Brewers Journal Podcast

We have all taken different routes on our journey in beer and today’s guest has taken a path from Wigan, leading to London before heading some 40 miles out to Wokingham in Berkshire. Hayley Pearce is a brewer at Siren Craft Brew. Originally from the north of England, Hayley headed south in 2008 to study Biochemistry at Imperial College London.  In 2012 she joined the Fuller’s Graduate Programme an...

There’s a strong chance you, or someone you know, has enjoyed a beer that has been made possible by the hand of Nikola Marjanovic. Following a degree in food technology, specialising in microbiological processes, at Serbia’s University of Novi Sad, he became a quality engineer before then taking the position of brewing supervisor at Apatin Brewery. Three years later Nikola swapped Serbia for Scotl...

If you’ve ever entertained a visiting brewer from overseas, one of the first questions you are normally asked is – where can we go for a great pint of cask beer? As decorated author Des de Moor tells us in his new book, cask beer is a unique format of fresh, live draught beer that, at its best, delivers a taste experience unmatchable in any other way. But despite it being revered by fans acr...

How do you market your beers? How do you ensure that the people you think will enjoy them most are aware they exist? And also, how do you go about creating new fans altogether?  To answer those questions, we invited today’s guest to help us out. Because recently, they had a new lager to bring to market and incorporated a range of tools to ensure it hit their desired audience. Verity Phillips...

In 2002 Emma Reynolds met Ken Yamada and became great friends over their shared love of travelling and food, more specifically Japanese food and in particular ramen. Over the years, they realised it was very difficult to find decent ramen in London, so they began on a mission to sort that out themselves… They started out in 2011 with a Saturday night pop-up in the city. 30 people came through the...

At a time when many breweries are celebrating their tenth anniversaries Hackney Brewery, now the ripe old age of 12, could be considered elder statesmen of the London brewing community. Much has predictably changed in those years the brewery, founded by Jon Swain and Pete Hills, have been in business. Especially more recently, with the team celebrating two years at their new home in High Hill, Wal...

As the dust settles on our recent Brewers Congress in London, we are already busy laying the foundations for next year’s event. Colin Stronge, a brewing industry pioneer, was due to close last month’s Congress. Sadly a recent operation meant he was unable to make it but health comes first and we, of course, very much look forward to welcoming him back at future events. Get well soon, C...

Gary Robson is CEO & Founder of Sure Purity, an award winning manufacturer of advanced filtration systems for the beverage industry, we are trusted by the most well-known beverage brand owners and sold in over 100 countries worldwide. He’s also the former president of International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT), board member and founder member of the Beverage Gases Technical C...

To many, John Keeling surely needs no introduction. But for those unaware, John is the former brewing director of Chiswick, London-based Fuller’s. Regarded and respected the world over for his ability to create and brew beers defined by balance and flavour, John is using his retirement to collaborate, consult and create with breweries across the globe. In this episode, we speak to John about his e...

Chris Lewington is on a mission at Brew Resourceful, and that’s to make the world of craft brewing more resourceful.  ​He has spent more than a decade in some of the UK’s top craft breweries, and he’s been exposed to the industry’s best and helped some of the future best on their journeys. Individually, the elements of resourcefulness have always been the focus of his brewi...

When it comes to no-and-low, that no longer means no choice, no quality, no variety. Thanks to outfits like Mash Gang and their peers, there is something for everyone.  And of late, demand has been so high the business has actually run out of beer. To remedy this, they’ve recently brewed at five different breweries to get the capacity ready for their peak season. That means there’s currently...

The pressure is growing for all businesses to demonstrate a coherent response to the climate crisis. In this podcast, Andrew Furness of Net Zero Now explains that a carbon footprint is the foundation of a credible climate strategy and provides essential content for key stakeholders. He says that corporate climate strategy has evolved in the last decade towards a consistent approach, built on globa...

A love of ingredients and flavour exploration led Jordan Mower to open a nano brewery back in 2014. And nearly 10 years on UnBarred Brewery of Brighton, with its team of 16, lives for one thing – that’s to inspire discovery through boundless creativity. In this podcast, Jordan talks us through the early days at the brewery, the journey since and the role of the community at the business. He...

They are a brewery based in Hoults Yard, Newcastle. Home to great beers & an award-winning taproom since 2018. But why Full Circle, we hear you ask? The inspiration comes through three generations of a family business. Brewery owner, Ben Cleary’s grandparents were in the pub and beer trade, while his parents got into the wine business, and now Ben has moved towards the beer industry – thus the...

How much do you know about your beer and your customers? That’s the question asked by Amber Thorne. And when it comes to your brewery, what is your niche – your USP? And on the other side of the conversation, why do you want to sell to a particular venue? Amber Thorne started her career in beer in the sales team at Siren Craft Brew. She has since moved to the iconic Bristol beer scene workin...

What is marketing, and what is it not? That’s the question Rachel Auty asks…. The head of marketing at Brew York, Rachel is a marketing leader, and brand and communications strategist who has worked extensively across the beer industry and the arts. She has work directly with SME founder-owner-managers, senior management teams, and boards of directors across tech, charity and not-for-profits...

When it comes to the world of brewing, sustainable can no longer be just a buzzword or a box-ticking exercise. And at Bristol-based Wiper and True, they are constantly working to become the most sustainable brewery they possibly can be. As they admit, it’s no secret that brewing uses a lot of energy and creates a significant amount of by-products. So they are one outfit that want their overall imp...

With Jordan from Mash Gang speaking at our Brewers Lectures in Newcastle next Wednesday, what better time to revisit our chat with him from January 2023… Gone are the days where choosing a beer without the alcohol meant forgoing genuine choice in the process. Countless macro businesses now offer 0.5% or 0.0% iterations of well-known brands. Beers that complement the burgeoning number of beve...

Last year’s release of Prize Old Ale was a real highlight for many fans of excellent beer. But the journey of this storied beverage, that classic fruity, strong, dark ale, goes back somewhat further. Originally a recipe from George Gales & Co, a great deal of interest was generated by the latest version of Prize Old Ale, which was brewed at Dark Star by head brewer Henry Kirk. According to Joh...

Welcome to Wiper and True. The brewery, which is known for beers such as its Kaleidoscope Pale Ale, Milkshake Milk Stout and a wealth of other fantastic creations besides, has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Based in Bristol, their goal is clear – that’s to make beautiful beer. Whether it’s at their original site at St Werburgh’s, which is focused on barrel ageing and mixed fermentatio...

In the modern world social media plays a huge role in pretty much every industry, and hospitality is no different. It can be both a blessing and a curse, so knowing how to get the best out of it is all-important. For your brewery, bar or bottleshop, it can enhance brand awareness, drive sales and help build a community. And one person that knows all about that is Charlie Harding, the founder of Bo...

It almost doesn’t need repeating but breweries, like many businesses in the wider world of hospitality, have much to contend with in recent months and years. As we continue to adjust, post-pandemic, to what normal is – if there still is such as thing –  there are also other pressures to deal with. A cost of living crisis, rising energy costs and staff shortages are all major hurdles to...

When it comes to the world of no-and-low beers, they no longer on the periphery of the conversation – they are the conversation.   The sale of low-alcohol and no-alcohol beers in the UK have nearly doubled in the last five years. Various product releases from global brands, coupled with a raft of launches from independent businesses, have helped give drinkers an increasing number of opt...

For many people, you mention Reading and the first thing that springs to mind is the famed festival. The Reading Festival, which will once again take place this August, is the world’s oldest popular music festival to still be in existence….with countless bands and artists having played at the summer event over the last five decades. But breweries, as we all know, also have a special way of p...

Welcome to Camden – home of Werewolf Beer. In the latest episode of The Brewers Journal Podcast, we return to North London to catch up with Rich White, the founder of Werewolf Beer. Recorded live at the brewery, to accompany our new Brewers Journal video series, we speak about Werewolf’s commitment to classic US styles, the challenges and opportunities of running your own business, wel...