There has been a lot going on in the last few months for both SIBA and its members, even by today’s standards, and that is reflected here in a bumper edition of the magazine.
BeerX in Liverpool in March was SIBA’s biggest event ever, with a record 3,500 brewers, suppliers and industry experts in attendance and a larger event space than ever before (see our round-up of the event on pages 80-81).
It was fantastic to see so many of you there, and to feel such camaraderie and positivity in the room – it really was buzzing!
Independent Brewer Magazine.
Congratulations must go to all of the award winners from both the SIBA Business Awards (see pages 82-85 for the full list) and of course the National finals of the now re-named SIBA Indie Beer Awards (see pages 86-93 for the full role of honour from those).
Just a month after BeerX, marked SIBA’s first ever Indie Beer Week, a national celebration of independent beer and part of SIBA’s Indie Beer campaign. Read all about the inaugural event on pages 16-19.
A week later, at the end of April, SIBA released its latest Independent Beer Report, at an event hosted by SIBA member Sambrook’s in London. We bring you coverage from the event on pages 26-27, plus a run down on the highlights from this year’s findings on pages 2833 – including a QR code to take you through to the full report if you’d like to read it in more detail.
Also in this issue, we feature three of the big winners from the SIBA Business Awards so you can read more about what led them to victory.
Our Business Profile is of Bullhouse Brew Co in Belfast which has been blazing quite the trail in what is an extremely restrictive market to operate in (see pages 40-47).
Society of Independent Brewers and Associates PO Box 136, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 5WW Tel: 01765 640 441
www.siba.co.uk
Email: office@siba.co.uk
We feature Stroud Brewery in our Sustainability Focus on pages 52-59, after they took home the top award for sustainability, and we also spoke to Mike Corbett from Colbier in Liverpool for our Meet the Brewer feature after he and his two co-founders collected the award for Best New Brewery Business (see pages 60-65).
Last but, very much not least, our Guest Writer Pete Brown – now a regular columnist in the Sunday Times Magazine - offers his view on indie beer and its place in the market in his column on pages 48-51.
Happy reading!
And please do keep sending me your press releases, updates, news and views to caroline. nodder@siba.co.uk so that we can share your experiences, thoughts and successes in future magazines – the deadline for submissions for our Autumn magazine will be September 5th.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or be any other means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of SIBA and/or Media Alive Limited.
Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate and up-to-date, neither SIBA nor Media Alive Limited take any responsibility for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in editorial contributions to this publication are those of their respective authors and not necessarily shared either by SIBA or Media Alive Limited.
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Cover
Our cover image for this issue was taken in the taproom at Bullhouse Brew Co in Belfast, which was recently named SIBA’s Brewery Business of the Year for 2025. Read more about Bullhouse’s amazing battle to establish itself in Northern Ireland, one of the most restrictive markets in the world, in our Business Profile on pages 40-47.
News
9-15
SIBA News All the news from SIBA HQ
16-19 Indie Beer Campaign News from the inaugural Indie Beer Week and re-branded Indie Beer awards
24-25 Membership Update A round-up of the latest SIBA Membership benefits
26-33 SIBA Independent Beer Report News from the launch of the report, plus highlights from the report findings
80-85 BeerX & Business Awards A review of this year’s BeerX and details of the Business Awards winners
86-95 SIBA National Beer Competition Full results from the National finals at BeerX in March
94-97 SIBA Indie Beer Awards Results from the South West and North East
100-107 Brewery News The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK
111-115 Supplier News Updates from SIBA’s Supplier Associate Members
Comment
7 CEO’S Update Andy Slee, SIBA’s Chief Executive, focusses on the challenge independent brewers face in growing market share
8 Chairman’s Comment National Chair Richard Naisby looks back on a very busy few months for SIBA
22-23 The View From Westminster Our regular political update
34-35 Homebrew In Focus Andy Parker from Elusive Brewing checks out the latest brew from Amity Brew Co
48-51 Guest Writer Pete Brown expands on his recent column for the Sunday Times with a look at the future for indie beer
75 Tech Focus Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas on the challenges of dilution
99
109
Brewery Viewpoint Sadie Wilkins from new brewery Apex Brewing Co explains how they have hit the ground running
Brewery Viewpoint Gail Lumsden from Vocation Brewery explores the ways independent brewers can stand out from the crowd
110 Supplier Viewpoint Tim Weaver from The Brand Weaver looks at the power of marketing
Features
37 Taproom Focus Featuring the taproom at Brolly Brewing
40-47 Business Profile We meet William Mayne from SIBA’s Brewery Business of the Year, Bullhouse in Northern Ireland
52-59 Sustainability Focus Greg Pilley from Stroud Brewery explains the ethos behind the award-winning business
60-65 Meet The Brewer We meet Mike Corbett, one of the co-founders of Colbier, named SIBA’s Best New Independent Brewery for 2025
116 Gold & Silver Members Listing of our key sponsors
118 Contacts Key SIBA contacts
Saviours of Flavour The thecaringcraft for craft of beers
Our closures are the saviours of flavour, protecting and preserving the natural goodness of craft beer. Choose a traditional beer crown, or a resealable swing top design featuring a stopper, rubber seal and strong metal clasp. Either way, Croxsons has the best closure to lock in the fresh flavour, keeping your smooth hops happy and your crisp lagers lovely.
Take a closer look at our closures www.croxsons.com
To all of you who attended BeerX and made it SIBA’s biggest and most successful ever, my thanks for your contribution to a memorable two days. With so much going on in Liverpool we launched the Independent Beer Report (formerly the Craft Beer Report) at a separate event this year.
My summary of the report, written for the Morning Advertiser is included below. For more details of the event and highlights from the report, see pages 26-33. At a time when demand for independent beer remains very strong, like the rest of hospitality making sustainable profits remains challenging for our 700 brewery members, who employ 10,000 people in local communities across the land.
This is the clear conclusion of the recently published SIBA Independent Beer Report, commissioned by SIBA using information from a wide range of sources including exclusive YouGov consumer data and detailed commercial returns from our brewing members. By any measure demand for independent beer is strong. Average production rose +10% last year and is now back above pre-pandemic levels in a UK beer market that remains resolutely in the doldrums.
Demand strong –profitability challenging
When pubs thrive the whole beer industry wins
SIBA members now run 2,000 pubs, bars and taprooms across the UK with 80% of their production being sold to the on trade – its success is as critical to us as everyone reading this article.
This growth is also deeply rooted in strong consumer demand. According to YouGov polling, 56% of the population choose beers that they believe to be local whilst 75% of pubgoers want to see independent beers on the bar. The vibrancy of our sector is best demonstrated by the fact that 80% of independent brewers now brew stout, 60% produce a lager and growth in no and low beers is also healthy. All three of these would have been unthinkable even a decade ago.
And let’s not forget the cask beer category we are sometimes encouraged write off. Demand for this icon of British brewing remains strong for local independent cask beer, even if demand for cask beer overall falters.
Profitability challenging
Generating demand is usually the toughest thing in business but for independent brewers realising the full extent of that demand and converting it into profit is the toughest challenge they face.
A few weeks ago in the MA, I linked a £1 per pint extra rise over the post millennial rate of inflation to the excessive tax burden strangling the hospitality sector. All brewers ask for is a fair deal across society. No matter what their size we simply don’t get one.
Concerningly, members tell us they couldn’t raise their trade prices last year and in truth
haven’t been able to do so for a while despite the well documented cost inflation.
That’s why we have 100 fewer brewers in the UK than we did a year ago and nearly half those who remain site “survival” as their main priority in the year ahead.
Despite these challenges, I am proud our members seek to do the right thing with nearly half cutting their carbon footprint.
The unique challenge facing small brewers
Nearly 80% of SIBA members cite fair access to market as their biggest barrier to growth, with brewers, on average, saying they are locked out of 60% of local pubs by beer lines permanently allocated to global brewers’ brands.
No one is suggesting a silver bullet solution to the ills of pubs and brewers but remember, this year saw the merger of Britvic (1 in 3 UK soft drinks) with Carlsberg (1 in 7 UK beers) to create a new Danish-owned drinks giant, born almost without comment from the industry.
The notion that local independent beers are best placed to satisfy local demand in local community pubs strikes me as common sense and significantly less controversial.
Andy Slee Chief Executive SIBA
Moving on up
SIBA is getting a new home. After six years the head office is moving. Not very far, and certainly not to any great corporate edifice. The change will improve the working environment for our hard-working team and by consolidating all our operations in one building we hope to achieve significant efficiencies.
SIBA is not the only operation which is on the move this summer. After a one year sabbatical, the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival is back. This year's event is being held in Birmingham, at the NEC. A good many SIBA members will be present and we are looking forward to seeing a great number of Indie Beer logos around the halls.
Indie Beer has been a great success thus far. It has created a vigorous debate about the provenance of the beers in the UK. The breweries which SIBA is proud to represent generate the vast majority of the goodwill in our sector and yet form a scandalously small fraction of the sales. This campaign seeks to educate people about where your pint really comes from. Hundreds of brewers took part in Indie Beer Week over the long Easter week and we have plans to build on the success of the campaign.
The annual SIBA Independent Beer Report was published at a well-attended event in late April, hosted by Sambrooks Brewery. Out of the wealth of information that the report contains, one nugget caught my eye. Sixty-one per cent (61%) of younger drinkers (18-24) are more likely to buy a beer if it is locally brewed. This
is the crucial demographic which so obsesses the marketing arms of the multinationals so it is no surprise that there has been some push-back against our efforts to enhance their education! The recent vote at the AGM allows for nonmember breweries to take part in Indie Beer festivals - for a fee - and will help to spread the good word to those who are considering joining (or in some cases re-joining). The more members we have – the stronger our voice.
The SIBA AGM was a small part of the festivities at BeerX, now firmly established in the calendar as the major UK brewing industry event. We had record number of attendees in Liverpool this year and planning for next year is already under way. All members are invited to contribute suggestions for how we can still further improve the event. Please contact your regional directors, at one of the many meetings held up and down the country.
The on-going success of BeerX and our other commercial activities mean that we have met one of our long term objectives, namely reducing SIBA's financial exposure to the success/failure of the Beerflex scheme. A great deal of the membership naturally takes advantage of this vital route to market, without which many pubs would be utterly inaccessible to them. All of the recent price rises have been passed on to members in their entirety. Beerflex is a unique success but it is vital that as a trade body we are equipped to stand on our own two feet. SIBA has halved its reliance on Beerflex and we are a more healthy and robust organisation as a result.
You may have seen news articles regarding the health or otherwise of some of the major pub operators. This is obviously a concern to all of us in this sector. There seems to be a correlation between the availability of local independent beers and financial standing. Perhaps there is a lesson in there for someone.
Enjoy the sunshine.
Cheers,
Richard Naisby Chairman SIBA
Scottish brewers won historic triple Gold at this year’s BeerX
SIBA’s beer award National Finals, at BeerX in March, saw three breweries taking the Overall Gold across the Cask, Keg, and Bottle/Can competitions – and for the first time ever all the Overall Champions were from Scotland. Cross Borders Brewing won the Overall Champion of the Cask Beer Awards with their India Pale Ale, Fyne Ales won Overall Champion of the Bottle/Can Beer with Mills & Hills Vintage – a barrel aged imperial stout –and Swannay won the Overall Champion of the Keg Beer Awards with their strong Orkney Porter.
On hand to collect the awards on behalf of his brewery and the other Scottish Gold Medal Winners was Jamie Delap, Owner of Fyne Ales and SIBA Scotland Regional Director: “We’re absolutely delighted, there’s so many fantastic beers here so to win a medal is always brilliant. So the fact that judges have enjoyed what we do, we love it. We’re just so honoured. I think in Scotland we’re proud, we’ve got lots of brewers doing some really good things and this just validates that great work going on in Scotland. So we’re delighted to win, really proud of everyone.”
Judged by brewers and industry experts and
organised by SIBA at BeerX UK in Liverpool, the SIBA Independent Beer Awards 2025 run across a huge range of beer style categories including pale ale, IPA, stout and lager.
“These awards are 12 months in the making and given to only the UK’s very best beers.
Huge congratulations to all of this year’s medal winners and particularly our three Overall Champions, all hailing from Scotland for the first time in the competitions history – there must be something in the water up there!” said Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive.
For more from BeerX plus the full list of winners from the awards on pages 80-93.
Director Opportunities: Help drive the future of SIBA and gain Board experience
SIBA currently has a number of Regional Director positions available and would like to welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, regardless of prior experience, with fresh perspectives and experience levels all welcome.
SIBA CEO Andy Slee said: "The SIBA Board is made up of Regional Directors from across the nine SIBA Regions and currently there are a number of positions which are available. I would like to take this opportunity to invite applications from across the brewing sector and at all levels of experience - there is a misconception that you need to be an owner of a brewing business to become a SIBA Director, which
is simply not the case, so providing your brewery is happy for you to apply I would like to personally welcome applications from all.
"At SIBA we always value fresh perspectives and are committed to improving the diversity of the Board in all regards, giving an opportunity for under-represented voices to help drive the future of your trade association.”
To find out more about becoming a SIBA Regional Director, which includes a position on SIBA’s National Board of Directors, email Company Secretary Sara Knox: sara.knox@siba.co.uk
Harrogate Brewing Co takes home the top two medals at Indie Beer Awards North East
Harrogate Brewing Co has firmly etched their name in the history books, taking home the two top spots in the first ever Indie Beer Awards North East.
The brewery won Gold and Silver in the Overall Champions judging, where all of the day’s category winners across a broad range of beer styles fight it out to be named the ‘best of the best’. Harrogate’s ‘Nidd Mild’ took the Overall Champion Gold, with another dark beer, their ‘Harrogate Porter’ getting Silver. Narrowly missing out on the top spots was Overall third place Champion Hadrian’s Border Brewery with ‘Northumbrian Gold’.
Joe Joyce, Harrogate Brewing Co, said: “We were so delighted to be voted Harrogate Independent Business of the Year last year but these Indie Beer Awards have really blown us away. The North of England has so many great breweries, so to win two Golds is amazing. It gets a little crazy when they are then awarded Overall Champion Beer and Runner Up for the whole of the region. This is a great lift for our small family business during these really testing times for independent brewers. Hopefully, it will encourage more people to try our beers!”
The awards, which were judged and presented at Gateshead Rugby Football Club Beer Festival, are judged by beer sommeliers, master brewers and other expert beer judges from across the industry. Organised by SIBA, and formerly called the SIBA Independent Beer Awards, the awards have been renamed the Indie Beer Awards to align with the hugely successful Indie Beer campaign launched last year by the organisation.
Neil Walker, Indie Beer Awards organiser, said: “Judging beers in a huge range of styles, the Indie Beer Awards really do show the very best the North East has to offer and the quality across the board was incredibly high this year. Huge congratulations to all of the category winners and in particular Harrogate Brewing Co who took home the two top awards of the day – a huge achievement in a very tough judging.”
For the full list of winner see pages 96-97.
‘Zevero Lite’ tool launched to help SIBA breweries transition to net zero
SIBA members will now be able to measure and manage their carbon emissions more effectively thanks to a new free tool.
Zevero Lite provides an accessible starting point for independent breweries to begin their decarbonisation journey.
The tool has been developed by Zevero, a leading provider of carbon management solutions, in partnership with SIBA. It will be available for free for all SIBA members as part of the organisation’s commitment to support the independent brewing industry’s transition to net zero.
Welcoming its launch, Andy Slee, Chief Executive of SIBA said: “Independent brewers have always been at the forefront of innovation, but navigating sustainability can be daunting without the right tools. We have committed as part of SIBA’s Sustainability Strategy to help support the independent brewing sector to achieve net zero and believe that Zevero Lite will enable many of our members to begin their decarbonisation journey with confidence.” As the UK advances toward its 2050 net zero target, independent breweries face growing pressure to measure, report, and reduce their carbon footprint. However, limited resources and complex reporting requirements can make progress difficult.
Zevero Lite was created to address these challenges directly. By offering an intuitive, cost-free platform, Zevero Lite equips independent breweries with the tools and data they need to meet decarbonisation goals, improve operational efficiency, and comply with sustainability requirements–all without the financial strain.
“We’re thrilled to finalise this partnership with SIBA and grateful for the valuable feedback from their members, which helped shape Zevero Lite into a tool that truly meets the needs of independent breweries,” commented George Wade, Co-Founder of Zevero. “We’re excited to play a key role in helping breweries not only decarbonise but also identify cost-saving opportunities, proving that sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand.”
Zevero Lite empowers breweries to navigate the path to sustainability with practical, easy-to-use tools tailored to their unique needs. With this platform, SIBA members can:
Measure – Accurately calculate emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and specific categories of Scope 3.
Reduce – Identify high-impact emission sources and prioritise reduction opportunities.
Report – Streamline reporting for supermarket survey tools (e.g., Manufacture2030) and B Corp assessments.
Find out more via the SIBA Toolbox.
Scottish small brewers welcome new pub tenant right to a guest beer
Changes enacted in March mean that around 700 pub tenants have a new right to stock a guest beer in Scotland, which could expand consumer choice and support local Scottish brewers.
As part of Scotland’s new Pubs Code, pub tenants can enter into a Guest Beer Agreement. The scheme allows them to stock and sell at least one guest beer at the price they choose and change it as frequently as they wish. This means that they could be free to directly buy a local Scottish beer to serve to their customers.
The new right to a guest beer doesn’t exist in the Pubs Code for England and Wales, meaning that the Scottish scheme is a trailblazer for the UK.
“We often hear from pub-goers that they want the chance to enjoy a local beer but pub landlords can’t necessarily provide what their customers want,” said Jamie Delap, SIBA’s Scotland Regional Director.
“Under this Guest Beer Agreement, pub tenants will be permitted to choose at last one guest beer and Scotland’s small breweries stand ready to assist them. This could be great news for beer drinkers, small brewers and pub tenants across Scotland,” Delap added.
The only restriction stated in the Pubs Code is that the chosen guest beer must meet a certain production size and be no more than 5,000 hectolitres – which is around 880,000 pints. This means that many of the larger beer brands made by Global companies won’t comply but most beers from Scotland’s small breweries will.
The new guest beer can also be served in any format including the best-selling keg and cask draught beers or from bottles and cans.
A new free portal has been developed by SIBA at www.guestbeer.co.uk which allows pub tenants to check that beer brands are eligible for the Guest Beer Agreement scheme.
All breweries looking to make their beers available to pub tenants in Scotland under the scheme and whose brands are below the threshold can upload information for free to the portal by visiting www.guestbeer.co.uk.
Those breweries wanting to provide further details such as tasting notes and contact details can opt for a premium listing which is made available free for all SIBA members. Tenants interested in requesting a Guest Beer Agreement are encouraged to speak to their Business Development Managers or pub company representatives for more information.
SIBA Chief Executive Andy Slee said: “The Guest Beer Agreement is a first for the UK and allows pub tenants in Scotland to serve at least one guest beer as long as the brand meets the stated production criteria. While the vast majority of beer from the UK’s small independent breweries already meets this requirement, SIBA has created this free to use portal so that pub tenants can have confidence in the beers they select.
“Whilst most attention will inevitably be on Scottish brewers, this scheme is open to brewers from across the UK with brands that are no more than 5,000 hectolitres of production who are welcome to add their beers to the portal for free. We hope this portal will help to make the new guest beer provisions in Scotland a success.”
SIBA Statement on the Independent Review of the Liquor Licensing System in Northern Ireland
Commenting on thes publication of the Independent Review of the Liquor Licensing System in Northern Ireland, including the Surrender Principle, SIBA NI Chair William Mayne said:
“This detailed review is clear that reform of the licensing system is well overdue and the current surrender principle is failing to protect Northern Ireland’s pubs. Instead it acts as a barrier to innovation and diversity and reduces consumer choice.
“Consumers want to be able to access a local beer made by a local small brewery but the current system prevents the vast majority of NI’s brewers from selling their beers locally. This means that 99% of beer sold in Northern Ireland is imported and local breweries are shut out.
“The review heard from all stakeholders and has proposed many sensible recommendations to reduce the barrier to entry for new market entrants, ultimately creating a more diverse and vibrant hospitality industry better for all of society.
“We hope that the Minister quickly spells out a path to reform which will enable small breweries to reach their potential and meet consumer choice.”
The review can be viewed at – https://www.communitiesni.gov.uk/publications/report-independent-review-liquorlicensing-system-northern-ireland-including-surrender-principle
Part of the
Utopian Brewing and Moor Beer named Champions of the South West at inaugural Indie Beer Awards 2025
Utopian Brewing and Moor Beer Co took home the top two awards at the first ever Indie Beer Awards, which took place at the MaltingsFest beer festival in Newton Abbot.
It was Utopian Brewing’s big and rich Germanstyle ‘Doppelbock’ which took home the Overall Champion Gold in the keg beer competition and Moor Beer Co’s classic English Strong Ale ‘Old Freddy Walker’ which was named Overall Champion Gold in the cask awards.
Richard Archer, co-founder of Utopian Brewing in Devon, was on hand to collect their award and had this to say on the big win: “It’s fantastic for us to win, it’s a really marvellous recognition of the work the guys do day in day out in the brewery, just trying to make really great beers for people to enjoy. We’ve been doing this now for six years and having great fun doing it, but to win this is really the pinnacle in the South West for us and everyone is just delighted.”
SIBA’s first-ever Wales Beer Festival will take place this Autumn
The awards, which were presented at MaltingsFest opposite Tucker’s Maltings site, are judged by beer sommeliers, master brewers and other expert beer judges from across the industry. Organised by SIBA, and formerly called the SIBA Independent Beer Awards, the awards have been renamed the Indie Beer Awards to align with the hugely successful Indie Beer campaign launched last year by the organisation.
“Huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners and in particular Utopian and Moor
who took home our Overall Golds in keg and cask respectively. The Overall Champions really are the best of the best in the competition, having already been named their beer style Category Champion and then going up against all of the other beer style winners in a finalround judging. It’s very tough to do and the brewery teams should be hugely proud of what they’ve achieved with these World-class beers,” said Neil Walker, Indie Beer Awards host.
For the full list of winners see pages 94-95.
SIBA has announced its first-ever Wales Beer Festival will take place in Haverfordwest in September 2025.
The SIBA Wales Beer Festival will run from Friday, September 19th to Saturday, September 20th at HAVERHUB, Haverfordwest’s Community Hub. Building up to the excitement of the launch day, on Thursday September 18th, a beer competition will also take place at HAVERHUB, where a taste test will determine the best beers across Wales.
The festival marks a significant milestone in celebrating the thriving independent beer scene in Wales, and will bring together the finest Welsh craft and cask beers, showcasing almost 100 beers from SIBA's independent member breweries across Wales.
The SIBA Wales Beer Festival promises an unforgettable two-day event featuring a range of beers, local street food vendors, live music, entertainment, brewery Q&As, and meet-the-brewer sessions.
Festival-goers will have the chance to taste award-winning brews and celebrate the creativity, passion, and innovation that defines Welsh brewing.
Sara Leigh Webber, Regional Director of SIBA Wales and Head of Marketing at Brains Brewery and, said: “It’s really exciting news that SIBA’s first Wales Beer Festival is happening. This is a historic moment for Welsh brewing. For the first time, we’re bringing together breweries large and small under the SIBA banner to celebrate Indie Beer in true Welsh style.
“The SIBA Wales Beer Festival offers a unique opportunity to celebrate independent Welsh brewers who continue to fuel the growth of the beer industry in the country.
Notably, Wales is the only area in the UK where the number of breweries has increased, with 97 breweries operating at the start of 2025, up from 96 at the beginning of 2024.
“Haverfordwest is the perfect place to launch our first festival – a welcoming community, a beautiful setting, and a great thirst for quality, independent beer."
INDIE BEER Campaign Update
PRESS
Indie Beer continues to go from strength to strength, with 634 or around 94% of Member breweries now signed up in support of the campaign, other supporters include various industry bodies such as CAMRA, Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB), the BII, as well as 86 independent venues and 23 non-member breweries.
We have also been working closely with our supplier associate members to get the logo onto merchandise, point of sale and packaging – with an impressive 560,000+ Indie Beer bottle caps now sold via Croxsons just one example.
CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT
• 30,000+ active indiebeer.uk users
• Over half a million social content views across facebook and instagram, including over 100k in last 30 days.
• 11% of consumers now aware of the Indie Beer campaign (YouGov 25)
• 31% of 18-24 year olds who ever drink beer now aware of the campaign (YouGov 25)
OF 18-24-YEAR-OLD BEER
DRINKERS ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH THE INDIE BEER LOGO 31%
Total mentions:
410
Articles/broadcasts
Impressions:
715.7m
Readers/views
AVE
£12.5m
Value of coverage
INDIE BEER WEEK
Thank you to all of the breweries who got involved in this year’s inaugural Indie Beer week! We see this annual beer week growing massively over time but were blown away by the response in its first year, with over a hundred breweries running events and supporting in 2025.
• Successfully launched at Indie Beer Awards South West, Newton Abbot
• 118 Breweries running events / supporting
• 50 events featured on IndieBeer.uk and highlighted across our social accounts
• Excellent press coverage including Sunday Times piece from Pete Brown
• Excellent brewery engagement, with blanket coverage across socials
INDIE BEER AWARDS
Launched at South West with new branding, photos backdrop, medals, and judging glasses
KEGS, CASKS AND DRINKS EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS
We work with brewers and distillers of all sizes to provide keg and cask rentals, container maintenance services and equipment finance solutions.
NEW WINNERS CASK CROWNERS & KEG ‘PROMO FIX’
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE INDIE BEER CAMPAIGN
The Indie Beer campaign continues to grow and has really resonated with consumers, particularly younger beer drinkers, with 31% of 18-24 year olds now aware of the campaign. This gives a unique opportunity for members to promote themselves via the Indie Beer social media channels and as part of upcoming press activity. Below you will find a variety of ways you can get involved.
Add the Indie Beer logo to your packaging and pumpclips!
Download all of the Indie Beer assets including the logo via the Toolbox and add to your cans, bottles, pumpclips and point of sale materials.
For all of the below simply email indiebeer@siba.co.uk
Submit images of your beers featuring the logo
As well as sharing on our social media channels we are going to be adding a gallery of images to IndieBeer.uk of breweries using the Indie Beer mark on their bottles, cans and pumpclips.
Have your beer featured as ‘Beer of the day’
As part of our aim to increase the video content / reels on the Indie Beer social channels we are going to be doing regular beer of the day video ‘reviews’, these will all be positive and highlight your beers via engaging videos on our social channels.
Send through photos and info about your brewery for our socials
The Indie Beer social channels highlight independent breweries across the UK. If you would like to feature on the Indie Beer socials send some photos of your brewery / brewery team along with a short quote or info about your brewery.
Supply a case of beer for an upcoming ‘Brewery of the month’ competition
To further engage with consumers and grow the Indie Beer social channels we are running regular competitions to win a case of beer or simply featuring content about different breweries across the UK. If you are interested in being a featured brewery or offering a case of beer as a prize for the Indie Beer social channels then drop us a line.
Submit your event to the IndieBeer.uk
You can submit your beer events year-round to the IndieBeer.uk website which has over 30,000 active users.
INDIE BEER BRANDING & POINT OF SALE AVAILABLE
T-shirts, hoodies and trucker caps available at our online shop
• BOTTLE CAPS via Croxsons (50% subsidised by SIBA)
• BAR RUNNERS via Colorscan (20% subsidised by SIBA)
• CASK PUMPCLIP CROWNERS via Colorscan (20% subsidised by SIBA)
• KEG BADGE CROWNERS via Colorscan (20% subsidised by SIBA)
• BEER GIFT PACKS via Bag in Box Shop (10% subsidised by SIBA)
• POSTERS & WINDOW STICKERS FREE via SIBA (office@siba.co.uk)
The
view from Westminster
Hopefully you’re entering the summer months with plenty of customer interest in your beers. With so much on in the beer sector, I wanted to use this column to focus on and highlight the top five things that I’d suggest you signup to which could help your brewery now and in the future.
1. Sign up on the Guest Beer Portal
The first is the Scottish Guest Beer Portal which SIBA has launched and can be found at www.guestbeer.co.uk. This is open to all small independent breweries, and not just those based in Scotland, as long as you have brands of beer that are below 5,000 hectolitres (hl) in production. This is part of the new Guest Beer Agreement in Scotland which allows tenanted pubs to purchase at least one guest beer in cask, keg and small pack directly from breweries instead of through their Pub Companies. The only stipulation is that the brand of beer has to be no more than 5,000hl – which makes the vast majority of beers from small breweries eligible.
Through the portal you can add your brands of beer that meet the criteria along with details on the format and information such
as tasting notes. This means that tenants looking to have a guest beer can use the portal to be reassured that the beers they are interested in meet the scheme’s criteria. Interested tenants can then contact you directly to explore stocking your beer.
SIBA has provided a list of known Scottish tenanted pubs on the Toolbox along with information for tenants to help brewers with their engagement with publicans.
2. Zevero Lite carbon calculator
This is another online platform brought to you exclusively by SIBA and this time in partnership with the leading sustainability company Zevero. This free tool for SIBA members helps you to measure and manage your carbon emissions, which will become more important as the UK moves to meet its Net Zero target. You can register, measure and monitor operational emissions across scope 1, 2 and parts of 3 and meet reporting requirements for standards such as Manufacture 2030, B-Corp, Salsa and Sedex and those asked for by supermarkets. It is likely that increasingly you will be asked by your customers for this information and so you can stay ahead by using this new tool. You can find more at www.zevero.earth
3. Check with your glass suppliers on Extended Producer Responsibility
In April, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) started which passes the costs of dealing with packaging to the producer. While most small breweries are exempt from the obligations, the costs are very likely to get passed on which could be around 5-7 pence per glass bottle. SIBA has a great briefing on the Toolbox which is a good starting point, but I’d suggest speaking to your glass bottle supplier and bottle fillers to ensure you’re fully aware of the costs and what you need to do.
It’s only those breweries with a turnover of £2 million a year and that place 50 tonnes of packaging on the UK market that have to register and pay the EPR fees. Those breweries with a turnover between £1m-£2m and that place 25 tonnes of packaging, have to report packaging data, but do not pay the fees directly. If you’re below this, you don’t have responsibility for these obligations.
This means that, in most cases, these costs will be paid by your empty bottle suppliers and bottle packers who are expected to look to pass it on to small breweries. The
Government reckons that at least 85% of the costs will be passed on through the supply chain and ultimately to consumers. Sadly this new cost comes on top of the inflationary pressures, energy costs and additional taxation that have been hitting the pubs and brewing sector.
4. Sign up for updates on the Deposit Return Scheme
Plastic bottles and aluminium cans are not included in this new EPR scheme because they fall under the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) which comes into force in October 2027 in England, Scotland and NI (Wales is currently planning its own separate scheme). If you package beer into cans you’ll be required to register with the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) and fulfil these new obligations. SIBA has secured a low volume exemption from the costs for those doing fewer than 5,000 containers per brand but all producers will have to register and provide data in due course. Cans in the scheme are likely to require barcodes and a DRS logos and carry a producer fee as well as a deposit.
The new DMO has been appointed by the Government and you can sign up for
updates on their website - https://ukdmo. co.uk/ on how to prepare. SIBA are a key member of the DMO’s advisory groups and continues to engage with them on the details to ensure it can work for small breweries. In due course, we’ll provided detailed briefings to help you to get ready for its launch.
5. Sign the petition on cask beer
Cask beer is the main product made by SIBA members but we all know how it remains under threat. SIBA is supporting the campaign to get the Government to recognise the production and serving of traditional cask ale as Intangible Cultural Heritage under the UNESCO convention. The first step is for the Government to recognise it as “Living Heritage” which would then allow an application to UNESCO to be made. You can help to support this campaign by signing the petition on the Parliament website - https:// petition.parliament.uk/petitions/716686
As ever, if you want to know more or have any views on any of these issues please do get in touch using the details on the right. Equally, if you’re interested in hosting an MP visit please let me know.
Barry Watts is Head of Public Affairs and Policy at SIBA. He covers political relations and policy for SIBA members. He can be contacted at barry.watts@siba.co.uk or 07977837804.
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SALES
Various opportunities for increasing sales within the on and off trade accounts through direct delivery, resources or exclusivity at prestigious events
PROMOTION Exclusive access to promote your beers at prestigious events such as the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards, BeerX and much more Access to the BGBW event would cost a single brewery *£4k, with other events costing much more
INDIE CAMPAIGN Stand out from ‘big beer’ by increasing visibility on your brands with discounted Indie bottle Caps, Cask Crowners, Keg Promo fix - assuring consumers that they are buying from an Independent Craft Brewer
An option for all SIBA members to develop on trade sales by supplying to large pub operators at a price band of your choice and with favourable payment terms
INTEL
The average Beerflex Member generating *£15k turnover
Raising the bar for your brewery and beer by obtaining invaluable industry information and data
REGIONAL MEETINGS Access to quarterly meetings, with presentations from industry experts and members of the SIBA Management Team, with complimentary food and beer for you and your fellow brewers
LOBBYING Securing Support & Advice via Political representation with a user friendly synopsis of Government Legislation available to members.
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BREWING IN BRIEF Weekly email newsletter, containing member news, Industry news and upcoming events A snap shot of the week in brewing.
CRAFT BEER REPORT Opportunity to contribute towards data insight and analysis on brewing businesses and the industry, providing invaluable data for your business planning
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COSTING TOOL A Tool aimed at smalled brewers whom perhaps are unable to justify the expense of accounts personnel Members can access at any time the Brewery Costing Tool to ensure that your sell price is calculated to run a sustainable business
DEBT RECOVERY & DISPUTES Debt recovery & insolvency are hot topics at the moment and members can access free of charge template letters to customise and issue Saving on average *£500
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AWARDS With Beer Competitions for cask, keg and packaged judged by beer sommeliers and Business Awards judged by industry leaders, members have unlimited entries into SIBA Competitions with winners having the opportunity to be included within exclusive event promotions and to liaise with buyers and retailers across the UK *£450 (based on three entries into similar awards)
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in association with
The SIBA Independent Beer Report 2025 launched at Sambrook’s Brewery
In April, SIBA published its latest in-depth annual report on the independent beer sector, which is free to access via the SIBA website or via the QR code shown here.
Over 50 SIBA members, media and industry analysts attended the launch of the report to hear the key findings.
Heavy headwinds threaten to blow independent breweries off course, according to SIBA’s Independent Beer Report 2025
The report found that whilst demand for independent beer remains strong, UK brewers face “heavy headwinds” from increased taxation, market access restrictions and reduced alcohol consumption facing breweries which threaten to blow the industry off course. This means that
whilst average production climbed 10% last year, nearly half (46%) of independent brewers say their main priority is survival and almost a third (29%) expect turnover to fall.
The SIBA Independent Beer Report 2025 shows that the average production of independent breweries last year climbed 10%, compared to an overall beer sector where national beer sales are down 1% since last year and now stand 6.6% below pre-pandemic levels. For independent breweries the increasing popularity of porters, stouts, craft lagers and no and low alcohol beers helped drive growth.
But it’s not all good news for the indie beer sector, as at the same time the number of independent breweries fell by 5.5%, with around 100 closing their doors and others merging to survive, with pubs and hospitality venues continuing to close.
“Time and time again, the research shows that there is high demand for the innovative, interesting and tasty beers that indie brewers are best at making,” commented Andy Slee, SIBA CEO. “Our members are great at adapting to changing tastes and have increased the number of stouts, lagers and nolo beers on offer. Which has helped drive a double-digit growth in production amongst indie brewers.”
“However, the current Global trade anxiety and tax changes in the UK are making it a challenging market and indie brewers can’t get their foot in the door to get their beers to the customer. Our members currently have around 6% of the market and where they are allowed to compete against Global breweries they could have 30% market share. This lack of access means that beer drinkers are missing out, indie breweries are facing heavy headwinds to growth meaning fewer jobs are being created.” Andy added. YouGov polling, commissioned exclusively by SIBA, shows that less than half (47%) of all consumers ever drinking beer and only nearly a quarter
(28%) of 18-24 years. More and more people are choosing not to drink alcohol at all, with 21% of all consumers increasing to 36% for 18-24-year-olds.
The volatile trading environment had a cooling impact on the sector with 80% of breweries surveyed making no major investments in their business last year. While breweries still intend to create more than 500 jobs this year, this is a significant drop from last years nearly 800 jobs. And access to market continues to be the biggest issue for independent brewers. The YouGov/SIBA figures show that beer drinkers are demanding a local product, with more than three quarters (77%) saying it is important for pubs to offer a range of beers from local breweries. And 56% of beer drinkers say they would be more likely to choose a beer if it was locally produced. Yet independent brewers report being unable to sell to on average 60% of the pubs local to their brewery. Eight in ten brewers surveyed said that it was the lack of access to beer lines as the top barrier to sales and growth. With average production amongst independent brewers increasing, it is stouts, lagers and no/low alcohol that is leading the way, with 24% on average now going into keg beers. Eighty percent of brewers are now producing a stout or a porter with CGA data showing a 121% increase in ‘craft stout’ value in the on-trade last year. Lager has jumped to second place amongst brewers this year, with 60% now producing them, suggesting that independent breweries are now making some inroads into a market usually dominated by Global lager brands.
With 14% of drinkers now opting for no/low products, independent brewers are increasing adding them to their range, with 15% now making a non-alcoholic beer compared to 8% last year.
USE THIS QR CODE TO READ THE FULL REPORT
Report highlights
• Demand for independent beer remains strong with average production in 2024 up 10% on 2023.
• 80% of independent brewers are producing a stout or porter and 60% are producing a lager with 24% now going on average into keg products, up from 18% last year.
• 15% of brewers are now producing a non-alcoholic beer, which is an increase from 8%. Twenty-eight percent now produce a gluten free beer in response to around 10% of the UK population following a gluten free diet.
• There was a 5.5% fall in the number of breweries last year, with around 100 closing.
• 29% expect turnover to decrease for the financial year to April 2025 with 68% of brewers having a turnover below £250,000 and 75% under a million pounds.
• 80% of brewers made no major investment in their business in 2024, with 28% making minor investments in replacing and upgrading equipment.
• There has been a fall in exports from 17% to 12% of breweries with only 1% of beer production being sold abroad.
• 46% of brewers said their main priority is survival compared to 43% in 2024.
• 96% said that their relationship with their community is important, with 80% saying it is very or extremely important.
• 30% of employees are female and 8% of brewers. Twentyfive percent of the workforce work in a taproom or shop on the brewery site.
• 557 jobs are expected to be created in 2025, a fall from 768 in the last survey.
• 44% of breweries acted to cut their carbon footprint.
• On average, small breweries cannot sell to 60% of their local pub market, with 79% saying the main barrier is the lack of access to beer lines.
• 47% of consumers say they drink beer, 62% of male consumers and only 28% of 18-24-year-olds.
• The number who never drink alcohol has increased to 21% this year with 36% of 18-24-year-olds not drinking alcohol.
• 77% of beer drinkers think it’s important for pubs to offer a good range of beers from small independent breweries. This increases to 81% of female drinkers.
• 56% of beer drinkers are more likely to buy a beer if its locally produced, rising to 61% among 18-24-year-olds.
Highlights From The 2025 SIBA Members’ Survey…
OF SIBA MEMBERS WOULD RECOMMEND SIBA MEMBERSHIP TO OTHER BREWERS
83% OF SIBA MEMBERS CONSIDER SIBA MEMBERSHIP TO BE VALUABLE OR VERY VALUABLE 92%
+10%
INCREASE IN AVERAGE BEER PRODUCTION VOLUMES IN 2024
SIBA MEMBERS’ PRODUCTION INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVERTAKING 2016 LEVELS BY +2%
GROWTH IN KEG PRODUCTION
FROM 18% OF SIBA MEMBERS’ PRODUCTION IN 2023 TO 24% IN 2024 +6%
FALL IN CASK VOLUMES
AFTER A BIG +10% INCREASE IN 2023, CASK FELL BACK IN 2024 TO 58% OF SIBA MEMBERS’ PRODUCTION -5%
THIS HAS RISEN BY +5% FROM 24% LAST YEAR 29%
THIS HAS RISEN BY +3% FROM 43% LAST YEAR 46% OF SIBA BREWERS SAID THEY EXPECTED TURNOVER TO HAVE FALLEN FOR THE TAX YEAR TO APRIL 2025
OF SIBA BREWERS SAY SURVIVAL IS THEIR KEY PRIORITY THIS YEAR
ONLY 1% OF SIBA MEMBERS’ BEER PRODUCTION WAS EXPORTED IN 2024
ONLY 12% OF BREWERIES DO ANY EXPORT, DOWN FROM 17% IN 2024
SIBA MEMBER BREWERIES NOW OWN THEIR OWN PUB
OF SIBA BREWERS MADE NO MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN THEIR BUSINESS IN 2024
28% MADE MINOR INVESTMENTS IN REPLACING AND UPGRADING EQUIPMENT
SIBA BREWERIES AT THE START OF 2025
MEMBERSHIP DOWN -2.9% FROM 680 IN JANUARY 2024 661
For all samples, from beer wort to packaged product
Quick results without separate calculations or distillation
Calibration and adjustment with deionized water only
OF SIBA MEMBERS PRODUCED A PORTER/STOUT IN 2024
A SMALL INCREASE OF +1% ON 79% IN 2023 80% OF SIBA MEMBERS PRODUCED NON-ALCOHOLIC BEERS IN 2024
A RISE OF +7% ON 2023 15% OF SIBA BREWERS PRODUCED A LAGER IN 2024
A RISE OF +4% ON 2023 60%
OF SIBA MEMBERS SAY THEY HAVE CHANGED THE STRENGTH OF THEIR BEERS AS A RESULT OF THE CHANGES TO THE ALCOHOL DUTY SYSTEM THOUGH AVERAGE ABV FOR SIBA BEERS STAYED THE SAME IN 2024 AT 4.3% 58% -1%
THE AVERAGE PRICE SIBA BREWERS ACHIEVED FOR KEGS AND FIRKINS IN THE ON-TRADE FELL BY -1% IN 2024
THE AVERAGE PRICE ACHIEVED FOR A FIRKIN THROUGH THE PUBCOS WAS UP +7% IN 2024
OF EMPLOYEES ARE FEMALE, EXACTLY THE SAME PROPORTION AS IN OUR 2024 REPORT
ONLY 8% OF BREWERS ARE NOW FEMALE, DOWN -1% ON LAST YEAR 30% OF THE WORKFORCE NOW WORKS IN A TAPROOM OR RETAIL SITE
17% WORK IN BREWING, DOWN -2% ON 2023 25% NEW JOBS ARE EXPECTED TO BE CREATED BY SIBA MEMBER BREWERIES IN 2025*
OF SIBA MEMBERS SAY THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT
80% SAY IT IS VERY OR EXTREMELY IMPORTANT 96% OF SIBA BREWERIES ACTED TO CUT THEIR CARBON FOOTPRINT IN 2024
32% HAVE OR ARE IN THE PROCESS OF MEASURING THEIR CARBON EMISSIONS
Amity Brew Co: Amity Summer
Andy Parker from Elusive Brewing, a former British Guild of Beer Writers’ Brewer of the Year, sits down with Amity Brew Co’s co-founder Russ Clarke to find out more about the brewery’s new seasonal ale…
Based in Farsley, near Leeds, Amity Brew Co is a community-based brewpub which opened during the pandemic in December 2020. They are known for fresh, modern examples of classic beer styles and specialise in brewing to a sessionable strength. When I started thinking about a beer for the summer edition, I was taken back to drinking pints of Amity’s flagship pale Waterpistol sat on their sunny terrace during a break in their annual festival, Amityfest. The perfect setting for a sunny pint! I caught up with co-founder Russ Clarke to hear about their story and their new summer seasonal beer which is a bright and juicy Pale Ale.
Amity opened in Farsley during lockdown which must've presented some unique challenges! Tell us about how Amity came to be and what it was like opening when on-trade service faced restrictions and how you navigated those.
“To be honest, it never quite was the plan to open in the middle of the pandemic, but it seemed such a good idea at the time! I'd been working in the beer industry for about 10 years, and working for some great breweries and amazing people, but I’d never quite managed to scratch that itch of doing my own thing. I'd left my previous job in October 2019 (not knowing what was round the corner!) and had an idea with a previous colleague, Rich, to open a high end bottle shop of some kind - but we sat down near Christmas that year and just said to each other it wasn't big or scary enough - we needed to go for it and open our own brewery.
Homebrew in Focus columnist Andy Parker
Specification
OG - 1.074
FG - 1.029
Attenuation - 60.8%
Target Water Profile
Ca - 120 ppm
Cl - 201.3 ppm
SO4 - 77ppm
Mg - 13.6 ppm
Target Mash pH - 5.1
Target Final pH - 4.1
Mash for 60 minutes at 76C
- 55% Extra Pale Malt
- 30% Flaked Oats
- 15% Flaked Wheat
Amity Summer
5.8% ABV
Additional Adjuncts
- Rice Hulls - For aiding run off. Added in with the mash ~1% of grist total
- Maltodextrin - To add unfermentables and increase body. Added directly to kettle ~ 7% of grist total Hops
- Boil Start - First Gold0.1g/l Addition Rate
- Whirlpool Start - Mosaic1g/l Addition Rate
- Dry Hop (Mid Fermentation @ 1.040)Galaxy & Superdelic (1g/l of each)
- Dry Hop (End of Fermentation) - Galaxy & Superdelic (4g/l of each) Yeast (Pitch at 17C, cap at 21C)
- WHC Saturated (Dry) @ 0.5g/L
We contract brewed early doors, just to get us up and running, whilst the brew pub was being built in the background at the beautiful Sunny Bank Mills in the suburb of Farsley, Leeds. Leeds was in a Tier 2 lock down and we were heading for "Scotch Egg territory" (we hoped). Sadly, as we now know, we went straight back into a big national lockdown and we were having to just do takeout beer, local deliveries, anything to keep us going. Finally with the brewpub up and running, we served our first glorious pints in April 2021, to some pretty brisque looking people, and it's been a constant joy since then - not without times of intense work and challenge - but very much an incredible journey across both brewing and hospitality. Honestly, although just 4-5 years ago, it seems a real lifetime away now, but the team we had, and joined by my wife Verity, were so skilled at pivoting at whatever the government through at the industry next and being as creative as we could to get more beer out the door to ensure the survival of our very young business. From serving 5 litre "jerry-cans" full of lager to triple-layer wrapped customers in 5 inches snow, to hand-writing a postcard for every single of our first 500 orders - so many things we did to keep us going back then.”
Fast forward almost five years and you've outgrown your production capacity at Sunny Bank Mills and will be moving brewing operations down the road to Albion Mills in the Greengates area of Bradford. It sounds like you're planning a huge step up in capacity? Tell us about the new site and what you're aiming to achieve.
“So, we'd talked about what our next steps could be for a good couple of years. Such a difficult conversation for us all to have in the economic climate but wanting to be more than the beautiful but ultimately small brewpub that we'd built. I think last year we realised that even with our Head Brewer, Tom, increasing capacity by a third on the current set up, we still didn't have enough beer for both the taproom and our trade customers, we needed to really go for it. After a couple of false starts we found our site in Bradford purely by chance - it's a mere 3 miles from Farsley so doesn't present much in the way of issues of logistics, and we now have room to grow, but to a ceiling we're comfortable with in the future. Even though the new kit is top end, we don't aspire to take on the world - we're only producing about 700 HL of beer annually right now, and we see that growing to around 3500 HL in 4 years’ time - this is the point where we want to remain. We want to make amazing quality beer, be able to still experiment and try new styles, techniques and products, but also remain true to our ethos of being a very on-trade focussed brewery and give our teams the best quality of life in the process, rather than run ourselves ragged trying to fulfil demand at tight margins.”
Outside your core range, it's clear that you love to experiment with brewing different styles and tend to follow a seasonal approach to brewing. What inspired you to release a DDH Pale as a summer special this year?
“We try our best to utilise seasonal ingredients, putting Rhubarb into a blonde ale for spring being a notable example. With summer approaching, we've been looking at the freshest hops we've been able to get our hands on and get them into an intense but wonderful summer sipper, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity. For hops, Galaxy has had a return to form this past year from their recent harvest and were keen to work with the Superdelic blend in its freshest incarnation too - where possible on beers like this we want to have something that’s only just hit the ground to make the best tasting possible brew!”
What is it you like about DDH Pale as a style and how did you go about designing the recipe for it? What do you consider to be good commercial examples of the style?
“We're normally a brewery that tends to stick to sessionable ABV, so for a DDH Pale of this kind, we want to back it up with a bigger ABV, a bigger body, something that you're going to know about when you drink! Honestly, when you look at great examples of other double-dry hopped beers, you can't go further than some of the excellent stuff that Track is producing. They're a "peak IPA" brewery for me, and can't really do much wrong with anything they do in the style. Any of their "dreaming of..." series are notable examples, especially a Nelson Sauvin release from earlier this year that tasted of pure gooseberry and passionfruit - exceptional stuff.”
Taproom Focus: Brolly Brewing, Surrey
Taproom focus with Neil Walker
SIBA’s Head of Comms & Marketing Neil Walker highlights one of his favourite taprooms to visit in the UK…
Name: The Brolly Brewing Taproom
What’s on offer: 12 keg lines and 4 cask hand pulls featuring a wide range of their own beers as well as a number of guest ales from other independent breweries.
Location: Unit 8, Redkiln Close, Horsham, RH13 5QL
Opening hours:
Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 16:00 - 22:00
Thursday 16:00 - 22:00
Friday 14:00 - 22:00
Saturday 12:00 - 22:00
Sunday 14:00 - 20:00
A recent finalist in the SIBA Business Awards Best Independent Taproom category, Brolly Brewing has gained a loyal local following with their inclusive and thoughtfully accessible taproom.
The taproom itself is fully inclusive, with a wheelchair friendly bar, accessible and gender neutral toilets, and baby changing facilities, making it a space which is truly open to all and which impressed myself and the other judges on this year’s businesses awards. With 12 keg lines and 4 cask hand pulls they serve a wide range of their own beers as well as a number of guest ales from other independent breweries. My pick of is their delicious ‘Burble’ English Pale Ale on cask, a traditional and hugely drinkable cask beer with really nice floral and earthy aromas and hints of honey. A perfect warm weather beer and always in great form in the taproom.
Located just half a mile from Horsham and Littlehaven Train Stations in Surrey, the taproom is easily accessible for locals and those coming in from London, Gatwick, Brighton, Portsmouth and Bognor Regis.
A real community gem and great example of a small taproom doing big things on accessibility and inclusivity, which is great to see.
Bull Market
Bullhouse Brew Co burst on to the brewing scene in Belfast in 2016 against all the odds. Operating in a market that is one of the most restricted in the world, founder William Mayne not only had to contend with the usual local authority red tape, but faced an uphill battle to win a new licence for the brewery taproom in a one in, one out, system where the few available licences are snapped up for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Not only this, but beer lines in the local on-trade are almost exclusively tied down by the big brewers, so access to market for a small local brewer is about as difficult as it gets. Nevertheless, not only have William and his team survived the long road to launch, Bullhouse is now thriving, with its community
at the heart of everything it does and a foothold in export keeping alternative routes to market open. William, Chair of SIBA’s Northern Ireland region, is now leading the fight for permanent changes to the licensing system that will allow others to follow in his footsteps and give independents in his home market the more level playing field enjoyed in the rest of the UK. After posting a really strong set of financial results, despite the current political and financial turmoil, Bullhouse not only took the SIBA Business Award for Commercial Achievement at BeerX in March but was also named SIBA Brewery Business of the Year. Independent Brewer’s Editor Caroline Nodder caught up with William in May to find out more…
Business Basics
Name: Bullhouse Brew Co
Founded: 2016
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Annual production (HL): 2,600
Production split: 70% keg, 30% small pack
Head Brewer: Brewery Manager
Tom Ray & Lead Brewer Wolfgang Forster
Total Staff: 25
Core beers: 8 including Frank the Tank (5% ABV hazy IPA), Small Axe (4.3% ABV session IPA), Merc Bro (6.5% ABV NEIPA) & Road Trippin’ (4% ABV extra pale)
Number of pub/taproom sites: 1
Bullhouse has blazed a trail in the Northern Irish beer scene since it launched – was it always your intention to disrupt the status quo?
“My inspiration, like a lot of brewery owners, came from a trip around the US and trying some beer. This was back in 2011 and I was trying West Coast IPAs and beers that I'd never been exposed to before. That was when there was a bit of a resurgence in brewing in the Northern Irish market. Up until 2011 there were only two breweries in Northern Ireland. Then by the time we launched in 2016 I think we were maybe number 18. But most breweries had launched with the ‘Holy Trinity’ of Irish craft beer, which is a stout, a pale ale and a red ale. It's nice to do something solid and reliable from a consumer point of view, but I wanted to try and bring new styles to market that weren't readily available. So that was the initial reason for actually launching the brewery, was to try and disrupt the market. The very first beer we launched with was an imperial stout, followed by a saison, so it was definitely point of difference right from the start. But I quite quickly realised that those styles are really good in terms of raising awareness, but they're not good at selling, so the third beer we did was a session IPA and it's still being brewed as one of our core beers.”
You had to overcome the challenge of a heavily tied market in NI in order to launch, how is the NI market different?
“Back then I knew that the market was tied but I didn't know why it was tied. I knew that there was a lack of local beer on draught, and obviously there's not really any history of cask beer in Northern Ireland, so I knew it was going to be a challenge but I didn't know the reasons behind it. That sort of naivety was useful to push me to launch the brewery. Because I think if I'd known then what I know now, then it probably would have been a bit more of a challenge to convince myself to actually go ahead with it. It's hard to convey in words, basically how tied it is in Northern Ireland. The market share for independent beer in Northern Ireland is less than 1%, in the UK as a whole it’s about 6%, the Republic of Ireland is 3%.
We've got the fewest pubs per capita in the UK. The barrier to opening a new pub is so challenging and so costly, it's essentially impossible in certain areas. The challenge is that the set number of licences also covers off-licences. So every time a supermarket wants to open an off-licence in their supermarket, they have to get a licence from somewhere. So generally, the trend has been a dwindling amount of pubs and a fairly big increase in the amount of off-licences, in the past 20 years, there's been about 600 pubs that have closed, and only about 100 of those licences have gone back to being a pub, and 500 have been converted to off-sales. There's currently around 1,800 licences in Northern Ireland, around 1,200 that are pubs, and then the rest are off-sales. And because there's so few pubs, especially in the cities, the volume through those venues is pretty high. So the pub revenues are a lot higher than they would be in comparative regional city. There's four multinational breweries, all operating in Northern Ireland and competing in that draught market. Continued
I grew up on a farm just outside Belfast. So the name Bullhouse comes from where the brewery started, which was an old bulls’ house. It was only a 500 square foot shed. So from 2016 through the 2018 it was just in that shed.
So they're all competing for those 1,200 pubs, and the financial incentives for the busy pubs, especially in Belfast and bigger cities, are so aggressive that it's hard for people outside Northern Ireland I've spoken to to comprehend the deals that are happening. Recently, we were speaking to a hotel group, they had a couple of local beers on draught, but they've just been given £700,000 to swap their two hotel bars over to Tennent’s on a seven year deal, plus a £300,000 interest free loan. So that’s a £million in the bank. And generally, pub valuations are based on their turnover. So the other challenge is the value of the pubs, especially in Belfast, is so high, and banks, high street banks, just like the rest of the UK they're reluctant to lend in hospitality. So it's a really challenging market, and there's no getting around that.”
How did you manage to acquire a licence in such a challenging market?
“We were very lucky, essentially, to get it through during Covid. I grew up on a farm just outside Belfast. So the name Bullhouse comes from where the brewery started, which was an old bulls’ house. It was only a 500 square foot shed. So from 2016 through the 2018 it was just in that shed. But then by 2018 I knew that I was going to have to move to bigger premises somewhere. So I'd seen there was an urban regeneration charity in East Belfast. The CEO at the time, was really interested in breweries and how breweries can become a good anchor tenant in urban regeneration projects, and can have a really positive impact in their local community. So I'd emailed him, and he had actually just acquired a new building which they were going to move their offices into. So he said, if you're going to do something related to brewing in this building, perhaps we leave the offices where they are. I put a planning application in to turn that building into a small brew pub. And the intention then was to operate a brewpub using a restaurant licence. There's no cap on the amount of restaurant licences. But a restaurant licence means you have to serve a main table meal in order to sell alcohol. It took 12 months to get planning through, but we finally got it through, and then we hit some infrastructure challenges around wastewater infrastructure, and the prohibitive cost of installing a separate wastewater treatment system, because we're not able to discharge into the public sewer. We basically hit a brick wall. And then, at that stage, I learned a bit more about licensing. Our solicitor advised that the first step in trying to obtain a licence in Northern Ireland is to consult with a planning consultant who can then advise on the vicinity. Vicinity is what defines the vicinity in the area that the pub is in, because anybody with a pub who's in the vicinity can object to your application. They established that there were three pubs in the vicinity, spit and sawdust pubs not really catering to anybody outside their local community. And so the solicitor found us a licence that was for sale from a guy retiring. His licence had been in the family for 100 plus years. He had nobody to take it on so he could have done a quick sale to the likes of Tesco, but he wanted the pub to continue being a pub. So we negotiated a 12 month time period to then essentially purchase his licence, get it through the courts. In the meantime, we'd done another planning application to change it from to pub [to a taproom], which took another 12 months. We were then into 2020, and then Covid happened, and I am assuming that we sort of snuck under the radar during Covid. Nobody seemed to realise what was happening and it went through. That was the first new licence in Belfast for 30 years.”
Continued on page 45
What do you see as the main challenges you face as a business currently?
“The main challenge is access to market, in terms of being able to sell in to other venues. So we sell three times as much beer through our own outlet than we do in the rest of Northern Ireland combined. It's sort of crazy but we've got more taps in Manchester than we do in Belfast. We've been campaigning for quite a while, but with Stormont it is very challenging to do anything to disrupt the status quo, because we've got a mandatory coalition. You basically need four out of the five main parties to be in favour. If you think about how challenging that would be in the UK political system if Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems all had to agree, pretty much nothing would ever happen. So that's the system. There’s only so much campaigning that we can do as an industry, because we're such a small cottage industry here. So that's the main challenge, and obviously then the other challenges around energy prices, export and the general economy, cost of living, but the main one is definitely access to market.”
Despite the financial crisis, Bullhouse has posted some incredible financial results. What was the key to this success?
“I think the taproom has been really the key to that. We've been lucky, ironically, because of how difficult it is to open a venue in Northern Ireland, if you do then there is a lot higher throughput than there would be elsewhere because of the lack of competition. When we've been campaigning to change the licensing system, the chief executive of the local hospitality trade body, who are very against changing the licensing system, he said, ‘Sure, when you get your licence, you're going to be joining us and trying to make sure that the licensing system doesn't change’, but for us, from a brewery point of view, the brewery would be in a much better position if we were able to access our local market and sell into other local venues other than our own. And also, if we were able to open other venues outside that taproom, then it would make things a lot easier for us. But I guess the taproom has been the main driving force behind the good numbers, and also the energy costs have come down significantly. And I guess the other thing is, we don't have any debt, really. We've got some investors on board because of the exorbitant cost of the licence - £142,000 pounds after paying for the licence, plus the legal fees, plus the consultancy fees. So there was no other option to us, other than to take on external investment. But we've not taken on any huge debt, so we don't have that hanging over us.”
What does being an ethical business mean in practice at Bullhouse?
“I guess we try and work on having positive relationships and good relationships with our suppliers and our customers, and staff. We try not to be transactional. For example, the cider that's in the taproom is produced by local cider maker, and we could get cider cheaper elsewhere, but we'd rather support our friend. And then in terms of treating staff well, we're a living wage employer. We were actually the only licensed venue of Northern Ireland accredited as a living wage employer. So we've been trying to fly the flag for that in the hospitality industry. Then I think the other thing is just trying to pay suppliers on time. And obviously trying to get paid on time as well. And what goes around, comes around.”
What are your key goals for the business in 2025 and beyond?
“So 2025 is the first year where we've had a budget for the brewery in terms of production revenue and all that sort of stuff. The first thing is, we're nearing capacity at our current site where the brewery is. So while we were going through all those challenges with the brew pub site, we were in a position in 2020 when we had nowhere to move production to. So we had to find an industrial estate somewhere to put the brewery. We moved into a 6,000 square foot industrial unit in South Belfast. And at the time, it seemed huge, we didn't think we would ever fill it. But now we're in a position where it's pretty much full. So our capacity is probably 3,000 hectolitres. We should do 3,000 hectolitres this year. We're going to need to move somewhere else, and we've cut back on any major investments in terms of production kit, unless it's something that we can bring with us. So the plan for 2025, is to do what we can do at the current site while trying to make a move to a bigger site in 2026. And then we're also keen to try and open another venue in 2025. So we're looking at pubs in and around Belfast and greater Belfast. We would need to go for somewhere that hasn't done well, and turn it around, which will be a bit of a challenge. You can't be strategic and think we’re going to try and look in this location and we're going to bring a licence into this location. I think we won't be able to bring a licence into any other location because our card is now marked, so you pretty much have to wait until something falls into your lap.” Continued
CoNtAcT Us ToDaY aNd StArT CrAfTiNg YoUr BeEr’s PeRfEcT LoOk!
You are quite unusual among SIBA members in terms of the focus you have on export. How challenging is it to grow export?
“I think that's the main reason that the Northern Irish industry is such a small industry. When we were trying to get a Northern Irish SIBA region created, one of the points I was trying to make was we don't have a lot of numbers in the region because we don't have an industry, because we have to export everything. So Northern Ireland has two thirds of the population of Wales, so if we had two thirds of the amount of breweries that Wales has, we'd have 60 breweries. But we actually only have 18 breweries. A lot of this is essentially a cottage industry in Northern Ireland, so I think there's only four breweries that are employing more than the owner. If you look at purely the brewing production side of things, there's probably less than 20 full time employees in the whole industry. The main challenge around that is, obviously, we've got no local market, but because we've got such a small local market, you have to focus on export. So export into the Republic of Ireland is tricky, because you need somebody who's going to import the beer. Duty rates are obviously different, so it's the same as somebody selling beer from England into the Republic of Ireland. You can't just drive it out in the back of your van, because you need somebody who's going to import it and pay the duty on it. So that does prove a challenge, because there's really only two or three distributors that are specialised in craft beer. If you're a small Northern Irish producer, you're also then competing with those English breweries. You're competing with breweries from Europe which are a lot bigger. Why would a distributor pick a small Northern Irish brewery when they could get a bigger brewery from England? That is a real challenge. And the other way, going across to GB, it's tricky because, again, you probably need to send beer on a pallet to make it cost effective for transport. EeBria etc have opened it up slightly, so you can sell a keg on its own for maybe £10 or whatever. So it does open up that direct brewery to trade route, but volumes are never going to be that big. So again, you need to find a distributor who's willing to take a punt on a relatively small, obscure Northern Irish brewery.”
You were recently named SIBA Brewery Business of the Year, what does that mean to you and the team?
“I think it's a huge achievement for us. And we're still relatively small. I think we're still probably smaller, in terms of the main production level, than the average SIBA brewery. So it’s a massive achievement for the whole team at the brewery, and we've been very lucky in that we've got
a really good team at the brewery now. So we've got a brewery manager, we've got a lead brewer, we've got two guys working in packaging, sales, marketing. So I've been able to take a step back in terms of having that hands-on day to day running of the brewery, to be able to look at the bigger opportunities and look at the bigger picture. I think that's really been beneficial in terms of the quality of the beer, for me not to be brewing anymore, and to have somebody who's qualified to brew. I remember going over to BeerX, maybe around 2018 or 2019, to see a friend who was living in Liverpool. I went over to see him for the weekend and called in at BeerX, and I remember just thinking, this is huge, this is a massive show. We weren't SIBA members at that stage, we joined SIBA because of the help SIBA were giving us on lobbying and Northern Irish licensing reform. So we've been over for the last three or four years since we joined SIBA, and to go from visiting it as a sort of relative outsider to then winning Brewery of the Year this year has been a huge achievement especially, I think, in terms of where we've come from.”
What inspires you most about your business?
“The thing that really gets me going, I guess, is that there's that sort of unknown potential - you don't really know what's going to happen next. You don't know what opportunities are going to come up. I think, it's been a hard slog, and we’ve finally come out of a tunnel. It was a very hard slog for a number of years. Next year, we'll be 10 years old, and it's taken all that time to get to a position where we are financially sustainable. We've got a team in place now where we can feel like we're a much more professional outfit than we were in the past. And also then the big driving force for me is the licensing reform. It’s something that I feel so passionate about because I can see how unjust the system is and how much of a challenge it's been for us to get to this stage. I am very passionate about trying to open the market up to allow other people to be able to do things. I have a real strong passion that beer can be a real positive driver for change in terms of bringing people together, both breweries themselves and drinking venues. I'm a big fan of pubs, in terms of how pubs can bring communities together, and create a supportive community, almost like pubs are the new churches. People come to the pub and it definitely has a positive impact, and I think that's my big driving force, is to try and see how we can convince politicians to be as passionate about it as we are, and how can we can get that over the line. But it is challenging, the road ahead is so long, winding, I think it'll take us a while to get there. But we might as well have that as a lofty ambition.”
What next for indie beer?
Award-winning beer writer Pete Brown follows up his much-read recent column on independent beer in the Sunday Times magazine with a look at what the SIBA Indie Beer campaign could achieve…
Pete Brown is a multi-awardwinning British author, journalist, broadcaster and consultant specialising in food and drink. Since February 2025, he has been the Sunday Times Magazine’s weekly beer columnist – the only regular broadsheet newspaper or magazine beer columnist in the UK. He lives in Norwich and London, with his wife Liz, and dog Mildrid.
Guest writer: Pete Brown
Today’s economy is not a capitalist economy. If it were, small, independent brewers would account for at least a third of the UK beer market. That’s how much drinkers believe currently belongs to the indies.
When I was a teenager, I was a communist.
Lots of teenagers were. And like them all, I lost count of the number of times adults would patiently explain that, while the theory sounded great, the communist ideals of fairness and equality never survive contact with reality. The implication here, at the height of the Thatcher years, was that capitalism, by contrast, gets along just fine with everyday reality. The “invisible hand” of the free market allocates goods and resources quickly, fairly and effortlessly. Forget Marx: you should be worshipping Adam Smith instead, the godfather of modern capitalism.
So imagine my surprise when I actually encountered Smith’s work when I was researching my book Hops and Glory, specifically, the history of the British East India Company, who were the unlikely midwives of what eventually became known as East India Pale Ale. Smith was vehemently against large corporations such as East India Company, because they distorted the workings of the free market by virtue of their size and scale. Smith’s theory of capitalism was centred upon lots of small, independent businesses, each with equal access to consumers who all had perfect knowledge of the market and were free to choose the products that suited them. It turns out that true capitalism, like communism, is a myth, polluted by large, powerful entities that distort the truth and break the rules in their favour. Today’s economy is not a capitalist economy. If it were, small, independent brewers would account for at least a third of the UK beer market. That’s how much drinkers believe currently belongs to the indies. And curiously, it’s the split that happens, with reference to Adam Smith, when a bar stocks both big and small, and drinkers are given a free, informed choice between them. So how come, in our compromised, harsh reality, indie beer only accounts for seven per cent of the UK beer market?
This is not natural. And it’s certainly not capitalism. It’s the result of the actions of a handful of large, powerful corporations behaving not as brewers, but as oligarchs, using coercive control to twist the market unnaturally to suit their interests.
I know we’re not supposed to mention “craft beer” any more. But cast your mind back to when you first became fully aware of the term in relation to something that was happening. It probably wasn’t the first time you heard it, more likely that you became aware of a noise like a plane or helicopter that you sense has been there for some time, and its insistent buzz finally breaks through to your consciousness. When craft first arrived, the beer market was moribund. Decades before, big beer brands found fame with marketing that enraptured a nation. Whether we were following the bear or betting He Drinks Carling Black Label, beer ads were part of the national vernacular. Drinkers were fiercely loyal to a particular brand – it was part of their
identity. It was this cultural dominance of beer brand marketing that first prompted me to jump ship from making beer ads to writing about the strength of beer in our culture.
Ten years later, those same brands were stacked up in the back of the supermarket, and were being sold mainly on price. No one really cared which one they drank any more. They just bought whichever one had the best deal that week. Supermarket buyers would rather work on biscuits or pet food, because there was more interesting stuff happening there. Discerning drinkers were switching to wine. Cask ale was old and boring. Lager was for football louts.
And then, craft beer happened.
Beer became interesting again. Exciting even. People from outside the beer world started taking it seriously. New drinkers started experimenting with it. And all this happened without the permission or involvement of the handful of corporations who owned most of the market.
Naturally, they were furious.
How dare some young upstarts come in and make their party interesting in ways they never could themselves? Clearly, this new threat had to be destroyed.
SIBA’s indie beer campaign puts a great deal of focus on how the majors bought up the “cool kids” of craft beer so they could get a slice of the action, while conveniently forgetting to tell drinkers they were no longer independent. Heineken’s ownership is mentioned nowhere on the packaging or labelling of brands such as Beavertown and Brixton.
But this wasn’t really about infiltrating the craft movement: it was about stopping it in its tracks. What do the big corporations really think about their craft acquisitions? Why not check out their annual reports online, and see if you can find a single mention of any of them?
At the same time, they deliberately made the term “craft” meaningless (“Fosters Melbourne Lager – Crafted to Refresh.”) Then, they focused on suffocating the route to market of the remaining craft sector.
This is not capitalism. It’s not even marketing, which is predicated on identifying unmet consumer needs, and providing products that meet those needs. Beer drinkers are currently saying they want authenticity, local produce, and beers from small craft breweries. Large corporations can’t provide, this. So instead of trying, they get mean. They cheat. They fight dirty.
The overall beer market is in long-term decline. The volumes of SIBA member breweries are growing. Can you imagine how mad that made these guys?
Continued on page 51
Guest writer: Pete Brown
The first Indie Beer Week was a toe in the water. It’s a great idea. It, and the launch of the indie beer seal, received a surprisingly large amount of support in the national press, proving that it’s an issue people care about.
Big breweries are predicated on growth. Their shareholders demand it. If you’re in a declining market, the only way to achieve growth is to grab someone else’s share. Seven per cent of the market might not sound like a lot, but it’s seven per cent that these guys believe rightfully belongs to them. I’ve seen executives for these companies get genuinely angry that drinkers have the sheer impertinence to choose someone else’s beers instead of theirs.
So they deliberately and carefully destroyed “craft” as a meaningful concept. Good little consumers should just forget about it, drink your fake Spanish lager and shut up.
In this context, it made sense for SIBA to switch from “craft” to “indie beer”. SIBA’s counterparts in the US, Canada and Australia had already done the same. Independent ownership is easy to define, and you can’t claim it if you don’t have it without telling an outright and easily disprovable lie.
The problem with “indie beer” is that it’s not as rich, romantic or immediately appealing as the amorphous and beguiling idea of “craft”. Almost three in four people want the freedom to choose from a range of beer from small, truly craft breweries. Some fiercely support independent breweries against “the man”. But most beer drinkers still buy at least some of their beer from multinational corporations.
Indie Beer Week is the perfect vehicle to make the case, as SIBA is now doing, that some beers pretending to be independent are not, and to provide ways for genuinely independent breweries to communicate that they are.
But it’s also an opportunity to fill the “indie” word with richer, deeper meaning.
In the last few months, I’ve written for two national newspapers about the tactics used to deny indie brewers a fair route to market. Both times, my
editors queried what I’d written. This is outrageous! They can’t do this, can they? We’re going to have to get our lawyers onto this to make sure we won’t get sued for what you’ve written. Are you sure you’re right about it? It just sounds… all wrong.
That’s what normal people, who aren’t industry insiders, think when they learn what’s happening.
One reason I never regretted leaving my high-paid job in advertising (on top of no longer feeling like I needed to take a shower with wire wool when I got home from work) was the camaraderie in the small brewing scene. People helped each other out. They socialised together. They didn’t see each other as competitors.
Since the Covid pandemic, as the majority of small brewers declare themselves to be in survival mode, this collaborative spirit has diminished. And that’s exactly what the big boys want. The only people they hate and resent more than craft brewers are each other. They don’t speak. They don’t socialise. There are even reports of employees being disciplined after being seen drinking someone else’s beer out of work.
The collegiate spirit in the small brewing sector is its main strength –along with the fact that you make more interesting, and (usually) better quality beer.
The first Indie Beer Week was a toe in the water. It’s a great idea. It, and the launch of the indie beer seal, received a surprisingly large amount of support in the national press, proving that it’s an issue people care about. The next Indie Beer Week has the potential to address what beer drinkers want, make them aware that they’re not getting it currently, and give them solid reasons why they should seek out truly independent beers and breweries. The more indie breweries take part, the more they give, the greater the rewards will be. As has been proven countless times through history, when the small guys band together, the giants are easily toppled.
Stroud and proud
With a background in ecology and a degree in marine biology, Stroud Brewery’s founder Greg Pilley has sustainability running through his veins. After being inspired during his work and travels in Africa by the universal ability of beer to bring people together, he came back to the UK and found himself in Stroud, with the opportunity to bring all his passions together. His idea for creating a small, Organic, local brewery, with sustainability at its core, focusing on producing beers for the local community, was an unusual one at the time. The idea of buying local was in its infancy, sustainability was not a consideration for most consumers, but Stroud Brewery championed the idea that small producers could be a force for good, and that ethos has stuck with Greg and his team through over two decades of gradual expansion and
growth. Despite the rest of the world now finally catching up with this view of sustainability as a positive attribute for businesses, Stroud has continued to push boundaries and lead in this area. Most recently the brewery, already fully Organic, became B Corp accredited, which has been a process Greg credits with enabling his team to look at every area of what they do and set in place steps to lessen their impact on the planet even further. It also means the company has publicly pledged not to put profit above people and planet. Having recently picked up the Sustainable Business Award at the SIBA Business Awards, Greg spoke to Independent Brewer’s Editor Caroline Nodder last month to explain more about his journey and the strong principles that underpin every decision he makes…
Sustainability
Business Basics
Name: Stroud Brewery
Founded: 2004
Location: Stroud, Gloucestershire
Annual production (HL): 5,000
Production split: 40% cask, 40% keg, 20% small pack
Head Brewers: Arthur Wear, Manuel Vrizzi
Total Staff: 60 on Payroll, 35 FTE, 15 on core team
Core beers:
Cask: Budding (4.5% ABV pale), Tom Long (3.8% ABV amber ale) & OPA (4% organic pale ale)
Cans: Hop Drop (4.5% ABV hazy pale), Big Cat (4.5% ABV stout), Easy Peasey (2.6% ABV hazy pale) & IPA (5.6% ABV IPA)
Number of pub/taproom sites: 1 taproom
What is your background and how did you first become interested in brewing?
“I suppose the roots of it are with my expatriate parents, who rode around the globe. I had a childhood where a beer and a barbecue was pretty much the centre of life. I then ended up doing an environmental degree. And I graduated as a marine biologist. I then did some conservation work in the UK, working on farm conservation. I then went overseas and did VSO, Voluntary Service Overseas, in Nigeria, where I managed a conservation project and a small National Park. And my conversations were usually on market days in the surrounding villages, and quite often in the local bar. And those local bars weren't serving beers like you and I know, it was the traditional brew. So in Nigeria, it was sorghum, millet, guinea corn beers. And what I appreciated there was how you sit around and very quickly get into some sensitive conversations about land ownership or whatever. So I came away from Nigeria thinking that it's a global experience. You come together over this drink and suddenly you're having conversations with complete strangers about things that you know are quite sensitive or intimate. It's a real social connector. I actually then managed to wrangle a bit of sponsorship off Guinness, for nothing more than a few reports, and I spent the next four years traveling around Africa, looking at the traditional beverages of Africa. I came home after this life changing experience and my friends and family would talk about Africa as a single country, and everything they hear in the news, war, famine, corruption, all those images that we see. But my experience was people eking out an everyday life, doing all the things everybody does - they're not really interested in the politics or anything else that goes on. It's just normal life. And beer and other drinks had a real part to play to punctuate those life events in their own social setting, and that interested me. So I came back to the UK. I thought I'd get a job and do something that I actually wanted to do, to set up a veggie box scheme – and in 1995 they didn't really exist. So I approached the Soil Association in Bristol, who were promoting, you know, organic, sustainable food and farming. They said they didn't have any resources. So I volunteered and wrote the technical guide on how to set up veggie box schemes at the time, and that was working in their local food team. I actually ended up managing a project which was supporting something called Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. I came to Stroud because there was a group of people looking to connect to a local farm. I gave a presentation, and after that, they decided to set up a community farm, and that's what brought me to Stroud. My first kid arrived a few months later, and we moved out of Bristol, and it was a few years down the line where, chatting with mates, the idea of resurrecting or creating a local brewery came to mind. And I was possessed with the idea, because it ticked all my boxes. I was interested in beer and alcohol and the social aspect. I was interested in the provenance, linking people with that product and the landscape around it, and just celebrating ‘place’.”
How has the business developed since then?
“We've developed quite slowly. To put it in context, BrewDog started in the same year in 2004, but my interest was small scale as a five-barrel brewery selling to local pubs. And in 2004 local pubs weren't buying local beer. They were still sourcing the national brands. So the conversation was still quite hard just to sell a local beer from a small brewery. And it wasn't really till 2008, when we had the first recession, the public was sensitised to local business, local economy, and really wanted to support local produce. They were more discerning with that pound and saw local, locallymade arts and crafts and beers as something of value. And despite pubs struggling, the thing that did really well for them was local beers. And that really also coincides with the craft movement which we weren't part of. I think that's because we had our sights on something else. But certainly I think the craft beer movement accelerated that process, it added to the diversity and choice, and then the growth of the independent. I would define the craft beer movement as the throwing away of the style sheet. It wasn't a bad thing. But it wasn't about independence or artisan or anything, the thing that really defined craft was the blurring of the lines. So we were no longer acting on regional styles. You could do a dark IPA or something super hoppy, something that just blew the style sheet away and created interest and made it exciting for the consumer.
If you’re talking bottling and
lines, shouldn’t you be talking to us?
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So whatever your requirements, you should be talking to us.
Visit : www.enterprisetondelli.com
HEAD OFFICE : Enterprise Tondelli Srl. Via La Spezia, 193/A - 43126 Parma – Italia. Tel +39 - 0521-940068 Fax +39 - 0521-940067 E-mail : info@enterprisetondelli.com
INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SALES OFFICE Unit 7, College Farm, Barton Road, Pulloxhill ,Bedfordshire, MK45 5HP, United Kingdom. Tel. +44 (0)1525 718288 E-mail : info@enterprisetondelli.co.uk
Our growth has been very much based on local customers, largely local pubs, and through independent routes to market.
Sustainability Profile: Stroud Brewery
And I think that also was accelerated by the increased competition then, so breweries were really trying to define themselves in every way. And again, that competition drove quality and choice and difference, and that was all good. So as a business, we made a real, active choice about sustainability driving a lot of our decisions, and we vowed we would never sell to the multiples. That has changed, of course, down the line, but coming from my background, the supermarket, the multiples, have undermined so many independent businesses. We even see it now, with the price of a pint in a pub four or five times the price of the same drink in the supermarket, yet we sell our beer to that supermarket and undermine our core market. So there's a tension there, and at least we continue to highlight the issue around those things and the access to that market. So our growth has been very much based on local customers, largely local pubs, and through independent routes to market. And in 2008 we started packaging our beers, and all our packaged products have been Organic since, and that was a point of difference. And again, we couldn't attract a premium in cask, because at that time, cask beer was priced by ABV and formula, it wasn't differentiated by what went into it. But I think, as we go down the years, the craft beer scene, again, just illustrated that not all beers were equal. Some were hoppier, some were stronger. Some had different techniques. And they all have different costs associated with them, and so I think that led to a bit more flexibility in pricing. Plus, I think those additional values are starting to be recognised. So actually, independence does matter, and people are willing to pay a bit more for independence. I think similarly, people are seeing that sustainability does matter, and they might be willing to pay a bit more.”
You recently achieved B-Corp status. What did you have to do to be accredited and how has it changed your operation?
“From this year, they're actually changing the way they do it, but up to now it's been quite a simple process - essentially a multiple choice questionnaire, where the choices are ranging from good practice to best practice. And you look at your business and you say, do I meet that bottom rung? And you ask yourself, what do I need to do to just get onto that step? And you go through your whole business, and at the end of it, you come up with a score. But what it presents you with is that you've done a little assessment, and you've measured how well you're doing, and you've got to evidence that when it comes to actually certifying, to
evidence your answers to say that you've actually met that bottom rung of good practice. But what it also does, is it lays out in front of you the steps to improving practice, so it becomes a mechanism for on-going improvement, and that goes across your business. There is nothing else really out there that does that task of evaluating your business as a whole and its performance and influence on environment and people. And what I should say fundamental to becoming a B Corp is that there's a requirement to change your Articles of Association. So when you register to be a B Corp, by the time you come around to your second accreditation, you need to have changed your Articles. Current company law says you set up your business to make profit for your shareholders, and the change that B Corp puts in, is it says, ‘I will make profit for the shareholders, but actually I am considering all my stakeholders, which includes people and planet’.”
What return on investment have you seen from your various sustainability initiatives?
“If you were one of my directors, you'd be asking that question! And of course, I'd be saying, well, I would do it anyway, because that's the right thing to do. But you've also got to run a profitable business. My answer to that situation early on, it's less than now, would have been that we're doing so many good things. It is a question of how you communicate sustainability and let a consumer know that's not from Stroud and doesn't know us very well, that we're doing the right thing? There wasn't anything out there at the time to say this business is doing the right thing for people and planet, and B Corp does that. So at the very least, I'm hoping that as a marketing tool that succinctly says this is a responsible business. We are already certified Organic for our products, and that is a clear commitment as well, and a subset of the wide suite of sustainable things we're doing. Some people get it, but it's not the whole story. Organic is about the product, the provenance, the way that those ingredients are grown, but it doesn't talk about our policies around sourcing, our commitment to local, our staff policies, our staffing, welfare, our commitment to reducing carbon. None of those things are really communicated through Organic. You can't also put all of that on a can. So that's what attracted us to B Corp.”
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Sustainability Profile: Stroud Brewery
How do you communicate your sustainable credentials to your customers, and how important is it to your customer base that you have this ethos?
“We try and communicate in everything that we do. So to our customers, it would be our newsletter, our social media, in all the conversations we have in the pub. It's in our printed assets, our pump clips, our bar runners, our drip mats, as well as on our cans. But one of our challenges is communicating sustainability succinctly. We don't want to be worthy about it, because there's a lot of doom and gloom, and we're a product that's about having a great time. Most of the time, we try to put forward a positive vision for what good looks like. And our mission statement, currently, is ‘to make outstanding Organic beer and bring people together to inspire positive change’. It's about trying to live by example.”
What do you see as the main challenges you face currently?
“We’re a small, artisan, Organic, premium brewery. Our products aren't the cheapest. We're not the most expensive, but we're definitely not the cheapest. We probably operate at reduced margins. So I'm competing with fellow brewers. There's now 48 in Gloucestershire, making conventional beer, maybe not doing too much around sustainability, selling their beer to pubs that just want great tasting beer that their customers will buy. So there is a tension for us between people's values, what they say they want to do, and their awareness of the world and the economy and what they're willing to spend. Our number one message, really, to the people of the world and especially the UK, is that even though we feel disempowered about life and politics and the world around us, actually the most powerful thing we can do is to spend our money in the right place. If you spend your money in the businesses that are making a difference, you will see the world change. And other challenges, I think hospitality is having a tough time and I feel that hospitality is actually undervalued in its role within the community. Politicians just don't understand the wider benefits. So we need to measure and demonstrate the benefit that hospitality has to community connections and all the other things it does. And I think the
pub tie. There are landlords that drive business to its margins because they always try to extract as much as possible for their shareholders, not really allowing those working in the industry to make a living, and similarly, access to the market because of those ties. The brewing industry and producers have limited access to that market. I also think we are becoming more conscious about health and are being more moderate. So it's a shrinking market, and that in some ways, we have to embrace. But again, there's a misconception about beer, and actually beer is a slightly more moderate drink than wine or gin and tonic, and that's one of the reasons why it's such a sociable drink. And if we're talking about sustainability. The brewing industry is very quick to pivot. We all see that the consumer is interested in sustainability, and so every brewer in the land has some sort of activity that is moving them towards a more sustainable business, which is great, however, that dilutes our message. If every brewery in the land is sustainable then it doesn't differentiate it. That's why B Corp and Organic helps to reinforce that point of difference, but the consumer doesn't quite see it. So if a consumer sees a brewery saying ‘we are now sustainable and saving the planet’ the consumer will believe it. There is greenwashing, people generally are fairly easily influenced by a few words, and we need to break through that somehow in a very positive way, so that there is positive movement to genuinely lower the impact of the industry.”
Are there any new sustainable technologies coming down the line that you feel will be gamechangers for brewers?
“I don't think it's any one big thing, but what is happening is the cost of technologies is reducing. Like CO2 recapture, heat exchangers and energy transfer, heat pumps, all these things are becoming more affordable. So then that return on investment suddenly becomes viable. The other thing in terms of our impact, certainly our carbon emissions, is because of our suppliers. And they're reducing their impact as well. So as long as you're down the supply chain, your impact is going to reduce by doing nothing.”
PVPP/SILICA GELS • ENZYMES ANTI FOAMS • ANTI- OXIDANTS
Sustainability Profile: Stroud
You won the SIBA Sustainable Business Award at BeerX in March, what did that mean to you and the team?
“We were ecstatic. We actually had gone in for the award a couple of times previously. We were runners up several times but we didn't quite make it. And what was interesting is that each time we didn't make it, there was always a really great example from another brewery where they'd done something quite spectacular around a single point of improvement, like water reduction or energy reduction, and it was really impressive. It certainly exceeded our practice as well. So we recognised that good practice, and what it also did was gave a really single minded example of good practice. I think this year, what we saw was just the recognition of the holistic approach that we have, that it is embedded into everything we do, which in some ways is quite dilute and unspectacular, but in other ways, at least this year, we were recognised for, and for us, that is just a brilliant reward because we've been at it for so long.”
What would be your advice to a brewer just starting out on their sustainability journey?
“I think it's very easy to get paralysed by the complexity. It's a language that maybe is unfamiliar to a lot of people. I think the first thing is to just say, don't panic, just start where you can. And I think there's some really easy things to do. The first thing is just simply change to a renewable energy supplier. That's really easy to do. And actually, renewable energy is now not that much more expensive than conventional power. Then the next thing is just to try and measure what you do. And again, that could be really simple, like just keeping a record of all your meter readings, water, gas, electricity, and then compare that against your value of sales, or your volume of beer produced, and then you can see whether you're improving or not. And your waste, you know, if you're getting your wheelie bins taken away, most people will weigh the wheelie bin and say how much mixed recycling or general waste you’re producing. So again, is the ratio going down against the value of sales? Then, if you're a bit more motivated measure your carbon footprint. There's tools out there, and it's becoming increasing easier. There are some tools that will literally look at your bank account, see what you spent it on, and turn that into a carbon footprint.”
What inspires you most about what you do?
“I think one of the things is that we are doing things differently. We've always done things slightly differently. We're committed to our values. I think we're really rooted in place. We have our heartland here, and we have massive community support. We’ve done four rounds of funding from our start to where we are now, and it's all been based on crowdfunders of one form or another. We've never been to the bank for support, and that interest has always gone back to the local community. So we have a really loyal local community. And that's what has been my motivation, it's rooted in place.”
What are you proudest of during your time at Stroud?
“I think what satisfies me the most is seeing this entity take on a life of its own, with a bunch of dedicated people who share our values and the passion for our beer, and what we make. Communicating it and then just sharing that experience, between ourselves as a community of employees and with the community of people that visit our bar. Increasingly, I can stand back and look at that, and it just makes me feel very, very proud to have achieved that.”
A new kind of music
When Mike Corbett, his partner Vik Williams and their friend Stuart Rumble burst onto the Liverpool beer scene last year with their new brewery Colbier, the idea for the business had been a decade in the making. Mike and Vik, both passionate home brewers, had long been embedded in the city’s tight knit local pub and brewing community, with Mike having left his former calling as a musician to train as a brewer, working at brew pubs and some of the well-respected local independents such as Love Lane and Carnival before starting out on his own. With Colbier, though, Mike has moved away from the more experimental, hoppy beers of his past, and the focus is very much on sessionable beers that customers can come back to time and time again. The Colbier brand has cleverly combined Mike’s musical past, a passion shared by Vik and Stuart, with the spirit of the city it calls home, and captures some of the character, history and attitude that makes Liverpool so unique. With all their local connections, and support from their community of brewers, Colbier has harnessed Liverpool’s enthusiasm for buying local and just a year from launch the trio took to the stage at BeerX in March to hold aloft the trophy for the UK’s Best New Independent Brewery at the SIBA Business Awards. Independent Brewer’s Caroline Nodder spoke to Mike a few weeks after this milestone moment for Colbier to find out more about his journey in brewing, and the challenges the trio faced in launching a new brewery…
Mike Corbett (fourth from left) accepted his award at BeerX alongside co-founders Vik Williams (first left) and Stuart Rumble (second left)
Meet the Brewer: Mike Corbett, Colbier
Brewery Basics
Name: Colbier Brew Co
Founded: March 2024
Location: Bootle, Liverpool
Annual production (HL): 1,000
Production split: 75-80% cask, 10-15% small pack, 10% keg
Head Brewer: Mike Corbett
Total Staff: 4 (2 full time, 2 part time)
Core beers: Chorus, Overture, Intermission, Encore, Baritone & Tempo
What is your background and how did you first get in to brewing?
“Originally, I was playing in bands and stuff, doing the whole musician thing, and was selling vinyl records as well. And then in the evening, I started working in a craft beer bar called the 23 Club in Liverpool, and it was the place where all the brewers hung out. So I'd got to know all the brewers and then when Brexit was kicking in I knew that the record thing wasn't going to last forever, so I started hanging out with the brewers a little bit more, learning about brewing from 2016 onwards. So I trained to be a brewer, did the IBD course, and ended up working at Gibberish, which was a brew pub, then went on to Handymans Supermarket, which is another brew pub. And then Love Lane Brewery, I was brewing there for a while, and then I was the head brewer at Carnival as well, before they went. So that’s how I got into brewing. I have always been a big fan of beer. The first beers that I really liked were Belgium beers, and going to Belgium and having Brugse Zot for the first time was an eye opener. So it was always something I wanted to do.”
What led to you founding Colbier?
“Vik [Vik Williams, co-founder] is my partner as well. So we lived together, and around the time that I started being a professional brewer, Vik got really into home brewing, so took on my home brew
kit as well. And Stuart [Stuart Rumble, co-founder] was a friend that I met when I was working at Handymans. Stuart's very good at chatting about beer so we always thought he’d be quite a good salesperson. So all three of us decided to do it together, after I left Carnival, and I got offered a kit, so it was achievable, price wise. And we thought, ‘there's no time like the present’ really. There's no perfect time to do things. So that felt like the right time. We scouted around for a while. And we had a few different sites in mind, but it was quite hard to secure a site when you haven't got a trading history. So we went for the site that we have at the moment, because location wise, it's really good when it comes to transport, delivery routes, it's quite easy to get on the motorway to get to other cities, and it's just a five to 10 minute drive to town.”
What is the ethos behind the beers you brew?
“The whole idea was to make craft beer that was accessible. Nothing that was too alienating to people that weren't too into beer. So it was all supposed to be sessionable to a certain extent. We’ve got one beer that's 7.2% and that's it, everything else is stuff that you can appreciate all day, and with friends as well that don't have to train up their palate, it's not too challenging. So it was about accessibility, something for everybody, and not trying to do anything that was too out there, just trying to be humble about it, I suppose.”
What was the thinking behind the Colbier name and brand?
“So one of the breweries that I worked for actually had a cruise liner with the exact same name, that had its own beer, and the brewery kept being linked to that terrible beer with terrible reviews which were influencing the company. And I know other people have got companies with similar names, they get very confused. So we wanted a name that doesn't mean anything else, so it's a very unique word. So it took about six months of just making up words. Colbier was about the fourth version of the word! We wanted the ending of the word to spell beer, like the European way of doing it, to reflect our influences in terms of Belgian beers and German beers. Then Nick [Nick Law of creative agency Hop Forward who designed the branding – read his thoughts in the column with this feature] was coming up with a few ideas, and we were talking about the musical side a little bit more, and we noticed the common time symbol in music, which means four, four, the standard beat in music, was like a C with a line through it. I mentioned it to Nick, and he said the whole thing just clicked for him. And he got all the other letters to look a bit like that in the same sort of font, and the O's like a rest as well. And right in the end with the R, he had asked, what's most important to you and I’d said the locality, I love the Liverpool scene, so he wanted to incorporate something with Liverpool in it. So in the R, he put a little eye in it, so it looks like the Liver Bird as well.”
What challenges did you face in setting up a new brewery?
“I suppose all the logistics, and handling the whole chicken and egg situation, where you can't get one thing without another thing when you're starting up a business. The things that you think would be easy - like opening up a business bank account, but then you can't get a business bank account till you’ve got a site. And then you can't get a site until you’ve got a business bank account. And then on top of that, we were a brewery with very little finances, really. So it's quite hard, especially in today's market, to start up a brewery very small, and keep growing and growing and growing. It’s basically about extreme budgeting, no wriggle room. It just takes a lot of planning and being very careful.”
Continued on page 63
Meet the Brewer: Mike Corbett, Colbier
What key challenges do you see facing brewers like yourself?
“I suppose the cost of living obviously means less punters in the pubs, which obviously means a bit less for us, especially seeing as we rely primarily on the trade customers because we don't have our own taproom. It's also a very competitive and saturated market at the moment, so it's just about trying to make yourself stand out against everybody else when there's not much money going around as well.”
How easy have you found it to get into your local pubs?
“It really helped that we'd been a part of the Liverpool scene for about 10 years now, and knowing a lot of the brewers and working for a lot of breweries and managing a few bars as well just before becoming a brewer. And Stuart was the same. So we both knew quite a lot of the people from day one, so we told people that we were doing this, and had a fair few orders from the get-go. Then we had a lot of returning customers, pretty much straight away. I think a few people thought that I’d just be doing the same things I'd been doing with the other breweries. But then when we brought out the beers, and they were a little bit more of a throwback to the beers 10 years ago, they really liked them, and we ended up getting a lot of repeat customers. So we kind of hit the ground running.”
Do you distribute outside of Liverpool at all?
“We've got our own web shop, and we do distribute outside Liverpool. We deliver all over the North West, and we've got wholesalers as well that have taken stuff down south to the bottom of England and up to the top of Scotland as well. And we've also exported as well, to Sweden. It was quite cool actually, they just contacted us out the blue!”
How do you see consumer tastes changing, if at all, when it comes to indie beer?
“I think there are still people who go after the stronger beers, and keep going with the current trends. But there's also a market for people who are going for more sessionable beers, in general, stuff that they can appreciate with their friends a bit more. I feel like when lockdown started easing up and people went back to the pub, they went back to cask a bit because they hadn't had it for a while. And they found that appreciation for it, like it was something that they hadn't really thought
too much about. It's easier drinking and appreciating a finely made beer that's not trying to push the boundaries and trying to shock you. There is still a market for the other thing as well of course. It's just that there is definitely a market now for what we're doing.”
How have you approached sustainability at Colbier?
“It's actually something that we've wanted to do since day one, but it's quite hard to do in this industry, especially when you've not got a lot of money. But we try and do what we can. We've just sent our malt bags to the Terracycle scheme with Crisp, where our malt bags get turned into things like the rubber for playgrounds. And you can see the process that it goes through. So you scan a code, and you see everything that happens to it. And then other things as well. From other breweries, I knew that I'd wanted to do certain things from day one, such as chemical recapturing and having a CIP and not just having everything going down the drain. It’s just about trying to reuse as much as possible in the process. And we're just pushing slowly towards other things - we're just looking into getting a keg washer of our own so we can use less single use plastic in our kegs. And we're also inquiring about getting a nitrogen generator as well, because that's a little bit more achievable than CO2 capture. Nitrogen generation is something that we think will be really helpful, and it's more cost effective as well, down the line.”
What is the Liverpool beer scene like?
“Liverpool has always been a bit of an odd one, because it's pushed to the side of the country and you've got to go through Manchester to get to Liverpool, if you're coming from anywhere, so it gets forgotten about sometimes, but it's got a really good local scene. People care about the local pubs and the local breweries, and we've got some great pubs. Unfortunately, we’ve had a few breweries that went under in the last year or so - I think we had about five go under. But we've had a couple starting up as well, only small, since we've started up. But there are still a lot of little independents around and people care about that around here, which pays off for us. People from outside of Liverpool have told us that it always looks like it's on the rise as well, and we're seeing that in the suburbs as well, I think more than the city centre.”
Continued on page 65
We didn't want to over stretch ourselves too quickly. So in the next couple of years, the main thing is just to get our own taproom. But it has got to be perfect for us. We want to have something that's more reflective of a traditional pub.
What are your future ambitions for Colbier?
“We'd like to have our own taproom eventually, but it's got to be right. Really. We were looking at a couple of sites in our first year, but it just didn't feel like the right time, and we weren't sure if the site was 100% perfect at the same time. We didn't want to over stretch ourselves too quickly. So in the next couple of years, the main thing is just to get our own taproom. But it has got to be perfect for us. We want to have something that's more reflective of a traditional pub.”
You were recently named the UK’s Best New Independent Brewery at the SIBA Business Awards. How did that come about and what does it mean to you?
“It means the world to us to be honest. After the first year, it made it feel like it was all worth it, made it more reassuring that what you were doing was the right thing. I think we got it because the judges were impressed with how we'd hit the ground running. Having such little capital and with such a wide range of beers, and beers that you don't see every single day in the current market as well. I guess that's why we entered as well, because we just thought we were doing something a little bit different to everyone else at the same time. When we first started there were local newspaper articles about us, saying that we were starting up, and all the comments from people from Liverpool were all very positive, saying that it's so great to see something positive coming up, and not just announcements of things closing, especially in this current climate. So we thought it would be quite nice to enter and see what happened.”
What inspires you most about working in the indie beer sector?
“It's the community, really, and the support that we get from the local brewers. When we were starting out we had loads of advice from other people and everyone wanted to make sure that we did actually get going - friends that we’d made over the years. We knew everybody from the get-go, and everybody was quite happy that we were starting up the brewery. So we were just accepted straight away. And that really helped push us at the same time.”
What advice would you give to someone launching a new brewery?
“Work in one first! I've worked with people who have started up businesses, whether it's a bar or a brewery, without any experience in it, and thinking it's going to be one thing when it turns out to be another thing. Sometimes it works out for them, but it just makes it a lot harder if you haven't worked in that sort of situation before. And if you do work in a brewery, try and work in as many different areas as possible. Not just go and do a few months packaging in a brewery, also go on the recipe development side, then also get on the side of pricing the beers and have a go at selling and have a look at the business insights. Just try and learn as much as possible by working for other people first.”
What is your favourite beer style to brew and why?
“Definitely dark beers. We make quite a lot of stouts and dark beers - I think nearly a third of the different beers that we've done have been dark beers now, and just the smell that you get from the roasted malts when you're mashing in is great!” Meet the Brewer: Mike Corbett, Colbier
Proper Sound Beer: Making waves with Colbier
Nick Law, Creative Director at Hop Forward, the agency that designed the Colbier branding, tells us more about the process…
When Liverpool-based Colbier Brew Co approached Hop Forward, they didn’t just want to look the part - they wanted it to feel like Liverpool. They were clear: no Beatle references, no scouser gimmicks; just a bold, modern identity that reflected their roots in the city’s rich musical and maritime heritage. Our task was to help them build a brand that would strike a chord with drinkers across the UK, without relying on tired Liverpudlian tropes.
From the outset, it was clear Colbier wanted to celebrate their roots while looking forward. Liverpool’s cultural legacy - particularly in music and maritime trade - provided rich inspiration, but we intentionally steered clear of trite clichés. Instead, we layered subtle symbolism into the branding: a stylised ‘cut common time’ musical symbol resembling a ship’s sail as the logo’s icon, a nod to the Liver Bird hidden within the letter ‘R’, and waves that reference the Mersey, soundwaves, and their mission to make waves in the UK craft beer scene.
With clean typography, bold iconography and a strong, no-nonsense visual language, Colbier’s identity is modern and distinctive. But more than just a look, we crafted a tone of voice that bridges music and beer - fun, accessible, and unmistakably Liverpudlian. The strapline “Proper Sound Beer” encapsulates the brand’s ethos, resonating with locals while inviting broader appeal.
That same approach extended into the digital space. Without a physical taproom, the website became Colbier’s primary touchpoint with customers.
We built a webshop that prioritises usability, whether you're a seasoned craft beer geek or someone just exploring. The intuitive filter and search system helps users find beers by style using everyday language, supported by quick AJAX loading. Each beer listing includes easy-to-understand tasting notes, allergen info, and - adding a little extra flair - a song pairing, linking each brew to Colbier’s musical roots.
In just a year, Colbier has established a brand and digital platform that’s confident, coherent and compelling, one of the contributing factors we’re told by SIBA’s Neil Walker, head of judges at this year’s SIBA Business Awards, that helped secure Colbier’s award for UK Best New Independent brewery.
Succession planning and developing an effective exit strategy can allow business owners in the brewing and licenced leisure sector, and in particularly independent brewers, to protect the value in their business and prepare for succession.
It’s crucially important for effective succession planning to define your business vision and goals. Ask yourself:
• What’s the purpose and mission of your business?
• What are the values and principles guiding your decisions?
• What are the medium to long-term objectives that you want to achieve?
Having a clear vision and goals will help you align your expectations with your short, medium and longer term objectives and communicate them effectively. It will also not only help you evaluate the performance and progress of your business but also protect the value in your business.
Identifying successors
You should consider who are the potential candidates for taking over your business. Is it family members or existing members of your management team? If so, consideration should be given to their skills, strengths, weaknesses, interests and aspirations. Are there any steps that you could take to prepare them for the challenges and opportunities which lie ahead?
Or is it more likely to be a sale to a trade buyer, private equity backed buyer or to an employee ownership trust?
The identity of the buyer will influence the likely deal structure and the requirements of the seller in connection with the sale.
Pre-sale
health check
It is important to be prepared for a sale by carrying out a pre-sale health check to understand and prepare for any barriers that you may come across in the sale process.
How to prepare your business for sale
A potential buyer will conduct due diligence on your business in order to assess what they are buying from a legal, financial and operational perspective.
As part of this process, they will ask questions cover all key areas of your business (including accounts, finance and tax, corporate and regulatory compliance, key customers and suppliers, real estate, employment, insurance, IT and intellectual property) and you will be asked to provide copies of all relevant documentation.
Getting a head start on the process by carrying out a detailed assessment of your business (including all of the areas referred to above) and making sure documentation is comprehensive, accurate and organised will assist attracting potential buyer and with a smooth sale process.
Key matters to consider are ensuring that:
• all assets (including real estate, tangible assets and intellectual property) are owned by the company/business. Identify any assets which will be excluded from the sale
• all employees have appropriate terms and conditions in place and all employment policies and procedures are up to date
• all contractual documentation (including terms and conditions and key contracts) is up to date. Identify any contracts which have any restrictions on assignability or a change of control
• all existing business issues (such as supplier or customer disputes or known business inefficiencies) are addressed
• all regulatory requirements such as regulatory filings, consents, registers and records are up to date and have been dealt with
Management teams and key employees
A strong and capable management team and
having key employees could be key to the success of any sale. They can also play an important role in helping build up value in the business.
If you are heavily involved in the day-to day running of the business, a buyer may have concerns about the handover of key customer and supplier relationships and the continuation of day-to-day activities.
Over reliance on exiting owners is a risk which may be off putting to potential buyers. Where possible, taking steps to develop a good management team will demonstrate to a buyer that there is no over reliance on any one person and the business (and its customers and suppliers) cannot be separate from the exiting owner.
Appointing the right deal team
Maximising the sale price or finding an appropriate home your employees and customers may also be a key driver.
Whatever your drivers, having a team of lawyers, accountants, tax advisers and corporate finance advisers who understand the brewing industry that you can reply upon to help you navigate the sales process is essential.
Taking effective tax advice planning to ensure that your assets are structures tax efficiently to create the best available outcome for you and your family is recommended.
It is also key to have legal advisers who are able to guide you through the sale process, concisely explain the terms of the deal you will be entering into and negotiate to minimise your exposure.
Conclusion
Planning is the key to a successful exit. Careful preparation and using the professional resources available will be key to give yourself the best possible opportunity to maximise your return and minimise your exposure.
Napthens can support you through any sale ensuring you can pass on your business in a smooth and effective way. To contact us please email sibalegal@napthens.co.uk or call the national helpline 0845 671 0277.
Victoria Bromiley, senior associate solicitor at Napthens, looks at the process to follow, to ensure a successful conclusion to a business sale…
If the last few years taught us anything, it’s that beer doesn’t stand still. Tastes evolve, formats shift, and what worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. But if you look closely at drinkers - what they’re picking up, asking for, and coming back to - you’ll start to spot the shape of where things are heading. Premium isn’t optional but it has to be earned
We’re all (hopefully) aware that ‘value for money’ doesn’t mean ‘cheap’. Customers are happy to pay more, but they need to feel it’s worth it. That means premium beerswhether world lagers, craft IPAs, or a perfect pint of stout - must come with premium taste and of course delivery. Think sparkling glassware, well-trained staff, and a sense that care has gone into every serve.
Premiumisation has got to be earned. In venues where experience is everything, drinks have to live up to the overall atmosphere. It’s no longer just about what’s on tap - it’s how it’s poured, how it’s presented, and how it makes the guest feel.
Sales of premium beers are showing positive growth, with drinkers increasingly willing to trade up for something that offers great taste and a compelling story. Premium doesn’t just mean expensive; it means that the beer must provide both quality and value. Stout is back in the conversation
If there’s one standout category to watch this year, it’s stout. Guinness in particular has enjoyed a powerful resurgence, driven by smart marketing, cultural relevance, and above all, quality. It’s consistently served and visually iconic - key traits for venues looking to keep pace with modern drinkers. But it’s not just Guinness. Craft stouts are growing rapidly - up 120% in value year-onyear, according to CGA. These richer, more adventurous beers are proving popular with younger, more affluent audiences looking for something with depth and distinction. The growing interest in stout is driven by a variety
Pour decisions: A look at changing beer trends
Katie
Jenkins, Marketing Director at KAM, explores how consumer tastes are changing when it comes to beer…
of factors including nostalgia, indulgence, and a growing younger audience discovering the complexity of darker beers.
Lager continues to lead
Lager remains the biggest beer category, but consumers are seeking more variety and higher quality. Consumers are increasingly looking for something with personality— even in lager. This means that while lager may still dominate in volume, drinkers are seeking options that are more distinctive and carefully crafted.
Operators and brewers are finding success with lagers that offer a cleaner, crisper profile, properly carbonated, and with a compelling backstory. One trend that’s emerged is the focus on lagers with unique flavour profiles. This shift reflects drinkers’ growing desire for quality and craftsmanship, even in lager - a traditionally “safe” choice.
Flavour is driving discovery
Across beer and cider, bold, fruit-forward flavours are attracting attention. Consumers are increasingly drawn to drinks that surprise and excite - whether it’s a citrusy pale ale, a juicy IPA, or a cherry-infused sour. These products are ideal for a social setting where guests are looking to discover new tastes as part of the overall experience. Offering a few playful, seasonal, or limited-run options not only boosts interest - it encourages repeat visits.
Younger people are definitely more likely to try something with a different flavour profile, like a fruited pale ale or a passionfruit sour. This demographic is driving much of the interest in bold, innovative beers.
Low and no: This time it’s real
The rise of low and no-alcohol beer options is no longer just a seasonal trend. These beers are becoming an integral part of the market, and drinkers are incorporating them into their regular routines. It’s no longer just a trend for January.
From 0.0% lagers with serious beer credentials to sophisticated no-ABV craft alternatives and spirit-free cocktails, this space is full of innovation. Many drinkers are mixing and matching throughout the night - starting with a pint, then switching to a no-alcohol option to keep pace without compromise.
Provenance and storytelling drive value
Consumers are increasingly connecting with the stories behind the beer they drink. It’s not enough for a beer to just taste good; it needs to have a story that resonates with drinkers. They want to know more about what they’re drinking (and eating, and generally spending their money on.) Who made it? Where does it come from? Is there a story behind it?
Authenticity is key to building trust and loyalty with consumers. Breweries that can tell a compelling story about their products - whether it’s about sustainability, local sourcing, or brewing techniques - are more likely to stand out in a crowded market.
Drinkers are looking for beers that reflect their own values, and those that provide a strong sense of identity and purpose often win out.
What’s next?
The beer landscape in 2025 is diverse and dynamic, with an increasing focus on quality, flavour, and authenticity. As brewers, staying ahead of the curve means being responsive to consumer demands and maintaining a clear focus on what drinkers want. The brands that will succeed are those that can adapt quickly, embrace new trends, and innovate with integrity.
KAM is a boutique research consultancy, specialising in hospitality and retail, running bespoke and syndicated customer research programmes for both pub companies and on-trade suppliers. Find out more at www.kaminsight.com
ROTARY
MECHANICALLY-SYNCHRONIZED
SMOOTHER OPERATION IMPROVES CAN HANDLING AND LOWERS THE RISK OF
FILL HEAD/SEAMER SPINDLE CONFIGURATIONS FOR SPEEDS UP TO 250 CPM!
With inflation pushing up costs, many breweries are understandably tightening their belts. One of the ways they’re doing this is by turning to generative AI to create labels, cutting out the need, and cost, of hiring an illustrator or graphic designer. When you’re costing up a brew or settling a stack of invoices, and the bill from your creative collaborator lands in your inbox, it’s only natural to ask: Can I do this faster and cheaper?
But the problem is that no matter which generative AI tool you use - Midjourney, Sora, Firefly -the results tend to look the same. They carry a certain generic, polished sheen. Sure, for a tiny microbrewery with limited resources, using AI artwork might make sense. But when larger breweries are doing it, and they are, that’s a whole different story.
Now, before you brace for another anti-AI rant about stolen artwork and tiny little robots stealing your job, that’s not where I’m going. What struck me about this wasn’t the tech itself. It was the creative stagnation. I found myself missing the spark, experimentation, and originality that made craft beer so exciting a decade ago. This isn’t just a branding issue - the problem extends to the beer itself.
Think back to 10 years ago. Barack Obama was in the White House, Covid wasn’t a thing, and craft beer felt genuinely creative. Books like Experimental Brewing by Randy Mosher were essential reading for anyone looking to explore a wider flavour palette. There was a distinct look and feel to the scene. I remember how striking it was to see modern, quirky bottles standing out on shelves next to more traditional microbreweries, which were still clinging to
Has craft beer become boring?
Brand and marketing guru Nick Law ponders if the craft beer sector of today lacks the creativity and excitement it once had…
old-school fonts and stuffy label designs on their 500ml bottles. And these new beers? They came in 330mls! That alone felt like a statement.
Now, you might think I’m being harsh, considering there are still plenty of breweries out there making sour beers with glitter and unicorn dust, stouts infused with Waffle Parties and Defiant Jazz, or bubblegumflavoured teal beers. And while there’s still some innovation out there, the craft beer market has matured. And as it has, brewers, bar owners, and bottle shops have started to focus more on what sells - and what sells, for the most part, are Hazy IPAs with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe, lagers, and hoppy pale ales.
The result? A certain predictability has crept into craft beer. We’re seeing a lot of the same styles, the same flavour profiles, the same names. It’s not to say these beers are bad - far from it. But where’s the risk? Where’s the challenge? Where’s the experimentation that once made craft beer stand out?
Craft beer used to primarily feel like a space where brewers could push boundaries, where anything was possible. But somewhere along the line, it seems we’ve veered into territory where innovation is sometimes used just for the sake of a reaction, and genuine creativity is being pushed to the edges by fanfare. Think of the glitter beers or other extreme creations — they may grab attention, but do they really bring something new to the table, or are they just social media FOMO stunts? It’s one thing to push the limits with exciting, unexpected flavours or new techniques, but sometimes it feels like some brewers are more focused on creating a spectacle than crafting something genuinely original or meaningful. In a competitive market, it's easier to stick
with what works. But I can’t help but feel that in doing so, we’re losing something along the way. Craft beer used to feel like a space where brewers could push boundaries, where anything was possible and the beer really did come first. But now, too many breweries seem to be playing it safe, chasing trends instead of setting them. That’s a problem if we want to keep the spirit of craft beer alive.
While many breweries are heavily investing in their next Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe Session NEIPA, I’m heartened by the ones who are sticking to their guns and embrace the original spirit of craft beer. Breweries like Sheffield’s Saint Mars of the Desert, who primarily brew with a koelship, many of which are European-influenced. Or Colbier from Liverpool, this year’s SIBA Best New Independent Brewery of the Year, who focus on malt-forward beer styles. And Wilderness, tucked away in the remote corners of the Wales valleys, crafting incredible barrel-aged and blended beers, including a Best Bitter with a distinctive brett funk.
As the market matures, I want to see breweries evolve like Radiohead rather than The Beach Boys - continuing to experiment and innovate instead of clinging to the same formula.
The answer lies in returning to the core of what made craft beer exciting in the first place: creativity, boldness, and the willingness to experiment. Let’s push past the easy wins and rediscover the joy of brewing something new, something that takes risks and sparks conversation. The market may have matured, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun with it.
Nick Law is the Creative Director of Hop Forward: a branding, marketing and business consultancy for the brewing industry. Find out more at www.hopforward.beer or email nick@hopforward.beer
A brewery’s IP rights (such as trade marks, copyrights, design rights and patents) are crucial for maintaining identity, reputation, and long-term success as they can help protect your brand and recipes.
Logos, brand names, colour schemes and slogans
A brewery's name, logo, the names of different beers together with any slogans and beer can/bottle designs can all be protected via trade mark law and copyright.
The most robust type of trade mark protection is via official trade mark registration. IP rights are national in jurisdiction therefore breweries would ideally register their brand in each country where it sells or plans to start selling products.
If you haven’t registered your trade marks, but you have been using them for a period of time, then under English law you will have “passing off” rights – unregistered trade mark rights which are more difficult to protect but are still valuable.
Registered trade mark protection grants the exclusive right to use the mark in connection with the sale of beer (or whichever products you have listed in your trade mark specification) and to take legal action against anyone using such trade marks without permission. Protection lasts for as long as you pay the renewal fees — which are due every 10 years.
Where breweries and their founders come to explore a sale of the business or taking third party financial investment, it will normally be taken as a pre-requisite that the basic level of trade mark protection has been secured and any deficiencies in this respect could lead to either price reductions or a buyer/investor simply calling the deal off.
Logos – trade mark and copyright protection available
Protecting Your Craft
Eddy Martin and Sara Ludlam from law firm Brabners provide a brief overview of some of the key principles to successfully exploiting and maximising the return from your IP rights…
Copyright will protect art work where it is original (i.e. not copied from another work). Where a logo is used as a trade mark and contains an original copyright work, it will provide the owner with trade mark rights and copyright protection.
Graphics, artwork, labels and marketing materials
Any unique artwork, graphics and labels on your cans/bottles, along with any other graphic branding can be protected by copyright.
Copyright protection arises automatically upon creation and lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years after their death. Copyright protection grants the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, display, or license the work.
To put competitors on notice of any copyright works, the date the work was created and identity of the owner should accompany the universal copyright symbol at the bottom of the work.
BEWARE! If you are using graphic designers and artists who are not employed by you, or who are employed by you but not to create artistic works, your business will NOT automatically own the copyright in those works. You must get a written agreement signed by the artist transferring ownership to you. This is the case even where you have paid for the work.
Bottle shapes and beer tap designs
Design rights protect the visual appearance of a 3D article, including its shape, configuration, and decoration. This could cover the distinctive shape of your beer bottles or the unique design of your tap handles.
By registering designs, breweries can prevent others from producing products that look substantially similar. Once again, having
the relevant IP registrations in place should increase the overall value of the business if and when a sale or investment process materialises.
Inventions and innovative processes
Patents protect new inventions and innovative processes such as a novel brewing method. If your brewery develops a new technique for brewing a particular type of beer that results in a unique flavour profile, obtaining a patent can prevent competitors from using the same method to produce similar beers. Patents provide a competitive edge by allowing you to exclusively benefit from your innovations for a period of 20 years in the UK.
Who Owns the IP?
If you don’t have an in-house marketing team, and/or have contracted with an external agency to create some graphics or to design some branding or packaging, the first owner of any IP that the agency has created for you will likely be the agency or individual sub-contractor. Unfortunately, this commonly remains the case even when you have paid the agency or contractor, unless there is a specific written agreement to the contrary. It’s therefore important to ensure that written agreements are in place to transfer ownership to your business.
For your employees, any IP created in the course of their employment will generally be owned by the brewery. However, if your staff have grown with the business and their duties have expanded and no longer match their original job descriptions, it may be that IP works they create are not automatically owned by the business. Making sure you have clear terms in employment contracts around IP ownership and confidentiality along with reviewing these agreements on a regular basis will help ensure you own what you think you own and hopefully limit disputes.
Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas looks at the process of dilution brewers use to lower the ABV of high gravity brews... Brewing high gravity beers can give you distinctive products with strong flavours. As well as specialist beers with long shelf life and potential to mature into vintage character. They can also be a pathway to lighter companion beers reflecting their stronger origin with a more drinkable potential. To do this though they need dilution.
We obviously don’t wish to promote dilution in trade but dilution of a stronger beer has both historical ancestry and commercial potential. It is also a recognised option in distilling and other beverage production. However, we aren’t talking the bulk scale, high gravity production of international brands diluted just to reduce costs but small scale to broaden product range and provide an integrated portfolio.
Historically we can consider party-gyling as a traditional approach to maximising mash tun output. Brew a strong mash and run of two or three spargings with decreasing strength of wort. In many cases these were combined together to the target gravity but in other cases fermented as separate beers with decreasing ABV and, potentially, different hop additions to match their strength and vary character.
This made commercial sense, particularly in using the last runnings of the mash as a basic very low alcohol table beer. In other cases, high gravity beers were used for storage and subsequent dilution when brewing conditions were inhospitable, high summer temperatures for instance stopping brewing in spring. Winter isolation in Scandinavia may have encouraged production in reverse conditions when winter temperatures were too low for fermentation and autumn beers diluted through the winter. High gravity was also a means of protecting beer for transport with high alcohol
Brew strong, drink weaker
We obviously don’t wish to promote dilution in trade but dilution of a stronger beer has both historical ancestry and commercial potential.
levels a barrier to bacterial growth, particularly when wooden casks and more open processing allowed a variety of microbes to enter. Dilution is also practiced in spirit production where a single distillation is made with 3 – 5 times the concentration of botanicals and subsequently diluted with a larger volume of grain neutral spirit to save having to distil all of the production.
Today dilution in brewing provides an opportunity to develop different strength beers around a common flavour balance or to allow maturation flavours to be present in lower gravity beers. Brew, say, an 8.5% abv strong ale or triple bock beer with complex malt profile and heavy dry hopping. Mature for up to six months, bottle 20% as the vintage ale for further maturation in the bottle and sales to specialist outlets. Cask, keg or small pack a further 50% with dilution to 4-5% abv as premium version for standard sale and the final 30% diluted further to a low, 2-3% abv beer. Consider different dry hopping in a holding tank as a means of varying the aroma or perhaps herbal additions for the low alcohol fraction. Flavour changes will inevitably occur as flavour thresholds differ between compounds but an overall balance may persist. Mouthfeel will be less evident at lower gravities so be aware that bitterness perception may increase particularly in the lighter beer. Bitterness is also affected by hop variety used and the level of polyphenols so some small scale experimentation is desirable. An example of how dilution affects the balance
of flavour is the dilution of spirits, particularly whisky. Adding water to a whisky, to around a 20% abv, changes the distribution of alcohol in the mixture causing a more even dispersion and, potentially a different perception of flavours. Esters, for example, partition into ethanol-rich clusters above 20% abv and are released at lower concentrations allowing a fruitier aroma to be perceived. Physiologically the reduction of a spirit burn during drinking can allow more subtle flavours to appear.
A comparable effect of beer matrix on flavour is evident. Worty flavours of low alcohol beers appear to be more easily perceived in the absence of ethanol which decreases their flavour threshold. Testing and monitoring the dilution for this balance will be important choose the right point for the low alcohol option.
A major feature to control carefully is the dilution and liquor management and particularly to avoid introducing oxygen to cause oxygenation and staling. De-aerated water is essential as well as avoiding pick up of contaminant flavours in processing. A good boil will remove most oxygen but avoid further oxygen pick up on cooling by keeping under pressure until use. Alternatively deaerate by sparging carbon dioxide through the liquor to drive out residual oxygen. Liquor treatment may also be desirable to maintain the target balance of the mash.
And the end result? A series of beers based on a common recipe but with progressive strength and subtle character differences. Aside from possible commonalities in processing and economies in time and materials a marketing potential is evident. Three beers with a common theme boxed for a dining session –before, during and after a meal. Possibly in collaboration with a food outlet or celebration event.
Find more from Brewlab at www.brewlab.co.uk
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HOPS
“MARGINS ARE GETTING SQUEEZED FROM EVERY ANGLE. IF YOU CAN IMPROVE YIELD, REDUCE COSTS, AND MAINTAIN QUALITY, YOU HAVE TO DO IT.”
Julian Shrago, Beachwood Brewing, Long Beach, California.
Shop at Charles Faram for Abstrax, hops, malt, yeast, brewing aids, flavours and purees.
If you have been following our news and attended SIBA BeerX, you’ll know that we’re working with Abstrax, a California-based flavour and aroma company, equipping brewers with tools to do more with less —less hop matter, less variability, and less waste. All without compromising on flavour or authenticity. They’ve even unleashed some unexpected sensory profiles.
Founded during the wave of cannabis legalisation in California, Abstrax didn’t set out to simply make THC products. Instead, its founders were captivated by the untapped potential of the intricate web of compounds responsible for the plant’s scent and flavour. With few resources or existing extraction technologies available, the company had to build its expertise from the ground up.
While recording the Charles Faram Spreading Hoppiness podcast episode Craig Thomas, Abstrax’s National Sales Manager said that they became the authority in cannabis aromatics and that started to snowball. They looked at other applications, and wondered what other solutions were out there - what else smells really good? What can we do with these aromas? And to that end, they’ve now become the supplier for a number of different industries. Craig said, “With the brewing industry in particular, we’re talking about water soluble flavours that go into beer, and really the one stop shop for creative expression, for efficiencies, for new economies of scale, and for finding different ways of making beer that resonate with people - and frankly it just makes sense.”
From that unconventional origin story came a suite of high-impact products now making waves in brewing, including the Quantum series of hop-derived, varietalspecific solutions, Skyfarm fruit-forward flavour top notes, and the BrewGas line, derived from cannabis terpene profiles. Abstrax’s Skyfarm line has gained
traction, particularly among breweries developing fruit-forward IPAs, smoothie sours, or low-ABV offerings where fresh fruit additions may not be viable due to cost, perishability, or regulatory issues. Standouts include pineapple, mango, and a watermelon flavour. Julian commented that where most watermelon extracts fall apart—they taste artificial or like cooked garbage, but Abstrax nailed it.
For award-winning head brewer Julian Shrago of Beachwood Brewing, also in the podcast, the spark came not from a sales pitch, but from a pint of beer.
Julian spent over a decade as an aerospace engineer before pivoting to brewing and approaches his craft with a scientist’s curiosity. He said that it was when he had a beer from Russian River Brewing in Northern California that he saw the potential of the Quantum Brite product made from selected hop varietals.
The beer was made with Russian River’s batch selected Nectaron® hops. “I was like, okay, this is it. I immediately called Abstrax, and I said, let’s get this queued up with our select varietals right now. Late last year, we started making some permanent changes in both of our flagship beers, and that also led to us using Abstrax, Quantum, BrewGas, and Skyfarm products in other beers that we were doing. It really helped to dial in new flavour profiles or achieve traditional flavour profiles with less hop matter in the beer. It’s been something that’s worked out great. It is absolutely better brewing through science.”
Julian also said that he understands people’s apprehension. “I think anytime you take something like brewing, which is seen as a very traditional, old-fashioned process and you introduce something that is very scientifically driven, there are people who might be like, well, hold on a second. This isn’t how people make beer. However, it is absolutely a way to make things more consistent, perhaps make things better. It’s also a way to create new flavour and aroma profiles, and variety of beer that it has never been imagined before. I see it only opening new doors.”
“The UK is steeped in many, many centuries of brewing tradition. I think American consumers are used to new and ever evolving products. The UK has a slightly different consumer base, but I don’t see any reason why these products can’t be used to create traditional beers. The benchmark for us with our flagship beers was, are the consumers going to notice
the difference? Nobody said anything and we did this months ago. I think a lot of the breweries here in the UK could fold these products in seamlessly, and the consumer would not know. And I think that’s, the true test of how successful you are”.
Luckily for us Abstrax don’t aim to replace hops, but rather to amplify and stabilise the flavours that brewers already love. For breweries dealing with annual hop lot variability, Abstrax offers the ability to lock in a specific crop’s aromatic fingerprint and replicate it across future batches.
The claim is that if you get a standout lot of Mosaic® or Nectaron®, Abstrax can capture that exact profile through the Quantum technology and deliver it as a consistent input year-round, it’s like freeze-framing your best hops.
As hop prices fluctuate and consumer palates evolve, there’s a degree of flexibility and control that would have been unthinkable even five years ago. This is not just a perk, but a necessity in an industry where raw material quality and price volatility are constant concerns. Julian explained that “Margins are getting squeezed from every angle. If you can improve yield, reduce costs, and maintain quality, you have to do it,” Brewers shouldn’t be afraid to try something new. These tools aren’t here to replace tradition—they’re here to help you explore it in new ways. Whether you’re brewing on a one-barrel system or a fifty, Faram’s and Abstrax want to be part of that creative process for brewers of every size.
Maddie Lewis - Julian Shrago - Craig Thomas recording the Abstrax podcast at SIBA BeerX
Craig Thomas demonstrating products at the Charles Faram Abstrax station - SIBA BeerX
Officially our biggest ever, but we’re not stopping there…
2025 was a big year for BeerX, with expansion into a third hall giving the event around 40% extra space compared to 2024 which meant an increase in Exhibition stand space and to ensure a busy and vibrant event a target to further increase Delegate numbers on the hugely successful 2024 event.
We’re pleased to report this was very much achieved on all fronts, with a huge 3,493 attendees in 2025, up from 2995 in 2024 which was itself a record year, and a larger trade exhibition than ever before which sold out ahead of schedule.
Another key aim for this year was to ensure that as the event grows the quality and value delivered to both Delegates and Exhibitors was maintained, offering a quality line-up of talks, seminars, panel debates and educational sessions – with something for the whole team to find useful.
To track Delegate and Exhibitor approval ratings we run a postevent survey and was pleased to achieve an imporessive 97% of Exhibitors who said BeerX is the UK’s best brewing trade show, and an almost unanimous 99% of Delegates who would recommend BeerX to an industry colleague.
97% of Exhibitors say that BeerX is the UK’s best brewing trade show
99% of Delegates would recommend BeerX to an industry colleague
Indie Beer Hub @ BeerX
This year we launched a merchandise and information desk promoting the Indie Beer campaign with an aim to encouraging member engagement, sales of point of sale materials and clothing, and non-member sign up. The Indie Beer Hub at BeerX proved a huge success and boosted non-member sign-ups too, with a dozen new SIBA members signed up at the 2025 event, a huge increase on previous years.
BeerX will return to Exhibition Centre Liverpool for the next year, with BeerX taking place on Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th March 2026.
The SIBA Business Awards 2025
Northern Ireland’s Bullhouse Brewing Co took home the top award in the SIBA Business Awards 2025 –being named Brewery Business of the Year 2025, after also winning the Commercial Achievement and Best City Pub Awards, in what was an historic evening for the Belfast brewery.
“We’re thrilled to win the award it’s a huge recognition for the work that the team do, and also with the challenges in the Northern Ireland beer market for any Northern Irish brewery to be recognised on a UK wide platform is massive for us – To get that recognition and to be put on the map as a business.” William Mayne, Bullhouse Brew Co.
Presenting the awards was Sunday Times columnist and beer author Pete Brown, who commented “Judges were hugely impressed
Northern Ireland’s Bullhouse Brewing Co named Brewery Business of the Year 2025 in ‘Oscar’s of the Beer Industry’ – SIBA Business Awards 2025
by Bullhouse’s ability to grow a thriving brewing business under incredibly tough trading conditions, and with the bright, modern, but welcoming atmosphere they have created at Bullhouse East. Bullhouse are a true community asset for Belfast and a worthy winner of SIBA’s Brewery Business of the Year 2025.”
Another big winner on the night was LIverpool’s Colbier, who were named the UK’s “Best new independent brewery” for their impressive impact since launching in 2024.
The SIBA Business Awards 2025 also include a brand new ‘Diversity Champion of the Year’ Award in partnership with industry group Women on Tap. The new award celebrates independent breweries who have made equity, diversity and inclusivity a central part of their business – be that with a focus on gender, sexual orientation, race
and ethnicity, socioeconomic background, disability, neurodiversity, or age. The Award was given to Hand Brew Co, with judges congratulating the “level of care and attention they put into ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusivity was thought about in every aspect of their business. Their practical and thorough approach is a superb benchmark for other small breweries to aspire to.”
Joining Rachel Auty from Women on Tap on the expert judging panel for 2025 were SIBA Head of Comms & Marketing Neil Walker, SIBA Events & Marketing Officer Megan Brecken, SIBA Non-Exec Director Laura Mackie UKHospitality Strategic Affairs Director Tony Sophoclides, Indie Brewer Magazine Editor Caroline Nodder, CAMRA Chief Commercial Officer Tony Lewis, and SIBA’s Chief Executive Andy Slee, who chaired the panel.
MARKETING IMPLEMENTATION
WINNER Siren
HIGHLY COMMENDED Hand Brew Co
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
WINNER Bristol Beer Factory
HIGHLY COMMENDED Hogs Back / Tap Social
BEST CONCEPT DESIGN
WINNER Campervan
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
WINNER Stroud Brewery
BEST INDIVIDUAL DESIGN
WINNER Hackney Church Brew Co
HIGHLY COMMENDED Queer Brewing
BUSINESS
INNOVATION
WINNER Thornbridge
COMMERCIAL ACHIEVEMENT
WINNER Bullhouse
HIGHLY COMMENDED Bollington Social
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
WINNER Abbeydale
UK’S BEST NEW INDEPENDENT BREWERY
WINNER Colbier
DIVERSITY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
WINNER Hand Brew Co
BEST COLLABORATION
WINNER Charles Faram X Bristol Beer Factory
UK’S BEST INDEPENDENT BREWERY TAPROOM
WINNER Brew York
UK’S BEST INDEPENDENT BREWERY WEBSHOP
WINNER Orbit
UK’S BEST INDEPENDENT BEER BAR OR PUB – CITY
BREWERS’ BREWER OF THE YEAR 2025
UK’S BEST INDEPENDENT BEER RETAILER
UK’S BEST INDEPENDENT BEER BAR OR PUB – RURAL
SUPPLIER ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR 2025
Festival Glass
WINNER Bullhouse East, Belfast
WINNER Northstowe Tap & Social, Northstowe
WINNER The Epicurean
WINNER Georgina Young, St Austell
WINNER
National Beer Competitions Cask
SIBA's Independent Beer Awards are the UK's biggest independent craft beer competition - featuring cask, craft keg, bottle and canned beers.
Having won their regional competitions, the breweries featured here are the winners of our National competition which took place at BeerX UK, where beers from across the UK go head to head to be crowned the overall Champion across a wide variety of styles.
Cask Session Dark Beer
Cask British Bitter
Overall Champion of the Cask Competition
Cask British Dark Beer
Cask British Best Bitter
Sponsored
Cask Session Pale Ale
Sponsored by: Rankin Brother & Sons
Cask Pale Ale
Sponsored
Cask IPA
Cask Speciality Light Beer
Sponsored
Cask Speciality Amber to Dark Beer
Cask Imperial & Strong Beer
Sponsored
National Beer Competitions
Bottle & Can
Overall Champion of the Bottle & Can Competition
Bottle & Can Non-Alcoholic & Low ABV
Bottle & Can Session Lager
Bottle & Can Premium Lager
Bottle & Can British Ales
Bottle & Can Session Pale Ale
Sponsored by: Core Equipment
Bottle & Can IPA Sponsored
Bottle & Can Speciality IPA
Bottle & Can Pale Ale
Sponsored
Bottle & Can Double & Triple IPA
Sponsored
Bottle & Can Amber, Brown & Red Ale
Sponsored
Bottle & Can Sour & Wild Ale
Sponsored
Bottle & Can Speciality & Flavoured Beer
Sponsored
National Beer Competitions
Overall Champion of the Keg Competition
Keg Non-Alcoholic & Low ABV
Sponsored
Keg Session Lager
Keg Premium Lager
Keg British Ales
Keg
Session Pale Ale
Sponsored by: Konvoy UK
G GOLD: The Park Brewery Ltd Amelia 4.2%
S SILVER: Rooster's Brewing Co, Easy-Going Assassin 4.3%
B BRONZE: Rebellion Beer Co. Ltd. Hazy Pale 4.3%
Keg IPA
Sponsored by: Close Brothers Brewery Rentals
G GOLD: Quantock Brewery We are gunna need a bigger boat 6.3%
S SILVER: RedWillow Brewery Ltd Perceptionless 6.6%
B BRONZE: Baker’s Dozen Brewing Co. Ltd 12 Second Panda 6.0%
Keg Speciality IPA
Sponsored by: Certuss (UK)
G GOLD: Artefact Brewing Kviek Black IPA 6.5%
S SILVER: Rooster's Brewing Co Tropical Assassin 6.1%
B BRONZE: Windsor and Eton Brewery Uprising's Caught By The Fuzz 5.0%
Keg
Pale Ale
Sponsored by: Muntons PLC
G GOLD: Baker’s Dozen Brewing Co. Ltd Undertow 4.8 %
S SILVER: SALT Huck A Back 5.5%
B BRONZE: Castle Rock DDH Pale: Citra 5.0%
Keg Double & Triple IPA
Sponsored by: Microcan
G GOLD: City Pub Group - King Street Brew House Seeing Double 8.0%
S SILVER: Liquid Light Brew Co Entertain Us 9.2% B BRONZE: Hand Brew Co Evil 3 11.5%
Keg Amber, Brown & Red Ale
Sponsored by: Murphy & Son Ltd
G GOLD: Elusive Brewing Level Up - Level 32: Citra & Centennial 5.0%
S SILVER: Leigh on Sea Brewery Six Little Ships 4.2%
B BRONZE: Hobsons Brewery The Champion 3.2%
Keg Stout & Porter
Sponsored by: Crisp Malting Group
G
Keg Sour & Wild Ale
Sponsored by: SIBA
Keg Speciality & Flavoured Beer
Sponsored by: SIBA
Keg Imperial & Strong Ale
Sponsored by: SIBA
Keg Continental Style Beer
Sponsored by:
SIBA South West Independent Cask Beer Awards 2025
Overall Champion of the Cask Beer Competition
G GOLD: Moor Beer Company Limited Old Freddy Walker 7.3%
S SILVER: Tintagel Brewery Caliburn 5.8%
B BRONZE: The Twisted Brewing Co. Ltd Heritage 3.4%
Cask Imperial & Strong Beer (6.5% and over)
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Moor Beer Company Limited Old Freddy Walker 7.3%
S SILVER: Copperhead Ales Black Flamingo 8.2%
B BRONZE: Branscombe Vale Brewery Cheffers Old Ruby Ale 7.3%
Cask Speciality Amber to Dark Beer Sponsored by UB Plastics
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Summerskills Brewery Urban Brew 4.1%
S SILVER: Hanlons Brewery Vanilla Stout 4.2%
S SILVER: The Twisted Brewing Co. Ltd Finnegan’s No.1 4.4%
Cask Speciality Light Beer Sponsored by UB Plastics
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Branscombe Vale Brewery Ex097 3.8%
B BRONZE: Hop Back Brewery Taiphoon 4.2%
Cask British Dark Beer
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Tintagel Brewery Caliburn 5.8%
S SILVER: Stonehenge Ales Old Smokey 5.0%
S SILVER: Chemistry Brewing Deep Roots 4.8%
Cask British Best Bitter Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Teignmouth Brewery Seine Ale 5.5%
G GOLD: The Twisted Brewing Co. Ltd Gaucho 4.6%
S SILVER: Utopian Brewing Best Bitter 4.6%
S SILVER: Stonehenge Ales Great Bustard 4.8%
B BRONZE: Dartmoor Brewery Jail Ale 4.8%
Cask
Pale Ale Sponsored by GEA
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: The Twisted Brewing Co. Ltd Canteen Cowboy 4.5%
B BRONZE: Summerskills Brewery Akela IPA 4.8%
Cask Session Dark Beer
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: The Twisted Brewing Co. Ltd Heritage 3.4%
S SILVER: Country Life Brewery Old Appledore 3.7%
S SILVER: Rude Giant Brew Co. Oat Stout 4.2%
B BRONZE: Hanlons Brewery Devon Darkness 4.2%
B BRONZE: Nuttycombe TA Cotleigh Red Kite 4.1%
B BRONZE: Three Daggers Brewery Ethandun 878 4.3%
B BRONZE: Isle of Purbeck Brewery Purbeck Porter 4.4%
Cask British Bitter Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Branscombe Vale Brewery Summathis 4.2%
B BRONZE: Twisted Oak Brewery Fallen Tree 3.8%
B BRONZE: Wilful Beer TA TQ Beerworks Lord Twiggington’s Best Bitter 4.2%
B BRONZE: Teignmouth Brewery Portside 4.3%
Cask Session Pale Ale Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Stannary Brewing Co
All That Jazz 4.2%
S SILVER: St Ives Brewery Hella Pale Ale 4.2%
S SILVER: Powderkeg Speak Easy 4.3%
B BRONZE: Arkells Brewery Belt driver IPA 4.2%
B BRONZE: Padstow Brewing Co Pocket Rocket 4.0%
B BRONZE: Tintagel Brewery Sir Lancelot 4.2%
B BRONZE: Exmoor Ales Ltd Wicked Wolf 4.2%
Cask IPA (5.6% and over)
Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: South Hams Brewery Sherman 6.4%
B BRONZE: St Austell Brewery Big Job 7.2%
B BRONZE: Cheddar Ales Ltd Goats Leap 5.6%
B BRONZE: Stannary Brewing Co Shine On 5.6%
SIBA South West Independent Keg Beer Awards 2025
Overall Champion of the Keg Beer Competition
G GOLD: Utopian Brewing Limited Doppelbock 7.5%
S SILVER: Salcombe Brewery Co. Island Street Porter 5.9%
B BRONZE: Wilful Beer Cascadian 5.0%
Keg Imperial and Strong (6.5% and over)
Sponsored by Bulk Systems
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Utopian Brewing Limited Doppelbock 7.5%
Keg IPA (5.6% and over)
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Stannary Brewing Co Shine On 5.8%
B BRONZE: St Ives Brewery ALORA 6.0%
B BRONZE: Quantock Brewery We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat 6.3%
B BRONZE: Wilful Beer RetrIBUtion 6.5%
Keg Stout & Porter (up to 6.4%)
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Salcombe Brewery Co. Island Street Porter 5.9%
S SILVER: Rude Giant Brew Co Nitro Oat Stout 4.2%
S SILVER: Wilful Beer Abyssus Stout 5.2%
B BRONZE: Electric Bear Brewing Co Inspector Remorse 4.7%
B BRONZE: Exeter Brewery Darkness Keg 5.1%
B BRONZE: Moor Beer Company Limited Stout 5.0%
Keg Double & Triple IPA (7.5% and over)
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Wilful Beer Kush 7.5%
S SILVER: Quantock Brewery An Even Bigger Boat 7.5%
B BRONZE: King Street Brew House Seeing Double 8.0%
Keg Premium Lager (4.5 to 6.4%) Sponsored by UB Plastics
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Utopian Brewing Premium Lager 4.7%
B BRONZE: Rude Giant Brew Co Rude Lager 4.5%
Keg Continental Style Beer
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: St Austell Brewery korev 4.8%
Keg British Ales (up to 6.4%)
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Exeter Brewery EX4 (West Country IPA) 4.8%
S SILVER: Liberation Brewing Company Liberation Best 3.6%
Keg Pale Ales (4.4 to 5.5%)
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Electric Bear Brewing Co Tondo 5.0%
B BRONZE: Firebrand Brewing Limited Thundercloud Hazy IPA 5.5%
B BRONZE: South Hams Brewery Sundown 4.5%
Keg
Sour & Wild Ale
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Stannary Brewing Co Laughing at Clouds 4.5%
Keg Speciality IPA
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Wilful Beer Cascadian 5.0%
B BRONZE: Hop Union Brewery Bloody Nora 4.7%
Keg Speciality and Flavoured Beer
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Padstow Brewing Co The Smoke 4.5%
G GOLD: Moor Beer Company Limited Smokey Horyzon 5.0%
S SILVER: King Street Brew House Take the Pêche 4.0%
S SILVER: New Bristol Brewery Double Choc Beetroot Cake Stout 6.0%
Keg Session Pale Ale (up to 4.4%)
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Wilful Beer Fructus 4.0%
B BRONZE: Bays Brewery Devon Cove
Ale 4.1%
BRONZE: Lyme Regis Brewery 104 4.2%
BRONZE: Liberation Brewing Company Liberation Waverider 4.2%
Keg Session Lager (up to 4.4%) Sponsored by UB Plastics
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Bridgehouse Brewery Nelson Sauvin 4.5%
G GOLD: Chantry Brewery
Kaldo 6.0%
G GOLD: Firebrick Brewery
Propa Belta 4.6%
S SILVER: Rooster’s Brewing Co. Nectar 5.2%
S SILVER: Goose Eye Brewery Ltd.
Pommies Revenge 5.2%
S SILVER: Wold Top Brewery Wold Gold 4.8%
B BRONZE: Harrogate Brewing Co
Beeching Axe IPA 5.2%
B BRONZE: Ossett Brewing Limited
Excelsius 5.0%
B BRONZE: Great Newsome Brewery
Tod’s Blonde 5.0%
B BRONZE: Jolly Sailor Brewery
Sailors Gold 4.5%
Cask IPA (5.6% and over)
Sponsored by: Rankin Brothers & Sons
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Almasty Brewing Company Believe 6.0%
S SILVER: Firebrick Brewery Pacific 6.0%
B BRONZE: Wold Top Brewery Scarborough Fair IPA 6.0%
B BRONZE: Thirsty Moose Brewing co. Oot n’ Aboot 5.6%
Cask Speciality Light Beers
Sponsored by: UB Plastics
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Twice Brewed Brew House LLP Number of the Yeast 6.66%
B BRONZE: Allendale Brewery Adder 5.0%
B BRONZE: Wensleydale Brewery Next Horizon 3.8%
Cask Speciality Amber to Dark Beer
Sponsored by: UB Plastics
G OVERALL CHAMPION - GOLD: Ossett Brewing Limited Voodoo 5.0%
S SILVER: Brew York Tonkoko 4.3%
B BRONZE: Thirsty Moose Brewing co. Canny Canuck 4.5%
B BRONZE: Twice Brewed Brew House LLP Year In Hibernation 8.7%
B BRONZE: Jolly Sailor Brewery Captain Toffee Stout 4.6%
B BRONZE: Chin Chin Brewing Co Ltd Fuzzy Feelings 5.4%
B BRONZE: Yorkshire Heart Pinot Porter 7.0%
Cask Imperial and Strong
(6.5% and over)
Sponsored by: Bulk Systems
S OVERALL CHAMPION - SILVER: Twice Brewed Brew House LLP Main Offender 8.5%
www.certuss-emx.com/en
Against the Grain
Apex Brewing Co’s Sadie Wilkins explains why the brewery is doubling down on British beer, community, and a bold rural future…
Let’s be honest — launching a brewery right now could seem like madness. With closures across the industry, cost pressures mounting, and a government that seems to have left pubs and producers in the lurch, the odds aren’t exactly stacked in our favour.
But here on Patson Hill Farm, we’re not ones to shy away from a challenge. In fact, we’re doing quite the opposite — we’re building Apex Brewing Co. with eyes wide open, sleeves rolled up, and one goal in mind: to make world-class beer with British-grown ingredients, right here in Dorset, and to bring people together around it.
Apex isn’t just another brewery. We’re a motoring-mad, flavour-obsessed, fiercely independent team with deep roots in the Southwest and a real love for beer that tells a story. Everything we do — from our branding to our brews — is about precision, performance and a bit of petrolhead swagger. But under the bonnet, there’s real craft and community at play.
So, what exactly are we doing up here on the hill?
Well, for starters, we’ve built a state-ofthe-art brewhouse — custom designed,
We’ve spent the last year building strong routes to market, developing trade partnerships, planning a pipeline of Apex-owned venues, and assembling an experienced, battlehardened team who’ve seen this industry from every angle.
British-made, and ready to roll. Our beers are unfiltered, unfined, and driven by local ingredients from British farms — including our own. We’re not chasing trends or copying styles. We’re carving our own racing line: bold, drinkable beers with texture, flavour and proper balance.
And yes, we know the road is bumpy out there. But we’re not going in blind. We’ve spent the last year building strong routes to market, developing trade partnerships, planning a pipeline of Apex-owned venues, and assembling an experienced, battlehardened team who’ve seen this industry from every angle. We were at the SIBA Beer Report Conference just weeks ago — and while the challenges were loud and clear, so was the message: there is a future for beer, if you’re willing to build it your way.
That’s exactly what we’re doing.
We’ve got a taproom in the works — a proper local destination set against the backdrop of rolling Dorset hills, just down the track from the brewhouse. But we’re also making sure it’s accessible — which is why we’re running The Growler: our old-school British Leyland minibus turned beer shuttle. It’s wrapped to look like a pint on wheels, and it’ll be free to book for locals who want to join us at the taproom once it’s open. Because if you’re going to build something special in a rural place, you’ve got to get people to it.
At Apex, we’re flying the flag for independent British beer. We believe in flavour, in farming, in people. And we believe the best way to keep this industry alive is to build something strong, visible, and rooted — pint by pint, place by place.
We’re not following the pack. We’re building a new line. And we’re just getting started.
Apex Brewing Co. is based on a working farm (Patson Hill Farm) just outside Sherborne in Dorset. Sadie and the boozy ‘pit crew’ are building a state-of-the-art modern brewery with a local heart and a hazy future – due to launch this summer.
Find out more at www.apexbrewing.co
Rooster’s marks 10 Years of canning with new-look core range
Rooster’s Brewing Co is marking a decade of canning its beers with a refreshed look for the brewery’s year-round range.
In late 2014, the Harrogate-based brewery became the first of its size outside of London, and the first in Yorkshire, to install a canning line. A small range of three beers were the first to come off the line launched into the market shortly after.
One of these beers was Baby-Faced Assassin, Rooster’s flagship IPA, which has gone on to become a bestseller and is currently listed by ASDA, Booths and Morrisons.
The IPA has also gone on to become the brewery’s most decorated beer, picking up awards at small pack competitions; both on the national and international stage.
Rooster’s has unveiled a refreshed, new look for its core range of beers, covering cask pump clips, keg badges and can artwork, including updated 4-packs of Baby-Faced Assassin –available in ASDA.
With a ‘modern classic’ approach at the heart of the rebrand, the new artwork features a bold new typeface, and block colouring.
In the decade since canning for the first time, cans have become a staple of Rooster’s business and have proven to help revolutionise the brewery. A cask focussed brewery until 2014, the installation of Rooster’s first canning helped to spearhead growth and played a large part in the decision to upscale and relocate the brewery back to its original hometown of Harrogate in 2019.
Tom Fozard, Rooster’s Operations Director, said: “Rooster’s branding has evolved several times since being established in 1993. The latest update is sympathetic to what’s been in place for the past five or so years, drawing on what’s worked for us up until this point, but with an injection colour and a stronger set of fonts to help our beers stand out that little bit more.”
In April, a new, gluten free offshoot of Baby-Faced Assassin was released in 440ml can. Hazy-Faced Assassin, a 5.7% hazy IPA, as the name suggests, carries the same deceptively-drinkable clout as its namesake, albeit delivering a much softer and lighter experience appropriate with the style.
Vocation Brewery unveils Hilltop Lager on draught for pubs
“At the time, many viewed cans as an option only for larger breweries,” Tom Fozard recalls. “Inspired by the initial craft beer scene that developed in the US, investing in a canning line to able to package our beers ourselves aligned perfectly with our desire to control the quality of our beer from start to finish, grow the business and reach more drinkers. A decade on, we’re proud to have been at the forefront of what went on to become an industry-wide shift towards cans being the preferred package type when it comes to independently brewed craft beer.”
Find out more at www.roosters.co.uk
Yorkshire-based Vocation Brewery, known for its bold and flavourful craft beers, is bringing its new premium lager, Hilltop, to the on-trade in a keg format with supporting branded glassware.
Inspired by the brewery’s iconic hilltop location, Hilltop Lager marks a major step in Vocation Brewery’s next phase of growth by appealing to lager drinkers seeking authentic flavour and genuine craft quality.
Hilltop Lager is a crisp and refreshing 4.3% ABV lager that combines flavour and substance, with easy-drinking approachability. Crafted for those who seek authenticity in their beer, Hilltop Lager is perfect for today’s quality-conscious drinkers, whilst also paying homage to the brewery’s humble beginnings in an old chicken shed high up on a hill, 1,000 feet above sea level.
As a premium beer designed to appeal to new consumers and across a broad range of on-trade drinking occasions, Hilltop Lager provides pubs and bars with a fresh and bold new offering that embodies the brewery’s long-standing belief that great-tasting, bold and beautiful beer should be for the many.
Chris Mitchell, Marketing Manager at Vocation Brewery, said: “Hilltop Lager is a tribute to where we started – a small independent brewery founded 1,000 feet above sea level in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire.
“We wanted to capture that sense of adventure and resilience that has always been a part of our story. This lager isn’t just refreshing, it’s brewed with purpose, and we’re thrilled to be offering pub and bar drinkers a premium beer that’s as authentic and bold as our beginnings.”
Find out more at www.vocationbrewery.com
Bays digs deep for tigers with charity brew ‘Claw’
Earlier this year, the team at family-run Bays Brewery traded hops for shovels when they joined staff digging years of debris out of an old pool in the enclosure housing Paignton Zoo’s Sumatran tigers. Now, the Paignton-based brewery has unleashed ‘Claw’ (4.3% ABV) – a bold new charity beer brewed in partnership with the Devon visitor attraction that is sure to have tastebuds roaring. Available in bottles, cask and beer boxes, the copper-coloured pale ale is fierce in flavour with purr-fectly balanced citrus tones and refreshing fruity notes.
But there’s more to this pint than its ferocious flavour, with Bays pledging 5% of every pint and bottle sold to support wildlife conservation, adding to the impressive £28,500 it has raised to date.
The latest in a long line-up of limited-edition
‘animal’ ales brewed in partnership with the zoo, ‘Claw’ has been launched to celebrate the zoo’s plans to restore a pond system for its water-loving big cats.
In February, brave Bays team members got their paws dirty when they were invited to the zoo for a ‘lock-in’ of a different kind, kickstarting the pool clean-out from inside the tiger enclosure itself.
Director of Bays Brewery, Peter Salmon, said: “Our partnership with Paignton Zoo began way back in 2013 and it has always been about more than just brewing great beer together – it’s about helping protect some of the world’s most incredible wildlife.
“We are delighted to be teaming up again in 2025 with ‘Claw’ - a beer that packs a real punch – bold, refreshing, and brewed for a brilliant cause. We can’t wait for people to get their paws on it via our online shop, with ‘Claw’
also available in the zoo’s café and shop, and pubs and bars across Devon.”
‘Claw’ is one of four charity brews being served up by the family-run brewery which is giving back to the Devon community throughout 2025 with four limited-edition charity brews. Launching in July, its third charity beer ‘Ahoy’ will be a gorgeous golden ale supporting the courageous crew who keep the Bay’s coastlines safe, with proceeds going to Torbay Lifeboats (RNLI).
Completing the charity line-up in November will be the return of the brewery’s popular ‘Jingle Ale’, a ho-ho hoppy bitter that will once again support Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).
Find out more at www.baysbrewery.co.uk
Mauldons Brewery’s head brewer crafts his 25 millionth pint
Mauldons Brewery, Suffolk’s oldest brewery, celebrated a remarkable milestone this Spring as its legendary Head Brewer, Steve Birch, celebrated brewing 25,000,000 pints.
Having dedicated nearly 45 years to perfecting the art of brewing at Mauldons, Steve is believed to hold the record for the longest tenure at a single brewery in the UK—a feat that underpins his unparalleled expertise and passion.
Since joining Mauldons in the early 1980s, Steve has been instrumental in shaping the brewery’s reputation for quality and consistency. Under his guidance, Mauldons has expanded its seasonal specials from four
to 12 brews annually, keeping the range fresh and innovative while continuing to produce its award-winning core ales.
Steve said: "Reaching 25 million pints is a huge milestone, but I’m not done yet! I’m excited to keep pushing the boundaries with new brews while staying true to the traditional techniques that make Mauldons’ beers what they are."
One of Mauldons’ flagship brews, Black Adder, crowned Champion Beer of Britain in 1991, remains a cornerstone of the brewery’s heritage. Its enduring popularity is a testament to the timeless appeal of Steve’s craftsmanship.
The brewery is also celebrating 50% growth in
its pub trade over the past year, highlighting the rising demand for its authentic, locally brewed ales. This growth has been driven by both its classic range and an expanding portfolio of creative seasonal specials.
Charlie Buckle, Owner of Mauldons Brewery, said: “Steve’s dedication and skill have been the heartbeat of Mauldons for over four decades. To brew 25 million pints at a single brewery is an extraordinary achievement—one we believe is unmatched in the UK. His passion for traditional brewing methods, paired with a drive for innovation, is the reason our beers continue to win fans year after year.”
Find out more at www.mauldons.co.uk
Hogs Back Brewery and Renegade Brewery launch ‘Home Grown’
Pale Ale in 160 Waitrose stores across
Hogs Back Brewery and Renegade Brewery have teamed up to create a unique new beer, Home Grown Pale Ale. Available in 160 Waitrose stores across the UK, this collaboration is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, combining barley grown by one brewery, with hops cultivated by the other, to craft a truly Home Grown brew.
The launch highlights the increasing demand for sustainable, locally sourced products and reflects both breweries’ commitment to reducing their environmental impact. This collaboration marks a milestone in the ‘farm brewing’ movement, where brewers cultivate their own ingredients, fostering a deeper connection to the land and resulting in beers with distinctive quality and flavour.
Renegade Brewery has sourced barley from the expansive 10,000-acre Yattendon Estate in Berkshire, while Hogs Back Brewery has been growing its own hops in Surrey for over a decade. By joining forces, the two breweries are creating a sustainable, artisanal beer that showcases the exceptional local ingredients from neighbouring regions.
the UK
Miles Chesterman, Managing Director of Hogs Back Brewery, said: "We are incredibly proud of Home Grown Pale Ale, a beer that truly embodies the quality and craftsmanship we strive for at Hogs Back Brewery. By growing our own hops and collaborating with Renegade Brewery, who grow their own barley, we've created a beer that not only tastes exceptional but also has a minimal environmental impact. Partnering with Renegade and Waitrose has been a fantastic journey, and we are excited to bring this beautiful, artisanal product to craft beer lovers across the UK."
Martin Kelly, Managing Director of Renegade Brewery, said: “As consumers increasingly prioritise sustainability, it made perfect sense to partner with the local Hogs Back Brewery and Waitrose to create Home Grown. We're proud to champion British ingredients, and Home Grown perfectly showcases the incredible produce available right here in the UK. By reducing food miles, we not only support British farming but also contribute to a more sustainable future.'"
Find out more at www.hogsback.co.uk and www.renegadebrewery.co.uk
Hackney Church Brew Co launches crowdfunding campaign for expansion, including new brewery and bigger taproom
Hackney Church Brew Co (HCBC), the beloved Londonbased independent brewery, has announced the launch of a crowdfunding campaign to support its exciting expansion plans. As part of the project, HCBC will be relocating its brewing operations to a larger, purposebuilt facility in a vibrant destination area known for its thriving indie beer scene, all while maintaining its iconic Hackney location.
The new brewery will have an impressive initial increase of their existing capacity of 200HL, ensuring HCBC can continue to craft exceptional award-winning brews for its growing fanbase. The stateof-the-art brewery will feature a purpose-built taproom, creating a welcoming space for beer enthusiasts to enjoy HCBC’s unique offerings. Located in one of London’s most popular areas for craft beer lovers, the new site is poised to become a major hub in the indie beer community.
Meanwhile, HCBC's award-winning Hackney taproom will undergo a significant expansion, doubling in size. This upgrade will allow for increased covers, private events, and live entertainment – all designed to enhance the experience for visitors and foster a deeper connection between the brewery and its loyal supporters. By contributing to HCBC's crowdfunding campaign, supporters will play a direct role in making this exciting expansion a reality. Rewards for backers include exclusive limited-edition t-shirts, a personalized name on the Founder’s Wall, immersive brew day experiences, the chance to name your own beer, and even a lighthearted signed photo of HCBC’s Head Brewer, complete with his trademark shorts.
“We’re thrilled to offer our supporters the chance to be part of this exciting new chapter for Hackney Church Brew Co,” said Hamish Glenn, MD of HCBC. “The new brewery will allow us to scale up and create even more amazing beers, while our expanded taproom will provide a bigger, better space for our community to come together. We can’t wait to see our vision come to life with the help of our loyal fans.”
HCBC’s new brewery is set to open by late summer 2025, with brewing operations beginning immediately thereafter. To support this ambitious project, HCBC is inviting fans, beer lovers, and community members to participate in their crowdfunding campaign and help bring this dream to fruition.
For more information visit www.hackneychurchbrew.co
Hesket Newmarket Brewery and a very special celebration
The Building Societies Association (BSA) has teamed up with cooperatively-owned Hesket Newmarket Brewery to craft a special commemorative beer, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the world’s first known building society, founded in a Birmingham pub in 1775.
The story goes that Richard Ketley, landlord of the Golden Cross Inn, Birmingham, invited his regulars to save a little each week until they could afford to buy land and build one of them a house. The group drew lots to decide who would get the first house, then they all kept saving and building until each of them had a new home. The first building society in the world had been born, based on the principles of mutual support and financial cooperation.
To celebrate these historic beginnings, the BSA and Hesket Newmarket Brewery have crafted Ketley’s Golden Cross, a classic English golden ale.
Head Brewer Shane Kirk has created a traditional Golden Ale using predominantly
Welbeck Abbey Brewery launched lager ‘Wildcat’
‘Wildcat’ is Welbeck Abbey’s response to the growing popularity of craft lager. This beer style is a firm favourite with drinkers far and wide, hunting for a cold beer of impeccable quality and authentic flavour.
The Scottish Wildcat, known locally as the 'Highland Tiger', is an elusive animal, iconic of the Scottish Highlands. Whilst they are exceedingly rare, the name of Welbeck’s Scottish estate, Caithness, is derived from ‘Kat Ness,’ referring to the feline inhabitants which were once prevalent.
‘Wildcat’ is a bright craft lager brewed using cold fermentation and slow maturation to produce a first-class, refreshingly crisp yet full-bodied lager. Fresh hop aromas are complimented by a sweet, malt backbone in this natural, unfined and unfiltered beer.
James Gladman and Tom Roe, brewers from Welbeck Abbey Brewery said: “Wildcat comes on the back of our first successful foray into craft lager last year. We are using a specialist strain of yeast and authentic German hops balanced with a biscuity British malt base to deliver a high quality, sessionable lager.”
Wildcat is available in craft keg and bottle.
Find out more at www.welbeckabbeybrewery.co.uk
classic English hop varieties as a base and a good dose of US Citra hops to give the beer a modern twist. The addition of oats gives a smooth finish, making Ketley's Golden Cross a very sessionable beer.
This collaboration reflects a broader movement towards expanding the cooperative and mutual sector—a goal supported by the government’s manifesto commitment to doubling its size. With customer-owned building societies rooted in local communities across the UK, and Hesket Newmarket Brewery embodying the same cooperative spirit, this partnership was a natural fit.
Richard Lowth, Chairman of Hesket Newmarket Brewery said: “We are delighted to work with the Building Societies Association to brew a commemorative golden ale for this very special anniversary. As a co-operatively-owned microbrewery, one of the first in the country, we are proud that our business embodies the ethos and the benefits of community ownership.”
Find out more at www.hesketbrewery.co.uk
40FT Brewery is now a Certified B Corporation!
When 40FT started brewing, their goal was simple: make great beer that brings people together.
Beginning in upcycled shipping containers in a disused car park, sustainability was a core part of their story from day one. As they’ve grown, so has their vision of what it means to be a good business — from how they source ingredients, eg. the early decision to be a KeyKeg-free brewery, to learning what it means to be a responsible and supportive employer.
So what does B Corp certification mean?
It means 40FT is not just focused on brewing the perfect pint; the brewery is committed to doing it in a way that’s good for their people,
community, and planet. The brewery joins a global community of businesses who believe that profit and purpose can go hand in hand.
Becoming a B Corp wasn’t just a box-ticking exercise. It meant looking closely at every part of the operation — from governance and sustainability, to how 40FT treats its team, chooses suppliers, and engages with its community — and pushing to do better.
Some examples of this include:
- Reducing water consumption to 3:1 litres of water per beer where the industry average is 5:1.
- Reducing the brewers working week to 4 days while keeping their 5 day salary
- Implementing new company policies to put in writing the commitment to put sustainability and doing good as a focus.
The brewery’s co-founder Steve Ryan said: “This certification holds us accountable — not just to make great beer, but to use beer as a force for good. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who’s been part of this journey: our brilliant team, our local community, and every single person who’s ever raised a glass with us. This is just the beginning. We’re excited to keep pushing forward and proving that independent beer can be a force for good.”
Find out more at www.40ftbrewery.com
Sulwath Brewers celebrates three decades in the industry
2025 marks a proud milestone for Sulwath Brewers — 30 years since the family first fired up the mash tun on the banks of the Solway Firth.
What started as a local dream has grown into one of Scotland’s longeststanding independent breweries. Founded in 1995 by the Henderson family, Sulwath Brewers is now supported by the third generation, working alongside the second generation who continue to lead the business. Sulwath has always stood for honest, handcrafted beer with a strong sense of place. From Criffel — the flagship 4.6% IPA named after the hill that stood watch over the original site — to modern favourites like new Moffat Toffee Golden Ale, the beers are deeply rooted in the stories and landscapes of Dumfries & Galloway. The anniversary year is more than a celebration for the family — it’s a recommitment to what has always made the brewery different: brewing with integrity, sourcing locally wherever possible, and keeping a focus on quality over trends.
Find out more at www.sulwathbrewers.co.uk
INDEPENDENT FAMILY MALTSTERS SINCE 1809
• 30 Different Malts
• Manufacturing Quality Malts for Over 200 Years
• Roasted & Floor Made Malts
+44 (0)1977 552490
www.fawcett-maltsters.co.uk
sales@fawcett-maltsters.co.uk
Eastfield Lane, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 4LE, United Kingdom
Rob Smith, Hayley Young & David Smith Office Telephone: 01904 233418 enquiries@brewingservices.co.uk www.brewingservices.co.uk
Arkell’s Launches Jack’s Juicy IPA
Arkell’s Brewery has launched Jack’s Juicy IPA, a brandnew, modern, hop-forward beer created by Arkell’s Brewing Operative Jack Bridgman, as part of his brewing apprenticeship.
The beer was officially launched at The Moonrakers pub in Swindon, where Arkell’s Beer Champions from Managed Houses and the Chair of Swindon & North Wilts CAMRA branch were among the first to sample it.
This 4.5% ABV India Pale Ale is packed with tropical fruit flavours, showcasing an exciting new hop variety, Krush, which has never been used at the brewery before.
Jack, who has been with Arkell’s since 2012, designed the beer this year as part of his apprenticeship, which covers every aspect of brewing - from raw materials and fermentation to recipe development.
Tasked by his university to create a beer from scratch, he meticulously calculated every detail, from malt sugar extraction to hop bitterness levels, ensuring the final product delivers a perfectly balanced, flavourful pint.
When designing Jack’s Juicy IPA, Jack wanted to create a beer that fell into the bracket of IPA, NEIPA (New England IPA). Understanding that the key to these styles is a light malt base that allows hop flavours to shine, he carefully selected a blend of Maris Otter, Cara Malt, and Wheat Malt. This combination provides enough body and mouthfeel without overpowering the hops.
From concept to cask, Jack’s Juicy IPA is Jack’s own creation. Pouring a pale golden hue, it bursts with tropical fruit aromas of guava and peach, complemented by bright citrus and lemon flavours. The key to its juicy character is Krush, a new hop variety that brings bold, modern fruitforward notes.
Speaking about his first solo brew, Jack said: “Designing this beer has been a huge learning experience. I wanted something fresh, vibrant, and full of tropical fruit character, and Krush hops gave me exactly that. Once the recipe was complete, Alex Arkell and I reviewed it together and decided it would be perfect as one of Arkell’s special ales this year. Seeing it go from an idea on paper to a beer pouring in Arkell’s pubs is an amazing feeling.”
Head Brewer Alex Arkell praised Jack’s achievement, saying: “We’re incredibly proud of Jack and the dedication he’s shown in creating this exciting beer as part of his brewing qualification. His knowledge, passion, and attention to detail shine through in Jack’s Juicy IPA and this is a milestone achievement in Jack’s brewing journey. It’s set to be a superb flavour bomb - a fantastic, modern take on an IPA. We’re all really excited for our customers to try it.”
Find out more at www.arkells.com
Brains Brewery has launched a revolutionary new brew called Boudicca, set to captivate beer lovers with its unique blend of taste, passion, and history.
The 5% porter, created by 25-year-old female brewer Rochelle Pinto, hit the pumps at over 450 Wetherspoons pubs nationwide as part of their Spring Beer Festival in March, marking the first step in what is expected to be an exciting journey for the ale.
Inspired by the fierce warrior queen Boudicca, known for her strength and resilience, this dark brown/black beer delivers a taste of roasted
malts, dark chocolate, sweet caramel, with a hint of toffee.
Rochelle is a rising star in the world of brewing. She joined Brains as a Laboratory Technician in 2024 after studying an MSc in Brewing Science at the University of Nottingham, and has crafted Boudicca with a blend of locally sourced ingredients that produce a smooth, balanced, and refreshingly complex flavour.
Rochelle said: "Brewing has traditionally been a male-dominated field, so I wanted to create something that was not only unique in taste but also a symbol of the power and resilience of women in the brewing world.”
Brains Managing Director Nick Payne said:
“Boudicca is a porter with a purpose – it brings both quality and character to the table. Brains is proud to support brewers like Rochelle, offering a platform to showcase their creations to beer lovers.
“I’m thrilled to see it now available in Wetherspoons pubs across the UK, where people can enjoy it and celebrate its creation. Beer fans are encouraged to raise a glass to the next generation of brewers and the legacy of Boudicca herself.”
For more information on Boudicca, visit www.sabrain.com
Gail Lumsden, Chair & CEO at Vocation Group, looks at how independent brewers can differentiate themselves in a crowded market…
In today’s fast-moving drinks industry, how do independent brewers stand out? Major brewers have spent decades building empires on consistency, scale and predictability. But for independents, that same formula is a fast track to invisibility. We don’t exist to blend in – we exist to stand out.
Our job as independent brewers isn’t just to keep up with trends. It’s to ensure that behind every beer – no matter the style – there’s craftsmanship, flavour and consistency. That’s what earns trust. That’s what builds brands. And that’s what will keep independent brewing not just alive, but thriving.
Pitfalls of the Middle Ground
Big brewers thrive in the middle ground; producing easy-drinking, predictable beers designed to please as many people as possible. But in chasing mass appeal, they sacrifice distinction. That’s where independent brewers can – and must – carve out their place.
At Vocation Brewery, we don’t try to be everything to everyone. Instead, we focus on brewing beers that make people sit up and take notice. Beers that prompt conversation. Beers that evoke emotion.
Our beers don’t aim to blend in on a crowded supermarket shelf, they cater to more select and distinctive tastes. They remind drinkers that beer isn’t just a drink – it’s a craft, a culture, and, when done well, a memorable moment of discovery.
Brewery viewpoint: Vocation Brewery
Thirst for Flavour: How Independent Brewers Can Stand Apart
Know Your Drinkers & Respect Their Curiosity
Our audience is more diverse than ever, spanning seasoned craft fans, casual beer drinkers looking for “something better,” and newer drinkers who explore flavourful beers alongside spirits, wine and cocktails. What unites them isn’t age or background – it’s mindset. They’re curious, quality-conscious, and increasingly aligned with brands that feel real, not mass-produced.
Independent brewers can be nimble, personal and proudly flavour-forward without the burden of bureaucratic sign-off or focusgrouped sameness. That authenticity builds trust, especially among more discerning consumers who are looking for – and willing to pay for – a better beer experience.
Of course, with that opportunity comes responsibility. Chasing trends blindly risks tipping into novelty for novelty’s sake. The key isn’t to follow flavour fads, but to lead with setting a new benchmark in beer quality, flavour and experience.
While tropical hazy IPAs and sour beers may be having their moment right now, something else will be next. That’s the cycle of beer. But behind each trend lies a deeper truth – drinkers are open to experimentation, so long as the beer consistently delivers on authenticity, flavour and quality.
Championing Choice & Discovery
One of the great freedoms of independence is the ability to brew with choice in mind. That means a balanced portfolio; core beers that anchor us, and specials that stretch us.
At Vocation, we’re passionate about showcasing beer’s versatility – how just a few
ingredients can create a spectrum of flavours and experiences. Unlike big brands that cluster around a narrow taste profile for mass appeal, we focus on brewing beers that stand out and create real desire.
We don’t brew one-size-fits-all beers; our portfolio meets different moods, moments and tastes. And they let us showcase what we do best – brewing memorable beers that people love. Variety doesn’t dilute your brand – it defines it, so long as it’s grounded in quality.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
The UK beer market in 2025 is not without its challenges. Rising costs, squeezed margins and intense competition are testing the resilience of independent brewers across the board. But amid the pressures, there are real opportunities. That’s especially true if we focus on what the big players can’t replicate –originality and agility.
We’re not just here to win the volume game. We’re here to win hearts and minds. And that doesn’t happen through sameness – it happens through bold flavour, creativity, consistency and conviction in championing choice and discovery.
My message to fellow independents is this – don’t chase the middle ground, own your space and celebrate your strengths. Brew to create choice, not compromise. That’s how we’ll stay relevant – and resilient – in an industry that’s always changing.
Find out more about Vocation at www.vocationbrewery.com
Image copyright @ Jon Nicholson
Why Great Beer Isn’t Enough: Practical Marketing Moves for Independent Breweries
Tim Weaver, from The Brand Weaver, looks at effective marketing strategies for small independent brewers…
After working with dozens of breweries across the UK—from fresh-faced startups to long-standing independents—I’ve noticed a pattern. A lot of brilliant breweries have a genuine passion for the product, a strong sense of community, and a cracking beer range. But even with all that, many still find it hard to turn great brewing into a thriving, profitable business.
One of the biggest challenges? Understanding how marketing actually works—and why it’s not just a “nice-to-have” when you get a spare minute.
This isn’t a finger-wagging piece or a doomand-gloom warning. This is about sharing some of the most common traps I’ve seen breweries fall into—and, more importantly, how to sidestep them with smart, achievable moves that don’t require a monster budget or a team of twelve.
1. You Can’t Rely on “If You Brew It, They Will Come”
Your beer might be brilliant. It might be the best thing you’ve ever brewed. But unless the right people know about it, understand it, and can buy it easily—it won’t matter.
Too often, breweries build their offering around what they personally love to drink, assuming others will feel the same. And while that passion is essential, it’s also important to check: does this have a real market? Who is it for? What gap is it filling?
Making great beer is the baseline. Making it sellable is the next level.
2. Marketing Isn’t Just Social Media. It’s Everything.
There’s a persistent myth that marketing is just comms—social posts, press releases, maybe a slick label. But real marketing starts long before that.
It’s your product choices, your pricing, your availability. It’s your tone of voice, your presence in the right places, and your ability to connect with your audience’s wants—not just
your own preferences.
You don’t need a huge marketing budget. But you do need a clear idea of who you’re brewing for, how you’re different, and why someone would choose you over a dozen other options on the shelf.
3. If It’s Hard to Buy, It’s Hard to Grow
You don’t need national distribution—but you do need to be visible. Whether that’s through a handful of smart wholesale partners, a local taproom presence, or an online shop that actually converts—if people can’t get their hands on your beer, they won’t keep chasing it. Look for the easy wins. Get clear on where your audience is drinking and buying, and make sure you’re present there, not just where it’s convenient.
4. Stand for Something Simple and Memorable
Being distinctive doesn’t mean being outrageous. It means being clear. What makes you stand out in your category? Is it a particular style? A way of brewing? Your location? Your values?
Find the one thing you can own—and make sure it’s repeatable and easy to understand. If it takes two paragraphs to explain what makes your brewery different, it’s time to tighten the message.
5. Think Visibility, Not Just Loyalty
Plenty of breweries double down on their most loyal customers—and there’s absolutely value in that. But the truth is, drinkers move around. Even your most faithful fans will try something new if it’s in front of them.
The best way to grow isn’t by trying to build absolute loyalty—it’s by being top-of-mind and top-of-shelf when people are making a choice. That means growing awareness, constantly introducing new people to the brand, and building a reputation that sticks.
6. Do More of What Works—Less of What Doesn’t
You don’t need expensive market research to understand what’s resonating. Pay attention to what people are buying again. Ask questions at your taproom. Chat to venue owners about
what’s shifting and what’s not.
There’s real insight in those conversations— insight that can help you streamline your range, sharpen your pricing, or even steer your next release in a more commercially sound direction.
And if something’s consistently underperforming? It might be time to let it go, or rework it to better meet drinker expectations.
7. The Future’s Bright for Smart, Focused Breweries
The beer industry’s evolving, no doubt about it—but it’s not all bad news. Some of the fastest-growing areas right now are alcoholfree, flavour-forward mid-strength beers, and refreshing hybrids that appeal to modern tastes.
You don’t have to follow trends blindly, but if you’re serious about growth, it’s worth exploring the spaces where demand is rising and competition is still manageable.
The good news? Smaller breweries are often better placed to experiment, adapt, and connect with niche audiences than the big guys. The trick is to choose your space wisely—and go all in.
Final Word: Branding & Marketing with Clarity
Running a brewery today is hard work. There’s no denying that. But you don’t need to do everything. You just need to do a few things really well.
That starts with understanding your market, shaping a clear offering, being easy to buy, and showing up in ways that make people take notice.
Marketing isn’t a bolt-on to a good beer business—it is the beer business. And the more confident you get with it, the more your brewery will grow—not just in sales, but in reputation, resilience, and long-term impact.
Tim Weaver is the Founder of The Brand Weaver, an agency on a mission to even the playing field in brewery branding and marketing. Find out more at www.thebrandweaver.co.uk
Muntons, a global leader in sustainable malt production, is redefining the future of brewing with its Climate Positive Malt — the UK’s lowest carbon malt for the craft brewing industry.
For over 20 years, Muntons has embedded sustainability into every stage of its malt production, cutting on-site emissions by more than 60%.
Now, through regenerative agriculture methods and collaborative processes, the Suffolk-based business is actively helping reduce on-farm emissions and supporting farming ecosystems, including through changing fertiliser use, low (or no) till farming and cover crop planting.
“Malt, as a raw material, accounts for around 22% CO2 emissions of a litre of craft beer,” says
Leading glass packaging supplier Croxsons has expanded its European operations with the appointment of Hakan Bicak as business development manager - Europe.
In this role, Hakan will focus on strengthening Croxsons' presence in all European countries and will report directly to sales director Paul McGrane.
Mark Tyldesley, Muntons managing director, “And the biggest proportion (59%) of the carbon footprint for traditional maltings comes from growing of barley.”
Muntons’ Climate Positive Malt offers up to 30% lower CO2 emissions per tonne compared to UK malt average. This significant achievement comes from a combination of lowcarbon maltings and sustainable barley farming practices, helping brewers meet rising consumer demand for more eco-conscious products and businesses.
“We have a responsibility to show leadership in our sector, to keep pushing sustainability challenges, and make a real impact on the environment, while also helping our customers,” adds Mark.
“By championing regenerative agriculture
methods such as cover cropping, low/no till farming, crop rotation, and reduced pesticide and fertiliser use, we’re partnering with farmers in enhancing soil health, sequestering carbon and boosting biodiversity – all while delivering a high-quality malt product.”
Muntons believes that real sustainability progress comes from collaboration. By working closely with British farmers, brewers and industry partners, the 104-year-old business is building a more resilient and low-carbon supply chain, ensuring that malt – the foundation of great beers in the UK and around the world –continues to be of the highest quality, and is continually improving sustainability-wise.
To find out more go to www.muntons. com/sustainability/all-good/
Croxsons strengthens European presence with new appointment
Bringing nearly 20 years of sales and marketing experience, Hakan has an extensive background in the glass packaging industry. Having worked for a glass manufacturer for several years, he was responsible for building and managing export sales and marketing activities, as well as overseeing export logistics procedures. His experience also includes in-depth knowledge of all stages of glass production.
Hakan’s key objectives include expanding Croxsons’ customer and supplier portfolio within the region, increasing brand awareness across Europe and beyond, plus overseeing logistics procedures to ensure operational efficiency.
Commenting on his appointment, Hakan said: “I am passionate about glass packaging - it is a vibrant and diverse industry and I thrive on building relationships with customers and suppliers, solving challenges
and finding innovative solutions. What drew me to Croxsons is its strong ethical values, trust and the sense of being part of a professional, family-led business.
“The teamwork, short decision-making paths and collaborative atmosphere make it an exciting place to work. I look forward to driving growth and further developing Croxsons’ European presence.”
Croxsons CEO, Tim Croxson, added: “As we continue to grow our international presence, Hakan’s experience and expertise make him a valuable addition to the team. His knowledge of the European market and his enthusiasm for the glass packaging industry align perfectly with our vision. We look forward to the impact he will have in strengthening our operations across the region.”
For more information about Croxsons, visit www.croxsons.com
30L UniKegs now available from Loughran Brewers Select
Loughran Brewers Select has announced the addition of 30L UniKeg to their full lineup of KeyKeg products – providing UK brewers with another convenient choice for their keg dispense options.
The move makes Loughran Brewers Select the only approved reselling partner for UniKegs in the country. Brewers can now source hops, malt, yeast, brewing aids, adjuncts, flavours, additions, and now one way kegs all on one single pallet with convenient next day delivery. From the same OneCircle family as KeyKeg, UniKeg offers a great alternative for brewers looking for the same great KeyKeg quality but
in a conventional keg dispense system. UniKeg shares many of the same top quality proven technology and components as the industry gold-standard KeyKeg – and so are equally as sturdy and reliable, but also come with the additional convenience of a universal Sankey fitting. These features are all contained in a slimline, low weight package available at a competitive price point.
Unlike other products on the market, UniKegs utilise a unique Double Wall™ design as well as an extruded spear. Two PET cylinders form two walls, and this Double Wall™ works together to allow UniKegs to withstand not only very high internal pressures, but also the rough and
tumble of the supply chain whilst remaining safe, sturdy and intact. With a universal Sankey (S-Type) coupler, UniKeg fits any CO2, nitrogen or mixed-gas dispensing system. UniKegs present a hassle-free alternative option to heavy steel kegs for breweries selling to pub and bar venues, and remove the expense and bother of uplifting used kegs. UniKegs are 65% recyclable when empty, and are made from 45% circular materials. UniKegs can be recycled just like KeyKegs, with recycling options throughout the UK via the KeyKeg UK Return Partner network.
Find out more at www.brewersselect.co.uk
Brewlab skills course to run in
August at Thames Side Brewery
Brewlab will be running a 5-day Brewing Skills Development course at Thames Side Brewery on 11th - 15th August.
Designed for those with some brewing experience, the course focuses on the following subjects:
Day 1. Raw Materials and Recipe Formulation
Day 2. Brewing Processes and Packaging
*Day 3. Yeast, Hygiene and Quality Control Theory
*Day 4. Practical Quality Control Techniques and Skills
Day 5. Professional Flavour Evaluation
Brewers can attend all 5 days or book any combination of days to suit. Individual day bookings are available too.
Further info and booking is available at www.brewlab.co.uk/product/brewingskills-development/
*Note days 3 and 4 must be booked together due to overlapping subject content.
Bag in Box Shop launches The Keg Shop UK
The Keg Shop UK Ltd aims to herald in a new era of quality, convenience, and sustainability. As a newly established supplier of KeyKeg and UniKeg solutions, The Keg Shop UK is set to transform the way cider, beer, and ready-to-serve cocktails are stored, transported, and enjoyed across the country.
Specialising in the innovative one-way keg technology developed by Lightweight Containers, The Keg Shop UK is proud to bring these globally respected products to breweries, cideries, and hospitality businesses nationwide. Whether you’re a small craft producer or a large-
scale distributor, KeyKeg and UniKeg offer game-changing benefits: extended shelf life, superior product protection, and a significant reduction in logistical and environmental costs.
KeyKeg is renowned worldwide for its lightweight, recyclable construction and advanced Bag-in-Keg™ technology, which keeps beverages fresher for longer while reducing exposure to oxygen and CO₂. Ideal for preserving the integrity of premium craft beers, delicate ciders, and artisanal cocktails, KeyKeg allows producers to maintain flavour and quality from the first pour to the last.
Meanwhile, UniKeg provides the same
Crisp Malt’s Steve
LePoidevin retires
Crisp Malt has announced the retirement of its chief operating officer, Steve LePoidevin.
Steve began work as a production trainee at Paul’s Malt in Ipswich in 1988. He became known as The Ferret for his seemingly constant quest to flush out – and solve –problems. The coming years saw him in various roles at Wallingford in Oxfordshire; Buckie on the Moray Firth coast of Scotland; Gainsborough in Lincolnshire; Kentford in Suffolk and Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.
Part of Steve’s role in operations in Gainsborough had involved putting in a computer system (all the rage in the 1990s), and with this new-fangled tech being hailed a success, he was invited to work in central planning. He took on responsibility for barley management, and became commercial
innovative performance with the added convenience of a conventional spear and valve system. This hybrid solution is perfect for producers and venues looking for a seamless transition from traditional steel kegs to modern, sustainable alternatives.
By sourcing and supplying directly from The Keg Shop UK, businesses across the country will benefit from fast, reliable service and industry expertise tailored to the needs of the British drinks market.
Find out more at www.thekegshop.uk
manager for the company, which by then was owned by Greencore.
He joined Crisp as sales director in 2012 and highlights of his career include the acquisition of maltings in Bydgoszcz, Poland and Hamburg, Germany in 2016; acting as interim managing director of Crisp from 2021 to 2022; welcoming Richardson to the world of malting in 2023; and – somewhat more frequently - having a beer with suppliers, colleagues and customers.
He says the biggest challenge was the perfect storm of the pandemic, Brexit, rocketing energy prices and then the war in Ukraine –and their various repercussions.
“It was really tough. But we came through it. The company ethos definitely helped. We share knowledge, work hard, deliver results, look after the long-term, and have some fun
along the way. Even when that had to be on Zoom!
“During my time at Crisp, I’ve had the opportunity to develop and use my skills, and the good fortune to make friends with people from countries across the world.”
Neil Banbury, managing director, Anglia Maltings, said: “It would be hard to overestimate Steve’s knowledge of; excitement about; and passion for malt and the malting industry. His achievements over the years have been manifold. So dedicated has he been that his journey is better described as a vocation than a career.
“It is indeed hard to do justice to his contribution in a few words. Perhaps, ‘thank you Steve: you’ll be missed’, is all that is needed.”
Rawlings Group Announces strategic partnerships with Niche Solutions and Carbonation Techniques to strengthen brewery sector position
Rawlings Group has announced a new partnership with two esteemed leaders in the brewing industry: Niche Solutions and Carbonation Techniques.
These strategic alliances are set to solidify Rawlings Group’s position as a key player in the brewery sector, reinforcing their commitment to providing cutting-edge, tailored solutions to meet the needs of UK breweries.
Niche Solutions, a respected provider of essential products and services to breweries, specialises in fermentation aids, cleaning chemicals, kegs, and laboratory testing. This acquisition expands our offerings, allowing Rawlings Group to provide a one-stop-shop for breweries, covering everything from production through to point of sale.
Carbonation Techniques is renowned for its industry-leading carbonators, providing the highest quality equipment to the brewing community. Continuing under the expertise of Vigo, Carbonation Techniques will benefit from the full support of Vigo’s skilled engineers. This partnership will enable us to continue offering exceptional carbonation solutions, addressing the diverse requirements of the UK’s thriving brewing community.
Tom Wood, CEO of Rawlings Group, commented: “We’re thrilled about the expansion to our range and services, and the positive impact they’ll have on our customers. Securing these deals has been a tremendous effort, and I want to extend my gratitude to the entire Rawlings Group team for their hard work and dedication.”
For more information go to www.rawlingsgroup.co.uk
Anton Paar launches the Edge 7000 and Edge 5000
Anton Paar has announced the launch of Edge 7000 and Edge 5000, two powerful process controllers designed to enhance production monitoring and quality control.
With cutting-edge interfaces and robust central processing units, the Edge platform ensures seamless monitoring across multiple devices, offering superior performance and reliability.
The Edge units come preloaded with applications that streamline core task management, simplify workflows, and boost efficiency. Their consistent, user-friendly design allows for easy operation, eliminating the need for specialised training. These units are also adept at detecting production and device irregularities, thus maintaining the highest standards of product quality while minimising downtime.
Featuring a high-performance humanmachine interface (HMI), Edge provides
instant visualisation, sophisticated alarm management, dynamic interaction, and a 10.1-inch multitouch screen for an unparalleled user experience. The multitouch functionality supports intuitive multi-touch gestures, enhancing operational ease.
Numerous user programs are integrated into the Edge units, including:
• Extract, alcohol, and original extract measurement in beer
• Alcohol measurement in distilleries
• °Brix and sweetener measurement in beverages
• CO2 measurement in beer and soft drinks
• Density and specific gravity measurement
• API gravity of petroleum products
• Density measurement of gases
To learn more about Edge 7000 and Edge 5000 visit www.anton-paar.com/ uk-en/
Dalum expands its range of CO2 recovery plants
The Danish company, Dalum Beverage Equipment, has recently expanded its range of CO2 recovery plants to serve breweries producing between 25,000 and 50,000 hL per year.
This new plant size complements their existing lineup, which already supports breweries as small as 1,000 hL annually, making CO2 recovery financially feasible across a broad range of production scales.
For breweries producing above 50,000 hL per year, multiple Dalum Plants can be installed to work in tandem through a primary-secondary setup, which allows seamless scalability and efficient CO2 management.
With more than 60 plants in operation worldwide, the majority based here in the UK, Dalum continues to strengthen its global presence. Their newest model is already in use at several breweries in Denmark, Germany, and installations are underway in the United States. Today, 80% of Dalum customers are fully CO2 self-sufficient, with some even generating surplus CO2 for resale or other uses. As the drive for sustainability grows, more independent breweries are turning to CO2 recovery to reduce their carbon footprint and take greater control over their own CO2 source.
Find out more at www.dalumequipment.com
BFBi’s upcoming events calendar
As the beverage and food manufacturing industries continue to evolve at a rapid pace, BFBi is once again stepping forward as a crucial convener of knowledge, collaboration, and progress. With a packed calendar of upcoming events, BFBi is poised to deliver unparalleled opportunities for professionals across the beverage supply chain to connect, learn, and shape the future of the sector.
Sustainability takes centre stage at this unique agricultural tour, offering a close-up look at pioneering Spring Barley trials. Attendees will explore how farming methods are being reimagined to meet the demands of yield, quality, and environmental responsibility. This immersive experience bridges the gap between field and glass, underscoring the importance of sustainable practices at every stage of the supply chain.
CIBD/BFBi Sustainability in Brewing Conference – 3-4th July, Nottingham
In a major step forward for sustainable innovation, BFBi and CIBD are launching their first-ever Sustainability in Brewing Conference. This two-day event will serve as a collaborative hub for brewers big and small to explore eco-conscious production methods, emerging technologies, and shared challenges in reducing environmental impact. It's a pivotal moment for brewers ready to embrace change and lead with purpose.
Dairy Seminar – 10th September, Reaseheath College
Turning the lens to dairy, the upcoming seminar will tackle the pressing issues of water and chemical usage in CIP processes, filtration technologies, and waste treatment solutions. With leading names like Kersia, Tetrapak, Foss, and WASE taking the stage, this seminar promises a practical look at how efficiency and
sustainability can go hand in hand.
Beyond these headline events, the BFBi calendar is packed with additional opportunities for engagement and celebration:
• International Cheese and Dairy Expo & Awards – 25-26th June, Staffordshire Showground
• Midland v Northern Challenge Cup Golf Day – 16th July, Pleasington Golf Course
• Drinktec 2025 – 15-19th September, Munich
• Eastern Section Badminton Tournament – 14th October
To find out more visit www.bfbi.org.uk for full event details and registration information.
Partners& launches new insurance solution offering tailored coverage for independent breweries
A new insurance solution has been launched by Partners&, specifically crafted to meet the unique challenges faced by small and medium-sized breweries.
Backed by global insurance giant AXA, this innovative policy goes the extra mile, offering a suite of protections that speak directly to the heart of brewing operations.
Key features include:
• Product liability cover that extends to North America, a critical market for many UKbased craft breweries. This opens doors for international expansion with the peace of mind that certain legal and financial risks are mitigated.
• Product recall cover up to £100,000, a crucial safety net in a sector where reputational damage from a faulty batch can have farreaching consequences.
• Cover up to £10,000 for bursting bottles or barrels—an often underestimated risk that has been recently highlighted in the press.
A notable aspect of the Partners& solution includes extended business interruption coverage to include yeast contamination, addressing a hazard that can bring production to a standstill. For breweries, where the integrity of the yeast strain is often the backbone of brand identity, this inclusion is a clear recognition of the nuanced risks these businesses face.
For more information go to www.partnersand.com
SIBA Gold members
BrewMan
James Gardner james@premiersystems.com
Breww Ltd
James Collier hello@breww.com
Charles Faram
Any of the team sales@charlesfaram.co.uk
Close Brothers Brewery Rentals
Becki Mason Rebecca.Mason@closebrothers.com
Crisp Malting Group
Colin Johnston colin.johnston@crispmalt.com
Kegstar
James Bleakley jamesb@kegstar.com
Loughran Brewers
Select
Digby Fullam marketing@malt.ie
Murphy & Son
SIBA Silver members
Anton Paar Ltd
Tertia Rimell tertia.rimell@anton-paar.com
Beatson Clark Ltd
Charlotte Pike sales@beatsonclark.co.uk
Beer Box Shop
Simon Hulse sales@beerboxshop.co.uk
Core Equipment Ltd
Jonathan Chaplin claire.white@core-equip.com
Festival Glass
Kelsey Cheesbrough sales@festivalglass.co.uk
GEA UK
Frances Maud frances.maud@murphyandson.co.uk
Napthens LLP
James Allison
James.Allison@napthens.co.uk
Rawlings Group with Vigo
Tom Wood thomaswood@rawlingsbristol.co.uk
Thomas Fawcett & Sons
Mungo Fawcett mfawcett@fawcett-maltsters.co.uk
William Croxson & Son Limited Sales Team sales@croxsons.com
Muntons PLC
Vanessa Makings vanessa.makings@muntons.com
Pneumatic
Scale Angelus
Tom Bowdige
tom.bowdige@bwpackagingsystems.com
Rankin Brothers & Sons
Jim Rankin sales@rankincork.co.uk
Rastal GmbH & Co KG
Timo Leukel timo.leukel@rastal.com
Saxon Packaging
Paul Leeman sales.unitedkingdom@gea.com
Glassware Branding
Richard Ross richard.ross@cnc-group.co.uk
IGC Engineering Ltd
Chris Hamlett chrishamlettigc@onetel.com
Lallemand Brewing
Andrew Paterson apaterson@lallemand.com
Lemon Top Creative
Andy Mogg hello@lemontopcreative.com
Micro Can Ltd
Canning Lines
Warren Stanley info@microcan.co.uk
Mike Impson mike.impson@smurfitkappa.co.uk
Simpsons Malt
Richard Simpson orderoffice@simpsonsmalt.co.uk
Vale Labels Ltd
John Riches john@valelabels.co.uk
Willis Publicity
Carl Andrews carl@willispublicity.co.uk
Wine Box
Company Marketing Team marketing@wbc.co.uk
LALLEMAND BREWING
SIBA Head Office: 01765 640441
SIBA Team
Andy Slee Chief Executive andy.slee@siba.co.uk
Rachel Harriott
Head of Membership Services rachel.harriott@siba.co.uk
Neil Walker
Head of Comms & Marketing neil.walker@siba.co.uk
Barry Watts
Head of Public Affairs & Policy barry.watts@siba.co.uk
Existing members wishing to contact your regional representatives can use the relevant regional e-mail addresses listed below. For individuals, just type firstname.lastname@siba.co.uk
Chairman of SIBA Richard Naisby Vice-Chairman of SIBA Anthony Hughes
East
Chair Richard Naisby Milton Brewery (Chair of the Board)
Ian Rydings Leigh on Sea Brewery
Matthew Ashford Oakham Ales Ltd
Midlands
Chair Anneli Baxter Loose Cannon Brewing Co Ltd
Anthony Hughes Lincoln Green Brewing Co Ltd (Vice-Chair of the Board)
Sam Back Attic Brew Co
Libby Elswood Goffs Brewery
North East
Chair Joe Joyce Harrogate Brewing
Ian Fozard Rooster’s Brewery Ltd
Alex Balchin Wold Top Brewery
North West
Chair Paul Jones Cloudwater Brew Co Ben Croston Fuzzy Duck Brewery
