitalisation approved - it was a good time to look for other

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challenges. I’m looking forward to Nik’s tenure as chairman. Potentially, we could have some new faces on the National Executive following the elections at our AGM. I’m not aware of any more major changes, but it’s always dangerous to try to predict the future!”

Is CAMRA membership in growth? TS: “We’ve seen our membership numbers flatten over the last year, but encouragingly we’re seeing very high retention levels and growth again in the first few months of 2019. We’ve got a few initiatives in the pipeline which we’re confident will push up the numbers joining the Campaign.”

Recent criticism has been levelled at CAMRA by some sections of the membership over ‘old fashioned’ attitudes and even sexism within the organisation. How have you reacted to these and what is being done internally about them? TS: “We always welcome people telling us where we’re getting things wrong and how we can improve. It would be foolish to claim that in an organisation of almost 200,000 people you can’t find examples of some individuals demonstrating oldfashioned attitudes. Where it’s drawn to our attention we do what we can although you’ll appreciate the difficulty in trying to influence so many people!” NA: “At a national level my colleagues and I have looked to build a culture of inclusivity and diversity. Our Values, Code of Conduct and Volunteers’ Charter make it clear what we consider to be acceptable behaviour. Many branches and CAMRA festivals are demonstrating great examples of best practice, which we encourage all branches to adopt. Internally we have a disciplinary process which can sanction members for breaches of our codes and policies - at the most extreme with expulsion from the organisation.”

Continued on page 43 SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

THE BIG INTERVIEW

Do you see CAMRA embracing keg beer in its campaigns in the future?

Brewdog and Cloudwater recently re-entered the cask market, how do you think this will impact the sector?

TS: “As with everything in CAMRA, it’s down to the membership. If our members decide campaigning for keg beer is appropriate, they can use our AGM and Conference to seek change through our democratic purpose. We already acknowledge a range of quality key-keg products and our festivals serve these alongside cask-conditioned ale. We also accredited the first real ale in a can last year (Moor Brewery in Bristol) and I’m sure that will be the first of many.”

TS: “It can only be positive. Breweries like Brewdog and Cloudwater (and many others) have tended to be trend-setters and if they have returned to cask, it’s an encouraging message which other breweries will hopefully follow. There has been a tendency for many to be very negative about cask beer and use it as a punchbag to establish “craft” credentials, so it’s always good to see positive developments from companies like these.”

Cask ale sales continue to decline. Why do you think that is and what will you be doing as an organisation to help reverse it? TS: “There’s a wide range of factors, from changing consumer habits, to the way certain products are marketed, and even how “cask ale” is defined when the numbers are crunched. I think the key, as has long been the case, is quality. Too many drinkers are still getting a poor experience when they order real ale, or worse, try it for the first time. Cask-conditioned beer is a product that requires skill to make, and skill to keep and serve properly.” NA: “We’re working alongside other organisations such as SIBA and Cask Marque to try and improve quality, as well as helping drinkers become better informed so they can act as drivers in encouraging pubs to serve quality beer in the best condition. Working with the entire industry we can help promote pub going and beer drinking in a positive way - and hopefully see sales grow again.”

What is CAMRA’s view on the rise of craft lager? Is it a category CAMRA could ever embrace? TS: “This is one of those thorny issues of definition again! What is craft - and what is a craft lager? We’ve supported highquality, cask-conditioned beers which could be described as lager - Schiehallion for example. Again, it would be down to the membership to decide whether these types of products fit into our objectives of promoting quality and choice for consumers.”

What is CAMRA doing to attract Millennials and Generation Z to the cask beer category? TS: “This is the holy grail for just about any organisation or business - and there isn’t an easy answer. In our case it’s particularly difficult as we have to try to appeal to a wide spectrum of generations, and avoid alienating any particular group. I also believe that people naturally change their outlook as they get older. There is a danger you can waste a lot of resources and time trying to appeal to a particular age group who are never going to be interested at that time - but may be more receptive in the future We therefore need to ensure that we don’t do anything to put potential members off, whatever age they become interested in what CAMRA is doing. We also need to work harder at making it clear that we’re already an organisation with people like them as members.”

How do you define craft beer? TS: “Pass! I’m not sure it was ever definiable in an objective way and I’ve yet to see a definition which convinces me personally, isn’t flawed, or doesn’t rely on circular arguments. Which isn’t to deny craft beer exists as a concept, it’s just a concept that has become so muddied and abused (as SIBA recently highlighted) that it has arguably become meaningless.”

Why do you think cask beer is consistently priced down on the bar compared to other formats? TS: “It’s an unhelpful hangover of history. Beer was always the “drink of the people” and there is an assumption it should be the cheapest thing on the bar, regardless of any other factor. Which isn’t to say all beer should be expensive - there should be a choice of price points for drinkers. Consumers think nothing of a wine list which goes from an affordable house wine to an eye-wateringly expensive bottle of something special. But when it comes to beer it seems to be very difficult to sell a similar concept - people expect a set price per pint, regardless of ABV, quality, provenance or rarity. This isn’t helped by mainstream media hysterically reporting on the price of speciality beers, which ml for ml, probably are in the same league as an ordinary glass of Pinot in the pub.”

Is there anything more you think small brewers could be doing to help turn cask beer sales around? TS: “Once again, quality is key. Brewers and the wider industry need to stop accepting customers ending up with badly kept pints. Their name is on the pumpclip and their reputation is on the line - unfairly your average customer probably responds to a bad pint by pledging never to drink from that particular brewery again, rather than not to drink in that pub again. Promotion is also key. Like CAMRA, breweries need to pay attention to where the market has moved to and ensure they are marketing their beers in a modern and relevant way.” NA: “I think one of the most important things is to prove beer is as welcoming to all ages and genders - and even if we’re not proactively sending that message out, we should - at minimum ensure we’re not putting off large segments of the drinking public through the way we market and talk about beer and pubs.”

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THE BIG INTERVIEW WE’RE UNIQUE IN ATTRACTING 50,000 DRINKERS THROUGH THE DOOR, SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE TO APPEAL TO ALL SORTS OF VISITORS

What is CAMRA’s position on the review of Small Breweries Relief?

What, to you, makes the perfect beer?

TS: “We remain neutral and hope an industry wide consensus can be reached which does not adversely affect choice for consumers, or stifle innovation in the industry.”

TS: “It’s a beer which matches my mood and the occasion. Naturally it has to have been looked after properly, and whatever the style of pub or bar, served somewhere which clearly takes pride in creating a great experience for customers.”

Your latest figures suggest pub closures are slowing, is this significant?

NA: “It's a well produced, lovingly looked after and properly dispensed beer, in an appropriate glass, that compliments the occasion in which I’m enjoying it.”

TS: “While falling, 14 pubs a week closing is still 14 too many and every pub which closes has an effect on the community it serves, as well as reducing choice for consumers. However, the fall in figures is reassuring and shows that campaigning has had an effect.”

Who do you most admire in the beer world and why?

NA: “The danger is that campaigners and the government become complacent, so we need to ensure we keep the pressure on government and policy-makers to be pro-pub and create an environment which encourages investment and growth.”

Does CAMRA recognise new licensed retail sites such as tap rooms and micro-pubs within its retail figures, and what is your view of the rise of this new style of retail opportunity for cask ale? NA: “Yes, our members include tap rooms and micropubs in our surveys for WhatPub and the Good Beer Guide. These types of venue are extremely welcome as they provide yet another choice for beer, cider and perry drinkers - and often are able to engage with and recruit a new generation of drinkers. I think they provide a great opportunity, within the range of different types of outlets, for people to discover quality beers, ciders and perries in different environments - and importantly give a route to market for different types of producers and retailers who have historically found it difficult to thrive in traditional “pub” models.”

How is GBBF changing for 2019? NA: “We’re still finalising details, so it’s difficult to confirm things which could be subject to change! We’re unique in attracting 50,000 drinkers through the door, so we need to make sure we continue to appeal to all sorts of visitors. However, this year we’re hoping to showcase different styles of dispense, including the possibility of a “festival within the festival” which will specialise in the best of key-keg beers. This year the festival’s tag line is “The Live Beer Experience” to demonstrate we’re looking to focus on the best of interesting beers to excite all types of tastebuds, including some rarities which won’t be available anywhere else, rather than being overly fixated on dispense. There will also be more emphasis on our learning and discovery initiative.”

TS: “Almost an impossible question to answer! There’s a host of people in the industry brave enough to speak out about what changes need to be made to ensure we’re not complacent and not lazily continuing to only appeal to a limited section of society - just because that’s what we’ve always done. It would be unfair to single out any one person. We still have a lot to do as an organisation, and those people rightly hold us to account.” NA: “CAMRA’s founding fathers. They had the guts to start CAMRA, at a time of great change in the beer world, to stand up to ‘big business’ for the small consumer. They were able to gather many people around them and drive CAMRA forward and start to build an organisation that 48 years later is not far short of 200,000 strong.”

What is your favourite beer and where is your favourite place to drink it? TS: “Another tricky one. As above, it depends on my mood, the people I’m with and what I’m doing. However, I'm frequently extremely happy to be enjoying a Coffee Porter, brewed on the premises, at the Pomfret Arms in Northampton, which happens to be about 10 minutes from my front door.” NA: “I do not have a favourite beer. I like beer. What style or type of beer I prefer depends on the occasion and the time and place I’m drinking it. My favourite place to drink beer is in the ‘Great British Pub’. I’ve been extremely privileged to have been able to travel the length and breadth of the country enjoying great beer in many great pubs. If I have to be tied down to one pub then it will have to be my branches current, three times winner of the Branch Pub of the Year, The Dog Inn in Burton. It's a place that offers a wide range of beer styles, where I can meet friends and have a laugh with John the landlord and his staff team. Its particularly good as it was a dying pub that has been turned around and is now the centre of the Burton Beer scene.”

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

AROUND THE WORLD

D N U

THE W

LD O

USA

LONGMONT, COLORADO,

The Left Hand story started in December of 1990 with a small homebrewers kit. Dick Doore, the co-founder of Left Hand, received the kit as a Christmas present from his brother. According to Dick, “it was all downhill from there”. His obsession with homebrewing led him back to Colorado in August of 1993, where he met up with a former Air Force Academy college buddy and soon-to-be Left Hand co-founder, Eric Wallace. In November, home became a former meat packing plant, nestled next to the St. Vrain River near downtown Longmont. The brewery was called Left Hand, after Chief Niwot (meaning left-handed), an Arapaho chief whom wintered his tribe in the Boulder Valley area of Colorado. Just over 25 years later, and Left Hand is now one of the most honoured and recognised breweries in the state, brewing a well-balanced portfolio of craft beers, from its site in Boston Avenue in Longmont, Colorado. Left Hand operates as an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) organisation, and since 1993, Left Hand and its team of employee-owners have committed to brewing quality beer and making a positive impact in their community. Co-founder Eric Wallace is also now the current Chair of the Brewers Association and Left Hand is one of the brewers that has taken up the Brewers Association Seal, which, similar to the SIBA Assured Independent British Craft Brewer logo, is a way for consumers to identify a genuine independently produced beer at the point of purchase. The SIBA Journal’s Editor Caroline Nodder caught up with Chris Lennert, Chief Operating Officer at Left Hand Brewing Company, to find out more…

When was the brewery founded and how has the business developed since then? “It was founded in 1993 when there were less than 400 breweries in the entire US – now there are 400 in Colorado alone, and over 7,000 in the US. Over 5,000 new breweries have opened since 2012. Over the years we’ve acquired another brewery (Tabernash in 1998), started and sold a distribution business, contract brewed, and are now in 42 states. Our best selling beer for years was Sawtooth ESB, then in 2011 Milk Stout Nitro became our best selling beer.”

What is the ethos behind Left Hand and your beers? “We are one of the original pioneers in craft brewing. From a

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

humble homebrew kit beginning to becoming one of the top 50 craft breweries in the US, Left Hand has continued to grow and innovate throughout our 25-year history. Famous for our nitro series, Left Hand launched America’s original nitro bottle with our flagship Milk Stout Nitro and the first production run of US-made nitro widget cans. We’re proud to be one of the most honoured and recognised breweries in Colorado with 29 Great American Beer Festival medals, 11 World Beer Cup awards, and nine European Beer Star awards. We believe in giving back to the communities where we work, live, and play – we have our own non-profit Left Hand Brewing Foundation, as well as six Team Left Hand bike teams with over 600 riders raising over $3.7 million for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society since 2008.”

AROUND THE WORLD

Brewery Basics NAME: LEFT HAND BREWING COMPANY FOUNDED: 1993 LOCATION: LONGMONT, CO, USA OWNER(S): EMPLOYEE OWNERS NUMBER OF STAFF: 97 KEY BEER BRANDS: MILK STOUT NITRO, WAKE UP DEAD NITRO, SAWTOOTH ANNUAL PRODUCTION: 77,000 KEY EXPORT MARKETS: IRELAND, SWEDEN, CHINA, JAPAN

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

AROUND THE WORLD

WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE UK IS AMAZING – AND IT TOOK A LOT LESS TIME TO GET THERE THEN IT DID IN THE US. What do you do differently at Left Hand? “Nitro beers, dark beers, and most recently fruit beers.”

What current challenges do you face as a small brewer in the US market? “Big beer tactics designed to block access to national chains, as well as the pure number of breweries in the US. If everything is special nothing is special.”

You are a member of the Brewers Association. Why did you join and how does the organisation benefit you and your peers? “We’ve been members since we started – it’s being part of the craft beer movement within the US. Eric Wallace our co-founder and President, is the Chair of the BA. They are our first line of defense against Big Beer and our voice in Washington DC.”

You recently adopted the Brewers Association seal on your packaging. What was the thinking behind this and how do you see the scheme helping businesses like yours? “Once again, to support our fellow brethren and to educate consumers about why it’s important to know who and what is behind the brewery consumers are buying from. It’s not a ‘scheme’ but true transparency behind who owns who.”

Do you believe US consumers are interested in the provenance of the beer they drink? “Yes and no, which is exactly why we are behind the BA Seal.”

Do you see yourselves competing against ‘crafty’ beers – produced by large brewers to compete in the small craft brewers’ part of the market? “Absolutely – it’s not a level playing field. The resources that ‘crafty’ or ‘capitulated’ breweries have – from raw ingredients to distribution channels to grocery store shelves – is unmatchable for truly independent breweries. If Big Beer can confuse the consumer, offer their beers at lower prices (ie. 15 packs), and own the shelf and tap handle, they succeed against us. It’s the same animal we are fighting from our inception – they’re just a different colour these days.”

What is your view of the UK beer market? “Exciting and explosive. What is going on in the UK is amazing – and it took a lot less time to get there then it did in the US. Five years ago there were a handful of breweries in London. And now there are over 100 right? Unfortunately for us, it is incredibly difficult for a US brewer to compete on price or quality these

days – so many incredible breweries in the UK. And it’s changing all the time – from brewers selling out to importers/distributors shutting down, to new breweries coming online all the time.”

How do you see the brewing sector in the US evolving over the next five to 10 years? “It will either go to 10-12,000 breweries or shrink in size. We are now governed by the FDA, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out in the next 5-10 years.”

What do you see as the ‘next big thing’ for craft beer? “Consumer education. From who owns who to what makes a quality craft beer.”

What’s new at Left Hand for 2019? “More nitro beers in cans – Push Pop Party Nitro and White Russian Nitro. And more fruited beers – Raspberry Milk Stout, Peach Beerllini Radler. And Peanut Butter Milk Stout.”

Who do you most admire in the brewing sector worldwide, and why? “There are so many great breweries around the world doing so many amazing things. If I had to pick one, I would say today Great Leap Brewing in Beijing China. They were one of the first craft brewers in that country, and they are just about to commission their new production facility in Tianjin – and it’s unbelievable. They are doing it the right way after nine years being a brewpub operator with several locations. Being in the most populous country in the world, they are the craft beer offering in their country, which is being focused on by Big Beer. They are working on a beer trade association, put on their international craft beer festival, and work very diligently to educate the Chinese beer drinker what craft beer is and is not.”

Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from? “From our brewers to our sales people to our marketing crew to what we see in the markets both domestically and internationally – and from outside the beer industry as well.”

Are there any trends in the brewing market that you are currently excited by? “A focus on quality – that is so great to see!”

What are your three favourite beers worldwide? “You’re trying to get me to pick my favourite child! So many great beers! If I had to pick three, I would say Orval all time, Breakside Passionfruit Sour, and I’ll pick one UK brewer: Kernel Export India Porter.

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Continued on page 51 SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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AROUND THE WORLD

The Brewers Association Independent Craft Brewer Seal In 2017 the Brewers Association introduced the Independent Craft Brewer Seal into the US market to minimise confusion in the marketplace and clearly identify beers from small and independent American craft breweries. It has subsequently been adopted by more than 4,200 small and independent breweries, representing more than 85 percent of domestic volume. Among the Top 50 US breweries 86% have adopted the seal and 62% have activated it, meaning they have placed it on packaging, websites, social channels, merchandise etc. In a recent Nielsen survey, 40 per cent of people said the seal would make them “more” or “much more” likely to buy that beer, a 5 per cent increase from the previous year. That number jumps to 57 per cent for craft beer lovers aged 21-34 (up from 45 per cent a year ago) with 23 per cent stating that it would make them “much more” likely to purchase. The seal features an iconic beer bottle shape flipped upside down and captures the spirit with which craft brewers have upended beer while informing beer lovers they are choosing a beer from a brewery that is independently owned. As ‘big’ brewers continue to have unprecedented influence and acquire millions of barrels of formerly independently brewed beer, the seal differentiates in a crowded and increasingly competitive marketplace. In order to keep the seal top of mind, the Brewers Association launched a new national awareness campaign for independent

brewers last year – ‘That’s Independence You’re Tasting’. This integrated advertising campaign is part of on-going efforts to distinguish and promote America’s small and independent craft brewers. Earlier this year the Brewers Association introduced a new seal exclusively for supporters of the independent American craft brewing movement. The supporter seal - which emulates the Independent Craft Brewer Seal – is available to any champions of independent American craft breweries including retailers, distributors, importers, festivals, websites and many more. Establishments and outlets in the UK are welcome to use the new supporter seal too as long as they represent bona fide American craft beers. The supporter seal can be accessed via a newly launched website www. supportindependentbeer.com. Here you can find assets for activation, information and history about the independent craft brewer seal, and ‘Is It a Craft Brewery?’, a comprehensive, searchable database of all US breweries that identifies which breweries meet the Brewers Association craft brewer definition. Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #seektheseal For more information go to www.brewersassociation.org

SIBA’s Assured Independent British Craft Brewer scheme In 2017 SIBA launched the Assured Independent British Craft Brewer scheme, which, similar to the US Seal, is a way of differentiating our members’ beers from mass produced global brands. Consumers can now find the logo on pumpclips, bottles and cans to help them choose local beers and better inform them about the provenance of the products they drink. The SIBA YouGov survey carried out in 2017 found that more than two-thirds (69%) of consumers thought it would be useful to see the Assured logo on beer pump clips, bottles and cans, in order to identify the beer as being brewed by a truly independent craft brewer, rather than a global beer company. Find out more about the campaign, and how to get your brewery involved, at: www.indiecraftbrewers.co.uk

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

BUSINESS PROFILE

ECO WARRIORS I know something that Chris Drummond doesn’t know, as we try and find a quiet corner at BeerX UK in Liverpool in March to have a chat about his brewery, Good Things Brewing. I employ my very best poker face throughout the interview, which takes place just two hours before the 2019 SIBA Business Awards are due to start. And guess who’s won not only the Green Business Award, but also the overall SIBA Brewery Business of the Year?! Finding a ‘quiet corner’ at BeerX UK turns out to be an almost impossible task, however my poker face is only needed for the first two minutes of the interview, as the fascinating story of the founding of Good Things and the unique ethos behind the family orientated business sees me completely forget I have a secret to keep. Blasting onto our screens last year on Jamie Oliver’s Friday Night Feasts, Chris and Sam (Robinson), who founded Good Things in 2017, launched with the ambitious goal of being an open sourced version of the world’s most sustainable brewery. Fighting talk, you might think, except that with the pair’s unique backgrounds and expertise in engineering and sustainable technology as well as brand marketing you wouldn’t bet against them! The two founders and their families launched the venture in 2017 with the stated aim of being completely energy efficient, off-grid, and employing closed-loop brewing with everything recycled and reused from water to grain. Jamie Oliver picked up on this last bit, showcasing their system for turning spent grain into restaurant quality flour on an episode of his show, and the farm site on which the brewery is based has literally just come fully online when we meet at BeerX, with a field of solar panels being installed that very week. Chris tells me more about their experience of launching the business so far, and the mission they are on to turn the brewing industry’s idea of sustainability on its head…

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Brewery Basics NAME: GOOD THINGS BREWING CO FOUNDED: 2017 LOCATION: ERIDGE, EAST SUSSEX OWNER(S): SAM ROBINSON AND CHRIS DRUMMOND AND THEIR FAMILIES CAPACITY: 220HL BREWING TEAM: 3 STAFF: 6 FULL TIME, 1 PART TIME KEY BEERS: GOOD THINGS IPA AND PALE ALE PRODUCTION SPLIT (CASK, KEG, SMALL PACK): 60% CAN, 40% KEG KEY EXPORT MARKETS: NONE

BUSINESS PROFILE

IT IS VERY MUCH ABOUT CREATING A BLUEPRINT, AN OPEN-SOURCED VERSION OF SUSTAINABLE BREWING

Tell me a bit about your background and the background to the business. “Myself and Sam (Robinson) are the co-founders, and it is very much our two families behind it. Our wives are the ones who diffuse Sam and I at various points, which is perfect because we are very different people who bring very different skill sets to it. It works really well, but it is good we have our partners there to assist. My background is in sustainable engineering, so I started off in heating, ventilation and air conditioning then got really into sustainability. Fifteen years from apprentice to MD and then I fell out of love with the industry, in fact I think I fell out of love with the industry fairly early on, with the people controlling the industry maybe. So I started up a craft beer club, and fell in love with the brewing industry and how amenable they were to listening and talking about my points on sustainability. As an engineer I was doing as much as I could to try to get businesses off grid, working in a way that was viable for that business. Obviously there are many options if you can afford to spend £500K but I was trying to work with small businesses, farms and small holdings to try and make them a more viable business and a bit more futureproofed through sustainability. And then Sam is a photographer who flies around the world for big brands - anywhere from Nike, to big airlines like Lufthansa - and he also works with many chefs, hence our interest in restaurants and making inroads into the restaurant market fairly early on with the business. From that Sam got quite into brands and understood a lot about brands through his photography, and it became a passion and something he is good at and something I don’t understand, so it is perfect! We knew there was a bit of risk with this, so we built our brand first, to see if the story would hold up, before we then started to spend £500K on a brewery. So the idea was to make enough money to then support the craft beer industry and show them how they could be more sustainable and better for the planet. But we knew that no one was going to listen until we’d done it ourselves!”

What were your aspirations for the business? “It is very much about creating a blueprint, an open-sourced version of sustainable brewing – so sending it out to the world and everyone can copy and give us help and let us help them and

make it an open book. We always talk about it being pointless if we are a one off and the only ones doing it, and just a PR exercise, so we want to try and push it out as much as we can. There are so many brewers out there and I don’t know many who shut down the idea of sustainability.”

How would you describe your brewing ethos? “We started our journey with Jenn Merrick, so I managed to get a meeting with her when we were first sticking our noses out into the world saying we were going to be the most sustainable brewery in the world…before brewing any beer! Jenn taught us the fundamental importance of quality control, so when I went out to find my head brewer that was all I had in mind. I didn’t need showmanship beers, it was all about quality control. One of the big reasons we have come to BeerX is because of the kit, the quality control kit, and making sure that for a small brewery we have the right kit and are doing everything we can and can currently afford on quality control. Secondly came the beer, and our head brewer is Darryl Mills, who came from the Head Brewer role at Dark Star and joined us in January. He has a nice little repertoire and is a geek with quality control which he loves. Jenn helped with our first recipes to take them from non-commercial beers to commercial beers people would like to drink and told us the error of our ways from brewing domestically and has helped us quite a lot over our first year. Our market is 50% London and 50% my home town, Brighton and Hove in Sussex. But now our new brewery is just outside Tunbridge Wells which is a whole new market we haven’t looked at which is really exciting. Darryl is a bit of a king in cask so we are excited to get our cask game up and running. All three in the brewing team are very much cask advocates and we want it to play a big part in our local area which is a hop county and has a lot to say about cask. In the tank currently is a double dark dry-hopped table beer – 2.8% or 2.9%. And that is our move into the low alcohol market and towards 0%. And we have a lager about to go into the tanks next week as well, so there are six or seven beers in the pipeline. We were going between gypsy brewing and contract brewing before which makes it very hard to keep a stable beer, so us getting the brewery has meant we can get our core beers to where we want them.”

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Continued on page 55 SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

FERMENTATION RANGE 12 to 20°C (54 to 68°F) AROMA & FLAVOR Slightly fruity, more neutral with colder fermentations ALCOHOL TOLERANCE 9% ABV ATTENUATION Medium to high

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BUSINESS PROFILE

WE GET A LOT OF CALLS ALREADY ABOUT OUR DEHYDRATOR, WHICH IS NOW A PATENTED PRODUCT, BUT THE IDEA IS NOT TO KEEP IT TO OURSELVES

Your business is built on sustainability, what does that entail, and could the brewing industry be doing more on environmental issues?

Consumer awareness of issues around sustainability is growing, do you find that leads them to choose your beers over others?

“We have installed four rows of solar panels. Starting off at 50KW of solar energy that will go up to 100KW and usually if you are over producing you will be dumping back into the grid. The idea is that we are looking at batteries going in to take us essentially fully off grid. They can store that over produced energy and we can use it whenever we need it. I have a lot of views on sustainable and self-sustained. So a lot of sustainable stuff that is going on, and this is really good, is about going to an electricity supplier who uses green energy. But not every business gets to do that and if all brewers decided to do that then we’d be out of green energy pretty quickly. So we take more of a stance on self-sustainability, or at least producing as much of your own energy as you can. But not everyone has space like us, so our next stage is away from solar and looking at things that can be self-contained within a brewery or on a small site. There are a lot of breweries on farms, like us, but it is about showing people it is cost effective and that as a business model you are going to get that money back in two years – as opposed to 25 years which everyone thinks is the turnaround. Our panels will pay for themselves in two years. It is essentially about how you buy your solar panels – you can go to huge companies who give you quotes of £60K but you can also have stuff delivered in four weeks at about a third of that price, but people just don’t know about that. So it is about sharing knowledge and making it really accessible, and I would love to get into a bit of free consultation when I have the time. We get a lot of calls already about our dehydrator, which is now a patented product, but the idea is not to keep it to ourselves but to licence it out to the right people and make it more of a planet saver and less of a PR stunt. We are always working on new methods – one thing I started working with Jenn on very early on was malt separation. If we could separate the oats out from our brews it would make for a lot less energy needed to dehydrate the grain. Then we had the vision that we could put everything you needed to dehydrate the grain inside a shipping container so it arrives and a lot of people with small sites could fit that in. And there are solar panels on top of that container that provide enough power to do everything that goes on inside that crate. We are really trying to push that forward at the moment.”

“No enough. But it is something we talk about, without wanting to ram it down people’s throats. I still want to be known as a brewery for making really good beer. If you look at social media we do have a fairly young audience compared to what we started with. When we launched we said: ‘we are a brewery’, then we said: ‘this is what our ethos is and what we are doing', and the age went down. We are also 50/50 female to male which is awesome. And I personally think that is a lot to do with branding. We try to talk in a way that is accessible to everyone and that is the whole idea of our branding. Much as I love many of the craft beer brands out there, some of them do alienate certain people with graphics or images appealing to a younger or older crowd. Branding is something we have really focused on.”

Community seems important to your business. How do you invest in that community? “We’d like to use the space, once everything is in and up and running, for education. Not just for breweries but for other businesses locally as well. We are surrounded by hop farmers and cattle farmers and we have had help from many of them while we were setting up, so it would be nice to give a bit of that back. We are actually talking to a local hop farmer now because we haven’t been using British hops but our lager is going to be made with British hops. So hopefully if that first version goes well it will be out pretty soon. I’d love to get more into the hop side, and we will be planting some hops at the farm but only as a sideline. We actually have a de-waterer we use before the dehydrater, which is a sort of corkscrew thing, and we compact the grain really slowly, so we don’t damage the grain any more than the brew just did, and we wring the water out before the spent grain goes in the dehydrator. We want to try using that water on vegetable and hop patches vs using the water off the roof, and see if it’s a better fertilizer because it has so many nutrients in it.”

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Continued on page 57 SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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BUSINESS PROFILE Can you describe the challenges you’ve faced as a business? “Financing. When we started financing was looking really positive and really easy, and hence we started on the full Gravity kit, all singing all dancing, we didn’t want any growing problems for quite a while. But as we got about six months in and more ‘no’s’ came in and Brexit started happening and it kept being pushed back and back and back. Money offers and loans from banks were then going backwards, so me and Sam took all the money we could out of our homes, and invested everything we could from that side and then looked at lending. As we were getting more exposure by then that helped a little bit, so we have been managing to push it over the line and we are still 100% owned, 50/50 by me and Sam."

Where are you investing this year? “We are adding a canning line. Again for quality control reasons. We started off at what I think is a great place, a great co-working space for brewers, Missing Link Brewery and we outgrew it pretty quickly because they weren’t very big at the time, and we were using mobile canners. But the whole thing starts with negatives, with machines being moved around all the time, and what you have to achieve with quality control just to start with a level playing field means there is a long way to go. I love the canning side because we are a sustainable brewery, and bottles are nowhere near as good for the planet. But we are also going to do a local large bottle drop off scheme and that will be for our barrel aged beers. We will probably just buy two big barrels for our tasting room and do that once a year.”

Are there any mistakes you’ve made that you have learned from? “If someone asked me what the hardest thing in brewing is, I would say getting the packaging right. Every mistake we have made with packaging we have thrown away so much – one of our first canning runs we had to throw away 5,000 cans. Oxidised. We had no money at the time, and they just weren’t sealed properly, we weren’t sure they were sterile, it was a big learning curve and it took a while to come back from. These things are easy to do if you haven’t got the correct quality control systems, so that is where that side of things really kicked in for us.”

How do you define genuine craft beer and do you think ‘crafty’ beers are a threat? “A big part of why I think craft brewers will keep pushing forward is because I have not met a craft brewer who is 100% driven by profit. Whereas with the corporate brewers, if you look at the Carling documentary that was on this week, even my wife, who has nothing to do with the brewing industry, was asking how they can brew that much beer using that little hops and get it out to market 10 days quicker than us. The numbers were shocking. The whole brewing side was a shock, I was surprised they even wanted it to be on tv, and it made me think us craft brewers will be ok. But I can certainly see the power of their branding and advertising having an impact. Although the younger generation now hold onto some of the key aspects of whether a brand is ethical or sustainable and is something that means a bit more to them. Community is a big thing, they are buying into products that are helping their community.”

With margins for small brewers very tight how do you ensure you continue to make money? “Over the last year I have probably looked at our forecasts and margins and suppliers every single day, and I know them off by heart because my house is on the line and I want to know that this is not just about a dream of wanting to work in the craft beer world. We are really strict on the numbers, and I think we will probably get more profit out than we think, but we have been really harsh on the forecasts. When Daryl came on board as head brewer it was his job to prove me wrong and get better value and cut better deals. But our margins will be quite tight until we are up to capacity and grow. I actually don’t understand how a 10bbl brewery exists long term.”

Continued on page 59

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

BUSINESS PROFILE WE LOOK AT SIBA AS A WAY OF SEEING WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE INDUSTRY, OF GETTING HELP FROM THE INDUSTRY

You have an on-site shop, how has that developed and do you have any plans to grow your direct retail side? “We are in the middle of nowhere but bizarrely there is a train line that comes straight into our local village from Victoria and gets in right next to a pub we’d love to buy! We are at a space where for now it would be really good to invite groups of people out to the brewery site maybe Friday and Saturdays and we are just building a tasting room now, so up until the summer it will probably be about inviting pub owners and groups along for tastings. The idea of the brewery is that it is full circle, to lead into the taproom. So we do everything on site, from boreing our own water to creating our own energy. Our waste is going into reed beds, we take the spent grain and turn it into flour for the pizza oven in the tap room – so it really is full circle. Then once the brewery has settled in we need to concentrate on suppliers and packaging. We are looking at building a way of recycling plastic, and becoming a drop-in centre for recycling plastic and then turning it into stuff we can use. We will shred it up, melt it, pellet it, and then make it into cable which can then be used for other stuff. We are also right next to a charity-run outdoor activity centre, an incredible place that gets kids off the streets into an environment where they camp and rock climb. And the plan has always been that we create enough power and water to send to them at the bottom of our field to help them out. We are just putting in the lines now so fingers crossed! We also trialled having a separate tap room as a premises share at a café in Brighton. We put in 16 taps and sold local Sussex brewers’ beers, but I found that trying to run that and build a brewery at the same time was really difficult. It is definitely something we want to do though and from that trial we now have a solid case for investment when we do it.”

You recently entered the SIBA Business Awards. What prompted you to enter and what do awards like this mean to you? “We look at SIBA as a way of seeing what’s going on in the industry, of getting help from the industry, of meeting people, of sourcing our kit, and the awards side we only started talking about a few weeks ago. We’d been so in our own space building the brewery we came out the other side and thought we needed to get our story out there if we wanted to start changing how people thought about sustainability. Just being shortlisted is great for us, and winning would give us profile and relevance and hopefully people will read about it and want to come and talk to us.”

Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from? “Surrounding myself with like-minded humans is the most important thing for me, and when I am on my laptop I am usually in a co-working space. There is an amazing one in Brighton called Platform 9. Every time you get up to make coffee another conversation means you look at a new sales idea or opportunity. Then from within the brewing industry we have key favourites that all come down to quality control, they all come down to the beer itself. Names like Deya Brewing and Lost and Grounded, I have been to their breweries and they really care about quality and really care about their beer. Verdant and Brighton Bier, local to us, Burning Sky, those people are the ones we look up to. Also from my previous industry I get a lot of inspiration because there is tech out there that just hasn’t been brought into the brewing industry yet.”

How are you approaching your routes to market?

Where do you see yourself being in five year’s time?

“The Jamie show means we are now talking about going in to some of the Jamie restaurants, and Sam knows a lot of chefs through his work so we have looked at that side of the market. We also use the spent grain flour to help push that side of things, we use it in the tap room, and we recently did an event where a local chef came in to a pub and used our flour which was a nice story.”

“Tired! I would like to think in five years we are known for producing high quality beer but also known for leading the way for others with sustainability.”

How do you see the UK brewing sector evolving in the coming months and years? “I do sadly feel there will be a thinning out. I don’t always think that is a bad thing – some brewers enter the market for the romance of it and exit pretty quickly. We have seen that in the short time we have been in the industry so it is happening already and is going to continue. On the positive side I think there is going to be a big emphasis on authenticity and story and there are many brewers who are leading that – they are leading with brand, leading with beer, pushing the boundaries, and those are the ones who are going to stick around.”

Who do you most admire in the sector and why? “Jenn Merrick and Emma Inch. Emma is such an amazing lady to sit down and talk to. She is in our home town and to have got the Brighton Beer Festival off the ground – there is so much politics in beer in Brighton and she was amazing. Then Jenn has become a very good mate and has helped us so much, and what she is trying to do with Earth Station is just amazing.”

What is your favourite beer? “Lost & Grounded’s Keller Pils, or, in cask, Brighton Bier’s South Coast.”

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

SIBA BUSINESS - BACK OFFICE

LEGAL

TIPS: WHAT ARE THE RULES? In this article Napthens’ employment law specialist Oliver McCann, look at the rules on tips that employers need to know. There are approximately 165,000 businesses in the hospitality, leisure and service sector in the UK where tipping workers is particularly common as a reward for good service. There are a number of ways that a worker can receive tips or gratuities: • Cash directly from a customer • Paid by the employer within the worker’s pay packet • Pooled and shared between all staff by way of a tronc Businesses are facing increased pressure from workers and customers to re-consider their position on distribution of tips to ensure it is more favourable for the workers. Therefore, it is crucial for employers to ensure their staff understand how tips and gratuities are distributed. The best way to do this is by way of a written policy, ideally at the outset of the employment relationship.

The Law

If a worker receives a tip payment directly, normally in cash, it becomes the property of the staff and not the employer. In theory, the employee ought to account for tips as income to HMRC. Card payments are often different and once paid by the customer, they become property of the employer. There is no legal duty for employers to hand these over to employees, but in practice many do and to protect the business reputation with customers it would be sensible to do so.

Minimum Wage

It is crucial for employers to understand the legal relationship between national minimum wage and tips. All workers have a legal right to be paid at least the national minimum wage relevant to the employee’s age during the course of their employment. Since 1 October 2009, it is not permissible for employers to use tips/gratuities to meet their national minimum wage obligations. As such, all eligible workers must receive tips on top and in addition to their basic pay. Failure to comply with this may lead to both financial and reputational damage for the employer arising from a HMRC investigation and finding of a failure to meet the national minimum wage.

Deduction from Wages

Workers have the right to complain if there has been an unlawful deduction from wages. Here, wages are defined as “any sums payable to the worker in connection with his employment” Oliver McCann is Napthens’ employment law specialist including any "emolument referable to his employment, whether paid under his contract or otherwise", which can be interpreted to include tips and gratuities. The current legal position is that deduction from staff tips is generally unlawful, and will only be lawful if it is required by law or permitted by a contractual provision or prior written consent.

The Future

A consultation was launched in 2015 in response to concerns around the treatment and transparency of the payment of tips, gratuities, cover and service charges. It was identified during the consultation that employers are taking “administrative fees” amongst other deductions from staff tips. The proportion of payments that goes to the employers and the workers is not currently legislated for. The Good Work Plan, published on 17 December 2018, confirmed that the government will introduce legislation to put a ban on employers making any deductions from staff tips to prevent employers from keeping tips that are intended for workers. At this stage, the Government is unable to say whether the legislation would also cover the common practice of customer tips left/given for waiting staff being collected in and then distributed between both front and back of house staff e.g. kitchen staff. There is no timescale for this yet. Whilst we wait for the new legislation, the main points for employers to remember when dealing with tips are as follows: • Be clear about how tips are distributed • Do not use tips to make up national minimum wage • Do not make unlawful deductions from wages • Remember that you may need to pay whilst absent from work (i.e. holidays, sick leave, parental leave etc.) if the calculation is based on the employee’s average remuneration.

For advice on this topic or on legal issues affecting your business please contact SIBA Legal Helpline: 0845 6710277 North West law firm Napthens LLP is a SIBA supplier associate and gold standard sponsor. The firm has a team of specialists looking after the legal requirements of clients in the leisure and licensed trade sector, with clients including Daniel Thwaites plc and Sceptre Leisure Ltd. Napthens manages the SIBA Legal Helpline which offers legal advice and guidance on a wide range of legal issues affecting your business including: general commercial, intellectual property, corporate finance, dispute resolution and litigation, commercial property, licensing, debt recovery and employment law. Any enquiry through the helpline will receive up to 1 hour of free legal expertise (if further work is require, you’ll be advised of the appropriate charging structure) Full details of the helpline can be found on the SIBA Members Toolbox.

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

DESERVE THE BEST FILLING SYSTEMS. KHS brings state-of-the-art technology to craft breweries. Great beer needs a filler that ensures the highest product quality. Especially for small and medium-sized breweries, our compact fillers offer the same innovative technology as larger KHS fillers. In addition, KHS stands for maximum reliability, keeping lines running steadily at a very high level – supported by our dependable on-site service. Our filling systems are available for all types of bottles, cans, and kegs. Would you like to know more? Please contact us at www.khs.com

SIBA BUSINESS - BACK OFFICE

DIGITAL

HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF INSTAGRAM Instagram is the fastest growing social media platform of the past few years. The platform now has over 1 billion active monthly users, increasing its user base by around 300% in the past year, but businesses still often prioritise Facebook and Twitter. That has to change, says Inapub’s Matt Jones… In the past you may have concentrated on Facebook or Twitter, but all businesses should be looking to Instagram as a way to engage a different and often younger user base and attract them to buy from their breweries. Many businesses have signed up to use Instagram but could be using the platform better. Most of the very best content on Instagram ties into aspirational trends. Merely taking a basic picture which hasn’t been planned or thought out will not be good enough. Think about what you’re trying to show your customers and then create a picture which shows that of in the best light. You should think about light, situation and atmosphere. For instance instead of taking a picture of a pint anywhere, think where you can get the best light and also where it will look the best. If you can look to inject some fun and humour into your posts by creating funnily posed image. These should all where possible be taken by you and your staff. While many businesses have stock images which they might want to use for Instagram, users are generally put off by them. They want to see authenticity in those posts. If in doubt take a look on the platform at what people are posting. If you search for beer and breweries, see which posts look the best. Use these to guide the pictures you are creating. You might initially struggle to see how to

get the look of these images, but if you innovate a little it can go a long way to bringing you more followers and therefore more customers. Once you have created some great images, you still have work to do to get the best possible reach for those posts. To do so you want to make sure you are using the right filters. The top 5 filters on Instagram are 1. Clarendon 2. Gingham 3. Juno 4. Lark 5. Mayfair When you add your posts try to use these filters, if possible. If they don’t work for that image, pick others that do. It’s more about getting it to look right. The final section of a post for Instagram where you add the caption is key to getting reach. You want to write a punchy caption which relates to the image you are posting. You should aim to keep the caption below 80 characters. Nobody has time or interest in reading long posts with information. If you want them to find out event or product information, point them to your website and list that information there. Many people want quick easily accessible information and will not have time to read a long and unengaging post.

Matt Jones. Inapub's Digital Services Manager

Hashtags are an important way to get reach on Instagram. You can use up to 30 on the platform, however the ideal number to use is 11. More than this will ultimately take you longer to add and ultimately not get you more reach. Use what is relevant to your post to get the best reach. The algorithm will link people who like posts with those hashtags with your posts with those hashtags. So if you post using #beer, a user who likes posts about your beer is more likely to see your post. Once you have them more users seeing the content you are creating, you are more likely to turn that reach into sales. Posts without hashtags will do very poorly in comparison to those which have hashtags. The functionality of Instagram is built around them so make sure you are using the correct number. Here are our recommended Hashtags for beer & brewers: #beer #beers #beertime #drinks #beerfest #beerstagram #ales #drinkfresh #ipa #craftbeer #SIBA If you have not started to use Instagram, now is the time to start. It is growing fast and is preferred by many because of the image based interface. You should look to include it as part of your digital marketing, supporting your sales activity. Create good content & imagery, with good captions and the right hashtags and you will get the most out of Instagram.

Inapub is the leading supplier of digital marketing solutions for Britain’s pub and beer trade, offering news, advice, training and website services. If you’d like to know more about how Inapub can help grow your business, email sales@inapub.co.uk or visit www.inapub.co.uk.

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SIBA BUSINESS - BACK OFFICE

FINANCE

BE WARY OF FINANCIAL PITFALLS Like many industries over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a number of brewers hit by financial problems, with many being forced to close down. There are several common errors that business owners can make; things that are easily missed which will impact your performance as a brewer. We’ve highlighted some of the mistakes here, with suggestions on how to avoid or mitigate. Businesses are often so keen to bring on board new customers, that they don’t always perform adequate due diligence on them, leading to problems down the line with bills not being paid. This is particularly important if you are exporting into overseas markets you’re not familiar with. Comprehensive due diligence should look at the financial, commercial, operational, and legal position of the potential customer. At the very least, look at the firm’s latest accounts and annual returns on Companies House. If you have any misgivings about a firm’s situation, you could always ask for payment upfront until you’ve established a trusted relationship. Many firms judge their own success on the turnover of their business. This gives a general idea of the level of growth of the business but don’t rely on it too much. The phrase “turnover is vanity, profit is sanity” may be a cliche, but it’s very true. Focus on the more important metrics such as overall profit, profit per customer, and profit per product line. This gives a better view of the financial health of the business and allows you to see warning signs earlier. Also, don’t assess your overall performance based on cash in the bank. Having a decent amount of money in there can give the illusion that all is well with your business and can lead to complacency. Linked to this is the need to get your costs and pricing right. Often, firms will base the price they charge a customer on outdated costs. Think about the last time you may have updated your pricing schedule and then think about how many of your raw materials have increased in price during that period. If your costs are increasing but your prices aren’t, then your profits will be falling. The focus of brewery owners is, rightly, making great beer, building the business, and looking after customers, so it can be easy to spend less time on admin and finances. . Everyone appreciates it’s not exciting! Many owners are often caught out by tax payment schedules, leading to cashflow issues and pressure on both the business and the owners. Most online accounting packages, like Xero, allow you to track liabilities such as corporation tax and VAT, so you can be fully aware of future outlay and plan accordingly. Bulk buying of source materials can be a great idea, but don’t get carried away buying too much as this can seriously affect your working capital. Having six month’s supply of stock may give you a slightly better discount from your supplier, but you’ve effectively foregone six months of capital (as well as incurring extra storage costs). Balance the need for working cash against an extra one or two per cent discount - only order what you can afford over the period.

Many growing businesses need some sort of finance to get them started, or to help them grow later (maybe buying their own James Sleight is a Partner at Geoffrey premises or equipment Martin & Co, a Supplier Associate if they’ve been contract Member of SIBA. brewing). Having an indepth understanding of finance agreements is key, to make sure you are getting the right form of finance for your business. It’s probably easier to get alternative finance at the moment than it has been for many years; but convenience doesn't necessarily mean that a particular package is right for you. It’s crucial to get advice from a suitably qualified professional, perhaps from your accountant or other independent professional. While the urge to grow your business might be strong, you should always be aware that finding a financial product that meets your specific needs is a vital first step, and not an afterthought. Also ensure these are regularly reviewed as what was right for your business a year ago doesn’t necessarily mean it is now. Be very wary of finance that requires a form of personal guarantee, where you, rather than the business, will be responsible for paying back money owed to the lender. It can be easier to agree finance that need personal guarantees, and monthly payments may be lower, but think about what might happen if your brewery fails. The stress of losing your business is bad enough; think about how you’d feel if you lost your house as well. If you’re thinking of signing up for a finance deal that requires a personal guarantee, make sure your life partner, as well as business partners, are fully aware of the obligations that come with the deal. It’s very easy in the brewing industry to get carried away with developing new products and chasing the latest trends in beer. This can lead to a lack of focus on your strengths as well as an unclear view of the finances of each new beer. It may take a few months to get a full picture of the success and profitability of a new beer - constantly pushing out new products will mean your visibility of the overall financial health of your brewery will be diminished. Finally, many business owners struggle because they don’t seek professional advice early enough and struggle through problems, thinking that a solution will be just around the corner. A 10 minute chat with your accountant, bank manager or other trusted professional can save months of heartache further down the line. Remember the requirements of your brewery will constantly change, ensure that you embrace this and understand this is a fundamental aspect of modern day business.

James Sleight is a Partner at Geoffrey Martin & Co, a Supplier Associate Member of SIBA. Geoffrey Martin & Co provides practical advice concerning growth, financial issues, exit and contingency planning, to a business’s directors, owners, investors and financiers at all stages of its life cycle. We work with companies, individuals, partnerships, and lenders across the whole of the UK, with experience in many sectors including Bars, Restaurants, Media & Marketing, and Technology. For a free, informal chat about any aspects of your business including financing, please call our Leeds team on 0113 244 5141.

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TECHNICAL FOCUS

DOWN YOUR DRAIN What goes down the drain at a brewery? Ideally as little as possible as we are typically charged on the effluent we release. In many cases though we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t avoid discharging some chemical or digestible content and so incur the cost of our contamination. By Dr Keith Thomas of Brewlab, Sunderland

Short of installing a full-scale treatment plant and anaerobic digester producing useful methane what options do we have to control our outflow and its content?

Firstly, lets identify the problems and the potential. One issue is the volume we release. In a 10 barrel, 15 HL brewery producing three beers a week we may use up to 45,000 of water with a comparable effluent flow. Hopefully efficient use of heating, cooling and cleaning will reduce this but it is still likely to be a sizeable volume and more than can be reasonably stored for treatment unless you have a rural location to develop a reed bed. Secondly, we have variable loading with high effluent peaks as fermenters are cleaned followed by very dilute flow from rinsings. Similarly, the flow at one time may be very alkaline and at another acidic with pH levels between two and ten. Fortunately, we do not have much or any release of toxic organics so allowing our output to be degraded by natural means in the sewage system. Finally, to specify the characteristics relevant to our charges. These break into two areas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; total soluble solids (TSS) and biological oxygen demand (BOD). The first of these is particulate the second both particulate and soluble. TSS comprises the solid material released from grains, hops and yeast while BOD includes some of these plus beer and wort components particularly sugars and protein. While there are various technical means such as reverse osmosis to remove sugars and protein we are more likely to be successful in reducing TSS to obtain an impact. In its simplest form a fine filter will retain particles allowing a sludge to be collected and sent for composting or landfill. Simple wedge wire will remove some of this down to half a mm in size but more specialized filter systems may reduce the size capture to 1/10 mm and reducing both TSS and BOD by up to 40%. A more expansive approach, if space permits, would be to construct a biodegrader system incorporating settlement and digestion tanks. A threestep process of initial settlement of large

Controlled spraying for efficient effluent particles followed by recirculation into a tank for digestion by microbes and a final settlement clarification tank can work well if sized to your flow rate. The digestion tank here is the critical component and requires a large internal surface area for microorganisms to attach as a biofilm. Short, randomly arranged tubes of plastic or porous clay provide a good fill for this purpose. The microbes then feed on the organics in the flow so reducing the BOD. The digestion is aerobic and requires good aeration, ideally by recirculation or air sparging. Digestion is faster than anaerobic systems but does not produce methane making it an effective but less economic option. Although the volume of effluent may seem high as we see it run down the brewery drain microbreweries are small scale producers compared to many industries and are unlikely to afford investment required for bulk processing. Suffering effluent charges is difficult to avoid. However, one solution can be collaboration between industries. Dr Debbie Rathbone of Biorenewables consultancy at the University of York suggests compatible industries may look to a common waste treatment suggesting that productions with similar outputs such as food and brewing may well occupy sites on the same estate so allowing joint processing in a collaborative environment.

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Naturally industries with different waste materials such as cleaning services, metalworking or paint spraying would be incompatible but collaborative initiatives are increasingly promoted and may be eligible for grant support. Structured systems inevitably require integration into the brewery location which can be difficult in urban locations. If space within or nearby the brewery is a problem it is possible to design a system to operate within a container which could be situated at a further distance, possibly accessed by a number of users. A future prospect is that effluent treatment may be coordinated with by-products from other industries. Coconut shells for example have been converted to activated carbon and used to adsorb organics from brewery effluent in trials. Incineration can then reactivate the carbon for reuse. While there is little surplus of coconuts in the UK comparable materials ranging from vegetable fibres to bones or chicken feathers may provide alternatives. The economics of such processing remains to be calculated but collaborative reuse of materials to improve our processing is very much on the eco-agenda as well as saving those effluent charges. Not so much down the drain but hopefully more back in our pockets.

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

2019

REVIEW

REVIEW BEERX UK is the Society’s flagship

event and the leading UK exhibition for British craft brewers and included an exciting programme of training and workshops, debates and networking opportunities as well as hosting the SIBA AGM and national awards. SIBA brewers are proud to be independent and are united in their determination to bring the very best of craft brewed British beer to the World’s beer drinkers and we hope that BeerX UK provided the inspiration and insight to help them on their journey towards greater success. This year we reflected the innovation and dynamism of our industry in various ways including featuring a range of fringe

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

events around the city including taproom takeovers and tastings. We also invited you to come and meet the SIBA team at the SIBA Hub. We were very proud to present the best of British beer in the form of our National Independent Beer Awards and the announcement of the winners of the SIBA Business Awards, which has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Our trade exhibition was also bigger than ever, thanks to all our exhibitors who make BeerX UK the great event it has become. Finally, thank you to our main sponsor, Kegstar and our gold members as well as the staff and other individuals who worked tirelessly to deliver this year’s event.

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who joined us for what was our best BeerX UK event yet

in Liverpool in March. Taking place for the second year running at the ACC Exhibition Centre in Liverpool, the two day event took place on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th March 2019.

REVIEW A PACKED SCHEDULE OF FRESH, EXCITING WORKSHOPS We listened to feedback from last year to further improve the packed schedule of workshops, debates and presentations that make BeerX UK a must-attend event for British brewing professionals. In 2019 the workshop content focussed on what you’ve told us are the two most important things to your breweries: ‘Brewing the best beer possible’ and improving ‘the Business of Brewing’.

NEW AND IMPROVED SIBA NATIONAL INDEPENDENT BEER AWARDS

With expert speakers and brand-new content around these two core ideas feedback suggests that 2019 was our best BeerX ever for ideas and information sharing.

The National Independent Beer Awards represent the culmination of a year’s worth of regional beer competitions and saw the very best of the best independent craft beers in the UK will be crowned. A shake-up of the categories this year saw more modern, current beer styles such as session IPA, New England IPA and sour or spontaneously fermented beers being judged in the competition, whilst the awards continue to support classic British bitters, milds, porters and stouts. The competition categories now better reflect the diverse nature of the British beer market and BeerX UK 2019 was the first National finals featuring these updated style categories. What’s more, delegates and exhibitors at BeerX UK 2019 got the chance to be the first people anywhere in the UK to taste the 2019 winning beers in our trade-only beer showcase – spread across eight regional bars right in the heart of the exhibition space. See the full list of winners on pages 76-82.

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

REVIEW

SIBA HUB: GIVING MEMBERS DIRECT ACCESS TO SIBA STAFF EXPERTISE This year we introduced a much improved and expanded SIBA Hub which ensured the SIBA Staff from different areas of the trade association - from marketing and government lobbying, to beer competitions and commercial - were available throughout the event to answer your questions. We also created a new networking area within the SIBA Hub and encouraged delegates to make use of the space for their own meetings and other business matters, something which proved very popular with attendees.

IMPROVED BEERX UK SIGNAGE, BRANDING & EVENT GUIDE

The SIBA Hub gave Delegates a warm welcome to BeerX UK and was well-used throughout the event.

Neil Walker, SIBA’s Head of PR & Marketing, said: “A key element of what makes an event such as BeerX UK a success is how easy it is for delegates to access the content that they want to engage with and be able to find it in the event. This means having clear signage, up-to-date information and an Event Guide that pulls everything together in a format that is quick and easy to use.

SIBA Head of Operations Rachel Harriott said: "Feedback from delegates told us that having access to SIBA Staff expertise and the ability to ask questions in person was an important part of BeerX UK, which was why this year we went to real efforts to ensure the SIBA Hub was as fit for purpose as possible - something which I think was achieved with great success. Plus the new large hanging signage made it crystal clear where delegates could find us if they had any questions."

For 2019 we expanded the Event Guide to include fringe events happening around Liverpool during BeerX UK, something we think is an important part of the delegate experience. We also streamlined how the workshops were displayed in the guide, making it easier to find out what was happening and where. Lastly and importantly we improved the physical signage in the venue, meaning that alongside the digital signage guiding delegates into the event there were also large hanging banners over the key areas within the hall. This meant that no matter where you were stood in the hall, you could see where each workshop space was located making the need to consult the map almost unnecessary. It's a format that went down well with delegates and that we are looking to continue and improve in coming years."

NIGEL BARDEN RETURNED TO PRESENT SIBA’S AWARDS AT BEERX UK

Food and drink broadcaster, Nigel Barden, who’s back catalogue includes work with Simon Mayo and previously Chris Evans on Sony Gold award winning BBC Radio 2 shows, returned to present SIBA’s Business Awards and National Independent Beer Awards at BeerX UK this year. Nigel specialises in promoting British ingredients and artisan producers, particularly in his role as chairman of judges for The Great Taste Awards, Farm Shop & Deli Awards, World Cheese Awards, British Cookery School Awards & host of the National Fish & Chip Awards.

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THE SIBA BRITISH CRAFT BEER REPORT 2019 THE UK’S INDEPENDENT CRAFT BEER SECTOR IN FOCUS

REVIEW

THE SIBA BRITISH CRAFT BEER REPORT 2019 IS AN EXTENSIVE PIECE OF WORK WHICH TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION THE VARIOUS COMPLEXITIES AND CONTRADICTIONS WHICH WE SEE IN THE CURRENT BRITISH BEER MARKET.

LAUNCHED AT BEERX UK 2019: THE SIBA BRITISH CRAFT BEER REPORT THE UK’S INDEPENDENT CRAFT BEER SECTOR IN FOCUS This year SIBA has taken a different approach to its annual look at the craft beer market, formerly known as the SIBA British Craft Beer Report 2019. For the first time, rather than basing the report solely on the results of the annual SIBA members’ survey, we have taken a much broader look at the market as it stands in 2019 and the challenges and opportunities it holds, as well as commissioning some exclusive new consumer research through YouGov. The first ever SIBA British Craft Beer Report 2019 aims to offer insight and

ideas that SIBA members and retail customers can take away and consider when making decisions about the direction of their own businesses. The report has been written and researched by the SIBA Journal’s Editor Caroline Nodder, with input from the wider SIBA team, using key statistical sources and reports to help draw out emerging trends and highlight potential future growth areas and opportunities for small craft brewers and beer retailers. SIBA CEO Mike Benner said: “The SIBA British Craft Beer Report 2019 is an extensive piece of work which takes into consideration the various complexities and

contradictions which we see in the current British beer market. As well pulling on the best information available from external sources we have set about commissioning our own independent consumer research through YouGov and again completed an extensive members survey which helps to identify the real trends happening amongst independent brewers. This complete and thorough research allows for a true and accurate picture of the beer marketplace, which is no mean feat, and I can think of no safer pair of hands than our vastly experienced Editor of the SIBA Journal Caroline Nodder.” Read the highlights of the report on pages 16-23 or download the full report at www.siba.co.uk.

EMMA INCH – BEERX UK KEYNOTE SPEAKER Emma Inch, the British Guild of Beer Writers’ “Beer Writer of the Year” and creator of award-winning Fermentation Radio, delivered her hotlyanticipated keynote address. “I feel incredibly honoured to be invited to deliver the keynote at this year’s SIBA BeerX UK,” she said. “These are challenging but exciting times to be involved in brewing, and I look forward to talking with many of the independent brewers who work so hard towards making the beer world such an interesting and vibrant place to work.” Emma Inch is an award-winning freelance beer writer and audio-maker and the current British Beer Writer of the Year. She has written for a number of national and international publications including Original Gravity, Beer Magazine and Zymurgy. She also produces creative audio and podcasts for the beer and pub trade. Emma is the founder of Brighton & Hove Beer Week - a city-wide celebration of beer and brewing. She produces and presents Fermentation Beer & Brewing Radio - one of the UK’s leading beer and brewing podcasts. You can find out more about Emma at www.fermentationonline.com and follow her on Twitter @fermentradio.

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

THE QUALITY OF DEBATE WAS REALLY HIGH AND WE CAN NOW MOVE FORWARD INTO 2019, WORKING HARD FOR ALL INDEPENDENT BREWERS.

REVIEW

SIBA AGM 2019 MOTIONS & RESULTS Want to know how the SIBA AGM voted on SIBA's SBR policy, board governance review and BeerFlex motions? Here are the outcomes of the three motions tabled at this year’s AGM… MOTION 1

SIBA supports positive reform of Small Brewers Duty Relief (without reducing the relief for any brewer) to enable British craft brewers to grow and maintain sustainable businesses in the face of increasing competition from global brewers Proposed by Ian Fozard and Christie Slater on behalf of the Board RESULT: For 126 - Against 24 Abstentions 4

flexible pricing model which enables the brewer to set their own prices.

MOTION 2

This AGM agrees that the SIBA Board will review annually the corporate governance of SIBA to ensure the organisation is informed, responsive, effective and accountable to members. The results of this review will be communicated to members.

A report on progress is to be presented to the next AGM. Proposed by Robert Wicks and Andrew Hayward on behalf of the South East Region

Proposed by Robert Wicks and Andrew Hayward on behalf of the South East Region RESULT: For 147 - Against 6 Abstentions 1

MOTION 3

This AGM agrees that Beerflex standard band pricing is phased out within the next 12 months and is replaced by a

RESULT: For 140 - Against 12 Abstentions 9 Ian Fozard, SIBA Chairman, said: "I'd like to thank all the brewers who spoke, proposed motions and debated at the AGM. The quality of debate was really high and we can now move forward into 2019, working hard for all independent brewers."

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our BeerX UK 2019 sponsors for their support at this year’s show. The event would not be the same without the dynamism of our valued Supplier Associate partners bringing fresh ideas, product innovations and industry specific knowledge to our delegates who come to BeerX UK in the knowledge they will get to see the best the industry has to offer. Regional Bar Sponsors

Lanyards Sponsor Headline Sponsor

Can and Bottle Bar Sponsor

North West

Wales & West

North East South East & South West

Beer Token Sponsor

Midlands

Scotland

East

We would also like to say a huge thank you to our regional beer hubs - Hobsons Brewery, Quantock Brewery, Hambleton Ales, Elgood & Sons, Harviestoun, Red Cat, Windsor & Eton, Five Points Brewing, and Titanic - without whom the national beer competition simply couldn’t take place.

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

showcases the best breweries ell as a great selection of topSIBA BUSINESS AWARDS sales are from UK breweries, uch as possible. Our stock raft beer, as well as catering ur stock regularly to give our as keeping a solid core of to create a selection that dual Designs previously mentioned, VOSS IPA – 6.5%we Voss Kveik IPA breweries from the local er of the North West and the UK. his includes a small but carefully elected range of alcohol-free or lowlcohol beers, and gluten free choices. We also carry a huge variety of vegetarian nd vegan beers, making our selection nclusive as well as varied and extensive. Our selection does not stop at British eers. We stock beers from Germany, BeerX UKeyet again elgium , D nm a r played k , Shost w etodthe e nfinals , TofhSIBA’s e Business Awards, which celebrate the UK’s best brewing businesses is centred around the uniqueUSA, Norwegian farmyard yeast strain Zealand, – Voss Kveik – and its etherlands, Japan, New Australia, Spain, across athe wide variety of categories, and are judged by a panel molecules. This yeast delivers strong notes of marmalade during fermentation which is industry experts. rgentina and Iceland todesign. name a few. To ensure our beer is sold in ected in the of bold, orange colour of the he best condition, we have extended our cold storage and have airDIPA – 8.0% Double IPA The to awards congratulate excellence instation the beer andto the brewing industry across shop this year, o excited add a growler our Didsbury a variety of categories, from pump clip, can and bottle design, to efforts taken by brewers to make their business eco-friendly, station innovative or at successful. The ake away (with plans for amoregrowler Heaton Moor soon), in coveted awards also have categories for bars, restaurants, retailers and companies independent craft beer in the UK. ans andpromoting bottles.

THE SIBA BUSINESS AWARDS 2019 OUR BEST AWARDS YET

“The SIBA Business Awards celebrate businesses of all shapes and sizes which excel in promoting and championing independent craft beer – from national retailers such as Waitrose to small independent beer shops such as Hop Burns & Black. There are also categories for the UK’s best craft beer bars, pubs and restaurants, as well as a range of awards for brewers which have shown impressive vision and business acumen,” said Mike Benner, SIBA Chief Executive.

THE JUDGES Neil Walker,

SIBA Head of PR & Marketing (Judges' Chair)

Robyn Black,

Editor, Inapub

Hudspith, ommunity of West Didsbury for the past 5 years, and we haveEllienow St Albans Councillor & CAMRA Public Affairs n Moor, the location of our second shop. It is exciting to be part of James Calder, Alongside the brewing, craft beer promotion and retail categories, this year SIBA SIBA Head it continues growwithand We are proud of of Public continued itsto partnership Inapub diversify. to find the UK’s Best Independent Craft Beer to be part Affairs & Comms Bar or Pub categories and launched a new partnership with Imbibe to find the UK’s ugely inﬂuential role in the development of modern craft beer.Susanna This Best Independent Craft Beer Restaurant. Forbes, Drinks Editor, Imbibe f isour shops - reﬂecting the industrial character of our city - and our inspired by water and the extensive water treatment with Calcium Chloride used to nster incredibly mouthfeel in this beer. These form cube-shaped crystals and the andsoftthe North West. Wesalts continue to forge relationships with her explores the ionic bonds that form between calcium cations and chloride anions on a icular Cloudwater, evel. “The Epicurean are one of our best digger, First Chop, SPRING 2019 customers in Manchester, and set a way, Track, Wander 76 SIBA JOURNAL The SIBA Business Awards are unique in being both free to enter and judged by a panel of independent beer industry experts, who alongside selecting category winners also choose a ‘Brewery Business of the Year’, the top award.

SIBA BUSINESS AWARDS

GREEN BUSINESS

Sponsored by: Napthens

Presented to: Michelle Gay & James Turner Presented by: Robert Percival

S SILVER: Elgood & Sons Ltd Coolship Mango 5.0% B BRONZE: Purity Brewing Company Farmhouse Ale 6.0%

Presented to: Norman Sinclair Presented by: James Allison

S SILVER: Salopian Polygraph 7.4% B BRONZE: Signature Brew Anthology 10.0%

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

GOLD MEMBERS

CROXSONS ON STAYING POWER, PROVIDING EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & EMPLOYING TRADITIONAL VALUES For those of you new to Croxsons, the SIBA Gold Sponsor has supplied a broad base of clients ranging from the smallest start-ups, to the largest multinational, with glass containers, closures and other packaging, to food and drinks companies around the world for over 145 years. Croxsons faultless commitment to quality continues to provide leading brands with unique packaging solutions.

For further information: Tel: +44(0) 20 8337 2945 Web: www.croxsons.com Email: hello@croxsons.com

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

GOLD MEMBERS

2018 WAS QUITE A YEAR FOR THE BUSINESS In May, Croxsons was recognised as one of London Stock Exchange Group’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ - a celebration of the UK’s fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium sized businesses across the UK. To be included in the list, companies needed to show consistent revenue growth over a minimum of three years, significantly outperforming their industry peers.

#1000companies

NOMINATED COMPANY PROMOTIONAL PACK

Operationally, 2018 milestones included: • Selling over 200 million bottles and 150 million closures • 17 brands chose new packaging as part of a re-launch

Further good news followed later in the year when Croxsons won the ‘Label and Decoration’ category at the Earth Island Solutions Awards. The firm’s winning entry was for their primary packaging for the Annandale Distillery’s new single malt whisky expressions Man O’Swords and Man O’Words.

• 34 brands were launched

• 18 new brand extensions were created • Croxsons sold into over 50 countries

Croxsons continued to support their charitable foundation, which has included helping to change and shape communities, with projects including the building of a school in Africa, supporting the Alzheimer’s Society by sponsoring a ‘climb Mt Kilimanjaro’ challenge, through to helping people get out of life limiting financial debt.

As the market gets more competitive, with rivalling packaging formats, we ask Croxsons what is the formula for longevity and ongoing success? Tim Croxson

DELIVERING VALUE Despite market pressures and other influences, Croxsons say that being able to provide their customers with quality fit-for-purpose packaging, ultimately delivers value and helps protect the industry. Competitive industries like the glass industry and the wider packaging industry, have had to commoditise their product ranges. That is, to offer the prices customers demand to win or keep business. Alternative packaging formats have entered the market, often with added risk in performance and decline in product equity. “With our wide-ranging customer base of brewers, the expectation of the bottle supplier now lies beyond the transactional. Technical guidance and assistance on mechanical matters are increasingly becoming part of the offering. From a purely business perspective, this investment in time and cost without a significant return on investment could be considered a fools errand,” says Tim Croxson. “And an argument in favour of why a number of suppliers focus on streamlining their customer base into a specific category, often the larger brewers, as payback is likely to be quick. “Fundamentally, however, as a primary

packaging supplier, the responsibilities lie beyond the financial. The function of all in the packaging industry is to protect the product, safeguard the end user and deliver performance.” In delivering that performance, clearly business of all types have to stay agile and on-trend. Croxson agrees, “With beer we’re seeing movement towards 330ml over 500ml bottles, much due to growth in breadth of ranges for brewers, with increased speciality and higher ABV beers. The 330ml helps achieve price points, and arguably represents more responsible drinking of course. We are also continuing to see growth in bespoke crowns, helped by our low MOQ. We recently produced 16 designs, 23 colours / shades for Robinsons’ Trooper ale, which was achieved in one print run, with true randomness ensured during the filling process - that’s staying agile!”

UNDERPINNED BY EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE Understanding the needs of, and collaborating with many brewers, has meant that Croxsons outlook hasn’t been blinkered by the promise of volume, but the virtue of delivering exceptional service. And in an ever evolving industry, they say that this is the simple, traditional factor that has facilitated their durability in the industry.

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This ethos is the foundation for many successful businesses, and this understanding breeds trust with those in need of a reliable partner. “In our key industry, trust has no price but is the most valuable asset we have. Therefore, to have such trust spread amongst a large number of brewers, and other glass users, will always end up demonstrating more success than restricting to the few. We need all sizes of consumer to thrive,” added Croxson.

TRADITIONAL VALUES “We believe in a ‘more than packaging’ approach, as outlined above. We believe that at Croxsons, our service based model, which places a focus on relationships and doing right by the customer, has proved to work consistently, resulting in 15%-20% year-onyear growth over the last 5 years. We believe that delivering value to customers, and not only ourselves, is how we protect our industry. Traditional values, yes, but during times of change it is this familiarity that determines longevity, rather than commodity. “We look forward to another successful year for Croxsons and I’d like to take this opportunity to give a big thank you to our customers, who continue to put their trust in us,” he concluded.

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

GOLD MEMBERS

Napthens provides a wide range of services to businesses and individuals. From their offices across the North West, the firm deals with clients locally, regionally and nationally.

Napthens has been acting for breweries for more than forty years and has been actively involved with SIBA for a number of years, through long-standing Supplier Associate membership and currently as a Gold Standard sponsor. Napthens also acts for the organisation itself, providing support to the SIBA managing committee and to the membership with initiatives such as the SIBA Legal & Business Helpline, which provides members with immediate access to specialist lawyers. Napthens has a team of individuals who are specialists in their area of law, but who are also dedicated to dealing with the day-to-day issues faced by breweries of all shapes and sizes. The team has acted for over eighty breweries in recent years, so they understand how a brewery operates. That knowledge and experience means they are able to apply their legal skills in a tailored way; offer a more efficient service; and ultimately achieve better results. Napthens recognises the need to work hard for their clients, not only by providing expert legal advice, but ensuring this advice is commercially focused for the individual business. They take a keen interest in their clients’ businesses and will look to meet with them regularly to understand their objectives, priorities and challenges, and how Napthens can help achieve them. They look to introduce clients to their wide range of contacts in the industry to help in this respect and give added value to the service they provide.

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

Napthens can help in areas such as: • Employment and HR • Intellectual Property and Trademarks • Licensing • Commercial Property • Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation • Debt Collection and Recovery • Corporate • Commercial Contracts • Business Recovery • Corporate Finance • Tax • Construction and Engineering • Services for individuals including wills, estate planning and wealth management

GOLD MEMBERS Below are some examples of the comments from SIBA members about the service the team provides:

Some of Napthens’ clients include

“I genuinely feel that Napthens has a passion for our business and will go the extra mile to guarantee complete customer satisfaction. They have dedicated specialists in each area and a very wide range of services that you would not ordinarily find outside the “city firms” and yet they are not cost prohibitive. On the contrary, we have found their price structure to be transparent, very reasonable, and exceptional value. I can honestly say that I would recommend Napthens unreservedly, particularly for those who operate in our sector.” Keith Bott, Managing Director, Titanic Brewery

Napthens’ sector knowledge is excellent and they take a proactive approach to helping our business. No problem is too small and they are always available to discuss and advise on any issues that arise. They go to great lengths to understand their customers’ needs on an individual basis, leading to an excellent relationship. Patsy Slevin, Prospect Brewery

Advice is always current, concise and - in my experience - correct. They are extremely responsive and, compared to other businesses, add good value. Andrew Buchanan, Daniel Thwaites Plc

For further information or assistance with your legal or commercial requirements, please contact Head of Leisure and Licensing, Malcolm Ireland: Malcolm.Ireland@napthens.co.uk

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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SIBA brewers' news

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

Treboom Brewery joins the Rat Race Treboom Brewery in Shipton-byBeningbrough, just outside York, has teamed up with nearby adventure sports business Rat Race to supply cask ale for its events. Treboom is well known in Yorkshire for its high quality beers, in particular flagship Pale Ale - Yorkshire Sparkle which will be on the bar at Rat Race base camps this year. The beers are brewed using first class ingredients from local suppliers wherever possible. Malt is sourced from a local traditional floor maltster - Fawcett and Sons of Wakefield - water comes from the brewery’s own borehole and it has its own strain of yeast cropped from brew to brew, all of which contribute to a unique Treboom flavour.

For Rat Race, who organise extreme sporting challenges in fabulous locations across the UK, it is important to offer their customers tasty food and drink sourced from reputable, often local Yorkshire suppliers with a similar ethos to their own. Treboom's Yorkshire Sparkle fits the bill; at 4% it is a deliciously refreshing pale ale with citrus/grapefruit flavours that slips down a treat. The beer will be served in compostable pint 'glasses' from casks that will be returned to the brewery and refilled ready for the next adventure. Added to this, delivery from the brewery to Rat Race headquarters is only a matter of meters, that's no food miles at all!

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

Brecon Brewing welcomes Lithic range of beers Brecon Brewing is pleased to announce that the Lithic range of beers has now joined its line-up. Following last year’s merger with Cold Black Label in Bridgend, Brecon Brewing is proud to be able to revive the excellent Lithic beers. Head Brewer Buster Grant said: “I’ve always been a huge fan of the Lithic beers, and very much respected what David Drabble, [Lithic Brewing’s founder], achieved in such a short time. I was very saddened when he announced that he would be ceasing production, as demand was exceeding his ability to supply without a significant investment. However, we were delighted when the opportunity arose to work with David to relaunch the beers. The Lithic beers will be a really great fit with what we do.” David Drabble added: “I’m really pleased that the Lithic beers will live on under

the care of one of Wales’ best known and experienced brewers. I’m looking forward to working with Buster and all at Brecon Brewing to revive the Lithic beers and see them go far!” The acquisition of the Lithic brand is just part of the significant investment program for Brecon Brewing which has followed last year’s merger - as well as new, state of the art bottling and canning machine, which is due later this summer, a new purpose-built home for Brecon Brewing is planned next to the Cold Black Label HQ in Brynmenyn. Initially, Lithic’s Session IPA, Pale Ale, Black IPA and new release, Chocolate Milk Stout will be available in 330ml cans and kegs, with the formal launch planned for the Taste Blas show at Celtic Manor at the end of March. The Wheat, Pilsner, Porter and the Lemon Lime & Sea Salt Sour will be following over the summer. There will also be very limited cask releases of some beers.

For more information email beer@breconbrewing.co.uk or call 01874 620 800.

Buster Grant, Brecon Brewing Head Brewer, on the left with David Drabble, Lithic founder, sharing a beer following the signing of the deal at the Cold Black Label Brewery in Brynmenyn.

Docks goes Overtime brewing Grimsby’s first ever lager Craft brewer Docks Beers is soon to unveil the first lager to be brewed in Grimsby. The brew, called Overtime, was launched at an exclusive tasting event in the brewery with 40 lucky competition winners. Speaking from the brewery’s Grimsby base on King Edward Street, Co-owner and Director Shahram Shadan talked about the brewery’s latest beer: “Our taproom sells

a lot of lager from craft breweries such as Camden and Meantime. It seemed like a no brainer to make our own. Our lager is called Overtime to carry on the theme of our beer names inspired by the hard work ethic of the Dockers.” Head Brewer Mike Richards added: “The process of brewing lager is different to that used for IPAs and stouts. We use lager yeast and Saaz hops from the Czech Republic and we allow it to ferment for much longer than our other beers. But

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being able to make lager at all is a real vindication of the investment we have made in the brewhouse in Grimsby. Our new sealed fermenting vessels are perfect for carbonation that is essential for lager production. We are sure it will prove popular with our taproom and trade customers.”

For more information go to www.docksbeers.com

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

Trust us for printed glassware – delivered on time, every time! Festival Glass are the UK’s largest independent glassware decorator – supplying SIBA members since 2002. We supply millions of printed glasses every year across the UK – on time, every time! With a wide range of glass shapes and sizes to suit all requirements and budgets you can order from just 300 pieces. We also offer:

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1-8 colour, high quality screen print Screen etch and embossed glass effects Semi-automatic, bespoke laser nucleation for enhanced beverage carbonation Organic and UV single-colour decoration for toughened glass Inline and in-house CE marking Glasswasher/dishwasher resistant glassware For further information and your FREE no-obligation quotation please contact Kelsey Cheesbrough today.

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SIBA brewers' news

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

Another green success for Bluestone Brewing Company Bluestone Brewing Company, in Newport, Pembrokeshire, has become the first Brewery Visitor Centre in the world to gain the Green Key accreditation. Green Key is the largest global eco-label awarded to more than 2,900 tourism providers in 57 countries worldwide. The award offers an environmentally sustainable choice when planning holidays, excursions or business trips. Green Key Wales launched in April 2015 and offers a growing collection of the country's most environmentally sustainable destinations, ensuring that wherever you are in Wales, you can make the best choice for the environment, as well as discovering some of the finest hospitality providers in the country.

The Pembrokeshire micro-brewery has become the first ever Brewery Visitor Centre in the world to gain this accreditation. A fantastic achievement and something that will hopefully inspire other Pembrokeshire businesses. Bluestone Brewing Company is based at Tyriet Farm, just outside of Newport, Pembrokeshire. The business has been established for five years and has always been proud of its eco-friendly ethos. Earlier this year, the team decided to apply to become part of the Green Key scheme. A Green Key assessor visited the Brewery in late November and they recently received the exciting news to confirm their accreditation. Simon Turner, head Brewer and owner, said: “Being green has always been a

huge part of Bluestone Brewing Company, so the Green Key accreditation seemed like the perfect thing for us to apply for. To be recognised as the first Brewery Visitor Centre in the world to achieve the Green Key status is just amazing. Hopefully, people will see what we are doing and be inspired to try to improve their own businesses to become as green as possible. Going through the Green Key process has helped to highlight areas where we could improve, but it has also made us feel very proud of what we have already achieved to date.”

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

St Peter's Brewery reveals rebrand and new draught lines Suffolk brewery St Peter's unveiled its brand new look and a host of new beers at the UK's biggest craft beer festival, Craft Beer Rising. Exhibiting at Craft Beer Rising for the first time, St Peter's Brewery revealed its exciting new rebrand and launched a range of brand new draught beers at the event, which took place from 21st to 23rd February at The Old Truman Building in Brick Lane.

Retaining its iconic oval bottle, St Peter's has updated its labels and branding with a fresh, new and eye-catching design that ties in with the current premiumisation in the beer industry, whilst also supporting its current customers with a look that is modern, whilst retaining the essence of the St Peter's brand. For the first time, St Peter's has introduced a selection of new draught beers into its portfolio. Four new brews have been expertly-created, aiming to appeal to the changing tastes of the fast-paced craft beer market. The new Revival Pilsner is a full-bodied premium pilsner with citrus aromas and a

smooth finish. White Raven is a crisp and refreshing wheat beer with tropical aromas of banana and clove, whilst the new Stateside Pale Ale is a hoppy session ale with citrus flavours and soft bitterness. The final product making up the four is the brand new addition to its Without® brand of alcohol-free beer. Without® Elderberry & Raspberry is a fruity 0.0% ABV beer that will appeal to the growing demand for delicious zero alcohol beer.

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

Brass Castle unveils Bigger Picture project Adventurers and beer drinkers will encounter serpents, sea monsters, dragons and vampires in their search for gold, thanks to a unique new treasure hunt launched in Yorkshire’s food and drink capital. Brass Castle Brewery, in Malton, has researched legends and myths from Yorkshire folklore through the centuries for its new Bigger Picture project. Over the next 12 months, the brewery will revive the stories through a series of nine canned beers, the labels of which can be pieced together to form a fantasy map of Yorkshire, giving clues to a final treasure spot. The artwork has all been created by Leeds-based Claudia Bowler. Phil Saltonstall, owner and founder of

Brass Castle Brewery, said: “The clues hidden in the label designs all point to one staffed location, and staff there know they are the finishing point. The first person to approach the staff there with the combined clues will receive the treasure, which - in keeping with a treasure map - is solid, genuine gold. They can do as they wish with that, or we can donate it to charity on their behalf – it’s entirely up to them. Subsequent claimants will receive a smaller token award.” The first beer three beers have already hit the streets: Where’s Malton? - an Ekuanot and Amarillo-hopped pale ale; The Western Wall - a strudel weissebier; Monsters of The Deep - a molé stout.

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

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SIBA brewers' news

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

The Norfolk Brewhouse welcomes former Woodforde’s director Mike Betts, who was formerly a co-owner and director of Woodforde’s Brewery until he sold the business in 2016, has joined The Norfolk Brewhouse, which was founded in 2012 by husband and wife team Rachel and David Holliday. Since selling Woodforde’s, Mike’s passion for beer and the county of Norfolk has never waned and a chance meeting with Rachel – unsurprisingly at a beer festival – has led him to investing in the business and joining the team.

A North Norfolk brewery is looking forward to the next stage of its development as its small team is joined by one of Norfolk’s most noted and experienced beer professionals.

Mike explains: “It was with a heavy heart that I left Woodforde’s – I had a truly fabulous 20 years there, and was so proud in what the team had achieved in terms of helping to put Norfolk and its beer on the map. In watching what Rachel and David were doing with their Moon Gazer range of beers I could see that same passion for

both beer and county. I was so struck, that I quipped that if ever they sold shares, they should let me know. Here we are, a few months later and I am thrilled to have invested in a very special team.” The move comes at an exciting time for the brewery including the launch of a completely new look, new beers and further investment into the business, which will also see the launch of a range of canned products. David said: “We have spent much of the last year carefully investing in staff and equipment to help us meet demand and increase production capacity up to 15,000 pints a week, with scope to develop that further.”

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

Andwell Brewing Company supports Wooden Spoon with charity ale

Hook Norton celebrates 170 years Hook Norton Brewery is celebrating 170 years of beer by hosting a series of events at the brewery and across local pubs from September 9th - 15th. The events are planned to be a celebration of all things beer and brewing, giving people the opportunity to get a unique insight into brewing the Hooky way and of course sample their range of award winning and special one off anniversary ales. The events will include:

Monday 9th - Meet The Brewer Beer Tasting Evening

In various pubs across the local area

Tuesday 10th - Meet The Brewer Beer Tasting Evening In various pubs across the local area

Wednesday 11th - Open Tap Tasting Evening at the Brewery

Enjoy free samples of award winning and one off beers

Thursday 12th - Meet The Brewer Beer Tasting Evening In various pubs across the local area

Friday 13th - Celebration Dinner in the

Brewery Malthouse restaurant

Saturday 14th - Party at the Brewery 5pm - late. Entry £18.49 inc two free drinks & food. Jazz band, live music, street food

Sunday 15th - Family Fun Day at the Brewery

Midday - 5pm. Free entry. Meet the Shire Horses, Steam and tractor engines, treasure hunt, brass band, bouncy castle, ice cream van, free brewery tours, beer tastings. In addition to the above Hook Norton Brewery will be producing a number of limited edition anniversary ales from their brewhouse and also a number of collaboration brews with different breweries including The Yeastie Boys from New Zealand and Toast Brewery from London. They will also be launching the Hooky Ale Trail to help guide drinkers in and around all of their pubs.

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

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Wooden Spoon, the children's charity, has partnered with Andwell Brewing Company, an award-winning brewery based in Hampshire, to create a rugby themed charity ale, Crouch Hold Engage, to help raise awareness and funds for the organisation. Crouch Hold Engage, was launched by Phil Burgess, Team GB and International 7’s Rugby Player in November 2018. Since then, the scrummy ale has been raising money for the charity to support children and young people with disabilities or facing disadvantage across the UK and Ireland, through the power of rugby. The traditional English bitter can be found in many bars and pubs throughout the South of the UK, brewed with a blend of pale ale, brown and crystal malt giving a gentle spicy hoppiness and is available in bottles at 4.6% ABV and cask at 4.5% ABV.

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SIBA brewers' news

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

Essex breweries celebrate new collaborative working arrangement companies, each retaining their own identity, highly regarded, popular, awardwinning beers and brands.

Roland Kannor, Managing Director of Brentwood Brewing Company and Trevor Jeffery Director of Billericay Brewing Company

Brentwood Brewing Company and Billericay Brewing Company have decided to work more closely together. Whilst this informal, friendly arrangement will see the two breweries working in co-operation with each other, they will continue to operate as separate

Despite being commercial rivals, a friendly relationship has existed between Brentwood Brewing Company and Billericay Brewing Company for some years. The two Essex craft breweries aim to build on this neighbourly relationship, to their mutual benefit. For example, sharing deliveries will benefit both companies by not only reducing costs but their carbon footprints too. Roland Kannor, Managing Director of Brentwood Brewing Company said: “The small brewing industry is very tough at the moment with 29 pubs a week shutting, four new breweries a week opening and a 20% increase in the price of barley for 2019. It makes perfect sense for breweries, like Brentwood and Billericay, to work together to utilise spare capacity in brewing,

Teignworthy Brewery’s John Lawton raises a glass to Tuckers “Tuckers Maltings has been home to Teignworthy Brewery now for 25 years. The Malthouse has two parts to its building. As you may know the main Malthouse is on the market, but we are well established in the other part, so will continue to frequent this historical building, alongside the Maltings Taphouse. As usual Tuckers Beer Festival will be held on the park opposite the Malthouse in April. Over the years we have had various winners, but this year we have a new ale which has not been entered before called Thirsty Blonde 4.2% which was

extremely popular last summer. A very clean flavoured straw coloured ale, fairly bitter with a dry and crisp fruity flavour. This was possible due to a new lighter malt becoming available. Also we can look forward to Martha’s Mild 5.3% and Cor Bugga 6.2%. Along with many other brewers in the South West we have had to change our malt supplier when Tuckers sadly closed its doors at the end of the maltsters year. Warminster Maltings have carried on offering a consistent supply of quality West Country Malted Barley to us and thank goodness our yeast has loved the stuff too! We have looked at tank malted

deliveries and staff to cut costs and to reduce their carbon footprints.” Billericay Brewing will make use of the extra production capacity that Brentwood Brewery has to offer. Brentwood’s bigger brewhouse facilities, next door to Calcott Hall Farm Shop off Ongar Road in Pilgrims Hatch, mean that Billericay can brew four times more beer per batch than before. Trevor Jeffery, Director of Billericay Brewing Company said: “We are now at full capacity at Billericay Brewery and struggling to keep up with demand, so it will be a great move for us to brew our best-selling beers at the larger Brentwood Brewery. Shifting this production will also give us more space at Billericay and so we will be able to serve even more people at our popular micro-pub and brewery every weekend.”

For more information go to www.brentwoodbrewing.co.uk or www.billericaybrewing.co.uk

BREWER viewpoint barley but the quality and yield of extract is different. I remember what the brewers of yesteryear told me ‘always buy the best malt and hops you can find’ I commented to Richard Wheeler (at Tuckers) the other day about some brewers’ findings on changing ingredients, it brought a smile to his face. I then realised that his hard work and efforts at malting the barley must be worth it! He and Tuckers will be sourly milled, best raise a glass to him at this year’s Maltings Beer Festival!”

For more information go to www.teignworthybrewery.com

Hillside Brewery wins Best Rural Drinks Producer Gloucestershire based Hillside Brewery has won the 'Best Rural Drinks Producer' award at the Rural Business Awards National Final. The finalists were the best of the best, hand picked by industry experts, and whittled down to the final six. This prestigious awards event was set up in 2015 and aim to give recognition to businesses operating right across the rural sector, to acknowledge the breadth and depth of opportunity presented by the Great British countryside, as well

as to celebrate the achievements of our rural businesses, from engineering through to artisan food producers and professional services organisations. Since launching in 2014 Hillside Brewery has enjoyed significant growth, expanded its range of beers (which currently consists of seven beers and one lager), many of which have awards of their own, and has become a real hub for the local community.

For more information go to www.hillsidebrewery.com

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

SIBA brewers' news

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

Hadrian Border Brewery marks 25 years with US collaboration

Hadrian Border Brewery, located in Newburn to the west of Newcastle, will mark 25 years in the brewing business this year and is collaborating with an American-based brewer to produce a special beer to celebrate. The Airline Brewing Company, from Maine in the US, visited the North East brewer to share expertise and celebrate great British beer. Well known in the North East for its Tyneside Blonde and new beer Northern Pale, Hadrian Border Brewery is owned

by Andy and Shona Burrows. The brewery was originally set up in Berwick in 1994 but needed larger premises by 2000 leading to a new home in Byker. The brewery moved to its current location in Newburn in 2011 as the business once more grew in size. Andy said: “I love brewing and have gained a lot of experience and knowledge from my education and the travelling I’ve done. We were very excited about the visit from Gary and Sharon Cresswell from the Airline Brewing Company and enjoyed swapping brewing expertise and introducing different flavours and textures to our own brews. During the time that the team from Airline Brewing were in the North East, we brewed their New England IPA as well as collaborating on a joint brew, combining all of our brewing expertise and making it a fitting way to mark our very special business anniversary.” Gary and Sharon Cresswell own the Airline Brewing Company which is based in rural Maine, just 30 miles outside of Bangor in the North East corner of America. The brewery specialises in old world beer from

Britain and Europe and frequently uses the tagline ‘Old England in New England’. Gary, originally from Yorkshire, built a small English-themed pub with his wife, recreating their favourite aspects of some of their locals from back home. The small brewery they run brews cask ale which is rarely found in the US and they have collaborated with Andy and his Hadrian team in the past to learn the technicalities of brewing beer. Gary said: “We have a growing demand for our real ale in the US with a number of local bars and restaurants planning on installing hand pulls. This visit is very important to us as Andy and the team at Hadrian are hosting our brewer for several days to help him refine our processes, especially focusing on carbonation levels and head retention. We’re delighted and honoured that the New England IPA is being used to mark Hadrian Border Brewery’s very special anniversary and look forward to helping them celebrate their 50th in the future.”

For more information go to www.hadrian-border-brewery.co.uk

Hop Kettle Brewing Co launches Liquid Highway Hop Kettle Brewery, located on the Thames Path, has launched a new beer, Liquid Highway, in partnership with the Thames Path National Trail. The beer is an all English golden ale at a sessionable 4.5% using traditionally floor malted barley from Warminster Maltings along with traditional hops including East Kent Goldings and Target combined with a relatively contemporary English hop Jester. The finished beer is a light, golden, easy drinking beer with hints of citrus and marmalade. The beer works

as well carbonated in keg and bottle as traditionally conditioned in cask but also brings different emphasis dependant on its packaging. During a series of extensive consumer tests it was found that the beer appealed to all demographics in one form or another making it the perfect product for fundraising. For every cask, keg, bottle and gift pack purchased, Hop Kettle Brewing Co. make a substantial donation from the profits which goes directly to ensuring that the Thames Path remains the historic and rewarding National Trail that is for the tourists and businesses alike.

For more information go to www.hop-kettle.com

Atlas Brewing Company is relaunched The Atlas Brewing Company has been relaunched by renowned Highland entrepreneur Norman Sinclair. The Atlas beers will be packaged in 30 litre keg and 330 ml can format, in a striking innovative visual identity with a more intense new world hop character. They were prepared with renewed techniques, to deliver beer for the

appreciation of the contemporary craft beer drinker. The initial brews have been brewed at the state of the art, SALSA approved Orkney Brewery, by a team of brewers including John Rodger, one of the first pioneering Atlas brewers. The new brand positioning celebrates adventure, travel and the right to roam; the latter phrase may just offer more than a nod in the

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direction, for the future of the Atlas Brewing Company. New recipes were brewed at the end of February and three variants in cans; Atlas Latitude Pale, Wayfarer IPA and Nimbus Blonde have just been packaged. Wayfarer IPA will lead the way in draft, with Latitude Pale to follow in April.

For more information email Info@atlasbrewing.co.uk

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SIBA brewers' news

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

Lerwick Brewery gears up for new visitor centre and tasting room 2019 is shaping up to be an exciting, milestone year for the Lerwick Brewery, with a new visitor centre and tasting room due to open at the brewery in time for the tourist season. The brewery will be offering both Standard and Deluxe tour packages to suit every budget and time constraint visitors to Shetland and the brewery bring. The tours are led by Head Brewer Jon Pulley, Brewer Jonny Sandison and Brewery Manager Kathryn Herculson

to provide a great depth of information regarding the brewing process and the history of the brewery in Lerwick. All tour packages culminate with a beer tasting in the brand new tasting room to end every tour on the best possible note! Meanwhile on the beer side, Blindside Black IPA is the latest addition to Lerwick Brewery’s core range. Originally brewed to coincide with the All Blacks visit to Scotland

in November 2017, Blindside proved so popular it had to become a permanent fixture! This beautifully balanced Black IPA has a strong, powerful body of sweet, toasted malts, and packs down with tropical fruit flavours from the NZ hops of Waimea, Rakau and Wakatu. With an ABV of 6% it has been designed to tackle the taste-buds.

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

Great Newsome Brewery partners with Super League team

East Yorkshire based Great Newsome has teamed up with local rugby league super league team Hull Kingston Rovers to produce an exclusive beer, Kit Room Craft.

Launched for the start of the new season the beer, which is available in a can and keg, has been produced with the fans in mind. Supporters of the club helped influence the style of the beer with a blind tasting session and vote before the London game during the Super 8s in September 2018. The results led to Great Newsome brewing a crisp golden ale with tropical fruit aromas and a refreshing citrus bitterness suited to the tastes of craft ale drinkers but also to fans of traditional beers. A striking brand has been created featuring famous and iconic Hull KR shirts from throughout the club’s history to honour its rich heritage. Hull KR’s head of marketing, Craig Franklin,

Stroud Brewery opens doors of new brewery Organic beer producer Stroud Brewery has officially opened the doors to its new brewery. The purposebuilt building, which cost £1.9million, has been designed to accommodate the organic brewery’s growing needs as it moves closer to the long-term goal of becoming a nationally recognised organic brewery in the UK. The new brewery provides additional brewing capacity, improved efficiencies, storage facilities, larger offices, a new taproom with canal-side views and event spaces. Managing Director Greg Pilley said: “This is a significant development for Stroud Brewery which provides us with the platform to further grow our business. There is a growing respect for our ethos and our range of organic beers that are now

recognised nationally. When we first started talking about this project sustainability was at the core of the brief, allowing long term investment in improving our efficiencies and providing a brewery with a strong identity, that would be a vibrant community space and a visitor destination.” In 2018 the Brewery launched a crowdfunding campaign with Triodos Bank to raise £300,000 to help fund the relocation and expansion plans. Members of the public were offered the opportunity to buy bonds in the business for a minimum of £1000 and become Stroud Brewery Beer Club members for the period of the bond. The bonds sold out in a matter of days, becoming one of the fastest crowdfunding campaigns that Triodos Bank have ever done. An important aspect to the build has been the taproom, which is known locally as ‘The Stroud Brewery Bar’. The taproom is a firm favourite in the area and it is a buzzing centre of the community. Customers get the chance to sample the full range of available beers, enjoy live music and a sourdough pizza fresh from the wood-fired oven.

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

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said: “It’s great that supporters had a say in the final taste and that we chose Great Newsome Brewery which won two World Beer Awards in the Autumn along with a Great Taste and SIBA Award. We are confident that they have created a high quality beer that will prove to be very popular.” Great Newsome director Matthew Hodgson said that the farm-based brewery, which grows its own malting barley, had been overwhelmed with interest from fans of the club, beer lovers, and local retailers since the initiative had been announced in September.

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

Abbeydale Brewery introduces new lager Heresy Abbeydale Brewery has announced plans to introduce a lager to its core range of permanently available beers, for the first time in its 23 year history. The lager, to be named Heresy, will comprise part of the Sheffield based brewery’s popular Brewers Emporium range, with eye catching artwork from designer James Murphy. It is made in the style of a continental lager, promising a clean and crisp flavour coupled with a refreshing finish. Brewery director Dan Baxter said: “It’s about being able to widen our market and offering something we produce to absolutely everyone. It’s always been an ambition of ours to have a lager as part of our core range, and it’s been a long time coming for us. Recipe development, including extensive staff training, has been underway for many months, which was definitely time well spent – we’re thrilled with the final outcome.” The introduction of Heresy is the next step in Abbeydale Brewery’s ambitious ongoing programme of expansion.

For more information go to www.abbeydalebrewery.co.uk SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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SIBA brewers' news

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

A new home in Tottenham for ORA Brewing ORA Brewing is moving to Tottenham to expand its current production capacity and bring customers fresh beer every Saturday with the new taproom. The brewery’s journey originally began a little over 10 years ago, when its three founders, Daniele, Pietro and Emanuele – just 16 at the time – made their first beer in a cooking pot, in a garage in their home town of Modena. During the next five years, they researched and worked

hard to develop their first beer. After an overwhelming response, they decided to take their passion to the next level. They started to sell around Emilia Romagna and in Milan. ORA Brewing was born. They began to export to London and sell to some local shops around Kingsland Road, and then in early 2018, in Bermondsey at Ubrew, ORA Brewing started to brew its own beers from underneath the famous railway arches. Now a regular fixture in pubs and

bottleshops around London, Ora’s inventive, gastro-inspired take on classic styles has really caught the mood of the moment, with last year’s Balsamic Milk Stout selected by CAMRA as one of 2018’s most innovative beers. From May 1st ORA will be entering the new site located in Rosebery Industrial Park, London N17.

For more information go to www.orabeer.com/en/

Summerskills Brewery unveils two new beers

Following a successful launch in August 2018, Summerskills Brewery has brewed Akela IPA again as Spring approaches. The brewery uses almost exclusively English hop varieties in its beers so the Slovenian Wolf hops are something of departure and have inspired the name of the beer. The pump clip was designed by Dawn Louise Sims, a talented local

artist who also works behind the bar in Plymouth’s famous Fortescue pub. The landlady of the pub, Natasha Smith, skilfully engineered arrangements in her busy cellar so that Dawn was on shift to pour the first pints. As it turned out she pulled the first firkin as it only lasted five hours! March also saw Summerskills’ final brew with malted barley from Tuckers in Newton Abbot. Like many others the team at Summerskills were saddened by its sudden closure last year. Summerskills has been using Tuckers malt continuously

since Carl and Rick restarted brewing in 1990 and will miss the great floor malted barley and weekly trips there. The team have their own grist mill and have carefully stored the last bags of whole pale malt over the winter. This definitely one-off, sadly never to be repeated, beer “First Gold Tuckers Last” was to be launched at the SIBA South West beer festival, held on the field outside the Maltings buildings between 11th and 13th April, where both beers featured.

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

Gower Brewery launches two new gluten-free and vegan friendly products Following an increased demand for vegan and gluten-free beers, Gower Brewery has expanded its range to include two new products that tick both boxes – Gower IPA and Light 44. The more traditional product, Gower IPA is packed with big tasting hops to create a citrus orange flavour. This larger than life beer has a tasty malt sweetness and a balanced hop finish and comes in at 5% ABV. Taking its name from Whiteford Lighthouse which stands at 44 feet tall and is visible

from the brewery, Light 44 is a light, thirst quenching continental style lager with a distinct hoppy taste. With the unmissable hoppiness of Saaz and Bobek, Light 44 is a welcome change to the traditional clean style lagers. Both products are available in 330ml bottles and will hopefully follow the success of the existing bottle range, with Gower Brewery products currently available in five national supermarkets across the UK.

For more information go to www.gowerbrewery.com

Redwell Brewing announces £250k crowdfunding campaign plan One of Norwich’s favourite independent, small-batch breweries, Redwell, announced £250k crowdfunding campaign plans which went live for investors from Monday 25th March. With its entire award-winning range being certified vegan and audited gluten-free, it's an attractive proposition for investors who could enjoy a share in the 7.5% equity on offer.

Raising funds to invest in their team and state-of-the-art equipment to increase capacity, Redwell also plans to extend and expand distribution. Since taking over the brewery in December 2017, the small, passionate team of eight have been working tirelessly to put the brand back on the map, determined to help return Norwich to its former title of ‘beer capital of the UK'. Redwell’s motto is ‘everyone’s welcome’, and the same applies to their CrowdCube campaign. Enthusiasts can invest their £20

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in return for a stake in the brewery, brewery tour and a free pint, while investment unicorns prepared to put £50k+ into the pot can name a beer, be involved in the brewing process, and enjoy a private party with dinner cooked by a celebrity chef. And there are a whole host of other investment options in between.

For more information visit www.redwellbrewing.com

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The CANPRO filling system is a state-of-the-art, high-speed, mechanically controlled can filling system designed around proven European counter-pressure-gravity filling technology and can seaming technology. The CANPRO is designed to fill beer in a variety of can sizes and volumes offering todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s craft brewers a wide range of flexibility. The CANPRO filling systems achieve filling speeds ranging from 80 cans per minute with (330ml cans) up to 600 cans per minute while delivering very precise fill levels, very low O2 pickup and minimal product loss. Please contact us at info@moravekinternational.com for further information. Moravek International Limited Pure Offices, Kestrel Court, Harbour Rd, Portishead, Bristol BS20 7AN

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SIBA supplier news

SUPPLIER NEWS

Are you using the correct Trade Approved weighing scales?

Weighing scale specialist Marsden has recently been contacted by a number of brewers who have been told by Trading Standards they are using the wrong scales. David Smith, Marsden’s Marketing Director explains… “Recently, we have been contacted by many breweries that have had an inspection and their weighing scales have not been deemed suitable. They’ve asked Marsden for help and guidance in buying compliant weighing scales. Where the price of something is determined by a weight, Trade Approved scales must Craig Fisher, Senior Trading Standards Officer at Sheffield Trading Standards, answered some questions on the issue…

Are weighing scales always checked when a Trading Standards inspector visits a brewery? In general, Trading Standards Officers will try to carry out a multi-disciplined inspection including Food Standards and Metrology. Lower capacity weighing machines will be tested, but higher capacity machines may require a separate visit.

What do inspectors look for to ensure the weighing equipment is suitable? Inspectors will check the scales to ensure they have the correct makings if they are deemed to be used for trade. They should have been manufactured in accordance with an appropriate type approval or

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be used. The Non-automatic Weighing Instruments (NAWI) Directive 2014/31/ EU states that ‘determination of mass for commercial transactions’ and ‘for the purposes of direct sales to the public and the making-up of pre-packages’ requires such a scale. Trade Approved scales can be identified by their data plate (example pictured): this can be found on the bottom or on the side of the scale and should include ‘III’ in a circle, as well as an ‘M’ logo. Breweries will need to use Trade Approved scales when bottling, if the volume is shown on the bottle and the price is based on the volume, or when despatching filled casks to customers when the price is based

on the quantity of beer in the cask. A Trade Approved scale undergoes thousands of tests to ensure accuracy, reliability and repeatability – non approved weighing scales are not subject to such a rigorous testing process. This is to ensure that Approved scales show the correct weight reading and therefore your customers receive value for money – ie the quantity that they have paid for. We recommend that all relevant documentation – like calibration certificates (your scales should have a calibration check at least once a year) and Declaration of Conformity are kept safe in case they are ever needed during inspections.”

examination certificate and be passed as fit for use for trade by an Inspector of weights and Measures or an approved verifier. They may also be qualified by an approved manufacturer/notified body. As well as the manufacturer’s details, the ‘M’ mark, accuracy class, capacity, scale interval, min load etc., inspectors will assess whether the scale is suitable for its intended purpose sufficiently accurate depending upon the packages they are checking. They should also be situated in a suitable environment.

Which processes within a brewery require Approved scales?

Why is Trade Approved weighing equipment required? Trade approved scales must be used for any weighing operation which determines the final quantity of goods being sold, checking packages made up in accordance with Packaged Goods Regulations, use to determine tolls or charges or bonus payments.

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Any checks that are carried out in breweries to ensure the volume being sold is accurate must be done using Trade Approved equipment. The weighing of ingredients to be added to the recipe however is not controlled weighing. Of the breweries your inspectors visit, what percentage would you say are using unsuitable weighing equipment? Many breweries do not rely on weighing equipment, and flood fill their barrels or kegs. This method would not form an adequate defence to any allegation of short measure.

For more information email sales@marsdengroup.co.uk or visit www.marsden-weighing.co.uk

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SIBA supplier news

SUPPLIER NEWS

Kemtile supports Brixton Brewery expansion

Brixton Brewery is latest in a long line of UK brewers to task Kemtile with the design and installation of its new hygienic flooring system.

Founded in 2013, Brixton Brewery is one of London’s most successful and established craft breweries. Just four years on from launch - and with some 15 employees, fans as far afield as Italy and Hong Kong and investment from Heineken UK - Brixton Brewery secured a new, 1,400m2 site around the corner from its original railway arch brewery. Having seen Kemtile’s flooring installations at other breweries Brixton Brewery called upon Kemtile to design and lay a similar system for their new facility. Kemtile specified the Kagetec BS system installing 600m2 of 18mm thick Argelith MV Tech ceramic hexagonal floor tiles. Ultrasonically vibrated into position, this innovative technique eliminates air voids underneath and compacts the bedding screed to provide an extremely even, robust,

aesthetic and hygienic floor surface. The company complemented Kagetec BS with Wiedemann-Technik heavy duty stainless-steel drainage gullies and stainless-steel kerbs – further strengthening the flooring system as well as proving greater impact resistance. Jez Galaun, co-founder of Brixton Brewery, said: “We were impressed by Kemtile’s track record with other UK breweries, so it was an obvious choice when it came to our new flooring and drainage. We’d already visited a number of Kemtile’s very satisfied brewery customers and we loved what we saw and heard. We wanted the same at our new site to support our future growth and evolution.”

For more information visit www.kemtile.co.uk/brewery.

Maxoptra Software improves beer deliveries for Pitchfork

West Country brewer Pitchfork Ales has improved the efficiency of beer deliveries following the implementation of Maxoptra real-time scheduling and routing software. The brewery has optimised its multi drop delivery routes reducing mileage and transport costs, as well as boosting customer service with improved flexibility and communications. Part of Epic Beers, the on-trade business delivers around 250 casks of ale per week to customers across the south-west of England, the Midlands and Wales. Serving around 400 pubs, clubs and restaurants Pitchfork make between 20 and 40 deliveries a day. Maxoptra has enabled Pitchfork to streamline its business process with

greater automation. On implementation Pitchfork immediately achieved a reduction in mileage on the two-day runs it was operating, equating to a saving of around 400 miles a week. The software has since further enhanced the efficiency of both the delivery of beer and the pick-up of empty casks. By providing a clear visual indication of territories and delivery routes Maxoptra can highlight outstanding deliveries and allow for the scheduling of ad-hoc requests. Maxoptra is also programmed to automatically identify potential cask collections along a delivery route further enhancing mobile efficiencies. Managers at Pitchfork also use Maxoptra to keep customers informed as to when their beer delivery is due and manage the workload of their drivers.

For more information go to www.maxoptra.com

Simpsons Malt appoints new Operations Director Family-owned maltster Simpsons Malt welcomes Andrew Holding to the position of Operations Director at its Tivetshall Maltings in Norfolk. Responsible for leading the Tivetshall and Fersfield teams and overseeing manufacturing operations, Andrew will also join the company's Operation Board. Andrew brings with him a wealth of experience in maltings and food produce management roles, having spent over 20 years with Stowmarket-based Muntons

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followed by roles with Peterboroughheadquartered food producer, Produce World Group. He also holds an MBA and a Malting Diploma. In this new role, Andrew will work strategically with the Simpsons Malt Tivetshall Maltings team as the site undergoes an extensive investment programme to expand its production capacity.

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

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01283 565912 www.ubplastics.co.uk UB Plastics Ltd, situated in Burton on Trent, are the primary UK manufacturers of a complete range of 2 piece plastic shives in 6 different sizes to suit all cask bush variants. We also manufacture thermoplastic keystones, hard pegs, keystone re-sealing bungs - which are a far cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to cork - and a complete range of keg caps. Shives, keystones and keg caps can be customised to our customers requirements. We manufacture in a large range of colours and can also offer printing on the shives. UB Plastics are now manufacturing an in mould labelled Plastic 1 Pint Cup offering up to 5 colour branding. The cups are reusable therefore environmentally friendly, fantastic quality and are an excellent advertising tool for festivals / events.

Please contact Steve Brown on 07885 866777 or stevebrown@ubplastics.co.uk for any quotations or information regarding Stainless Steel Kegs or Casks and we will be happy to discuss your exact requirements.

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Profil Solutions - approved UK agents for Carlson Filtration Ltd, Merck-Millipore & VLS Technologies (Velo Acciai). Profil supply DE Filters (horizontal and vertical leaf), Crossflow filters, sheet filters and other equipment manufactured by VLS Technologies (Velo Acciai). Profil also supply Carlson filter sheets & lenticular filters, Merck-Millipore filter cartridges and sterile membranes. Filter cartridge housings and lenticular filter housings, bag filters, strainers and most other type of filtration equipment. For further product information please contact Dave Manns on 01531 636704 or e-mail to davemanns@profilsolutions.com Profil Solutions Ltd A.B.E. Estate, Bromyard Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 1LG T: 01531 636704 F: 01531 806396 M: 07894 704895 W: www.profilsolutions.com

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SIBA supplier news

SUPPLIER NEWS

Vigo Ltd carries out 32 American Beer Equip installs in the UK Vigo are proud to announce that since becoming UK agents for American Beer Equipment in 2015, they’ve supplied and carried out 32 installations of ABE kit, including 24 canning lines and eight brewhouses at craft breweries across the UK. Andy Pegman, Sales Manager at Vigo, said: “American Beer Equipment are industry leaders in the US craft beer market and we are proud of the role we’ve played giving UK brewers access to their equipment. ABE canning lines are compact, produce reliable fill rates, minimal product loss and low

oxygen pickup. The Lincan and upgraded CraftCan models are also supplied with seamer monitoring control using servo seaming technology and nitro-canning is an option. ABE brewhouses are compact with precision controls and automation to produce consistent results brew after brew. As with all the equipment we supply we ensure that it meets all relevant British & European Health and Safety Directives and Standards and our team of engineers install, commission and provide full training. We also provide support both on the phone and on site for the lifetime of the kit.”

For more information go to www.vigoltd.com

The Little Giant Brewery launches the world’s first micro-brewery franchise The Little Giant Brewery has launched to market what it believes to be the world’s first brewery franchise packages. The company has designed and patented a system with a tiny footprint making it truly “micro” – at just 1.85m x 2.2m, whether you own a sports club, a trendy bar or you wish to become a small craft brewer, this new system opens up a whole new audience of potential brewers. The fully automated brewing cycle is designed for maximum efficiency and

product consistency and it is monitored via an online digital tracking software. Any technical issues are flagged up and dealt with, immediately, from the Bristol offices of the company. Ingredients are also supplied to each franchisee, giving the opportunity to produce four stunning beers: FE, FI, FO and FUM. Seasonal and special ale recipes are also available and can be added to the system if required.

For more information email enquiries@littlegiantbrewery.co.uk or visit www.littlegiantbrewery.co.uk

Garden Cider Company owners launch Surrey Hills Bottling Brothers Ben and Will Filby, owners of The Garden Cider Company, have launched Surrey Hills Bottling after spotting a gap in the market for contract bottling for small-scale drinks producers. As independent cider producers themselves, the brothers encountered difficulty when arranging their own bottling appointments, as the long lead times specified by large packaging companies dealing with high volume runs made booking in deliveries difficult. A contract bottling facility offering a full range of drinks development, preparation and packaging solutions, Surrey Hills Bottling offers a brand new, fully automated

packaging line which can fill either glass bottles or kegs. The company specialises in volumes from 2,000 litres and is fully licensed to package and hold ciders, beers and made wines under duty suspension. Microbiology testing equipment ensures that products are free of any potential contaminants and further tests are available for ABV and preservatives if required. It is also possible to provide a pass certificate for sterile filtered products 48 hours after bottling or kegging. Surrey Hills Bottling is based at Mill Farm, Chiddingfold, Surrey, however, Will and Ben are keen to emphasise that they can bottle for businesses located anywhere in the country.

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For more information email info@surreyhillsbottling.co.uk or call 01428 645 191

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make your packaged beer taste even better

BOTTLING, KEGGING AND CANNING SYSTEMS Moravek International Limited, Pure Offices, Kestrel Court, Harbour Rd, Portishead, Bristol BS20 7AN Tel: (44) (0)1427 890098 Fax: (44) (0)1427 890939 E-mail: Info@moravekinternational.com

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Remote Warehousing

SIBA supplier news

SUPPLIER NEWS

BrewMan’s production module can help with SALSA accreditation In recent years it has become more important for breweries to prove their compliance to rigorous food safety standards, particularly when selling to supermarket chains. There are a number of accreditations that are applicable to breweries, including SIBA’s FSQ standards, HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control points) and SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval) and the SALSA plus Beer Audit. Premier Systems Limited’s brewery management software package, BrewMan, has been installed in over 200 breweries

including many that have achieved SALSA accreditation and BrewMan’s production module specifically addresses the following requirements to help brewers achieve the accreditation: - Cleaning: BrewMan monitors the usage of your brewing vessels and tanks and, once a vessel has been emptied, flags the vessel as requiring a clean. You can then record the single or multi-stage clean that you have performed to release the vessel back to production. The cleaning processes themselves are defined within the system, thus giving you your procedures. - Control of Raw Materials: BrewMan keeps records of all of your raw material stock. The stock control records each batch

of materials received by date and batch number. The system then manages your stock and suggest the raw materials that should be used in the brewing process on a first-in, first-out basis, ensuring that your stock is rotated correctly. There are full stock take procedures built-in to BrewMan. - Quality Requirements: BrewMan produces a brew control sheet for every batch you brew and within the brew sheet you may define any quality control checks that are required.

For more information call +44 (0)23 80 811 100 or email sales@premiersystems.com

Giving Purity the LemonTop Twist The new Purity Brewing website has been launched after LemonTop were tasked with creating a new bespoke website which tied into the new Purity brand world. Working closely with the Purity team LemonTop focused on creating an enhanced experience and improved user journey throughout the site whilst making it easier for Puritans to keep up to date with the latest news and tales from the brewhouse.

The site is centered around Purity’s new brand world and brings the core Purity character illustrations to the forefront whilst incorporating simple animations to create something unique that truly portrays the core values and pillars that Purity is built upon.

Visit puritybrewing.com to see the website in action and for more information go to www.lemontopcreative.com

Crookham Travel clocks up 1,000 visits to breweries Gerald Daniels’ Crookham Travel visited their first brewery at Llanelli in 1978 with a train load of 595 thirsty souls where the Buckley family was the host. 42 years later Crookham’s 1,000th visit fell to the enterprising microbrewery on the Norfolk/ Suffolk border. Owned by Gena and Arth Engel from its inception in 2008, it prides itself on using locally sourced ingredients where possible and brewing them in the traditional way. Gerald was very pleased to be invited back to allow the presentation of his silver framed certificate to the couple to join the previous one they received on Crookham’s first visit in 2012. The company’s loyal members have actually visited more than 950 different breweries in all corners of the UK, Europe and distant places as far away as Hong Kong, Tasmania and South Africa. The disparity in visit numbers is down to multiple visits made to Bateman’s (3) and Hook Norton with no less than 10 visits totalling 3,500 people. On one Sunday in July 1980 during a day trip Rail Ale Ramble No.15, a special train took 579 to nearby Kingham where they were all coached to the tiny brewery. Invitations from local brewers for a visit by this unique group of aficionados are very welcome.

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

Döhler Sensory & Consumer Science sensory training references Sensory training references are an essential piece of equipment when it comes to the professional sensory tasting of products. They are used for sensory training and “calibration” to enable users to describe the perceived flavours of products in an objective manner. By comparing the product with a clearly defined and standardised sensory training reference, sensory experts can use a common language to describe sensory properties. Döhler Sensory & Consumer Science has developed sets of sensory training references for many different product categories, such as beer (for Pilsner, IPA, PA, stout, dark beer, porter, beer mix, beer off-flavours), in the form of practical sniffing sticks, with which experts from descriptive sensory panels, quality control personnel, product developers or product managers can reliably be trained. The application of these references leads to an extended sensory vocabulary and a uniform understanding of sensory properties. The sensory training references in form of sniffing sticks are ready to use, are easy and safe to handle and are field tested and proven by Döhler´s own sensory experts worldwide – with results gained in practice, for use in practice.

For more information go to www.doehler.com WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

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SUPPLIER NEWS

SIBA supplier news

NicheSolutions launches five new green initiatives Brewery supplies company NicheSolutions (GB) is driving environmentally-friendly, positive change throughout the UK brewing industry by investing in five new projects. One of the biggest challenges faced by the brewing/beverage industry is environmental sustainability. So NicheSolutions is promoting new ways to do business by investing in innovative, energyefficient projects with low impact on the environment. The five project are: 1 - The development and production of the UK’s first biodegradable, non-plastic 'sixpack' can-holder. 2 - Collecting and recycling KeyKegs which were previously mostly destined for landfill. 3 - No deposit charge on plastic containers

New hop launched aimed at the growing no and low alcohol market

- which the firm then collects for free for recycling into plastic road cones. 4 - Recycling all packaging cardboard from domestic and international deliveries. 5 - NicheSolutions are to become a corporate partner in the World Packaging Organisation, adhering to all their eco guidelines – recycling all of the polythene and shrinkwrap in packaging waste. NicheSolutions (GB) Ltd. are suppliers of brewery essentials to around 1,200 of the approx. 2,200 breweries in the UK. The company has built a reputation for premium, low-cost staples in areas such as brewery hygiene, processing aids, clarification and stabilisation, yeasts, keykegs and fittings.

For more information go to www.nichesolutionsgb.co.uk Innovative hop business Totally Natural Solutions have introduced HopZero® to provide high quality hop aroma and flavour to zero and low alcohol beers. Delivering natural hop functionality to overcome the common residual sweet and worty characters often experienced in this beer style. Totally Natural Solutions have dedicated research and development to understanding and overcoming the problems associated with de-alcoholised and stopped fermentation beers and present HopZero® to adjust the required bitterness levels, balance taste and mouthfeel and add late or dry hop

character to the finished beverage. The range has been specifically developed to meet the European natural flavouring legislation (EC/1334/2008) and can be used in all zero or low alcohol beverage formats. Whichever base beer is used the development of a finished beverage can be carried out in three easy steps; adjust bitterness to the required level, balance taste and mouthfeel and finally add late hop or dry hop character depending on the desired beer style.

For further details email sales@ totallynaturalsolutions.com or go to www.totallynaturalsolutions.com

BeerX UK 2019 featured Core’s biggest equipment display yet!

The Core Equipment stand at BeerX UK this year was unmissable; placed directly in the main entrance on its very own red carpet and featuring six large machines from carbonating to canning, it drew the attention of any brewer attending the Liverpool exhibition.

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Core is known as a supplier of a range of equipment to the drinks production industry, beginning solely as a supplier of juice and cider production equipment before branching out into the wine, beer and spirit production as the business has grown. Armed with a substantial portfolio of products for brewers, from brewhouses and tanks through to counter-pressure bottling and canning, plus everything in between, their display at BeerX really was something to behold. A wide range of equipment was featured at the exhibition, including a ceramic membrane crossflow filter and an acid-safe keg washer and filler, both of which are designed specifically for brewers. Other machines included a carbonator, a gravity bottling machine, and counter-pressure bottling and canning machines. Core stayed into the evening of the second event day where Jonathan Chaplin,

Managing Director, presented the award for the best Bottled and Canned Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%) to Zerodegrees Cardiff. Congratulations! “Supporting the independent brewers in what they do best – brewing – is at the heart of what we are all about. Our precise, innovative equipment is designed to enable the brewer to focus on making the best beer they can, and what better way to celebrate that than to present one of the awards,” said Jonathan Chaplin, Managing Director, Core Equipment. But this wasn’t the only competition of the event. Core ran a prize draw throughout the exhibition days, putting a free case of English Sparkling Wine up for grabs. After an abundance of entries from brewers and fellow suppliers alike, the winner was drawn the following week; congratulations to Tom Unwin from Signature Brewing!

For more information go to www.core-equip.com

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ALAN RUDDOCK ENGINEERING LTD - THE MALT MILLING & GRIST HANDLING SPECIALISTS All equipment designed and manufactured in-house to individual specifications

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SIBA supplier news

SUPPLIER NEWS

Hoplex Ltd. launches the Hop Torpedo Hoplex is an Aberdeenshire company founded in 2017 by Stuart Mackie, a real ale enthusiast, following a side step from oil and gas engineering. Designing and manufacturing their own range of brewing equipment in his home village of Insch, Hoplex Ltd. has gone from strength to strength and is now focusing on its own trademarked product the Hop Torpedo. The Hop Torpedo is a device for externally dry hopping beer. Why is this better than dry hopping in my vessel you ask? Stuart explains: “The Hop Torpedo by design creates turbulence within it causing a whirlpool effect which helps break down hop pellets very quickly allowing the essential oils to be easily absorbed by the beer.” Other advantages mentioned by Stuart were reducing hop particle carry, reducing unwanted bitterness and reducing cleaning time. Most importantly you can reduce your hoping time from 3-5 days to just 3-4 hours.

Use your Senses Colin Johnston at Crisp Malt takes a look at how to spot a quality craft malt…

What is “Craft Malt”?

The Brewers’ Association in the US says “craft malt” should have:• l ow free amino nitrogen (around 150) for optimal fermentation • l ower total protein/ nitrogen (less than 1.65%) to promote stability and clarity • l ower diastatic power (around 60) to allow for ideal mashing conditions • l ower Kolbach index or soluble nitrogen ratio as we know it (35-42). The BA also says that craft malt should be distinctive and flavourful. How can you assess these subjective attributes? Here at Crisp we’re long-time advocates of organoleptic activity – that is, using your senses. Maltsters look at, touch, break, smell and taste grain samples from beginning to the end of the malting process. Brewers can apply and develop their beer sensory capabilities to cover malt examination and

tasting.

case

Castle Rock Brewery.

Famous for their Harvest pale, Champion beer of Great Britain 2010, Castle Rock Brewery are always seeking to achieve the best they possibly can. At the beginning of 2018 they received a Hop Torpedo from Hoplex Ltd. Since then it has been used on many beers including the Dry Hop Series IPAs, Computer World, Song Bird, and Fools Gold to name a few. Dan Gilliland, Developmental Brewer, talks about how they received significate results by implementing the Hop Torpedo. A new range of puncher and more defined flavoured beers was born. Dan has said he enjoys the analogue nature of the Hop Torpedo where you can choose the speed, time of saturation and the number of hops that go in allowing full control of what he calls his babies (his beers). “the best feature is the sample tap, I can taste live what is happening to the beer and choose when its ready”.

study

Look and feel

So, begin with a careful visual inspection. This will tell you whether whole malt is consistently sized, kernels unbroken and husks intact. Check whether it’s free from dust, stones and stalks (and of course it should be) and get an idea of whether it’s been treated well in malting, packaging and transportation.

Taste the malt

Hone your skills by munching your way through handfuls of Maris Otter, Chevallier Heritage malt, Caramalt – and the whole panoply of malted and unmalted cereals. Note subtle and substantial differences in texture and flavour between varieties. The crunch test allows you to work out taste characteristics and check that the malt is fresh, well modified (friable) and free from any obvious off-flavours. Over time, you can develop your skills to be able to identify trueness-to-type as well as subtle differences between similar-looking malts. You won’t go far wrong if you follow the example of American craft brewers developing their recipes – and chew before you choose!

Taste the wort

To truly gauge the flavour contribution to the beer, we advocate following the Hot Steep Method that we use to assess malts for flavour consistency. It was developed

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by Briess and the American Society of Brewing Chemists and can be found online. Take a small grist sample and add water at 65oC. After mixing well, let it sit for 15 minutes in an insulated flask so the malt can saccharify and the flavour compounds are released. Filter the mash. Taste the resultant wort and make your assessment, ensuring it meets your requirements. Do some mini mashes, varying the contribution of speciality malts to understand how they combine and affect each other.

viewpoint

Be curious

Commoditisation of malt and bland beers go hand in hand. Equally, utter respect for - and an insatiable curiosity about - all ingredients is the pathway to outstanding, flavoursome beers. It’s not a question of a one-off decision. As with hops, every batch of malt that crosses the threshold of your brewery doors should be a source of anticipation, interest and excitement. Not all barleys are created equal, and neither are all malts. Get touching, smelling, breaking, tasting - and steeping - to better understand your core ingredient and explore the wonderful world of malt flavour. It is far wider than most people imagine.

For more information go to www.crispmalt.co

Entries welcome for the European Beer Star 2019 The European Beer Star Awards, which have long been among the most successful tasting competitions in the world, are being held by Private Brauereien for the 16th time this year. From less than 300 beers submitted for the premiere in 2004, the number of registrations has

since risen constantly year by year with a record 2,344 beers from 51 countries on all continents submitted for the European Beer Star in 2018.

The winners in the 65 categories, which are each awarded a Gold, Silver or Bronze under the Olympic principle, are determined by an

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international jury of experts in a 2-day blind tasting session. The criteria assessed are only those that a consumer would draw on for evaluation: optics, foam, smell, taste and the features typical for the type.

For more information go to www.european-beer-star.com

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GOLD AND SILVER MEMBERS

Gold Members BREWERS SELECT

Dan Unwin dunwin@brewersselect.co.uk

CHARLES FARAM & CO LTD Paul Corbett paulcorbett@ charlesfaram.co.uk

MURPHY & SONS LTD Frances Maud Frances.Maud@ murphyandson.co.uk

CLOSE BROTHERS BREWERY RENTALS

CROXSONS

PREMIER SYSTEMS LTD

THOMAS FAWCETT & SONS LTD

Tim Croxson Tim.croxson@ croxsons.com

Reem Mohsen enquiries@ closebreweryrentals.co.uk

NAPTHENS

Malcolm Ireland Malcolm.Ireland@ napthens.co.uk

Sam Williams Sam@ premiersystems.ltd.uk

James Fawcett JFawcett@ fawcett-maltsters.co.uk

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RANKIN BROTHERS & SONS

Silver Members

KEGSTAR

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KEG LOGISTICS UK LTD

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Giovanni Solferini sales@icfsgroup.com

Kerrie Swindon kerrie.swindon@anton-paar.com

BEATSON CLARK

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BEER BOX SHOP

Simon Hulse sales@beerboxshop.co.uk

BFBI

Ruth Evans ruthevans@bfbi.org.uk

Jim Rankin sales@rankincork.co.uk

Christian Barden Christian@kegstar.com

Nick Crossley ncrssly@aol.com

Chris Sapyta csapyta@keglogistics.com

Mike Impson mikeimpson@saxonpackaging.co.uk

LALLEMAND UK

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MOESCHLE (UK) LTD

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CASK GLOBAL CANNING SOLUTIONS INC MUNTONS PLC Peter Love peter@cask.com

Joanna Perry joanna.perry@muntons.com

CORE EQUIPMENT LTD

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CRISP MALTING GROUP

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FESTIVAL GLASS LTD

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FLEXTECH HOSE SOLUTIONS LTD Gary Shaw gary@flextechhose.co.uk

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SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

Darren Seward Darren_Seward@nfumutual.co.uk

NORRIQ LTD

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PENTAIR FOOD & BEVERAGE SOLUTIONS Debbie Larkin Sales.uk@pentair.com

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SPASOFT LTD

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VALE LABELS LTD

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VIGO LTD

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WILLIS PUBLICITY

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ZOEDALE PLC

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MEET THE SIBA REGIONAL ELECTED DIRECTORS

Meet the regional elected directors NAME: Robert Wicks REGION: South East

NAME: Christie Slater REGION: Scotland CONTACT: christie.slater@siba.co.uk How did you first get into brewing?

I started in 1982 at Newcastle Breweries as a junior project engineer, straight from University. I’ve been in the trade ever since in various roles across Production, Distribution, Cellar service, Demand Planning, Customer Services, Credit control and Sales (which I was rubbish at!). It’s a great industry to work in and I never want to leave it.

CONTACT: robert.wicks@siba.co.uk How did you first get into brewing? I was home brewing aged 8 years old!

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

I have only been a member of SIBA for just over a year. After retiring from Heineken I set up a micro-brewery in Kinross with some friends and suddenly, after 35 years in the industry working for big brewers, I saw the whole industry through a different end of the telescope. It was clear to me that the bigger brewers would do all they could to squeeze the little guys in order to reclaim their lost market share and I decided that I would try to help the independent sector fight back, if I could. SIBA seemed a good starting point.

What is the main focus of your SIBA role?

I see my job as making sure that the views and opinions of the Scottish members are accurately reflected in the policies and decisions SIBA make to influence the industry as a whole. With a lifetime spent in the industry I would hope to be able to contribute across a number of areas. I also hope to encourage the Scottish members to work more collaboratively in order to cut costs and access synergies. The independent brewers have one big advantage that the big brewers can’t access – we can work together.

How do the regions support SIBA members?

We meet a few times a year and make sure that the members are aware of industry developments and of course we promote quality beer through the regional beer awards, but I think one of the main benefits for members comes from the informal networks that spring up and the mutual support that’s freely shared.

How can Members get more involved in SIBA locally?

I think the membership needs to be more proactive in helping the Board and Executive shape policy. The Exec of SIBA only exist to support the membership by influencing on a national stage the issues and events that affect our industry. How they do this should be directly influenced by the feedback received by the local members and the Regional meetings are the place to do this.

What’s new in your area of SIBA this year?

SBR and access to market will always dominate, but I’m very interested in SIBA’s new fifth objective to focus on finding ways to help members reduce costs. The recent move by Heineken UK to introduce line rental charges, whilst not unexpected, needs careful managing as it will have a significant impact on independents’ overheads and reduce margins. Ultimately this could foreclose the market even further, which is exactly what Heineken are aiming for, I suspect.

What is your key focus for your brewery this year?

Brand recognition and margin are absolutely key for us, as a brand new brewery. Also increasing our reach but choosing our routes to market carefully. Our focus will continue to be on the independent on-trade – we want to sell all the beer we produce in the most attractive channels. It’s not just about making beer – we want to make money as well.

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

I hate to admit it, but I will always go for a pint of Alechemy’s Ten Storey Malt Bomb if it’s on the bar, but I’m happy to drink beer from any independent, so long as it’s genuine craft and not produced by a large brewer and posing as craft. I see craft beer in total as our category and if the category grows, we all benefit.

Who do you most admire in the brewing community and why?

I used to work for John Dunsmore when he was MD at Scottish & Newcastle and for a short while at Tennents and I think he has done a great job at EBF, helping his family to set up and run a successful craft brewery in Edinburgh, producing the Paolozzi brand which seems to have made a significant impact around Edinburgh and beyond.

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

How long have you been involved with SIBA and why did you join? I have been involved for 15 years. I joined to be part of the vibrant craft brewing scene. It was quite a small society back then.

What is the main focus of your SIBA role?

I want to focus on Beer Duty especially in persuading Government to reduce the overall rates of duty and to get a good outcome from the Small Breweries Relief review.

How do the regions support SIBA members?

We organise the regional beer competitions, report back to the region from the Board meetings and feed back to the Board the concerns from the Region.

How can Members get more involved in SIBA locally?

Turn up to regional meetings and engage in constructive dialogue with the SIBA Executive members who attend the regional meetings so they understand the issues and concerns of the region. Every region is different. What matters to a London and South East brewer is very different to, for example, a brewer in Scotland.

What’s new in your area of SIBA this year?

We are looking to organise a regional keg competition because of the number of brewers in the South East who make craft keg beer.

What is your key focus for your brewery this year?

Growing our Tap Room sales and getting the message out there that craft beer can only come from a small independent brewery. We also want to see craft cask given the premium pricing it deserves.

What is your favourite beer in your region other than your own? Gadds No 5.

Who do you most admire in the brewing community and why?

Rebellion Brewery for their success in engaging with their beer drinking customers. Gipsy Hill Brewery for their consistently interesting beers. Outside of the UK we love the beers from Odell Brewing Co and Left Hand Brewing of Colorado and Ballast Point Brewing of California. They make great balanced beers which are consistently excellent.

SIBA JOURNAL SPRING 2019

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contacts SIBA Head Office: 01765 640441 Cellar Services: 01765 641099

DIRECTORS

OFFICE TEAM

Mike Benner Chief Executive mike.benner@siba.co.uk Nick Stafford Operations Director nick.stafford@siba.co.uk

Rachel Harriott Head of Operations rachel.harriott@siba.co.uk James Calder Head of Public Affairs & Communications james.calder@siba.co.uk Neil Walker Head of PR & Marketing neil.walker@siba.co.uk

Sara Knox Company Secretary/ Directors Assistant sara.knox@siba.co.uk

Rebecca Kirby Financial Controller rebecca.kirby@siba.co.uk Louise Henley Operations Administrator louise.henley@siba.co.uk Jenna Barningham Operations Administrator jenna.barningham@siba.co.uk Elle Spencer-Blanchard Operations Assistant elle.spencerblanchard@siba.co.uk

All General Enquiries contact riponoffice@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 Ian Fozard

EAST east@siba.co.uk Marcus Beecher Richard Naisby

Elgood & Sons Ltd Milton Brewery

MIDLANDS midlands@siba.co.uk Draycott Brewing Company Greg Maskalick John Allcroft Grafton Brewing Co Anthony Hughes Lincoln Green Brewing Co Ltd NORTH EAST northeast@siba.co.uk Roosters Brewery Ian Fozard Maxim Brewery Mark Anderson Hop Studio Ltd Dave Shaw Acorn Brewery Dave Hughes NORTH WEST northwest@siba.co.uk Shane Swindells Cheshire Brewhouse Bank Top Brewery Dave Sweeney Peerless Brewery Steve Briscoe

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SCOTLAND scotland@siba.co.uk Christie Slater Loch Leven Brewery Isle of Arran Brewery Gerald Michaluk Harviestoun Brewery Stuart Cail SOUTH EAST southeast@siba.co.uk Andy Hayward Thames Side Brewery Jaega Wise Wild Card Brewery Westerham Brewery Robert Wicks SOUTH WEST southwest@siba.co.uk Exe Valley Brewery Guy Sheppard Driftwood Spars Brewery Peter Martin Red Rock Brewery Paul Arrowsmith WALES & WEST west@siba.co.uk Norman Pearce Corvedale Brewery Teme Valley Brewery Chris Gooch Big Hand Brewing Company Ltd Dave Shaw

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