Brewers Journal Podcast

When you’ve spent some 25 years in beer industry, working with a raft of innovative companies, you’ve probably picked up a thing or two along the way. And for today’s guest, that time in beer and hospitality is and was always about the people. In today’s episode we hear from Christian Barden, an experienced and enthusiastic global beer industry leader whose mantra is “doing well by doing good...

“Brewing beer is easy, but producing good beer takes real skill,” John Taylor, co-founder of London’s Drop Project Brewing Co once told us. With a series of successful and ambitious expansion projects under his belt, John more commonly known as JT, is now the co-founder of Mitcham-based Drop Project. Along with co-founders Joe Simo ( right ) and Will Skipsey ( middle ), the brewery is making waves...

Earlier this week, figures from across the brewing industry descended upon Minneapolis for the latest iteration of the Craft Brewers Conference and the 2022 World Beer Cup Awards. And closer to home, breweries in the UK and across Europe are making absolutely incredible beer. That comes as no surprise. The consumer has simply never had it better when it comes to the sheer variety of styles availab...

Founded in 2020 but a long time in the making, Sureshot was born out of lockdown. The Manchester-based business, headed up by a brewer that can make leading hop-forward beers in his sleep, is determined to make its mark with an excellent, high-quality product. And a mere four months on since their first brew, they’re doing just that. 

During one their first dates, enjoying pints of mild, a couple while away the evening in one of the UK’s most fashionable cities. But no, we’re not talking about 2022. Instead this is Liverpool in the late 1980s…. And although they were both working in hospitality back then, little did Julie and Les O’ Grady know that some 30 years on, they’d be running a different hospitality business of their ow...

With the sunshine we head to California and learn that brewing, like any other profession, can take us on a journey we might not have planned for. When Dylan Mobley (pictured far right) left his role at Stone Brewing in Escondido, California, to improve his work/life balance, he already had his next role mapped out. Instead, he’d spend the best part of the next five years helping create and refine...

Life has a funny way of working out, even if you weren’t sure what you were looking for in the first place. For Miranda Hudson and her co-founder and husband Bates, a chance encounter at a wedding a decade ago would eventually lead them to up sticks, start a new life in the country and open Duration Brewing – a farmhouse brewery making beers that belong. Duration Brewing secured planning consent t...

Most breweries will, hopefully, experience a growth curve during their business lives. But when you’re on that particular journey, it’s key to recognise that there’s more to it than just increasing capacity and your ability to produce more volume. And as someone heading up a brew team, Aaron McClure knows that all too well. Aaron is the head brewer at Sharp’s, based in Rock, Cornwall. After studyi...

What happens when you combine a couple that have a love for travel, a passion for brewing excellent beers and the desire to create an inclusive brewery that boasts a taproom loved by locals and visitors alike? Reading’s own Double-Barrelled, of course! Having just celebrated that important third birthday, nominated for new brewery of the...

“You have to be a manager, a coach and a referee all in one. And there’s probably a little bit of hope involved, too.” Greg Zeschuk knows a thing or two about running a team. Because before working in beer, the company he co-founded grew to employ 1500 at seven locations across the globe. Zeschuk...

In beer, and the wider world, what people love is for you to have the respect to show them what you love. And in doing so, they have an opportunity to walk through a little door and potentially find something they really enjoy. But if you don’t give people the chance, then they can’t respect...

Earlier this week we hosted our annual Brewers Congress and Brewers Choice Awards. During our Brewers Choice Awards, we gave out the inaugural Global Ambassador Award. This accolade is designed to acknowledge a true catalyst of innovation and invention in the wonderful world of beer.  And this inaugural winner is just that. He is a...

The Brewers Journal turned six this autumn. In that time we’ve put out more than 50 editions, run countless live events, hosted awards and also launched this podcast, too.. But did you know we also have a sister publication for the distilling industry? Well now you do…. The Distillers Journal is a quarterly publication in...

What’s it like when the world’s second largest brewer calls you saying they’d like to chat as they want to support your brewery’s growth? Jez Galaun, co-founder of Brixton Brewery, figured it was a hoax. But one year later, the company Galaun and his co-founders started back in 2013, had partnered with Heineken. And five...

We have all seen the stats More than 8.5 million Brits are actively moderating their drinking while over 20 percent of the UK adult population doesn’t drink at all. Then when you look at those aged 18 to 25, this number hits around a quarter. Women over 50 – are even higher. Like others, you’ve tried...

From clothing sizes to airline destinations, as much as we pretend not to, with all of us thinking we’re mavericks, the truth is we like consistency. If your ticket says Rome and you arrive in Moscow, you’re not going to be happy. Consistency, quality and reliability are the key words in the success of any...

Depending on who you ask, beer and whisky is a perfect partnership.  Whether you’re following one with the other, or enjoying a complex, nuanced barrel-aged beer, the two beverages just go hand-in-hand. Some of the most revered and sought-after releases in modern beer have been intricate and masterful stouts and barleywines that have then been...

Are you Omnibibulous or otherwise?  I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of being a little Omnibibulous from time to time… Because, as Lotte Peplow tells us, to be Omnibibulous is to drink across a wide spectrum of alcohol beverages.  Lotte is the Brewers Association’s American craft beer ambassador for Europe. And each year, the Brewers...

There’s a very strong chance that anyone listening to this episode has enjoyed a Fuller’s beer in the past.  That might be London Pride, ESB or Vintage Ale. Or maybe it was Chiswick Bitter, Honey Dew or Bengal Lancer. The list goes on… For many years, these beers were produced at Fuller’s in West London...

It’s all about getting an edge, doing something to make your beer stand out in a crowded field. Some do it with the label on the can and others with the ingredients. One that keeps popping up is cannabidiol – better known as CBD. In this episode we’ll be talking with Dr Keith Villa who,...

Lager, as Bristol’s Lost and Ground Brewers will tell us, is life. And by brewing excellent lagers Donzoko Brewing Company has made its name in the world of beer. Flagship beers such as Northern Helles and Big Foam take the spotlight but Donzoko founder Reece Hugill is also a dab hand when it comes to...

Pubs are pillars of our communities. Now, more than ever, we know how integral they are in the fabric of people’s lives and their livelihoods. They are environments for people to eat and drink in but also, so much more. They are places to meet friends, both old and new. And for Cameron McQueen, working...

What’s it like heading up production of the UK’s best-selling cask beer? Producing in excess of 1 million pints each week, coupled with a host of other beers, is no small feat. Alongside that, you’re managing a team of some 32 brewers to ensure your whole operation goes smoothly. It would be enough to keep...

How did a small bar in Leeds serving Beamish Red and Kronenbourg become a driving force in the craft beer revolution? Founded by John Gyngell and Christian Townsley (above) back in 1997, North Bar is an institution when it comes to great, modern beer. And nearly 25 years on, the team has just opened the...

As we remerge from lockdown, it’s important to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned from it. And when it comes to the ways we maintain our breweries, and the venues that sell much of the beer produced by these businesses, it’s imperative to ensure that the hygiene levels are impeccable. Belinda Jennings has worked in...