SIBA Journal Summer 2019

ISSUE 109 S UM M ER 2 0 1 8

STEAMING AHEAD

STONEHOUSE’S JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE LINE INDUSTRY LEGEND

DEREK PRENTICE’S LIFE IN BEER

SIBA MEMBERS’ VIEWS YOUR THOUGHTS ON SEXISM IN BEER

TO CAMRA’S FUTURE NEW CHAIR JACKIE PARKER

COMMUNITY MATTERS

BREWERS IN THE COMMUNITY REPORT

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EDITOR'S COMMENT

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE WORDS RICHARD MOLLOY PHOTOGRAPHY DOUGLAS BARCLAY

WELCOME

TO THE SUMMER 2018 EDITION OF THE SIBA JOURNAL!

The heatwave is in full force as I write this column, and beer drinkers are also out in force in my local pub garden and all across the UK which is fantastic news for all SIBA Members, and long may it continue.

been involved in wide ranging discussions with all other interested parties and heard from you, our members. SIBA’s CEO Mike Benner touches on this issue in his column on page 7, as does our new Chairman Ian Fozard on page 8, and the SIBA position is covered in more detail on page 23.

But seasonal good cheer aside, there are also some serious issues facing all of you, and the Journal is the right place to discuss these, to speak to different brewers about how they are approaching them and to share what SIBA is doing to support you and help you capture market share and grow your business.

Elsewhere this issue we were one of the first publications to interview the new CAMRA National Chair Jackie Parker and hear her views on CAMRA’s future (pages 40-47). We also met up with an industry legend in brewer Derek Prentice whose career has put him on the front line during some the brewing sector’s most iconic moments. From launching large-scale production at the Truman Brewery in Brick Lane to overseeing the closure of Young’s Ram Brewery in Wandsworth. He is now shirking retirement to go back to his roots and mentor the newly-formed brewing team at Wimbledon Brewery in Colliers Wood, South London (pages 31-37).

Two issues we are looking at in this issue are the recent debate over sexism in beer marketing and the proposed review of Small Breweries' Relief. These are both issues many of you feel understandably strongly about and ones very pertinent to the current market.

Firstly the issue of sexism, which we have focused on in a new section of the magazine, SIBA Members’ Views (pages 24-29), which we will now be running on a different topic each quarter and asking for your input via the Toolbox updates. As you will read, we have heard from a range of SIBA Members, all of whom have made extremely well thought out and valid arguments that will be fed into SIBA’s own strategy discussions at Board level.

If the debate spurs you to add your own voice to the throng then please do email me at the address below and I will make sure it is taken into account.

Secondly we come to Small Breweries' Relief. A similarly emotive issue and one SIBA has now published its formal policy on having

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

And of course not forgetting the highlights of this year’s SIBA Brewers in the Community Report (pages 66-69) which again showed how important all of you are to the local communities you support.

As ever, please keep those press releases, updates, news and views coming in to me at caroline.nodder@siba.co.uk.

Happy reading!

Caroline

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

Editor: Caroline Nodder (caroline.nodder@siba.co.uk) Published by: Media Alive Limited Produced on behalf of SIBA by: Media Alive Limited, 2nd Floor, The Red House, 119 Fore Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1AX. T: 01992 505 810 Creative Director: Darren Kefford (darren@media-alive.co.uk) Studio Manager: Jon Hardy (jon@media-alive.co.uk) Printed by: Advertising Manager: Claire Rooney (claire@media-alive.co.uk) Printwize, 9 Stepfield, Witham, Managing Director: Dan Rooney (dan@media-alive.co.uk) Essex CM8 3BN

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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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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SUMM E R

CONTENTS

2018 ISSUE 109

THE VIEW FROM WESTMINSTER

SMALL BREWERIES' RELIEF UPDATE

FOCUS: BREWING, BOTTLING & CANNING EQUIPMENT

THE LATEST ON THE REFORM OF SBR

NEWS AND VIEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIER PARTNERS

PAGE 19

PAGE 23

PAGES 89-91

KEY POLITICAL ISSUES FACING SIBA MEMBERS

NEWS 9-17 21 70-75 81-87 93-101

FEATURES

SIBA NEWS

24-29

FOUR PILLARS UPDATE

31-37

All the news from SIBA HQ

An update on SIBA’s core strategy

REGIONAL BEER COMPETITIONS

The winning beers from the Midlands, Wales & West and South West competitions

SIBA BREWERS’ NEWS

The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK

SUPPLIER NEWS

News and views from SIBA’s Supplier Associate Members

COMMENT 7

CEO’S UPDATE

19

THE VIEW FROM WESTMINSTER

39 65

Mike Benner on Small Breweries' Relief

Our regular political update

GUEST COLUMNIST

Licensee and small brewer Richard Molloy is fighting for the little guy

TECHNICAL FOCUS

Brewlab’s Dr Keith Thomas talks flocculation

40-47 48-55

SIBA MEMBERS’ VIEWS

Our members have their say on sexism in beer marketing

MEET THE BREWER

We meet brewing legend Derek Prentice

THE BIG INTERVIEW

New CAMRA National Chair Jackie Parker on her new role

BUSINESS PROFILE

We feature Stonehouse Brewery, based at the end of a newly re-opened branch line

57-63

BUSINESS BACK OFFICE

66-69

BREWERS IN THE COMMUNITY REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

89-91

FOCUS: BREWING, BOTTLING & CANNING EQUIPMENT

76-79

GOLD MEMBERS

Advice on law, marketing, digital and finance

The best bits from this year’s community report

A round-up of news from our supplier partners

Charles Faram & Co Ltd and Murphy & Son Ltd

102

GOLD & SILVER MEMBERS

105

MEET THE SIBA REGIONS

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Listing of our key sponsors

Introducing two of SIBA’s regional representatives

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

5

CEO’S UPDATE

TIME FOR POSITIVE REFORM OF SMALL BREWERIES' RELIEF important as local pubs (see highlights on pages 66-69).

SIBA has nailed its colours to the mast with regards to the As the market continues to evolve with more brewery tap rooms, reform of Small Breweries' Relief, the most important policy craft beer bars and micro pubs, the shape of the retail sector is issue facing our members. We have published our proposals changing fast and our members are at the forefront of building opportunities to bring great beer to drinkers thirsty for the best of for reform and called for backing from all parts of the industry, British beer brewed by genuine artisans. taking the lead on presenting a solution to I was inspired to hear the stories of our Government which is both practical and 70% OF OUR MEMBERS’ BEER award-winning Brewers in the Community positive. It is a solution which encourages and what they add to the quality of life IS SOLD IN PUBS AND WE growth and investment while recognising and sense of cohesion in MUST WORK WITH OTHER the communities they serve. that the relief awarded to brewers below 5,000hl must be defended.

STAKEHOLDERS TO ENSURE It’s a powerful message to take to Members of Parliament in our lobbying The move demonstrates our commitment to THEIR VIABILITY WITHIN AN activity and enables us to build strong all our member businesses, but especially APPROPRIATE TAX FRAMEWORK support for our member businesses. With highlights our defence of the smallest increasing headwinds facing our industry, brewers and a clear recognition of the SIBA’s voice is louder than ever and we importance of the current 50% relief for their are ensuring that we are at the centre on issues that matter such sustainability. Our proposals make small but significant changes as export growth, creating commercial access to market, deposit to a winning formula with a modest impact on Treasury coffers. return schemes, industry self-regulation and increasing calls from As yet another Budget approaches in November we will remain the health lobby which would threaten the enjoyment of millions focused on the core issues of the headline rate of beer duty and of people who enjoy alcohol responsibly. reform of unsustainable pub business rates, while also pushing We are a community of like-minded brewers sharing similar hard for SBR reform. 70% of our members’ beer is sold in pubs and we must work with other stakeholders to ensure their viability values and principles and, while all SIBA activities may not result in a visible and instant positive effect on your business, ensuring within an appropriate tax framework. a sensible regulatory environment is essential to long-term You’ll find full details of our SBR reform proposals on the SIBA sustainability and prosperity. Only an effective trade association website at www.siba.co.uk/about-siba/siba-campaigns/the-futue- can do this. of-small-breweries-relief/. I hope you will become an advocate for I hope you will continue to support our efforts to stand up for the proposals and urge other brewers and stakeholders to Britain’s smallest brewers. back SIBA. The launch of the second Brewers in the Community Report and Awards last month demonstrates how SIBA member businesses are embedded in their communities and in many cases are just as

Mike

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

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

7

SIBA CHAIRMAN'S COLUMN

Meet

SIBA’S NEW CHAIRMAN As your new Chairman I want to set out my philosophy and beliefs about SIBA and the challenges I hope to help SIBA overcome in my new role.

I have been a SIBA elected trustee and Board member for the North East since 2014. SIBA has undergone radical change in those four years and has now evolved into a professionally run trade association well equipped to help our members face the many challenges of a modern craft brewing business.

I have a broad-based business background. Having qualified as an accountant, I soon moved into general management in various industries including pubs and bars and, since 2011, when I bought Rooster’s Brewery with my two sons, our own industry.

My sons bear the brunt of the day to day graft; my role being more advisory, although I am also responsible for making sure there is enough money in the bank and the necessary, but mundane, aspects like insurance and compliance!

Since becoming a SIBA Board member I have contributed as a member of the Policy Committee and also been very involved in developing SIBA’s new policies on Small Breweries' Relief which were publicly launched in June.

I’m passionate about defending the relief we have, which SIBA fought so hard to achieve. But I also strongly believe that some reform is needed to enable those businesses which are ambitious to grow to do so without the very challenging current increase in the rate of duty from 50% to 75% between 5,000hl and 10,000hl production. This is a punishing tax rise for what are still relatively small businesses for whom it's impossible to fully benefit from the economies of scale and access to market achieved by much larger brewers.

8

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

Defending the relief we have is also vital for all smaller brewers who simply cannot compete with the resources and access to market of the larger brewers.

But enabling more ambitious members to grow should also be a key issue for any trade association and that is why we need reform.

This brings me to one of my core beliefs.

SIBA is a broad church of members and must remain so. We are stronger together (to borrow a phrase from a recent referendum) and must remain united if we are to successfully face down the many challenges thrown at us by the global beer giants.

There has been some recent debate surrounding SIBA’s Membership Criteria Review. The Board has consulted as widely as possible and listened to all feedback so that we now have a much more sensible policy of representing only British Independent Brewers. We have abolished the Associate Brewing category and made it very clear that Global Brewers can no longer be associated with SIBA. Not all will agree with the new upper limit on membership of 1% of the British brewing market but our policy is now clear, inclusive and unambiguous.

Very importantly, each SIBA Region will continue to have an opportunity to recommend to the Board whether or not to accept a new member. So, for example, Region A who receive an application from a large local brewer who is supportive of and cooperates with smaller brewers in that Region may recommend that brewer for approval. In contrast Region B in receipt of a similar application from a large local brewer who are indifferent to smaller local colleagues and operate in a way which aggressively competes with them can recommend to the Board that the application be refused.

So as a united, focussed trade organisation, what further challenges would I like to see SIBA address on behalf of its members?

Firstly we need to see positive changes in helping all our members achieve better assess to market which is still very restricted to many. This can be done in various ways including SIBA Commercial Services widening its operations to offer more opportunities to members who want them. It should involve better insight for members as to how to overcome market challenges.

Additionally SIBA’s Senior Management are constantly engaging with larger corporate buyers to try to unlock opportunities for members and also lobbying Government and other industry bodies to achieve change.

Secondly, I would like SIBA to continue to widen the benefits it offers to members to help them better run their businesses. We’ve recently introduced a simple bench-marking survey which will enable us to share information never before available to those members who participate. I’d also like us to better assist members in recovering casks that are known to be stored in larger distributors’ yards inaccessible to the smaller brewer.

And, as happened with the recent introduction of the GDPR regulations, I want SIBA to continue to offer simple but effective advice to all members on similar legal changes that affect small businesses.

If you have any suggestions as to how SIBA can improve your lot as a small brewer, please email me at ian.fozard@ siba.co.uk Cheers!

Ian

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

SIBA NEWS

Ian Fozard named as new SIBA National Chairman I HOPE TO HELP GUIDE SIBA AND ITS MEMBERS TOWARDS A SUCCESSFUL, VIBRANT FUTURE FOR BRITISH INDEPENDENT CRAFT BEER hugely respected Rooster’s Brewery, is a truly valuable asset to SIBA Members and his leadership and direction on issues such as the future of Small Breweries Relief and access-to-market could not come at a more important time. I would like to welcome Ian to the team and look forward to working closely with him to the benefit of our member businesses.”

Ian Fozard of Rooster’s Brewery has taken over as SIBA’s new National Chairman, with immediate effect.

Ian, who has run Rooster’s Brewery in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, together with his sons Tom and Oliver since 2011, has been a SIBA Board member for over four years. Prior to purchasing Rooster’s Brewery, Ian had a long career in pub estate ownership and management and is also a qualified accountant.

He brings with him a wealth of industry experience that will be invaluable to the organisation and its members.

Mike Benner, SIBA Chief Executive, said: “Ian’s experience of the British pub and beer market, both in owning and running a successful pub company with Market Town Taverns and the

SIBA successfully campaigned for the introduction of Small Breweries’ Relief and has been a fervent protector of it ever since.

Ian’s expertise in beer industry leadership, financial planning and strategy, as well as his first-hand experience at Rooster’s Brewery are sure to be called upon by SIBA, who continue to campaign for Britain’s independent craft brewers.

“I am delighted to be elected Chairman of SIBA by my Board colleagues and am proud to have the trust of SIBA brewers from across the UK behind me. I hope to help guide SIBA and its members towards a successful, vibrant future for British independent craft beer at a time when there are threats and challenges coming from various directions. I intend to be open and approachable to all SIBA members. I believe that SIBA’s strength is in being a ‘Broad Church’ and will do everything in my power to retain this status, encouraging tolerance of different views and different brewing size and style,” said the incoming SIBA National Chairman.

Anthony Hughes of Lincoln Green Brewery also joins the fold as SIBA’s new Vice-Chairman.

Brentwood Brewing wins SIBA’s Brewers in the Community Award 2018 Brentwood Brewing Company in Essex has won SIBA’s first ever national Brewers in the Community Award.

The Brewers in the Community initiative is run annually by SIBA, and aims to highlight the fantastic but often underappreciated work British independent craft breweries do for charity, local people and for community causes.

SIBA’s judging panel were bowled over

by Brentwood Brewing’s connection to their local community and the range of activities they undertake. They were impressed with their commitment to local charities, to elderly residents, to their sustainability and to supporting local businesses.

Alex Burghart, Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar, presented Brentwood Brewing Company with their award on June 15th – also Beer Day Britain.

He said: “This is excellent news for Brentwood Brewing Company, excellent

news for Brentwood and excellent news for beer. Under Brentwood Brewing Company local ale goes from strength to strength.”

20 18 Roland Kannor of Brentwood Brewery said: “We are surprised but delighted to have won the national SIBA Brewers in the Community Award 2018.

We are definitely and firmly committed to helping our local community. It is always a pleasure to be of assistance and we always end up having fun and enjoying ourselves at the same time.”

As part of the ‘Brewers in the Community’ initiative, SIBA has launched its second Brewers in the Community Report, which highlights new research that illustrates how important independent breweries are to communities across Britain.

Read the highlights from the report on pages 66-69 in this issue of the Journal.

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

9

SIBA NEWS

New SIBA Regional Forums postponed

Please note the planned Regional Forums for this year have been postponed whilst the Board investigates this idea further. The regions will however be organising their usual Regional Meetings for the Autumn.

Please visit the calendar on the SIBA home page - www.siba.co.uk/calendar/ for confirmed dates.

Untapped Brewing Company & Stonehouse Brewery named best brewers in Wales & West at SIBA Independent Beer Awards Untapped Brewing Company and Stonehouse Brewery took the top awards in SIBA’s Wales & West Independent Beer Awards, which took place at Ludlow Festival, with their excellent session IPAs. “Whoosh” by Untapped Brewing Company, based in Raglan, Monmouthshire, took home the overall Gold medal in the cask beer competition. Whoosh is a seasonal hoppy pale ale packed with clean tropical flavours with a long clean refreshing finish.

cask and small pack, which judges cans and bottles side by side.

Winner Martyn Darby from Untapped said: “We’re delighted to be recognised in this way. We’ve got a lot of faith in Whoosh, as it’s been a good performer for us over the last 12 months. This was originally a one off 2017 summer beer, but due to demand we’ve had to keep brewing through the winter, so I’m chuffed we put it into the competition!”

Shane and Alison Parr from Stonehouse Brewery had this to say of their bottled IPA win: “It’s amazing to win really, it wasn’t that long ago we were putting in our new bottling line, so to win this award while we’re still finding our feet is amazing.”

(L-R) Mike Benner (Chief Executive of SIBA), Alison & Shane Parr (Stonehouse) and Guy Sheppard, (SIBA competitions committee Chair)

“Sunlander” by Stonehouse Brewery, near Oswestry, took home the overall Gold medal in the small pack (bottle and can) competition. Sunlander takes its name from the Australian hops used, and is a very pale ale with a great balance of citrus and floral hops.

Guy Sheppard, SIBA’s competitions committee Chair, said: “Many congratulations to our two worthy overall winners, both of which happen to be

session IPAs - Whoosh from Untapped and Sunlander by Stonehouse. Also big congratulations to all our winners across the categories. We had some excellent entries and overall the standard in Ludlow has been really high for all the beers.”

The SIBA Wales & West Independent Beer Awards judge a huge range of beers across a number of styles before the winners from each category go forward to an ‘Overall Champions’ final. It was this ‘best-of-thebest’ final that finds the best winners in

For the full results of the SIBA Wales & West Independent Beer Awards see pages 74-75, and to read more about Stonehouse Brewery see the Business Profile in this issue on pages 48-55.

The best Independent Craft Beers in the South West are a German Style ‘Dunkelweizen’ and American-Hopped ‘Session IPA’ A German-style dark wheat beer, traditionally known as a ‘Dunkelweizen’, and an American hopped ‘Session IPA’ have taken home the two top spots in the SIBA South West Independent Beer Awards, showing just how exciting and vibrant the brewing scene is in the South West in 2018.

The awards, run by SIBA, took place prior to the famous Tuckers Maltings Beer Festival in Newton Abbot.

‘Jurassic Dark’ (5.9%) by Dorset Brewing Co was named overall Champion Cask beer at the competition and is described as a rich dark beer with chocolate and port flavours, and a forest fruits aroma.

‘Ellensberg Session IPA’ (4.3%) by Harbour Brewing Co took home the overall

Gold in the ‘Bottle & Can’ competition with their aromatic, citrusy and hugely drinkable canned Session IPA, brewed to show off flavours of citrus fruit and punchy American hops.

The awards are judged by fellow brewers and other representatives from the industry, making these the much coveted ‘brewers’ choice’ awards in the South West.

“The standard of the South West beers was fantastic again and we had some really good winners. This was the first time we tried some new beer categories to reflect today’s beer market and the judges thought these worked very well. We feel this is a very positive move for British independent beer,” said Guy Sheppard, SIBA Competitions Chairman.

SIBA’s Independent Beer Award categories were given a shakeup this year to include more categories for popular IPAs and other

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now-popular beer styles, including a new Session IPA category, which Harbour won before taking the overall Gold against bottles and cans in other styles.

Eddie Lofthouse, Director at Harbour Brewing, said: “I am really pleased to win this award and it is great to be recognised in this way by our peers – we were against very tough competition and I would just say please go out and enjoy this beer… it is perfect for a sunny afternoon!”

Mike Thornton, Dorset Brewing Co., said: “This is my favourite beer we brew. I am so pleased with this result and look forward to this going forward to SIBA’s national beer competition. It is our first crack into the ‘craft beer’ market – it starts here!”

For the full results of the SIBA South West Independent Beer Awards see pages 72-73.

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

11

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SIBA NEWS

SIBA has published its proposals for Small Breweries’ Relief (SBR) reform and issued a rallying cry for industry backing SIBA has set out its proposals for how SBR can be enhanced to encourage job creation, investment and growth in British independent brewing whilst protecting our flourishing small craft brewers.

SIBA is now calling on brewers of all sizes, publicans, pub companies and lovers of British independent craft beer to back the proposals for positive reform.

The proposals, if adopted, will improve an already successful Government policy, which has fuelled the unprecedented growth in craft beer, creating enormous choice and diversity for beer drinkers.

SIBA has written to HM Treasury calling for: • Positive changes to the shape of the relief curve for breweries making over 5,000 hectolitres (hl) of beer per year to encourage further growth, removing the ‘cliff edge’ that currently exists as the relief is rapidly withdrawn.

• No withdrawal of relief for any brewer below 5,000hl to safeguard the viability of smaller businesses that depend on SBR at current levels.

• Support for an industry-led review at least every five years to ensure SBR continues to work well and promotes sustainability in the sector.

• New measures to encourage normal mergers and acquisitions activity.

• Removal of beer that is exported from the SBR calculation to encourage export activity.

• An extension of the scheme to brewers up to 200,000hl as permitted under EU law.

Alongside these recommendations SIBA has published its model for reform, outlining

SIBA’s five proposals for the future of SBR

WE HAVE A MODEL OF REFORM THAT WORKS, AND THAT WE THINK TREASURY WILL ADOPT Ian Fozard, SIba chairman how changes can be made to the relief curve and what this means in cash terms on every barrel of beer brewers make.

The industry is now united in the need for reform and there is also broad agreement on the majority of the key areas for reform amongst industry stakeholders.

However, the Small Brewers Duty Reform Coalition (the Coalition) demand for withdrawal of relief below 5,000hl is not supported by SIBA. Any attempts to redistribute duty relief from smaller to larger brewers would threaten the viability of many SIBA members up and down the country. That is contrary to the original intention of SBR – a progressive beer duty – and there is no convincing rationale for removing relief from small brewers to ‘compensate’ larger brewers.

SIBA’s model projects around £9.2m of foregone revenue from Government per year to smooth the curve above 5,000hl.

The Coalition’s model predicts a cost of around £10m per year. However, with SIBA’s model, no brewery loses out. The growth, investment and jobs created as a result of these policy changes would in time help to offset the foregoing of duty by the Treasury.

Mike Benner, SIBA’s Chief Executive, said: “SIBA was responsible for convincing Government to introduce SBR in 2002

and to improve it in 2004. Now, SIBA are leading the way to make SBR fit for the radically different beer market we have today. We believe small changes can be made to an already winning formula with a modest impact on Treasury coffers.

We believe our proposals present a strong case for reform.”

Mike went on to say: “Reform is needed to remove the ‘cliff edge’ to growth that exists.

However, that reform shouldn’t come at the expense of smaller brewers currently in receipt of the full level of relief. We’re now calling on everyone in the industry, big or small, to look at SIBA’s proposals and back our case for reform in the November Budget.”

Ian Fozard, newly elected SIBA Chairman, Chairman of Roosters Brewery and lead financial adviser to SIBA’s advisory group on SBR reform, said: “Our proposals for reform are rooted in a deep understanding of how breweries work. Their costs, their motivations and their experiences of growth that we’ve derived from our wide and diverse membership base. We have a model of reform that works, and that we think Treasury will adopt.”

Ian went on to say: “We now have an opportunity to gather industry support and press to reform small breweries’ relief ahead of the November budget. But SIBA will also be campaigning in the run up to the Budget on the two core issues that affect the whole industry. We all know the headline rate of beer duty remains too high and the burden on pubs through business rates is unsustainable. The beer and pubs industry has a number of challenges ahead, but SIBA will be leading the way for our members.”

1

SIBA will categorically defend against the withdrawal of relief for any brewer below 5,000hl to safeguard the viability of smaller businesses that depend on SBR at current levels. Whilst we will object to reform below 5,000hl, SIBA does seek positive changes to the shape of the relief curve for breweries making over 5,000hl of beer per year. This will encourage further growth, removing the ‘cliff edge’ that currently exists as the relief is rapidly withdrawn.

2

Support for an industry-led review at least every five years to ensure SBR continues to work well and promotes sustainability in the sector.

3

New measures to encourage normal mergers and acquisitions activity between small independent brewers.

4

Removal of beer that is exported from the SBR calculation to encourage export activity.

5

An extension of the scheme to brewers up to 200,000hl as permitted under EU law.

More information on SIBA’s position on SBR can be found on page 23 in this issue. A presentation on the reforms and a report from economics consultancy CEBR can be found on SIBA’s website here: www.siba.co.uk/about-siba/siba-campaigns/the-futueof-small-breweries-relief/

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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SIBA NEWS

SIBA comments on threat to high gravity beers from Portman Group code review Commenting on the proposed addition of guidance within the Portman Group code review which would limit beers to a maximum of four units per non-resealable container, James Calder, Head of Public Affairs and Communications at SIBA, said:“This new proposed guidance is rightly designed to help capture the ‘problem products’ on the market. Super cheap, super strength, mass produced lagers and ciders that sadly do a

lot of damage to communities across the UK and the vulnerable people who drink them. As a responsible trade association we support that approach to reduce alcohol harm.”

James went on to say: “But a blanket rule on maximum of four units per nonresealable container has unintended consequences for new, interesting, innovative styles of beer that are becoming more popular. It has an impact on brewers’ ability to brew historic styles of beer that are part of our cultural heritage and that

are meant to be paired with food. Double IPA’s, triple IPAs, Imperial Stouts and Porters, Belgian styles. These are not ‘problem products’. They’re supposed to be enjoyed, savoured and shared amongst friends. Their price point also reflects the superior quality and care in their creation.

We’re working closely with the Portman Group to ensure this consultation doesn’t impact on the innovation and excitement that is taking place in the beer industry right now, but does help target ‘problem products’ appropriately.”

Navigation & Thornbridge Brewery named best brewers in Midlands at Independent Beer Awards Navigation Brewery in Nottingham and Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell have taken home the two top spots at the SIBA Midlands Independent Beer Awards, taking home overall Gold in the cask and small pack competitions respectively.

The prestigious awards were this year held at Nottingham Rugby Club prior to their beer festival, and are judged by brewers and beer experts and seen very much as the ‘brewers choice’ awards in the industry.

Navigation Brewery’s ‘Saviour’ took home the overall Gold in the cask competition and Thornbridge brewery’s ‘Melba’ was named overall bottle and can winner.

Commenting on the competition, SIBA Chief Executive Mike Benner, who presented the awards, said: “I’d like to congratulate all of this year’s winners and in particular Navigation and Thornbridge, who beat stiff competition to be named the best brewers in the Midlands. These

breweries are at the top of their game and should be very proud of their achievement in winning these prestigious awards.”

took home the overall Silver in the cask competition, with Titanic Brewery’s Plum Porter taking the Bronze.

Collecting the award for Navigation Brewery was Head Brewer Dominic Flynn, who said: “It says a lot about the British beer community when beers of this style are getting more recognition.

People’s tastes are changing. A few years ago people weren’t ready for a grapefruity American IPA, but it’s great people are enjoying these awesome beers now. We took an American style and brewed it for the British market – with a cask serve and fuller mouthfeel – and it’s a beer that has really struck a chord with drinkers.”

Collecting the award for Thornbridge brewery, whose ‘Melba’ peach IPA was named the top bottled or canned beer, was Marvyn White, who said: “This means a lot, it brings out the hard work everyone at the brewery does to make our beers the absolute best they can be. It’s a beer we’re very proud of as it is just a mouthful of flavour, it’s packed full of peach flavour but is still drinkable and the hop flavour comes through too – it’s a really interesting beer.”

Navigation Brewery’s beer ‘Blonde’ also

For the full list of winners from the SIBA Midlands Independent Beer Awards go to pages 70-71 in this issue.

SIBA launches its Brewery Tap at this year’s Imbibe show to showcase beers from Assured Independent British Craft Brewers This year SIBA hosted the 'Brewery Tap' at the Imbibe show in London, featuring beers from seven SIBA members exhibiting at the show. This bar gives SIBA members a clear USP at the event, featuring beers exclusively from Assured Independent British Craft Brewers.

The Imbibe Live Lager Challenge was also run in Association with SIBA this year at the show.

The Lager challenge competition, the first round judging of which took place at BeerX this year, featured finalist lagers from Fourpure, Redchurch and Coalition from London, Geipel from North Wales and the Bristol outpost of Zero Degrees which were all put to an audience vote in the Beer & Cider Hub on 2 July 2018, the first day of Imbibe Live at Olympia London.

The winner was named as Bock by Geipel Brewing, and that and all the finalists’ beers were available to try on the Brewery Tap.

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

15

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SIBA NEWS

Supplier Associates: Get involved!

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

• Attending a Regional Forum • Speaking to brewers • Hosting a small exhibition stand • Sponsorship • Presenting a brewing or business seminar Why not get in touch and find out more about how you can get involved by emailing neil.walker@siba.co.uk?

Low Alcohol Descriptors consultation response As part of SIBA's ongoing work engaging with Government, the organisation has submitted a response to the Department of Health on its consultation on the use of low alcohol descriptors.

SIBA recommended to Government that: • The term 'de-alcoholised' should be dropped, and only made applicable to products that have undergone that process. With evolution in brewing techniques (including restricted fermentation) this term is now outdated, not relevant and obsolete.

• Use of the terms "alcohol free" and "non-alcoholic" should be liberalised like they are in Europe and the US to include any product below 0.5% ABV. This would encourage growth and innovation in the sector as well as improve consumers understanding of the terms.

You can read SIBA's full response on the Toolbox part of the SIBA website at www.siba.co.uk.

New 'Voice of British Independent Brewing' SIBA logo available to download The new SIBA logo, featuring the amended tagline of 'The voice of British independent brewing', is now available to download via the Toolbox part of the SIBA website.

If you are not sure how to use the logo, Toolbox also includes a downloadable style guide.

Are you ready for Cask Ale Week 2018?

This year is the 10th anniversary of Cask Ale Week and to celebrate, the event, taking place from 20th to 30th of September, has a new look.

The new logo for the ‘Week’ incorporates the shape of the cask end and a pump handle and is being made available to all breweries generating activity for the Week.

Cask Marque director Paul Nunny, who runs the Week, said: “Brewers are warmly invited to take part in Cask Ale Week again this year. Organise something special for 20th to 30th September – and brand it up with a Cask Ale Week logo. You can download them from the website www.caskaleweek.co.uk/download-logos/.”

CASK ALE - WEEK -

He added: “Most importantly we use Cask Ale Week to promote your brewery and your beers.

Make sure to let us know your plans by signing up on the Cask Ale Week website: https:// caskaleweek.co.uk/get-involved/.”

Are you using the Independent Craft Brewer logo?

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

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

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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The View from Westminster

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

As you would expect, Small Breweries’ Relief (SBR) has taken up a significant amount of all our time over the past weeks and months. It’s the most important issue for SIBA members by a long way and it’s the most important to me, too. There’s plenty of space on other pages in the Journal which touch upon this crucial issue, so my column in this edition will focus on other matters. There is one thing for sure; a lot of work is ahead on SBR. I’m looking forward to it!

Meeting the Alcohol Tax Minister

We met with the new Alcohol Taxation Minister Robert Jenrick MP and his team last month. Jenrick’s constituency is Newark and Mark Easterbrook (pictured) from Pheasantry Brewery in the Minister’s patch agreed to attend the meeting to give some of the local flavour.

In the meeting we discussed a number of issues, including SBR, in detail. We discussed how the headline rate of beer duty remains too high, and that the threat of business rates on pubs is a growing concern. We also discussed the impact of Brexit on the sector. The Minister and his team were, as we would expect very

switched on and we’ve agreed to keep in regular contact before the November Budget. We know the Alcohol Taxation Minister likes a beer, so that’s a promising start.

This was of course just one meeting of many that I had in Westminster talking about the issues that matter for brewers – I just happened to be behind the camera for this one.

Portman Group Code One big issue for me is the Portman Group Code review. SIBA members are automatic signatories to the Portman Group Code and its incredibly important that self-regulation of the alcohol industry continues to work well.

However, there are always going to be a couple of snags and unintended consequences. Many brewers will have seen the news that the code review potentially threatens high gravity beers like DIPAs and imperial styles. This is because the PG want to define ‘immoderate consumption’ as a nonresealable container (a can) containing more than 4 units of alcohol. The target of this measure is of course super cheap, super strong lager and cider. These products are a million miles away from some of the exquisite high strength beers I get to try. I hope in the Autumn edition to be able to report back with some good news and a solution.

Minimum Unit Price MUP has been in place in Scotland for a few months and has had some teething problems around wholesalers. How does a wholesaler know if the person buying beer in bulk is a consumer, or a retailer? This creates an interesting loophole which the Scottish Government were informed about prior to the policy launch, which they failed to address. It’s effectively a way in which consumers could purchase alcohol below the MUP, if they claim (falsely) to be a retailer. SIBA wouldn’t recommend doing this, of course. A consultation will

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THE VIEW FROM WESTMINSTER

be issued and the issue fixed shortly. In Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government recently passed their legislation making MUP legal. More detail is due over the coming weeks, but there is potential that the price per unit will be set higher than in Scotland with Welsh Ministers leaning towards a price of 75p and above. You may ask does this signal a shift to MUP for England, too? I don’t think so, but if anything were to change SIBA members will know about it.

Pubs Code Adjudicator grilled

Brewers may have seen the news that Fiona Dickie and Paul Newby were up in front of the Business Select Committee recently, having their work scrutinised by MPs. I went down to watch the session and listened intently on the front row.

Before the session began we had a short conversation, which was productive. I was amazed, like many, that the number of successful MROs was as low as 37 – a number which may actually be too high when we consider ‘true’ MROs. I encourage members to look out for SIBA’s access to market work, which will be launching soon. This will look at all aspects of getting SIBA members' beer to market, not just through free of tie.

James Calder is Head of Public Affairs and Communications at SIBA. He covers political relations, policy and PR for SIBA members. He can be contacted at james.calder@siba.co.uk or on 07934 850250.

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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SIBA’s

FOUR PILLARS UPDATE

‘Four Pillars of Activity’ Update Access to Market (ATM)

• Work on ATM continues to focus on information/ evidence gathering. It is essential that our future activities and campaigns are based on solid evidence and considered policy.

•T he final report from Francis Patton (Executive Committee Chairman) on the impact of the Market Rent Only Option and the alignment of our commercial activity with the four pillars is complete and is a major driver in establishing our forthcoming commercial strategy.

•F ollowing discussions at Policy Committee Keith Bott commissioned to carry out a review of developments in the pubs market focusing on the following issues: •T raditional pub numbers are declining, particularly wet led community pubs •P ubcos no longer provide the lowest cost market entry •C onsumer demand has loosened the tie on cask ale but it remains tight on other beers •P ubs Code legislation has resulted in a transfer of value from pub owner to operator but this may lead to greater foreclosure of the market.

•T he re-introduction of the vertically integrated global brewer potentially turns the clock back two decades •B roken business rates system rewards building conversions and digital trade whilst disadvantaging traditional pubs •T he growth of craft beer bars/ micropubs/ brewery taps as alternative retail models • Predatory pricing by large brewers • Dispense access The project will consult industry experts using the Delphi method to draw together a final report and recommendations. The full report should be presented by November.

This is in addition to the outcomes supported by existing research as follows: ospitality – casual dining, café bars, hotels, •H restaurants – growth in importance as a route to market – evidence provided by CGA Strategy/ Chris Holden Report •G roceries Code – issues for small brewers – building relations with the Grocery Code Adjudicator •M RO trigger – significant price increases – evidence base provided by Francis Patton’s project – James Calder and Mike Benner meeting the PCA and BEIS Select Committee representatives initially •S IBA Code of Practice - still outstanding and to be developed when evidence base is satisfactory Following the delivery of this project, a policy position will be established on each issue together with what SIBA would like to see happen and it is proposed that these will be collated into a ‘manifesto’ document on access to market setting out what needs to change to improve ATM by 2020. he Members’ Survey has been completed with •T over 350 useable returns and the British Beer Report was published at BeerX. The survey approach will be reviewed.

•T he member insight project has been put on hold until the member survey review, commercial plan and costs benchmarking projects are underway •T he costs benchmarking project will be launched in June and will be run in partnership with supplier

members Garbutt &Elliott who have agreed to administer the project free of charge.

Taxation

This pillar focuses on Excise Duty and Small Breweries’ Relief.

Excise Duty • Our work with the One Voice Coalition will continue in 2018 and the campaign plan is progressing well. There is likely to be a stronger focus on pub business rates.

• We are building strong support with members to enable us to build member engagement on the runup to the November budget • We have established a strong direct relationship with the new Treasury team of officials and aim to meet them at least quarterly in the future • We have met the new Minister, Robert Jenrick and raised our concerns/policy views over beer duty, business rates, cider duty and SBR • The BBPA are currently consulting with design and PR agencies to decide what the replacement for ‘There’s a Beer for That’ will entail in detail, with the overall objective being to focus on the headline rate of duty.

Small Breweries’ Relief • Members have been briefed on SIBA’s position and policy and this was picked up by the trade press • SIBA’s policy for reform over 5000hl has been remodeled to reduce the cash relief for larger brewers featured in the current model and to reduce the cost to Government to around £10m • SIBA’s priorities with Government are now to promote and secure: 1. Positive changes to the shape of the relief curve over 5,000hl to encourage growth, sustainability and investment removing the ‘glass ceiling’ to growth.

2. No withdrawal of relief for any brewer below 5,000hl to guarantee the viability of businesses, livelihoods and jobs that depend on SBR to compete.

3. An extension to brewers up to 200,000hl as permitted under the Structures Directive.

4. Support for an industry-led review at least every five years.

5. Measures to encourage normal mergers and acquisitions activity.

6. Removal of exports from the SBR calculation to encourage export activity subject to legal advice.

7. The introduction of rolling calculation to improve the efficiency of the scheme.

• The Small Brewers Duty Reform Coalition demand for graduation of relief below 5,000hl is not supported by SIBA and we know that any attempts to redistribute relief from smaller to larger brewers would result in the unsustainability and closure of many breweries up and down the country.

That is anathema to the original intention of Small Breweries’ Relief – a progressive beer duty.

We have not seen, and do not believe exists, a rationale for removing relief for small brewers to ‘compensate’ larger brewers.

Updates on other related taxation issues are contained in the Campaigns report below.

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The Assured Independent British Craft Brewer initiative • The strategy in 2018 is focusing on the following: - Brewer engagement with the campaign - Retailer engagement with the campaign -R aising consumer awareness of the campaign -H ow the Assured campaign will be enhanced by the requirement of FSQ • Membership Survey initial analysis suggests that 85% of members are aware of the ‘Assured’ campaign.

• We are developing generic ‘Assured’ promotional material for SIBA members to purchase and use in their own facilities and supply loyal customers with to raise the awareness of ‘Assured’ brewers.

An e-marketing campaign will be launched to members soon to make them aware of this artwork • The SIBA Assured campaign and the FSQ administration has formed an agreement with AuthenticateIT. Authenticate is a specialist company engaging food and drink suppliers with major customers with the common objective to exchange product and service data to ensure food safety, quality and provenance amongst other services. Member businesses will be advised accordingly as work nears completion.

• Partnership with JD Wetherspoon – JDW has agreed to organise an ‘Assured’ only beer festival featuring only SIBA’s independent craft brewers.

This is a change in focus from their usual International brewer them. The Autumn festival’s marketing material will focus around the ‘Assured’ seal. Mike Benner has also written a feature on the initiative for their consumer magazine, Wetherspoon News.

• May’s Inapub magazine promoted the SIBA National Independent Beer Award winners from March in a double page advertorial. This carried the Assured branding. Inapub magazine is sent to 20,000 independent pubs. This will hopefully raise awareness of the Assured campaign but also increase sales for the award-winning breweries.

• We are progressing a partnership with CAMRA to make it easy for CAMRA to promote the Assured logo at CAMRA beer festivals, including GBBF. • We are developing an online portal that will allow both consumers and retailers to check if a brewer is ‘Assured’ and ‘FSQ’ audited

Product Excellence • FSQ Edition II is now in place. Members’ Health and Safety tools are progressing • The employer-led brewing apprenticeship standard project continues to progress well with SIBA’s support as a trade association and the application for Trailblazer status has now been submitted.

• We have partnered with the IBD to deliver a training programme on the FSQ with a discount for SIBA members, but this project is progressing slowly with poor impact • We have had initial discussions re working together with CAMRA on beer education and information for consumers and we are awaiting further proposals.

Please note this information is based on the Board Update that was issued to the Board a week prior to the Board meeting on 13th June.

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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BEERS

•

CLOSURES

•

FOODS

•

SOFT DRINKS

•

SPIRITS

•

WINES

SUPPORTING BREWERS, ROUND AFTER ROUND

COLLABORATION

WWW.CROXSONS.COM

DESIGN

CONTAINER

CLOSURES

DECORATION

LOGISTICS

THE FUTURE OF SMALL BREWERIES’ RELIEF On June 27th following agreement by the board, SIBA launched its proposals to reform SBR. This article examines SIBA’s proposals in more detail.

WHY REFORM, WHY NOW? SBR was introduced in 2002. Since then, craft beer in the UK has exploded. There are now 4 or 5 times as many breweries as when the scheme was introduced with consumers enjoying more styles, choices and flavours.

SBR has been a key factor contributing to this growth, investment and energy in independent brewing.

Whilst SBR has been wildly successful, issues have appeared over the years. The rate at which relief is withdrawn for brewers making above 5,000 hectolitres (hl) of beer per year is punishing, and acts as a deterrent to growth.

Government now recognises this and in Winter 2017 asked the beer industry to come together to a consensus, find a solution and present it to HM Treasury.

SIBA’S FIVE PROPOSALS FOR THE FUTURE OF SBR 1. SIBA will categorically defend against the withdrawal of relief for any brewer below 5,000hl to safeguard the viability of smaller businesses that depend on SBR at current levels. Whilst we will object to reform below 5,000hl, SIBA does seek positive changes to the shape of the relief curve for breweries making over 5,000hl of beer per year. This will encourage further growth, removing the ‘cliff edge’ that currently exists as the relief is rapidly withdrawn.

2. Support for an industry-led review at least every five years to ensure SBR continues to work well and promotes sustainability in the sector.

3. New measures to encourage normal mergers and acquisitions activity between small independent brewers.

4. Removal of beer that is exported from the SBR calculation to encourage export activity.

5. An extension of the scheme to brewers up to 200,000hl as permitted under EU law.

BELOW 5K HL SIBA’s Board sees no economic, political or moral rationale for the removal of relief for any brewer below 5,000hl. Other industry groups, including the Small Brewer’s Duty Reform Coalition (SBDRC) believe that reform is only possible if brewers above 1,000 and below 5,000hl have their relief reduced. SIBA believes

SBR UPDATE

THE INDUSTRY IS UNITED IN THE NEED FOR CHANGE, AND ON THE BENEFITS OF FOUR OUT OF FIVE OF THESE AREAS. THE FIRST AREA, ON RELIEF ABOVE AND BELOW 5,000HL IS WHERE THERE IS STILL DEBATE, DISCUSSION AND WORK TO DO. SIBA HAS ISSUED A ‘RALLYING CRY’ FOR BREWERS OF ALL SIZES, PUBLICANS, INDUSTRY GROUPS AND BEER LOVERS TO BACK SIBA’S PROPOSALS FOR REFORM. that this is contrary to the original intention of SBR as a progressive beer duty. SIBA will not allow any small brewer to be directly worse off through loss of relief as a result of SBR reform. 50% is the maximum relief allowed for any brewer up to 5k hl – and SIBA will be campaigning to defend that level. The alternative is the SBDRC policy, where brewers between 1k hl and 6k hl (around 37% of SIBA’s membership) will see an immediate, and highly damaging withdrawal of their relief. SIBA is opposed to this proposal.

ABOVE 5K HL Above 5,000hl SIBA wish to ‘smooth the curve’ giving more generous relief to breweries at a stage where growth is most painful. In time, this more generous allowance could see the sector expand, offsetting the cost to Treasury.

INDUSTRY LED REVIEW SBR has not been reviewed for 15 years. No other industry sector goes for this length of time without reviewing the mechanisms in it that enable growth, jobs and investment. It is of critical importance that where any changes are made, industry can once again come together to discuss the impact of changes and make recommendations to Government. If Treasury were to lead the review, that takes it out of the hands of industry experts and bodies like SIBA. This limits our influence in the process.

NORMAL MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS This proposal is categorically not about large global brewers buying smaller breweries and taking advantage of their SBDR. This is about encouraging a ‘normal’ marketplace where two small players can get together and partner. At present, SBR acts as a deterrent to do this. In no other industry sector does a tax system prevent ‘normal’ mergers and acquisitions activity. A brewer at 3,000hl and a brewer at 4,000hl

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may wish to combine forces – but are currently deterred from doing so because they will pay the relative rate on 7,000hl, the steepest point at which relief is withdrawn. SIBA’s proposal is to allow both brewers to keep their full relief, with a tapering down over a period, of say three years, where by the end of that period, they will be paying the full rate at their production level.

The number of mergers and acquisitions by one company would need to be limited.

EXPORTS ENCOURAGED Currently, if a brewer at 4,000hl secures an overseas contract to brew 2,000hl for a new market, they have to pay the relative duty rate as if 6,000hl of beer were produced for the UK market, losing full relief. SIBA believes that if export volumes were to be excluded from SBR calculations, more brewers would be incentivised to seek new overseas markets.

We lead the world in beer innovation, style and quality. So it makes no sense that the tax system constrains our ability to sell our beer around the world.

AN EXTENSION OF THE SCHEME UP TO 200,000HL This extension has been SIBA policy for many years, and is supported by CAMRA. With SIBA’s proposals, brewers at 60k hl will be paying 96.2% of the full duty rate. For a brewer at 100k hl, the figure is 98.2%. For 200k hl, its 100%. This compares with 50% below 5000hl. Therefore the amount of relief in cash terms larger small brewers will receive on each hl, and each barrel of beer is small. SIBA believes that the benefits of the scheme should be extended across SIBA’s membership, whilst prioritising and protecting the maximum benefit permissible for the majority of SIBA members – those below 5k hl and 1k hl.

To show your support for SIBA’s policies please email, tweet, facebook message and sign the petition indicating your support on the SIBA page below.

Also visit this page: http://www.siba.co.uk/ about-siba/siba-campaigns/the-futueof-small-breweries-relief/ for a detailed presentation and SIBA’s report from the respected economics consultancy CEBR on the case for reform.

For more detail, or to discuss the impact of SBR reform please contact Chief Executive Mike Benner, Chairman Ian Fozard or Head of Public Affairs James Calder.

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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SIBA MEMBERS’ VIEWS

Marketing beer responsibly - sexism and discrimination Welcome to a new section of the Journal where we ask Brewing Members for their views on a particular topical issue or challenge. We will be asking for your comments via a Toolbox alert each quarter and then printing a selection (as space allows) of your responses here each issue.

All the comments and views – both those that make it into print and those that don’t – will be shared with SIBA’s Executive and help inform SIBA’s future strategy decisions.

VIEWPOINT

1

Our first topic is sexism and discrimination in beer marketing, something that was raised earlier this year by SIBA’s South East region, when the following motion was put forward: SIBA will create & implement a more comprehensive marketing ‘Code of Practice’ for its members, to specifically include the issue of sexist or otherwise discriminatory images and language.

This proposed motion was remitted to the Board with Carolyn Uphill (SIBA Non Exec Director), Jaega Wise (South East elected Director) and Mark Anderson (North East

I was walking into work one morning past a well known pub in my area when I saw a lorry pull up, delivering casks from a large, well known established brewery. On the side was an artistic drawing of a blonde woman in red nightwear holding a beer.

VIEWPOINT

2

That same evening, I went to a local micro pub.

On the bar was yet another, more distasteful, badge sporting a chesty blonde woman. I enquired with the bartender about his choice of beer, to which he responded, ‘Had I have known about the artwork, I wouldn’t have ordered this beer!’

Neil (Age 62!), Brightside Brewing Company Limited

"IF ANYBODY HOLDS THESE VIEWS THESE DAYS THEY ARE DINOSAURS" Since we started brewing in 2009 we have absolutely avoided anything to do with the above no matter what it has to do with – marketing or otherwise.

If anybody holds these views these days they are dinosaurs, and if they want to succeed in any business they had better hide them well!

Specifically marketing? A complete no brainer in my opinion. No place anywhere in the modern world!

24

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

You only have to type the words ‘women’ and ‘beer’ into Google to see the underlying sexism and stereotypes of women in beer.

There is a shift occurring within the beer industry and target audience. Beer is no longer solely aimed at middle aged men who like a good blonde joke and voyeur over photographs in The Sun. And yet this kind of thinking is still adapted by breweries in an attempt to market their beers to a particular audience.

elected Director) tasked to move it forwards.

SIBA is consulting members through different means to draft the code which has already included a debate at BeerX and a number of regional meetings have added this to their agendas.

A selection of the views we have received from members are printed in this section – please note these are views personal to the individual quoted and do not necessarily reflect the views of the breweries they work for.

only to receive severe backlash from critics online regarding the opportunism surrounding the campaign.

If you delve under the surface, it is evident that the paradigm of changing. People such as Jaega Wise of Wild Card have been instrumental in opening up the conversation and challenging the issue. Even on a local level, for Sheffield Beer Week this year, Neepsend Brewery’s Hannah Bolton-Tite, Lost Industry’s Helen Seaton, Devonshire Cat’s Liz Casserly and beer champion and owner of the well-known bottle shop, Hop Hideout, Jules Gray collaborated on a dryhopped sour beer called ‘Emmeline’ to celebrate women in the industry.

The days are coming and are even here amongst new-wave breweries when the industry and marketers shed off their archaic thinking, and no longer promote beer based on a scantily clad chesty woman, but promote the nations favourite drink based upon the merit of the flavour and stories of the brewers themselves, regardless of gender.

In an attempt to jump on the back of the successful pro-women campaigning that has been prevalent through social media of late, Brew Dog even released a rebranded Punk IPA as ‘Pink IPA: Beer for Girls’,

"HAD I HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE ARTWORK, I WOULDN’T HAVE ORDERED THIS BEER!’ Nick Law, Brewery Manager, The Sheffield Brewery Company

SIBA MEMBERS’ VIEWS VIEWPOINT

3

I wanted to share our views on the push to remove discrimination and sexism from the beer industry.

We are massive advocates of equality in all areas with a 60/40 split men to women in our staff team and have one of the North East’s few female brewers. However, in two years of trading, like many other breweries, we have been accused of sexism. This is in reference to our beer names, not our artwork which is simple and rarely has pictures.

We produce a number of beers with playful names but have received complaints on two of our earlier core range beers, ‘The ex wife’ and ‘Under the thumb’. We have sold over 100,000 pints of these beers and they are extremely popular with our customers. We have also sold roughly 7,000 bottles, many of which have gone to bottle shops and restaurants but most of these have been sold face to face at the farmers and Christmas markets.

The ‘Ex Wife’ was a joke I made when starting the brewery (and planning for my first wedding), my brother kept the name and put it on the bar at my wedding, people loved the beer and the name, so it stuck. ‘Under The Thumb’ was named, created and brewed by the head brewer’s wife, in playful response to the ‘Ex Wife’. Neither came from a place of pain or discrimination, merely the desire to joke with family.

I would like to share our data to give perspective: • The number of complaints received on the names of the these beers combined: 3.

• The number of ex wives saying whilst laughing (paraphrased) “at last, a present for my ex husband that fits”: 9.

• The number of weddings ‘Ex Wife’ or ‘Under The Thumb’ has been supplied to: 6 Both beers have a huge following and a growing established presence in the North East beer scene.

I am pleased SIBA is consulting on this issue. As a microbrewery VIEWPOINT owner and director, I have come across a mixed response as a woman in the brewing industry. Mostly and overwhelmingly positive and inclusive, but there is much room for improvement.

4

On a larger scale, the beer industry has a long way to go to in order to overcome its sexism problem and representative organisations such as SIBA should be leading the way on guidelines for marketing and conduct for its members.

Ultimately as a growing and successful industry, beer and brewing must appeal to, and include women as manufacturers, staff, suppliers, directors, spokespeople, activists and customers.

Research by various organisations shows that women beer drinkers are on the increase but still in much fewer numbers than men.

I think sexism and discrimination is an extremely important topic and I promote the discussion on the subject. We have a number of family members who, for the last 100 years have been openly fighting for female equality in male dominated industries (predominately engineering). I genuinely believe the leaps and bounds made based on the horror stories they grew up with have been substantial but not enough.

everyone is starting to reign it in, especially on the artwork.

However, as I write these views I am very afraid of backlash or repercussions. With the wide spread of social media, people see headlines and make snap calls. People join together with the weight of their opinions against an enemy and can be very aggressive, as any group feeling outnumber and not listened to would.

If you speak to brewers, one of the hardest thing is finding a good name, most people will make a decision in a few seconds so a good name really sells a beer. If you can get a name that engages with people, it also creates conversation between staff and customers leading to a more enjoyable time.

We have a good list of customers that would agree with this and enjoy sharing the story of the two beers. It is very difficult to balance the line of engaging without causing offence to anyone because everyone is on their own journey.

I believe that true sexism and discrimination is how you treat people and respond to situations.

For any cases where the names have caused offence we do the following: • We respond respectfully explaining the story behind the beers.

• We suggest other beers in our range that might be more suitable (often with discount).

• We will offer a free rebadged clip on the beer to suit the customer (1 of the 3 complaints now averages 2 casks of both beers a week), it is also sold as the ‘Ex Fella’ in the gay district in Manchester (as per customer request).

We will continue to monitor the situation but I would strongly recommend that the policy of SIBA be less about the naming of the beers and far more about the respect and support of all genders races and orientations in the brewing trade.

I know there are a number of high profile people getting involved in the debate and it won’t go silent so progress must be made (be it the release of guidelines) and based on my discussions with other breweries, on the whole

As a minimum point of economics – appealing to and not excluding women will increase the number of beer drinkers overall. More people in pubs and bars, more orders for the brewers, more jobs in the industry.

Part of this inclusion must be to remove sexist branding and marketing by brewers. Scantily clad women on pump clips, suggestive names for beers, and marketing campaigns objectifying women must all be a thing of the past if the industry is to move forward into the modern beer drinking world.

Those who argue it’s a bit of fun and women are overly offended tend to be men, speaking from their male privilege. I have also been on the receiving end of gaslighting on this issue. Asked why I am so concerned about tits on pump clips when there are bigger issues in the world serves only to try to distract from the issue, and shows no understanding of how derogatory images of women is part of the same problem as more serious issues of sexual exploitation.

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David Dodd, Brewery Manager, Three Brothers Brewing Company Unfortunately rarely will people read the whole debate, we just don’t have time (I believe this is a change in all society but we want our opinions known especially when we feel no one is listening). In the right circles, misquoted phrases can escalate to smear campaigns within hours (often from people that don’t drink beer or had even heard of the brewery but are passionate about sexism) which can really harm any company, especially when young. I just personally believe there are much bigger issues of sexism to address, especially the thought that women can brew too and it is a career open to them.

I would ask what SIBA’s policy is on pushing women in brewing and if SIBA would come to the aid of brewers being potentially put out of business by aggressive negative campaigning, because I have seen the campaigns already and they want scalps!?

The American women’s movement have a phrase “Can’t see it, can’t be it”. Women see themselves as beer drinkers and brewers and barstaff, and business owners equal to men and need to see positive reflections of themselves in those roles in order for numbers participating to increase.

Jennifer Smith, Brewsmith Beer Limited

In summary, SIBA should produce a definitive and strict set of guidelines for its members and associate members on removing any sexist or discriminatory marketing in their business practices.

Continued on page 27

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

25

Marketing beer responsibly - sexism and discrimination VIEWPOINT

5

VIEWPOINT

6

Thanks for asking for our views on this matter, it’s something I feel very strongly about!

As a buyer of guest beers into our brewery I have a very strict policy on the beers I select in terms of sexist and discriminative beer marketing.

Myself and the brewery will be fully supporting the code of practice that is to be implemented by SIBA.

I don’t order any beer which has sexist and provocative images of women, or sexist beer names as part of its branding, or deal with any breweries who use such strategies to try and sell their beer.

It clears up any grey areas that people may be falling into, and we as a brewery will be looking to implement it to the letter.

Not only is the use of the female body to sell beer outdated, but to me incredibly offensive. It is degrading, and also wrongly assumes that the only target audience for beer are likely to be swayed by sexual imagery and language. This is clearly not the

Ryan Truswell, Brewery Manager, Old Mill Brewery

VIEWPOINT

7

Great to see that this is being discussed. If a group or minority feels something is inappropriate and offensive then I don’t think it is for others to tell them they are wrong.

I feel the brewing industry remains a very male dominated environment and still beer is seen as a ‘man’s drink’. Even now eyebrows are raised when I order a pint.

When men call or visit the brewery often they assume I am the receptionist or office girl.

When I go to brewers’ dinners or similar events it’s often assumed I’m the partner of a brewer.

Thankfully I have worked within the brewing industry for Leeds Brewery for nine years and have seen these occurrences happen less frequently as time has gone by.

VIEWPOINT

8

SIBA MEMBERS’ VIEWS case as more women are drinking, brewing and generally involved in the beer industry than ever – all the women I know in the industry are, like me, offended by this type of marketing.

I feel the modern beer drinker, whether male or female, is (and should be) far more likely to be tempted by clean, artistic, modern branding, that tells an interesting brand story, rather than relying on the cheap, outdated and offensive use of the female body and more importantly, tempted by the beer itself. Sexist marketing should not be part of our industry in 2018 (and should never have been).

Ellie Rix, Beer Pixie, Butcombe Brewery

HOWEVER! I strongly feel that branding or advertising that is in any way sexist or discriminative towards women will only hinder this progress and may even serve to create a reversal in the trend of inclusivity and equality.

I feel that beer that has used sexual innuendo or sexism to sell should be relegated to the annals of history, accepted as of their time but no longer relevant or appropriate. There is no place for sexism or discrimination in any walk of life and the marketing of beer should be no different.

I hope this is the general consensus from all that reply, and I hope SIBA receives a healthy amount of responses from our male counterparts.

Jenna Hall, Sales Director, Leeds Brewery

A few thoughts on this subject. I will start with a little background on myself.

I am 77 years of age and have been in the brewing industry for 54 of those years and owned a micro brewery since 2006.

I am writing this as one of my clips, Winters Dream, has been accused of sexism and in its 12 years of existence we have never had ONE complaint!!

Indeed, all my clips are designed by my daughter who is extremely proud of her artwork. I have been an elected Director of SIBA for the East Midlands for the last four years and NONE of my members, men or women, have complained of sexism – there are a lot more issues to hand such as clips that could be thought to promote gambling etc.

Would the Full Monty or the male body be characterised as sexist? I don’t think so!

In this crazy world of blame I think this is a bridge too far! Just to add, I do not condone bad language or vulgar acts but just remember the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and as anyone within the industry will tell you good pump clips sell beer!

John Allcroft, Grafton Brewery

Continued on page 29

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Marketing beer responsibly - sexism and discrimination will be rejected by customers and will fail.

Conversely well named or designed beers will succeed. We need to be careful that we don’t impose too many rules on what is supposed to be a “fun” industry where there is a history of taking a light-hearted view of beer naming.

That said, Kate loves Willie (Royal Wedding) and the Second Coming for me went too far. Cunning Stunt has to be debatable, Old Slapper too as is Top Totty. Head office buyers will reject these beers as will landlords and so they will fail.

David Bremner, Director of Marketing, Frederick Robinson Limited

However, some will evolve, such as Elsie Mo, but not without considerable cost and that also needs to be recognised.

Interesting that Robinsons are not the only ones that VIEWPOINT take the below point of view according to SIBA feedback online, but some are unwilling to have their view published. Therefore this will look like a one-sided argument between us and vocal SIBA brewers and journalists but I can assure you this does not reflect customer or consumer opinion.

9

This debate simply isn’t happening in pubs, and if anything has polarised OUR customers towards Dizzy Blonde which remains in growth.

That said, as I said at BeerX, we haven’t got our heads in the sand and obviously times are changing. We have announced that we are considering changing the design accordingly. I have offered to SIBA to be part of the team that comes up with the guidelines but have not heard back.

My personal view is that guidelines are needed but this should be self-policing. If inappropriately named or designed, beers

VIEWPOINT

10

Feedback to us on email, via letter and through the media is 98% along the lines of “the world’s gone mad” and “haven’t these people got anything better to do”.

That said, we need to take an approach which encourages as many new people into the category as possible and that’s what Robinsons will continue to do.

A selection of quotes from the Mail is below.

There were 155 comments to the poorly reported Dizzy Blonde piece of which four were in support and the rest along the lines of: • Another reason to stop going to pubs – well done extreme feminists • Yawn • Whatever you do, don’t worry about the big things threatening Britain • The PC Brigade strikes again • Neo-puritanism is alive and well • I’m a woman and I find this ridiculous These are just from the first two pages of feedback.

There is a danger that we over-correct what is a very small issue in the grand scheme of things by fully adopting the views of a very

Code of Practice – from someone who was guilty as charged!

As a brewer, we support the introduction of a Code of Practice.

Some might argue it is easy for us to say this now as we have just re-branded but I believe our insight gained from having ‘changed from one side of the fence to the other’ could persuade others in the industry to support this too.

As I say above, we were guilty as charged as some of our old branding had sexist images on and I would make the following points: 1. When you’re using sexist or potentially offensive names/images on your branding, it is tempting to believe that as you’re only hearing a few objections or seeing a couple of social media comments, it is not an

HAVE YOUR SAY!

SIBA MEMBERS’ VIEWS

vocal and social media active minority and I hope there is a way of approaching all SIBA members via phone or email research to get personal views or even to find out the ones who care so little they don’t respond.

Taking Dizzy Blonde for example: despite all the noise; a couple of vocal beer bloggers best efforts; a Daily Mail piece; and 45 minutes of attack at BeerX, the public and silent majority are fully behind the beer exactly as it is. It continues to grow and the feedback we are getting from males and females with blonde hair or not is positive.

That said, we will still make some tweaks because it is the right thing to do to optimise sales. Fellow SIBA brewers hounding the buyers from ASDA and Co-op on social media to delist Dizzy wasn’t the best way to have the debate.

All of the pro-intervention noise amongst brewers seems to be from the newer craft brewers too. I would hope that any consensus has the views of some breweries with decades or centuries of heritage in this industry who have to manage larger brew lengths and make more traditional beers.

There is a danger that vocal millennials create a set of regulations which work well for the newer cooler craft brewers.

It’s a good debate, needed to happen and is timely.

But the solution needs to be balanced is my opinion. I’d leave it to the Portman Group to manage and let the public decide.

The Portman Group are also bound to introduce recommendations on all sorts of discrimination – so look forward to guidelines for disability, racism and ageism too.

Maybe our World Beer winner Old Tom will be the next one under attack from the vocal minority or some bloke called Tom!

issue. Trust me, it is an issue. Just because you don’t hear it doesn’t mean it is not there. Our experience has been that we have seen a significant number of people (including staff) who have now told me they were uncomfortable being associated with or selling our beers and they were essentially ‘silent’ before we made the changes to our clips.

2. The new business we have gained far outweighs the nay-sayers or those who have said they will stop selling our beer as they think we are just pandering to the PC brigade. Waitrose being one good example.

3. Finally, as we knew we were way out of line in terms of branding, we essentially “kept our heads down” but now we are on the front foot and can use the time to engage with all potential drinkers and talk about our brewery, our range of beer and the great story behind Moorhouse’s in a far more positive environment.

Lee Williams, Managing Director, Moorhouse’s Brewery Limited

We are really interested to know what all our members think about the issue, so if you haven’t already then do send your thoughts to carolyn.uphill@siba.co.uk or jaega.wise@siba.co.uk

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MEET THE BREWER

MEET THE

BREWER DEREK PRENTICE,

BREWER'S CV:

WIMBLEDON BREWERY

Derek Prentice, Wimbledon Brewery

Derek Prentice is celebrating a half century in the beer sector this year and has enjoyed a career that spans some of the iconic moments in the last five decades of brewing history.

The South Londoner began his journey in London straight out of school in the laboratory of the Brick Lane Brewery, which at that time was owned by independent brewers Truman Hanbury Buxton. From there he helped grow one of the most successful brewing businesses of that era, and ended up in production and packaging where he pioneered a way to use kegs to distribute cask ale in support of the move back from lager to cask ales for Truman’s in the mid-80’s. As one door closed, and the Brick Lane site was mothballed in 1988, another opened, and Derek was able to go back to the more traditional craft brewing he loves with a move back to his South London heartland and the Young’s Ram Brewery. Switching South London for West London he then went on to join Fuller, Smith & Turner before turning his attention to the smaller end of the market and new start-up Wimbledon Brewery where he has been able to get his hands dirty again teaching a new generation of brewers how it’s done.

The SIBA Journal’s Editor Caroline Nodder went to meet Derek and find out more about his incredible story…

1968 – 1970 – Laboratory Tec hnician, Truman Hanbury Buxton, Brick Lane, London 1970 – 1971 – Member of bre w team, overseeing installation of a new Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, London 1971 – 1988 – Various roles in brewing, production management and eve ntually Packaging and Warehousing Man ager, Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London 1989 – 2006 – Various roles in packaging and brewing and eventually Bre wing Manager at Young’s Ram Brewery, Wandsw orth London 2006 – 2007 – Investigating launching his own small brewery in Wandsw orth, South London 2006 – 2007 – One year’s mat ernity cover for Brewing Manager, Fuller ’s, Chiswick, London 2007 – 2014 – Brewing Manage r, Fuller’s, Chiswick, London 2014 – present – Consulting as Master Brewer, Wimbledon Brewery, Colliers Wood, London

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

31

MEET THE BREWER

If you ever fancy doing a bit of research into the history of this great brewing industry then forget Google, simply head for South London and arrange some time to go and have a chat with Derek Prentice.

Not only is he one of the longestserving and most respected brewers of his generation, but his knowledge and hands-on experience of some of the pivotal moments in that history give him a unique and fascinating perspective on how the sector has evolved over time. Derek was there when the new brewery on the iconic Truman’s site on Brick Lane was brought on line. He was part of the cask revival of the mid to late 1980’s. He was one of the last out when the Truman’s Brewery was finally closed down in 1988, but stepped straight back into a more traditional set-up by joining the Young’s team at the famous Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, not knowing that he would eventually be turning the lights out there too.

But before we get to that, I first ask Derek how it all began for him back in 1968.

“It was almost exactly 50 years ago,” Derek begins. “I had just finished my A-levels and I joined the laboratory team at what was then Truman Hanbury Buxton which was in Brick Lane. They had a brewery in Burton as well. They weren’t one of the ‘big six’ of the time, but they had been one of the biggest breweries in the world at one time.

They were producing between those two sites somewhere between 750,000 and 1,000,000 barrels a year. So I joined as a laboratory technician, and my first job was analysing the barleys, and it ticked a lot of the boxes for the science side of things I had been interested in at school. So from then on I was happy to forge a career in brewing.”

After about a year and a half of being in the laboratory, Derek was asked to join the brew team. These were the days of the very old traditional brewery in Brick Lane which was then replaced in the early 70’s when they built a new brewery on the site.

Derek continues: “It was still independent at that time but just about the time the new brewery was being commissioned there was quite a significant take-over battle between Maxwell Joseph of Grand Metropolitan Hotels and Watney Mann, who were one of the ‘big six’ at the time.

The Truman Board decided in the end to go with Maxwell Joseph, believing it was the best way to protect the Truman brand. Maxwell Joseph was an East Ender with a passion for the area and he always intended to make the Brick Lane site the head quarters for Grand Met, which he did eventually do about a year later. He was the first outsider to come into the ‘beerage’ and ended up doing a reverse takeover of Watneys so we became part of a much larger group. I was still brewing at this point, and I helped oversee the transition to the new brewery and then picked up

a position on the brew team in the new brewery."

Derek stayed at Brick Lane within the growing Grand Met business for two decades in all, making his way through the lab and the brew team to end up specialising in production and packaging.

“Overall I was there for 20 years, and I started working towards my brewing qualifications while I was there. I went through various roles and ended up in production management, and finished up after 20 years as Packaging and Warehouse Manager.”

While never wavering in his passion for the brewing, Derek does admit the site’s huge volumes and big branded beers did dent his enthusiasm in the middle part of his time there.

“The change to brewing lager happened.

We started with Tuborg and then after we became part of Grand Met, Carlsberg was quite a big brand so we brewed that, as well as the Truman brands which did well in keg format. We were brewing out of a manual, and the brewery was a fairly modern German brewhouse, so it meant continuous brewing compared to the wonderful old Victorian brewhouse I’d started in. The romance of brewing was slightly tarnished for me, but I had another sideline that kept me very busy during that period as I was participating in a Winter sport,” adds Derek, almost as a throwaway comment.

Continued on page 35 WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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MEET THE BREWER

THERE ARE TWO THINGS I AM PROBABLY MOST PROUD OF. THEY BOTH TOOK ME QUITE BY SURPRISE, BUT THE FIRST WAS GETTING BREWER OF THE YEAR AT THE GUILD OF BEER WRITERS IN 2013 AND THEN IN THE SAME YEAR I GOT THE SIBA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

This demands further investigation and as it turns out ‘participating in a Winter sport’ is something of an understatement, and a quick search online reveals that Derek in fact represented Great Britain in the 1980 Winter Olympics at the luge. One of the most daredevil and dangerous sports in the world, and one he continues his association with having just returned from a meeting of the sport’s federation when we meet.

Back to beer, and Derek says his work as a shift brewer may have allowed him to pursue his sporting dreams, but also led him to realise his true calling was in cask ale and the more traditional craft brewing process.

“So being on shift suited me at the time.

And the sport helped offset what had become a production line job – brewing career-wise I felt slightly frustrated,” he adds.

But help was at hand, and when the backlash against Watney’s Red Barrel began, led by a resurgent CAMRA, the timing was right for Truman’s to move back into cask. Derek explains: “We reinvented the Truman identity, to bring back the heritage branding you can still see on some pubs today and to bring back the heritage Truman brands as well. So I was delighted to be able to work with my brewing colleagues on bringing back cask beer to Brick Lane. We also became a centre for the packaging of cask beer – both Watney’s and Truman’s had come out of cask in the 70’s and had a huge population of kegs, but to bring back cask was quite a challenge. So we developed what we used to call FBIK - Fined Beer in a Keg. The system worked very well, but it didn’t get trade acceptance because the beer would arrive in a keg, even though it was actually cask beer. I would probably say quality standards were even higher though, because you could automate the whole filling and cleaning process.”

The last few years spent at Brick Lane saw Derek back at the coalface and producing the cask beers he loved, but the

eventual closure of the site loomed large as the market again fragmented in the late 1980’s and the Grand Met business was broken up.

“Our final few years in Brick Lane were like a super nova,” says Derek. “We burned brightly before we completely imploded and closed the site! The brewers actually took control of the brewing again, we reintroduced three cask ales, relatively successfully, and we were a centre for packaging, which was my project. It was a nice way to finish.”

But the journey was far from over, and Derek was immediately snapped up back in his heartland by Young’s, a brewer he’s admired since his early days in South London.

“The brewing fraternity is quite small and Ken Don, who was then the Head Brewer at Young’s, invited me out for lunch and asked me if I’d be interested in a job at Young’s. And being born a South Londoner I used to drink Young’s so I accepted the offer, knowing that Brick Lane was closing but not sure when. But I handed in my notice and three weeks later we announced the closure of Brick Lane and I in fact helped close it down – I was one of the last people to turn out the lights.”

Derek went in to Young’s on the packaging side, but everyone had a hand in the brewing side of the business. “I felt very much involved, very much part of what was going on with the brew team, and it was just a fantastic time really. I tasted the wort and it was just like coming home,” says Derek.

But while using much more traditional brewing methods and in many cases technology than the Brick Lane site, and operating in an old Tower Brewery building with the associated issues that incurs, Derek says Young’s were ahead of the game in other ways, having for example introduced the option of flash pasteurisation for bottled beers rather than tunnel pasteurisation even before Derek’s arrival.

They were also able to experiment rather than stick to the brewing manual as had been the case largely at Truman’s.

“It was a dream come true", says Derek.

While embracing the tradition of the site, Derek introduced some changes and upgrades to the brewery during his time there, and, taking a steer from his Truman's days, he added some new procedures to help keep consistency and quality high. He also recommenced his training.

“I was then a Diploma Brewer and joining Young’s reignited my passion and I started on the Master Brewer programme,” says Derek.

There was also a positive change in the market as a whole around this time, with the Government changing the way duty was collected, which made the process much easier. It ended the system of measuring and calculating the duty from the wort prior to fermentation with an allowance for losses between then and when it was sold. This system, and its cost and effect on cashflow, was one of the main reasons why new breweries were not entering the market at that time and many were closing.

“That was a wonderful step change because it enabled British brewers to improve quality and investment,” says Derek. “So there were challenges on the production and quality side but they were challenges that were quite exciting.”

And as well as improving the systems, equipment and quality of the existing beers, Derek was also able to explore new areas. With his passion for bottle conditioned beer, one of the projects he instigated at Young’s was to do with an existing product called Strong Export which was a little known beer mainly brewed for the Belgian market. Derek led a project to bottle condition it, and brought the style back to Young’s.

But by 2005, consultation began on the closure of the Wandsworth site. Initially a move down the A3 out of London was

Continued on page 37 WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

35

MEET THE BREWER

mooted, an option Derek was asked to explore, but the huge cost involved meant the move was eventually discounted and the Ram Brewery closed in 2006, with production moving to Bedford.

“It was very sad to see it go, and again I helped turn the lights off there,” says Derek. “But during that time while we were closing down the site I had a phone call from John Keeling, the then Production Director and Head Brewer at Fuller’s. His then Brewing Manager and now Head Brewer Georgina Young was going off on maternity leave for her second child. I at the time had quite advanced plans to open my own small brewery.

But this was a year’s contract as maternity cover, and it suited me while I was still putting the plans together for a brewery of my own.”

There were three people involved in Derek’s project to open his own brewery business - Derek and two former colleagues from Young’s, one in production and one in sales. When the sales person pulled out of the project, Derek put the idea on hold.

“So in October 2006 I went straight from closing the Ram Brewery to Fuller’s, thinking I was on a temporary contract.

But I got there and found Fuller’s had all the things I had enjoyed about Young’s.

It was also much more modern in many respects, it had a newer brewhouse, they had a better organised site, the standards there were very good. They had a great team and they made me feel far more welcome than I might have feared. I enjoyed my time. I was still planning to open my own brewery at that time and had got quite detailed plans, but around the summer of 2007 the recession hit.

Where we thought we had a loan sorted, it was all taken away and then the sales guy pulled out,” explains Derek.

As is the way with Derek’s career it seems, just as the rug was pulled from under his own brewery project, Georgina Young decided not to return to Fuller’s and Derek was given the opportunity to take up the Brewing Manager role on a more permanent basis.

Brewery, owned by the former head of Fuller’s brewing division John Roberts.

“I was very happy to stay, and again there were nice opportunities to get involved,” says Derek. “Not, obviously, with the main brands, but there were the seasonal beers, and Gales had been integrated so we were playing around with those beers too.”

“It was great actually,” says Derek. “I was looking to keep working for at least three years or so and he explained it would be about training up and putting the team in place, which for me ticked a lot of boxes.

For me it was almost a luxury to have someone that had access to the money and had the wherewithal to do it, rather than trying to do it piecemeal.”

Derek continued in his role at Fuller’s until, when John Keeling was looking at a successor, he agreed to take early retirement in 2013 and rekindled his interest in smaller operations.

“I knew I didn’t want to retire fully from brewing, and I still had the small brewery project at the back of my mind and I knew having been given a lot of support in my early career I also wanted to do some teaching for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. I had come through that route and I’d been helped myself so I wanted to do the same,” says Derek.

It was while Derek was doing a handover with Georgina Young before leaving in 2014 that he was introduced to Mark Gordon, Wimbledon Brewery’s founder and a former City worker.

“Mark had this vision to put the brewery back in Wimbledon and had put himself through the brewing course at Sunderland, so he came out with a better understanding of how to launch a brewery but probably an understanding of the need for a professional brewer,” explains Derek.

Consultancy with Derek set Mark on the right path on the brewing side, and Derek continued with other projects including teaching and had also been doing some brewing for small brewery Old Dairy

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As the project developed, Mark asked Derek to take on a more full-time role, to help put a permanent brewing team in place.

Wimbledon’s first brew was in June 2015 and three years later the team is almost complete. Charlie Long is the Head Brewer, who Derek had found through Fuller’s where he had been doing a work placement. He had followed his engineering degree with a Masters in brewing, and joined Derek in September 2015 to help put Wimbledon on the map.

“I mentor them, but now the new beers come from them,” says Derek, who is obviously proud of the investment his time has made in the future for the brewery and the opportunity he has had to share his knowledge and experience with younger brewers.

To finish I ask Derek what, out of all the achievements in his varied career, he is the most proud of.

“There are two things I am probably most proud of. They both took me quite by surprise,” says Derek. “But the first was getting Brewer of the Year at the Guild of Beer Writers in 2013 and then in the same year I got the SIBA Lifetime Achievement Award. I didn’t expect either of those. And for me they were very proud moments because they come from your peers.”

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Fighting for the little guys

GUEST COLUMNIST

How small brewers should shout about the distinct advantage they have in today’s market

On 1st June 2002 the government did something that in today’s political climate would seem quite extraordinary; it effectively handed a huge chunk of the beer market to the dreamers and the purists; The Small Breweries' Relief (SBR) scheme was introduced..

I’m not going to preach to the choir and bore you with the maths, but since that day there is no doubt the big boys have been roughed up in the pub playground by our growing gang of beer nerds, sick of having our lunch money taken.

Although this is, at first glance, a triumph for the small business against the corporate giants, it’s not without its drawbacks.

Firstly there are a lot of small breweries; saturation point is very close or, indeed, has already been reached, and competition for our share of the market is fierce.

As a publican, director of a small pubco, director of a micro-brewery, pub columnist, real ale enthusiast and all round gobshite; here’s my take on things: The first thing we should do is pat ourselves on the back.

comes from, visitors are drawn to the taste of something local, and shops, pubs and wholesalers are keen to promote themselves as supporters of local businesses. This should be the starting point of all new micro-breweries and the mainstay for established brewers.

Looking outward from the locality angle; being British is a major selling point.

Along with tea, the Queen, getting sunburned and tutting in queues; real ale is as quintessentially British as it is possible to be. Forget that the SBR was based on an EU directive. Ride that surge of post-Brexit nationalism all the way into the glass of the discerning patriot.

Labour these two points to the landlords and landladies of the traditional English pub when trying to sell them your product.

Local pubs are up against the machine too. Make them empathise. Get them on your side. Get them to buy into fighting the good fight.

Forget about what constitutes a ‘craft beer’. Trust me – forget it. Keep banging the drum. Most punters who support small breweries have bought into the craft beer revolution and generally associate it with small breweries. This can only be a good thing so try not to be put off by petty arguments.

We’ve changed the industry immeasurably in the last 16 years – so much so that the companies who used to look down their noses at us whilst pedalling their bland products to the disenfranchised public are mimicking us; trying to rid themselves of this conglomerate, mass-producing image; attempting to appear demure and bespoke because that’s what a large proportion of the market desires.

Keep using the term. The big breweries are trying to associate themselves with it and this can only be a good sign.

We did this!

Another very relevant and hot topic, quite rightly so, is the environment.

Locality is a big selling point. People like to promote nearby businesses and enjoy knowing exactly where the beer

If you hand brew, tell people. If you’re a family business, shout it from the top of your mash tun. If you use local maltsters or hop farmers, put it in your sales pitch.

Make sure that people know that you’re special and why.

We have a huge advantage here and I don’t think that, on the whole, we make the most of it.

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Most small brewers have a much smaller carbon footprint per pint than the national suppliers.

Let me give you a for instance: If we order a keg of John Smith’s then it must travel from where it’s brewed in Tadcaster to Thatcham (202 miles), then to a regional storage area in Ivybridge (178 miles). From there it is delivered via a meandering route of roughly 40 miles to our cellar, a total of 420 miles.

Our pubs and brewery are in Devon. If we supply our own beer then that cask has to travel a maximum of eight miles. Its journey consists of going from the brewery to the pub. That’s it.

There’s a massive difference in the fuel required to move a cask eight miles from source to dispense than there is moving a keg approximately 420 miles. These are only the figures pertaining to ourselves, but all microbreweries could come up with similar disparities.

It’s a big selling point and we should be making people realise just how much greener it is to drink our products than those that they see advertised nationally.

There are many other ways to push your business, but I truly believe that embracing our diminutive stature is endearing to the general public. Each of our breweries is unique. We’re all tiny compared to our biggest rivals yet together we have them running scared and this should in itself be a cause for celebration.

Cheers!

Richard Molloy is a publican, director of White Rose Taverns and Platform 5 Brewing Co, pub columnist at Inapub, real ale enthusiast and self-confessed ‘all round gobshite’. Follow him on Twitter @BoozerBoss.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

THE

BIG

INTERVIEW

JACKIE PARKER, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, CAMRA

Jackie Parker was recently named as the new National Chairman of the best known consumer voice in the beer sector, CAMRA, an organisation she has been involved with for almost 20 years. With a background in regional newspapers, Jackie exudes a huge passion for real ales, especially stouts and porters, and has sat on the National Executive Committee at CAMRA for the last eight years, having cut her teeth in a number of regional roles. Widespread publicity around decisions made by members at the recent CAMRA AGM and Member’s Weekend – much of it inaccurately reported, according to Jackie – sees her taking up the challenge of overseeing a new era for CAMRA, and one she views as a very positive one for the consumer group. The SIBA Journal’s Editor Caroline Nodder found out more about how she sees the future for CAMRA and what drives her love of the sector…

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

MY COLLEAGUES AND I - ALONG WITH THE CAMRA STAFF - NEED TO LEAD THAT CHANGE AND ENCOURAGE OUR THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO SEE EVOLUTION AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE CAMRA REMAINS RELEVANT AND EFFECTIVE.

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

Being a member of CAMRA is like being in a really big family.

My background is regional press, where I have sold advertising space, planned features and supplements, trained staff as well as providing HR and Executive Assistant services to the Senior Management Team. So I have an extensive working knowledge of newspaper and magazine production, and have seen the surge of the digital world. I have worked for my local newspaper for 33 years, and I have witnessed many, many changes.

I also have extensive knowledge of HR, Health & Safety, and Employment Law.

What, to you, makes a really good beer?

I have been a member of CAMRA since 1999, and my introduction to the organisation was when I was persuaded to attend a local branch meeting by the landlord of my local pub. I agreed to take the minutes one month, and was told exactly what had to be put in the minutes i.e. purchase of one stamp, etc. I then progressed to the role of Branch Secretary, Branch Chairman, Regional Director and was then “gently persuaded” by members to seek election to CAMRA’s National Executive. I have served on the National Executive for eight years now, and have made many, many friends during this time.

Really good beer is like music, it depends on your mood, who you are with and what you are doing. On a hot summer’s day, I like a light-coloured beer and on Winter days a good stout or porter. A really good beer is something which is brewed by someone who loves beer and with a passion.

How did your election to National Chairman come about?

During my time on the National Executive, I have taken on the roles of Communications Director and National Vice Chairman, as well as serving on other committees within the Campaign i.e.

Finance & General Purposes, Marketing and Volunteering.

When Colin Valentine, the then current National Chairman, decided he was not going to seek re-election to the National Executive, it seemed a natural progression to the next level in my CAMRA career. I am pleased my fellow Directors on the National Executive had the confidence in my ability to step up to become the

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

leader of the Campaign, and am looking forward to continuing to work with them as the National Chairman and serving our wonderful membership.

What do you see as CAMRA’s key role?

CAMRA is the only consumer organisation representing the interests of real ale and real cider and perry drinkers, and the pubs which serve them and we campaign to ensure they get the best quality and service. Primarily we’re here to make sure that real ale, cider and perry drinkers get the widest and highest quality choice of what to drink, and continue to have excellent pubs to drink in. We’re also here to promote, protect and preserve real ale, cider and perry - styles of drink which help define the UK in the World.

How many CAMRA members are there now and who is your typical member?

We’ve now got more than 190,000 members across the UK and the World.

I don’t think there is such a thing as a typical member! We have members from across the age and social demographic range - but they all share an interest and passion in good real ale, cider and perry and good pubs.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

What are your priorities in your new role as Chairman?

To ensure that the Special Resolutions passed at this year’s AGM are enshrined into the Campaign’s DNA, to ensure that we remain a major campaigning organisation in Westminster, to continue to fight to reduce beer taxes, to continue pub protection and to reduce the number of pubs closing, to educate all drinkers about real ale, cider and perry. To prioritise Governance to ensure the Campaign remains fit for purpose and to ensure we have fun along the way.

What challenges do you see CAMRA facing at the moment?

Many will view the vote at our Members’ Weekend as the end of a process. In fact it’s just the end of the beginning of a fundamental review of what CAMRA does and how it does it. Now that members have approved the vast majority of the changes we proposed, the challenge is to embed that change across a large and complex organisation made up almost

entirely of volunteers. My colleagues and I - along with the CAMRA staff - need to lead that change and encourage our thousands of volunteers across the country to see evolution as an opportunity to ensure CAMRA remains relevant and effective.

How do you bring together opinions and lead such a large and diverse group of members?

It’s not easy! We’ve got to continue to be as transparent as we can with our members and continue to involve them in our decision-making. Decisions can no longer be taken by a relatively small handful of members once a year at our AGM and Conference. The Revitalisation Programme has shown that we can, and should, open up decision-making to every member - if they want to take part - and we’ll continue looking at ways of making our organisation more democratic.

There was a lot of publicity over the various motions at your National AGM

this year, from your perspective what were the main issues and outcomes?

Despite some very inaccurate reporting, my perspective is that the National AGM and Conference was a very positive and forward looking moment for CAMRA. The vast majority of members agreed with all our suggested changes and only one of the changes to our articles failed to get over the high 75 per cent approval requirement. Policy changes approved during our Conference also reinforced the message that even among our most active volunteers, there is an appetite for the organisation to evolve and reflect the modern brewing and pub landscape.

CAMRA had been undergoing the Revitalisation Project in recent times, will that continue under the new leadership?

As I have said earlier, the vote at AGM was just the start of an ongoing process. We’ve now got to work hard to make sure that what our members have told us is reflected in the way we operate and campaign

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

across the country. Revitalisation wasn’t about a single moment, it was about changing CAMRA into an organisation which is constantly looking to change and improve how it does things.

What process will decide the new Chief Executive and how long do you expect that to take?

This will be decided by the National Executive in due course.

How do you see the cask ale sector changing at the moment?

I think there’s been a real shift in the cask ale sector from one dominated by nationally produced, heavily marketed brands to a real consumer interest in local and independent brands with a genuine story to tell and a dedication to flavour and quality. Consumers are much more educated and aware about real ale, ciders and perries and are expecting a lot more for their money than a pint of something ordinary they can buy in any pub across the country.

Is the growth in the number of small brewers a positive thing for CAMRA? Increasing choice for consumers is

always a positive thing - but not if that comes with inconsistent quality or at the cost of existing independent breweries.

Increasingly we’re concerned about the quality of real ale being served in pubs and the negative effect that has on consumer perception. Breweries need to be commercially viable and ensure they are making the highest quality products, but pubs also need to make sure they’re serving it in the best condition.

How do you view the growth of the number of keg beers? Why does CAMRA not include keg in its campaigns?

Again, we welcome growth in the choice of quality beers available to drinkers but we’d hope that brewers continue to champion and support cask beer as one of the great beer styles in the UK. CAMRA has for many years accepted key keg beers at its festivals and following decisions taken at our Members’ Weekend, we’ll be allowing our beer festivals to widen the choice of beers they offer, including keg if they wish to do so but within a wider educational context to help consumers understand the difference and the advantages and disadvantages of different dispense and production methods.

How does CAMRA work with trade organisations like SIBA and its members?

We pride ourselves on being an independent voice for consumers, but that doesn’t stop us from working closely with other organisations when their objectives and aims align with those of our members.

I think we can also be a useful insight for producers into how our members are thinking and what they’re looking for in their real ales, ciders, perries and pubs. SIBA members embody the ethos which CAMRA celebrates - independent and interesting beers produced by great brewers with an eye on quality above all, so we’ll continue to support and promote them through our festivals and other activities.

Would SIBA’s Assured Independent British Craft Brewer scheme benefit CAMRA members - active and non-active - to identify true independent craft breweries, and how important are these breweries to CAMRA members?

The definition of “craft” is something which the entire industry, including CAMRA and SIBA has struggled to address - and it’s difficult to see a definition ever

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R U O S

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s t e h c a s ) L H 10 g (1 and.com m e ll la @ g in w re Please email b n on ordering o ti a rm fo in r fo

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

being universally accepted. Transparency in provenance is very important to CAMRA members and knowing a brewery is truly independent, rather than being a “crafty” offshoot of a multi-national producer is useful. Quality is also key, and a scheme to help drinkers identify brewers who put quality first is also important. It’s through schemes like SIBA’s, as well as the work we are doing to identify and reward the best brewers (through our awards) as well as inform drinkers about where to find beers in the best condition (through our guides), that consumers can get the best choice and experience.

Do CAMRA members support SIBA’s work on the FSQ? Food safety and quality is key, especially when it comes to real ale. Nothing is more likely to put off potential real ale drinkers than a bad pint, so we all need to work across the industry to make sure real ale, cider and perry are at their best from the start to the end of the process.

Our members across the Country are constantly assessing quality through our beer scoring scheme, and inspections for the Good Beer Guide - I’m sure they’d all welcome more work being done to make sure quality is paramount at all stages in the journey a real ale makes before it gets to the pub cellar.

What is new for this year’s GBBF? We’re really excited to be welcoming Planet Rock as a sponsor - and they’ll be bringing some great acts to the Festival stage and hopefully a whole new group of drinkers to Olympia. We’ve also launched shared brewery bars this year, which allows smaller breweries to have a

presence at the Festival without investing in an entire bar - we’re confident this will widen the choice and representation of small, independent brewers at the event. We’re also bringing in “rotating” handpumps - meaning that over the festival we’ll be able to serve more real ales to drinkers, rather than handpumps only serving one particular real ale for the entire week.

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

There are lots of people whom I admire in the beer world, and all of them do a sterling job. If I were asked to name someone, it would Michael Hardman, one of the four founder members of CAMRA, and whom I am pleased to be able to work with. Let’s not forget the wonderful CAMRA members, who without their support, dedication and commitment to our aims and objectives we couldn’t achieve the successes we do. They give up their valuable time to work at our beer festivals, attend branch/regional events, sit on various committees etc., and we would not be where we are without them.

What is your favourite beer and where is your favourite place to drink it?

My favourite real ales are the darker ones, stouts and porters, although I have several favourites of all beer styles. When I go into a pub, I always try a beer I’ve never had before. My favourite place to drink it is of course a pub or club, but as I live in rural North Oxfordshire, and I am usually the designated driver (on the way home), I would have to say the pub in my village, as I can walk to it!

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BUSINESS PROFILE

Steaming Ahead

Stonehouse Brewery in north Shropshire is a family affair, with Alison Parr and her husband, Australian native Shane, at the helm and her parents behind the scenes as silent partners in the operation. After leaving careers in the freight industry, the pair have built an awardwinning brewery on the back of Shane’s lifelong love of brewing. Their current site, where they have not only their brewhouse but also a successful brewery tap bar, is at the end of a disused railway line that is about to spring back into life as a tourist destination, bringing with it what could be a serious boost in visitor numbers for Stonehouse and its onsite bar.

Limited to a 30 mile radius by the cask they love, and by the 5,000hl duty limit, the Parrs have also diversified into distilling and have launched a new gin brand into the Shropshire market too. The SIBA Journal’s Editor Caroline Nodder spoke to Shane and Alison to find out more about how being at the end of the line is no bad thing for business…

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BUSINESS PROFILE

Brewery BaSiCs NAME: STONEHOUSE BREWERY FOUNDED: 2007 LOCATION: WESTON, OSWESTRY, SHROPSHIRE OWNER(S): SHANE AND ALISON PARR CAPACITY: 100BBL PER WEEK BREWING TEAM: 3 STAFF: 9 (NOT INCLUDING BAR) KEY BEERS: STATION BITTER (3.9%), CAMBRIAN GOLD (4.2%), ZAFFIR (4.0%) AND SUNLANDER (3.7%) PRODUCTION: CASK 91.5% AND BOTTLE 8.5% KEY EXPORT MARKETS: NO EXPORT

Tell me a bit about your background and the background to the business.

AP: “We both came from the freight forwarding industry, which always needs to be based in ports – airports or shipping ports – and when we met we were living in Bristol. Shane is originally from Australia and had been travelling and working on a visa so we eventually moved to Australia and had our first child out in Sydney. After that I was really homesick and wanted to come back and move back to Oswestry where I grew up and where my parents and family are. We realised our industry didn’t really tie in with living in Oswestry which is a long way from a port, we were looking for something we could do, and were both keen to start our own business. We had been working in sales so we knew we could sell stuff, and we knew even if we had a good product then it wouldn’t sell itself so we needed that skill.”

SP: “I had been homebrewing since I was about 16, so that’s where my brewing experience came from. And we just thought we’d give it a go really – we got sick of waiting for other people!”

AP: “We spotted that there was a lot of interest in real ale at that time when we started, and there were a number of breweries in south Shropshire but there was a bit of a gap in the market in north Shropshire, there was really only one and it was very very local. So we thought it could work.”

SP: “We didn’t have money or come from money but it was the days when banks were almost giving it away, so we took out loans, maxed out the credit cards and started like that.”

AP: “When we started out we leased a building about a couple of miles from here, but we literally outgrew that building in the

space of about the first month! So we were looking at positioning ourselves just over the border in Wales, because there’s more grandstanding, but we couldn’t find a premises that was suitable.

But I had spotted a house for sale, where we live now, that actually had a couple of what were old chicken sheds on the land next to it. So we talked to my parents about them selling their house and us selling our house and buying the property together with a view to my Dad, who was an engineer by trade, giving up his day job and coming to help us build the brewery. So we bought the property specifically to put the brewery into.”

What are your aspirations for the business?

SP: “When we started out we didn’t really know what would happen – you make a two year plan, you make a five year plan, but really you just try and do enough business to provide an income for your family. But in the first few years we grew rapidly.

We had some years when we saw 30-40% growth and it almost didn’t feel like we were in control. So approaching the 5,000hl mark we decided to put the brakes on sales. We really contracted everything we did to stay just under that duty limit. So we were going out to Manchester, Liverpool, London occasionally, and we pulled all that back in to within 30 miles. And that’s what we’ve been doing. Now we are happy to stay local because we just find it better that way. We have always had a limited involvement with distributors primarily because all we’ve done is cask, but as we are looking to do more keg and with the bottling side we want to grow that side of the business. It has just worked for us to look after the really local trade. There are a few other things we’re doing, because we were limiting ourselves by doing cask.

We put in our bar here, and we’ll do more with that in future, and we were looking for other ways to diversify. So we’re also doing

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a distillery now, on site, and we started our own cellar services company which looks after a few local brewers in the area as well as our bar.”

How would you describe your brewing ethos?

AP: “Mainly because of the area we live in, when we started we just wanted to make beers we could drink and that we’d be happy drinking all night. Nothing too complicated, just nice drinkable beer. We use the highest quality ingredients, we don’t cut corners - we’ve just made a Pilsner that we have properly lagered and it’s taken us five weeks to make. We are not trying to be wacky or do anything particularly clever, at the end of the day it has to be something where people hardly notice what they are drinking because they are enjoying drinking it.”

point where it is a fifth of our turnover in the summer, so we are thinking about whether we bring in a permanent bar manager and open more often. The disused railway line next to us is going to be opening up again next year for tourists and we will be the destination at the end of the line so we are really excited about that. It will be good for the railway and good for us – we are just thinking about what we do with that.”

AP: “We are looking at the limited space we have at the bar at the moment and how we can expand that space and utilise it better to make it more appealing to a wider range of people rather than just local people who like good beer.”

SP: “We are in a real community here. We’re not in the middle of London so there is not a lot of point in us making heavily hopped, cloudy, vegan-friendly beers! But it serves us well making nice sessionable beers. That is not to say we don’t do one or two interesting and challenging things occasionally, but our main focus is those sessionable beers. “

SP: “It is also great having the bar because we can experiment a bit with keg. We filled out first two kegs earlier this year and entered them through the Wales & West SIBA competition to BeerX in Liverpool, and bearing in mind these were the first two keg beers we have ever done, one of them got the Bronze and one of them got the Silver! So we decided we had better do something more with keg! We have put keg lines into the bar and are in discussions with a local distributor who covers Wales and the Midlands.”

Where are you investing at the moment?

How is Stonehouse different to other brewers in the sector?

AP: “Bottling, primarily. We put in a new bottling line last year.

We had been bottling for years but it was always done as bottled conditioned in a very intensive manual process and we were never happy with the bottle conditioned beers because unless they were stored and poured correctly there were issues. We were keen to have a more stable product so we could push sales a bit more. And the opportunity came up to buy a second-hand line from Staffordshire Brewery which we did.”

SP: “We are maybe not different to every other brewer, but one of the things we do differently is stick to a limited range. Four or five key products at a time. We don’t put out seasonal beers – I suppose with the keg we have done that – but generally we stick to a limited range. We sell huge amounts of traditional amber bitter – or as some people like to call it ‘boring brown beer’! Our Station Bitter is still 70% of what we do, and that is a traditional Midlands bitter, it is amber coloured and it just works well for us.

We tend to make session beers rather that the more hoppy styles, we don’t do sour beers, although having said that we may brew with a nod to those styles. So the Sunlander we won that SIBA award for is a light and hoppy beer, but the main aim for us even with the Sunlander is that it is not ‘dry your mouth out’ hoppy, it is still very drinkable.”

SP: “We also put in an inline carbonator which means we get really good accuracy with the carbonation levels. And one of the things we are investing in at the moment is a couple of extra bottling tanks because we are basically at bottling capacity – we are not at brewing capacity, nothing like, but we are at bottling capacity. The bar has also been big for us. It is getting to the

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THE SYSTEM DOES NEED TO BE REFORMED BECAUSE THERE ARE PROBABLY A LOT OF BREWERS AT THE POINT WHERE WE ARE. PUSHING BEYOND THE 5,000HL LIMIT IS RISKY.

Can you describe the challenges you’ve faced as a business?

What is your view on the debate around reforming the beer duty system?

AP: “In the early days it was completely the opposite to how I imagined it would be. I was worried about what we would do with all these casks in our cellar if we couldn’t sell them. But it was completely the opposite of that – we just couldn’t keep up with demand and we struggled to find that balance between having a small range and trying to keep everything in stock. That was a huge issue. We are now having similar problems with the bottling, with some of the accounts we now have we struggle to keep up with the bottles. That has always been a problem for us.

In those first five years we didn’t imagine in our wildest dreams it would grow as quickly as it did!”

AP: “The 5,000hl cut off is an issue for us. We have decided to stay under that so far because it has not made sense to pass that point. As great as it was to have the benefit as a start-up of that duty rate, I think probably when it was introduced they didn’t anticipate how successful it would be, and how many breweries would start up and be paying so much less duty that the larger brewers. And I think that does keep cask beer on the cheap side. Without it maybe cask would have grown in the way other beer has grown and I do think cask is too cheap at the moment because of that.”

SP: “There was a little bit of luck. We started at the right time, and obviously there was a lot of hard work put into it, but our timing was good. One of the other challenges we faced was the building we are in now which we built five years ago.”

AP: “It was originally the old chicken sheds. So they got a bit of a battering!”

SP: “So we got grant funding to build our purpose built brewery, which has been great, but we certainly stretched our cashflow to do that and we then had the headache and logistics of moving all the equipment. We can say now it was worth doing but we had to knuckle down in the early years and we didn’t spend any of that money from the growth we had, so we had money in the bank. It cost us £200,000 to build and we only borrowed £40,000.”

Are there any mistakes you’ve made that you have learned from?

SP: “We would have built a bigger retail bar area! We also had a great team at the start and we treated our staff like friends and there came a point where if there were issues with staff we were slow to deal with it. If someone wasn’t going to work out then we should have dealt with it quicker than we did.”

AP: “We didn’t really plan for managing such a large number of staff and we have learnt along the way that we have to act as bosses and in the best interest of the company rather than just being nice to people because we like them!”

SP: “The system does need to be reformed because there are probably a lot of brewers at the point where we are. Pushing beyond the 5,000hl limit is risky. And I know there has been some talk about pushing the limit from 5,000hl to 10,000hl, and from a selfish point of view that would be great for us. But it would be nice if that could be done without harming the smaller side. The problem is for the Treasury it needs to make more money or be cost neutral. Three years ago we started writing to our own MP saying the system needed tweaking and he asked the question of the Treasury and it went back and forth and we just got a stock written answer. You would have to actually prove it would create more jobs and help the economy.”

How are you seeing consumer attitudes to beer change and how has this affected your range?

AP: “For our local area which is quite traditional we are now seeing more customers who maybe want to try something a bit different. It is a rural area though and people want to be able to drive to the pub and drink a couple of beers and still drive home so it is not about the high strength hoppy beers.”

SP: “We have put out a test run of our Pilsner and that flew out the door, but it does seem like the more balanced beers are coming back in, where it is not just about hops hops hops, which is good for us.”

AP: “It is also becoming acceptable to drink lager again!”

SP: “But is has to be a proper lagered lager – and it is much more difficult to make a good lager than it is a real ale because you need that softer flavour so you have to lager it to smooth everything out. There are so many challenges to making a good lager.”

Continued on page 55 WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

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WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE OUR BUSINESS IN OUR BACK GARDEN IN A BEAUTIFUL SPOT, AND WE WANT TO STAY HERE AND KEEP OUR BUSINESS IN OUR BACK GARDEN.

What are your key plans for the year ahead?

Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?

AP: “Cider is a big thing for us as well. We have our own orchard so we make our own cider.”

SP: “We don’t try and do new things all the time, but you still need to be ahead of the game. So we don’t chase trends but if there is movement towards a style you have got to follow it. We just try and drink as many other beers as we can – we try and taste them locally and outside the area and that is the only way to do it really. We watch the market, and so we know that saisons are all the rage at the moment but does that mean we are going to make a saison? Not necessarily. But equally you need to be aware that is what’s going on.”

SP: “We do a keg version of the cider at 4.5% that is getting a lot of interest. So that’s something we really feel will take off for us.

The Pilsner too. And we may look at doing contract bottling, but we are very fussy about the quality so we want to make sure we have all our systems in place before we bring in someone else’s product. We are also in partnership with another couple on the distillery – Henstone Distillery - which rents space off the brewery.

So we are making gin, and an apple brandy from our cider, but we are also making whiskey and using the brewing kit to make our own whiskey mulch on site – but we’ll have a few years to go before that’s ready.”

AP: “We thought we might have missed the boat on our gin – we have only had it out since February – and we had thought the big thing would be the whiskey. But the guy from the German company we bought the still off let us taste his gin, and it was amazing, so we bought the still and he gave us his recipe. We are in the fortunate position that we have a lot of pubs already taking our beers who have said they will take the gin, which has given us almost a head start.”

How do you see the structure of the brewing sector changing over the next few years?

SP: “Obviously pub sales have been declining and it is hard to see that changing really, so we think there will be more brewpubs and onsite tap bars. More acquisitions from larger brewers no doubt too, but in an industry like this you kind of need that movement for it to work. Growth in more well-made lagers, more drinkable beers, and perhaps a move away from the more hoppy beers to the more balanced styles.”

Are there now too many small brewers in the UK market?

AP: “It is a difficult one because there are some very very successful brewers who have started up very recently. But like any industry you need to ensure there is a demand for your product. You need to know what type of beer you’ll do, where it is going to sell, are you going to be a brewpub or do you want to take over a market. So I don’t know if you can say there are too many, but there may be too many of a certain type of brewer.

It is a limited market, you can’t sell your beer into every pub, so it is down to each business to decide how they are going to approach it.”

What beer trends currently excite you?

SP: “We do think lagers, Pilsners, those German and European style beers are coming back in, and a lager doesn’t have to be bland. Black lagers for example, or there is no reason why you can’t start slightly hopping a lager – not too much or it becomes an IPA, but there are a lot of things you can do and I think a lot will happen with lagers.”

Where do you see yourselves being in five years’ time?

AP: “We are very fortunate that we have our business in our back garden in a beautiful spot, and we want to stay here and keep our business in our back garden. We don’t want to expand so much that we have to move off site. So we hope in five years we are still doing what we love.”

SP: “We have a couple of young lads of 14 and 15 so it might be nice if they want to come into the business too. But obviously that’s up to them, it will be their choice. Also in five years’ time we’ll certainly be enjoying our first whiskey!”

Who do you most admire in the sector and why?

SP: “I am not going to stick to one brewer or one person, and we operate very locally so we don’t know half the brewers round the country, so there are three local breweries we admire. Salopian Brewery, because even though they are in a very similar region to us they have managed to become very innovative using heavily hopped beers, and a lot of different ideas and have managed to become UK wide even though they have faced the same rural challenges that we have. Hobsons is another one. They are probably quite a traditional brewery like we are, but they have been very forward thinking with their eco sensibilities and the environmental side of the business. And Wye Valley as well. They started at the back of a pub and they started when there was no PBD (Progressive Beer Duty) they built their business and worked hard and built up a trade without the advantages we have or people now have.”

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SIBA BUSINESS - BACK OFFICE

LEGAL

STAFF UNIFORM: ARE YOU BREACHING NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE REGULATIONS? HMRC recently named and shamed several household names who had failed to pay the National Minimum Wage (NMW) when the cost to employees of providing their own uniforms was taken into account.

In this article, Napthens’ employment & HR solicitor Katy Parkinson explains the rules around employers requiring employees to provide all or part of their own uniforms, and how to ensure National Minimum Wage compliance.

Regulation 13(b) of the National Minimum Wage This regulation states that where a worker on NMW makes a payment to a third party for expenses incurred in connection with carrying out employment (such as buying a uniform), and is not reimbursed by their employer, this payment will be considered a deduction in pay, and will be taken into account when calculating NMW compliance. Therefore, where workers are required to purchase their own uniforms, this could have the effect of reducing pay below NMW levels for that pay period.

Most employers would consider uniform to be a distinctive set of clothing, such as a company branded shirt or apron.

However, according to Government guidance, asking staff to wear their own black jeans or a white shirt is considered to amount to requiring staff to wear a specific uniform and bear the cost of providing it. This could result in employees being paid less than NMW during the pay period in which the uniform is purchased, and where employees are paid at or close to NMW rates and/or where the pay period is weekly, the risk of a breach is greatest.

Why could this prove problematic for employers?

HMRC’s decision to hone in on this rule could prove problematic for employers in the leisure and hospitality sectors, many of whom will unknowingly have been in breach by asking employees to wear, for example, black trousers or black skirts.

The rule could potentially be circumnavigated by being less specific about clothing requirements – asking employees to wear smart shoes rather than black shoes for example. HMRC haven’t issued any guidance on this specific point, however, it

seems that at present, less specific dress codes are less likely to constitute “uniforms”.

Napthens’ employment & HR solicitor Katy Parkinson

What options do you have?

Where employers require employees to supply specific items of uniform, they should consider whether this could impact upon NMW compliance and whether to bear the cost of the employees doing so. This could be done by way of uniform allowance or expense claim.

The employer will need to consider what would be a reasonable amount to contribute, together with what the frequency of any contribution should be.

Employers may find it more cost effective to buy items of clothing in bulk in order to provide employees with their entire uniform, rather than attempting to calculate what is a reasonable amount for employees to spend on items they are required to provide.

Another option would be to provide employees with vouchers of a set amount and frequency which they could use to purchase items of uniform. This could help reduce costs to the employer, whilst still allowing the employee to retain some choice over selection.

What happens if there is a breach?

Where a NMW breach is identified, the enforcement measures available to HMRC include service of notices of underpayment, civil penalties, "naming and shaming", recovery of underpayments through tribunals or civil courts, and criminal prosecution. In addition, there are risks of employees alleging a NMW breach and bringing claims for unlawful deductions of wages and/or breach of contract.

It is therefore important for employers to consider what their uniform requirements are and how to ensure NMW compliance, in order to avoid HMRC action or claims from employees, and the reputational damage that would ensue.

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

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SIBA BUSINESS - BACK OFFICE

MARKETING

GDPR – HONEY I SHRUNK THE DATABASE. NOW WHAT?

Mark McCulloch, Founder & CEO of creative agency WE ARE Spectacular, offers his own take on the post-GDPR world…

So like who shot JR (for those of you old enough to remember) was it all a dream (more of a nightmare) or like the millennium bug was it all a bit of a damp squib? All of the effort, panic, blissful ignorance or worry and is anything any different? Really?

Well, as far as my inbox is concerned, it does not seem so. I suspect not as many brands have been on the right side of the law as they should be and many are opting for the slap on the wrist in a few months’ time whilst still peddling those ‘2 for 1 drinks’ and ‘40% off your food bill’ offers.

We spent a considerable amount of time working with John Mitchison, Director of Policy and Compliance at the DMA (Direct Marketing Association). He told us amazing facts like incentivising people to sign up to your database (get a free beer when you sign up) and all of those things that drive your database are now off the table.

Damn!

We also recorded a podcast together, which should still be helpful although the deadline officially has passed (details below). There are tones of tips, insights and case studies in there on how to handle GDPR well and how not to.

Were we ready for it? I don’t think we ever would have been. In Norway they actually moved the date to August as they were aware that businesses were not ready for this.

So, now the deadline has passed, your database may well have shrunk or disappeared entirely. But I would actually see this as a great opportunity. The chance for you to draw a line under your learned behaviour, usual ways and doing things because they have always been done like that. In all honesty, what did that database really bring you?

Really? Perhaps a huge number of people on your database, but usually low (and diminishing) open rates and even worse click throughs. What time and effort did you put into the emails?

I have seen some teams take days and even weeks to get these written, mocked up, designed, coded, signed off and finally tested. What else could you do with that time and money?

Let’s think about what you can do now.

The answer is loads, but it would be best to look at what your needs are.

Does it make more sense to your business to sell one more beer to loyal customers or get new customers? I know you will want both, but it is good to look at what might be easier if you are restricted with time, resource and budget. This determines the message and also the channel where you will communicate.

The checklist for me would be: 1) What do you want to achieve?

2) Who is the target audience for this (no, not just everyone that likes beer)?

3) What are their interests (i.e. what lateral thoughts can you have to create content that means they will not see your message as an advert)?

4) Where is their attention predominantly?

5) What is that customer worth to you?

6) What are you willing to spend to get that customer?

Websites are the same as email for me. It’s over people! Social media and the larger aggregator sites are where the action is. They are the internet.

Get something basic up as a site to tell your story and use the aggregator sites to sell and fulfil your goods. They are really really good at digital marketing.

Why compete? You will save in the long term and benefit massively.

Use social to make you famous and be an entertainment channel for people. Stop posting pictures of your product. It’s boring.

A theory I am working on is that the fight for the eyes is over and the fight for the ears and tongue has just begun. That being the case making audio content is imperative.

Mark McCulloch is the Founder & Group CEO of WE ARE Spectacular

And now that you have all this free time on your hands post GDPR (joking) you can get serious also about building a commercial advertising model for your social and also thinking about voice. Voice is your chance to leapfrog the rest of the industry. Embrace it.

Work to get your tasting notes and stories about your beers onto Alexa, Siri etc. Also being able to order your beer and get it within an hour (or quicker), build a beer sommelier pack that other beer companies pay you to be part of.

Search for your brand on Alexa, Siri etc etc. What happens? Chances are nothing, so it would be a great use of time to fix that.

The future is here thanks to GDPR giving us the harsh reality that we probably relied on our email marketing too much and should have faced up a long time ago to the fact that it was not doing much for us anymore. If it was, then that is great and also if your database is refreshed, renergised and people are engaging above 50% then you are doing amazingly well. But for most its time to find a new way and teaches us all to always question what we are doing, work on our traceability of customer data and just because you can contact a customer any given second of any given day, it does not mean you have to or should.

Sometimes saying something once every three months when it is worth hearing is a better strategy.

Search for The Spectacular Marketing Podcast to listen to the GDPR episode and much much more – listen on iTunes, Spotify, You Tube, Deezer and more.

Mark McCulloch, Founder & Group CEO of WE ARE Spectacular. Mark has 15 years experience in brand, marketing, digital, social and PR. WE ARE Spectacular have worked with many leading pub, food, beer & wine clients including Long Arm Brewery and Harviestoun Brewery. www.wearespectacular.com Twitter/Instagram: @spectacularmark

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SIBA BUSINESS - BACK OFFICE

FINANCIAL PLANNING

SPOTTING THE WARNING SIGNS In this issue, James Sleight from Geoffrey Martin & Co looks at how you spot the warning signs in a struggling business…

Over the last 18 months, we’ve published a number of articles focused on helping your company grow. We’ve looked at how to improve your sales and marketing planning; at how to ensure your cashflow works for you; and how to review your company finances.

Company owners want to see growth and having a formal plan can help to achieve this.

However, sometimes a company can struggle: cashflow may become tighter, a debtor may default, you may lose a key customer. All these can lead to problems within the business. If you can spot the warning signs, it can make it easier to either stop them happening in the first place, or at least to lessen the consequences.

Let’s look at some of the key areas, including creditors, debtors, cashflow and management.

Are you finding that you’re having more problems than normal with your suppliers?

If suppliers are restricting deliveries to you because they're concerned about receiving payment, you may not get raw materials in time to brew which will have an impact on your sales. If your suppliers are tightening your credit terms, pressing for cash or even threatening enforcement, this is a key warning sign that your company is struggling.

Having a good relationship with your suppliers is key. Be upfront with suppliers if you’re having short-term difficulty in meeting bills; most will be accommodating.

Problems, and legal threats, usually start when suppliers haven’t heard back from you and are worried that they won’t get paid at all.

As well as suppliers, you need to be sure that you pay your VAT and PAYE; again, be upfront with HMRC and you’ll usually be given some leeway on payments. Where extended terms are agreed make sure you don’t over promise what you can deliver

otherwise you will quickly erode away any confidence with your key trading partners.

On the flip side, not getting timely payment from debtors can also be a clear sign that your business is struggling. Often, business owners are so concerned with getting a good product or service out to their customers, that they neglect some of the basics of good management. After all, you became a brewer to create great tasting beer, not to build a debtors’ spreadsheet.

However, if your customers don’t pay, that makes it difficult to pay suppliers, who may restrict service to you, which in turn leads to problems. You need to know exactly who your debtors are and how long they have owed you money for; this makes it easier to chase.

If you don’t understand why restrictions are taking place sometimes it is a good idea to have your credit rating checked to see what others can see about your business profile.

If you are worried about a customer’s viability carry out some credit research on them as well.

Another key warning sign is struggling for money on a regular basis. All firms, even growing ones, will have occasional issues with cashflow. For example, you may need to fulfil a large order for a new customer and won’t be paid for a few months, but you’ve had to pay your suppliers. However, if this is a regular occurrence, you could review your financing options. Have a look at invoice factoring, where a finance company effectively buys your outstanding invoices from you (for a fee); these type of services enable you to smooth out cashflow peaks and troughs.

If cashflow is an issue on a more regular basis, think about whether you have the right structure for your business: do you need more sales or need to cut down on costs? Cashflow issues can mask a lot of problems in a struggling business so carefully examine all the reasons why you have difficulties.

James Sleight

Many owners of new and growing businesses don’t have formal management training - they start a business in an area that they love, which is probably why you started a brewery. Sometimes this means that the key members in a business may not have the skills needed to run a growing business, which may lead to issues. Do you recognise any of these warning signs: high staff turnover; lack of understanding of sales and costs; individual customer profitability; issues with other owners regarding direction and speed of growth.

If this sounds like your company, have a look at bringing in outside help. This could be as simple as hiring a bookkeeper to focus on the key, regular finance tasks, or perhaps bringing in a non-executive director who can provide a strategic overview.

Perhaps the biggest warning sign is if you consistently owe more than you are owed, which may be an early indicator that you have profitability issues or are overtrading.

If this is not dealt with quickly you could be heading into insolvency. Take a stock-check of all your assets and compare them with all your liabilities, including any payments that are due shortly. If your liabilities consistently exceed your assets, that is a clear warning sign that you need to take immediate action.

If you recognise more than a couple of these warning signs, maybe it’s time to get some help, whether from your bank or a specialist firm. Sometimes, it needs an independent view from someone who is not emotionally tied up with the business to come up with a plan to get you back on track. The important thing is to recognise that you need some help and ask for it early enough to be able to do something about it.

James Sleight is a Partner at Geoffrey Martin & Co, a Supplier Associate Member of SIBA. Geoffrey Martin & Co provides practical advice concerning growth, financial issues, exit and contingency planning, to a business’s directors, owners, investors and financiers at all stages of its life cycle.

We work with companies, individuals, partnerships, and lenders across the whole of the UK, with experience in many sectors including Bars, Restaurants, Media & Marketing, and Technology.

For a free, informal chat about any aspects of your business including financing, please call our Leeds team on 0113 244 5141.

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SIBA BUSINESS - BACK OFFICE

DIGITAL

SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO CONTENT Video is the next big thing as far as the social media landscape goes, and here Inapub’s Digital Services Manager Matt Jones takes a look at how it could be useful to you…

Video content on Social media is one of the most effective ways to create interactive and engaging content. It is also the direction in which most of the platforms are developing.

Either through the advancement of the different live tools or the recent release of Instagram’s IGTV, the major platforms are promoting video over other kinds of posting, particularly live.

Any brewery that is looking to develop their reach and engagement should be looking to try to develop some video content on their different platforms.

Live is still the most effective kind of video posting for Facebook and the other platforms. Mark Zuckerberg recently stated that Facebook live can reach eight times as many people as other types of Facebook posting.

Whilst the idea of going live may initially seem daunting, businesses which begin to adopt it will soon become comfortable in using it to contact and inform their customers.

You can use it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you are filming customers be sure to use some sort of notification to ensure that they are aware they may be filmed, just to be safe. On all the platforms it can help you to reach customers and all businesses should be looking to use it.

One of the best and most effective ways you can create content, merely using your phone to film it, is to interview the brewery owner, head brewer or beer expert. Customers are always interested in hearing how their food and drink is made, and brewing is no exception. Have your key beer worker talk them through different stages of the beer making process.

Film them around the brewery as

the brewing is taking place. Or you can interview them about the tasting notes for your beers. This could be done as a tasting or as a product demonstration. You can even film customers doing a tasting (with relevant permission) with your beer expert.

You can mix all of this up and film it live or as a video to post later.

Another way to generate useful video content is to invite a local beer blogger or reviewer to the brewery to film.

These third party online bloggers often have an impact on which beers people buy and then talk about it to their friends. If you know of a local blogger, inviting them to your brewery to film an interview or tasting can have a real impact. You can do this with your beer expert too and have them talk through your beers. Or give them access to your page for them to do a video tasting or ‘unboxing video’ from their home or workspace.

You have probably seen a time lapse video somewhere online in the past few years. Most modern phones have a feature that allows you to film in this way. These time lapse videos take a single frame of a film at set intervals between once every 12 seconds to once every 5 minutes. If your phone does not have this feature, there are several apps available to download which will allow you to do this. You can set these up to film parts of the brewery as it produces beer. These make everything seem like speeded up videos with the course of a whole day being viewed in as little as a few minutes. These are quick and work well on Social Media where people’s attention spans are shorter. You can

Matt Jones. Inapub's Digital Services Manager

try this in and around your brewery or tap room to create unique content by experimenting.

Food matching is one of the areas where breweries can really push their beers out to customers. If you can, why not film a selection of the foods which your beer matches with.

If you can cook some food on site, then showing the food matching the beer can be very effective on video If not you can perhaps try matching it with some local food producers.

Many breweries go to local markets and events where other food suppliers such as street food vendors attend.

If you can, film your food matching session at the market. This works well as you can tie into the food sellers’ Social Media also.

Many breweries partner with music events, particularly local music events. If you can film a tasting at these events you can tie into the venue’s audience on their Social Media platforms. If you can, you may even be able to contact the venue to request that they let you film the musicians with your beer. Again, go live at the event to demonstrate you are there and linked into the event.

These events are always trending so tying into them will always be helpful.

Be it via live or any other form of video content, all breweries should start to think how they can use it to get higher reach. With native posting of other kinds of posts continuing to get lower reach, breweries should begin to experiment with different ways of producing video content. It will help them reach new customers and inform their current customers, which will hopefully lead to more sales.

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

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TECHNICAL FOCUS

FLOCCULATION FEARS Antarctic when they huddle together in freezing conditions.

Intensive study has elucidated many of the features of flocculation genetics and physiology and provided useful practical guidance such as ensuring that the wort contains adequate calcium ions as these are part of the process linking the cells.

Other parts of the process include lectin proteins secreted by the cells and which cross link to cell wall polymers on the surface of nearby cells.

By Dr Keith Thomas of Brewlab, Sunderland By a happy coincidence the majority of our brewing yeasts disappear at the end of fermentation giving us clear beer to rack for packaging. Or so is our expectation as every fermentation nears the end of its time in tank. Disappear is perhaps too extreme a term as the yeast in reality flocculates and rises to a top crop or falls to a sediment.

Flocculation is the process yeast activates to conduct its sedimentation. Happily, this activation is stimulated in conditions of low sugar and high alcohol – just the conditions our beer will have when ready for packaging. At the end of fermentation cells aggregate together into flocs which settle under gravity or rise to the surface.

Naturally it isn’t magic but an inherent genetic response to the environment of late fermentation, a genetic response dependent on the presence of flocculation genes and suitable conditions within the wort.

Flocculation isn’t an instantaneous process and doesn’t completely remove all the yeast which is a useful result for those of us looking to retain yeast for cask or bottle conditioning. Speed varies with yeast strain and beer composition but if all goes well it generally takes just a few days to clarify the beer in a 7hl to 20hl tank.

Many wild and environmental yeasts do not flocculate to the same degree so it is likely that flocculation ability has been selected by brewers over many thousands of brews. It does nevertheless have advantages in natural conditions for some yeasts whereby a floc of cells is likely to be more protected than separate cells to stresses such as dessication – as would occur in a natural fermentation system such as on fruit. A similar process can be said to aid penguin survival in the

Lectin proteins are coded for by flocculation genes of which FLO1, FLO5, FLO8, FLO9, FLO10 have been identified. An additional FLO11 gene codes for proteins which initiate adhesion of the cell to surfaces rather than cells.

It is interesting to speculate whether an enhanced activity of FLO11 leads to more extensive yeast residues on fermenter walls or whether they could be more adhesive in bottle conditioned beer producing a clearer pour.

desirable in wheat beer yeasts where a cloudy suspension of yeast is desirable in the final beer.

In most cases flocculation occurs automatically in beers with standard wort composition. However, having an unusual balance of wort sugars can interfere with flocculation which can be inhibited by mannose as well as glucose, and maltose. Mixing novel extracts into your wort towards the end of fermentation may cause flocs to dissemble and increase haze. As a further, but more haphazard problem, some malts may contain materials arising from fungal infection which cause early spontaneous flocculation well before fermentation ends. This is an active area of research by maltsters and tests are now available to remove suspect barley before processing.

Look out though for a sudden stop in fermentation and possibly a heavy discharge of yeast out of the fermenter as all the cells rush to the head crop.

Finally, the age of your yeast can also affect flocculation efficiency with continual repitching producing a progressive decline in clarity. Replacing yeast with a new culture should overcome this problem if the original strain is used.

In the future genetic analysis may allow the activity of your flocculation genes to be monitored.

For now though, constant conditions will make consistent clarity.

What are the implications for managing flocculation in the brewery? In the first instance the selection of yeast strain will have a large impact as strains may be high, medium or low in their flocculation potential. For cask ales a high flocculation potential is desirable. However, this may result in an incomplete fermentation if flocculation is stimulated too early – for example by intentional or accidental chilling. If selecting a new yeast an easy check is to ferment a sample in a few litres of your wort and compare performance to standard strains. Using a graduated centrifuge tube or an Imhoff cone would allow you to quantify the result.

Yeasts with medium and low flocculation potential make beer more difficult to clarify but may ferment wort more fully. For these beers a centrifuge may be required to provide the rapid clarification needed in bulk procesing.

Low flocculation potential is, of course,

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

Flocculation

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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BREWERS IN THE COMMUNITY

BREWERS IN THE COMMUNITY 2018: REPORT HIGHLIGHTS A MESSAGE FROM SIBA’S CEO SI BA REP ORT

“Welcome to SIBA’s Brewers in the Community report, which highlights and celebrates the incredible work our 830+ brewing members do within local communities all across the country.

Now in its second year, we launched Brewers in the Community last year as part of our ‘Four Pillar’ plan to shine a light on the amazing, positive contributions brewers make to their communities.

This report will be landing on the desks of every MP in Westminster, and nearly all MPs will have a SIBA member brewing nearby. It is vital that our voice – the voice of the UK’s British independent brewers – is heard in the halls of Westminster where so many of the decisions are taken that so deeply affect our members and their future.

When the industry is under more pressure than ever, we need to step up our game to ensure everyone knows about the positive social, community and charitable causes brewers support.

Where village pubs have closed, SIBA members have opened brewery taps and revitalised the heart of the communities they are a part of. This report shows that direct retail is a growing part of our members’ businesses, and so crucial at a time when village shops and other services are dying out. A large number of our members offer free meeting space at their breweries to local groups, charities and other groups who need it for events, and they also donate free

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beer for raffles, charity events and local parties to keep the community thriving.

As we did last year, in this report we have used data collected as part of SIBA’s annual members’ survey as well as case studies from members around the country to give a flavour of the work they do locally.

But there is no substitute for MPs and policymakers actually getting out there and seeing this work first hand by visiting a SIBA member brewer in their constituency. The report this year shows that an impressive 1 in 3 of our members have been visited by their MP and even more encouraging, 75% of those who have not yet had a visit say they would be interested in receiving one.

I would urge all of our members, and indeed all of the MPs who receive this report, to get in touch and arrange to see one of the UK’s small independent craft brewers in action and hear from them directly about the work they do and the challenges they face.

Local is at the heart of what all our members do but that shouldn’t mean that their contribution at the coalface of our society should go overlooked nationally. They are community champions and that is not only worth celebrating but worth nurturing and protecting.”

Mike MIKE BENNER, CEO, SIBA

AT THE OF THEIR COMMUNITIES!

45%

This year’s SIBA Members’ Survey has found that the relationship small brewers OF BREWERIES DONATING have with their local communities TO GOOD CAUSES CHOSE has become even TO SUPPORT A LOCAL more important to TOWN OR VILLAGE them than it was CHARITY last year. With a growing number of small brewers now providing their communities with essential services and social spaces like brewery taps, shops and event spaces - in effect taking over where the village hall, farm shop or now boarded up village pub have left off - there is no doubt that they play a vital role locally.

So it is not surprising that since last year, while the number of brewers who said the community was ‘important’ or ‘extremely important’ to them has remained stable at a significant 84%, the number of our members noting it was ‘extremely important’ has grown to 44% of the 352 who responded. And it is clear from our survey that this is a two-way relationship. Small brewers not only rely on the community for recruitment, logistics and sales, but they are also important supporters and investors in community life. The survey showed that of those brewers donating to good causes, 45% choose to support charities and organisations in their own local town or village.

5% 2%

How important to your business is its relationship with the local community?

10% 44% 40%

n Not important at all n Not important n Indifferent n Important n Extremely important

BREWERS IN THE COMMUNITY SIBA has launched a new national award to recognise an independent craft brewery who has supported their community the most over the last 12 months. SIBA received some amazing entries this year, a number of which are included in this report. The trade association would like to thank all of the breweries for entering and congratulates them all for the fine support they give to communities across Britain.

Our 2018 national award goes to Essex based Brentwood Brewing. The judges complemented them on arranging such a mix of fun events to support so many good causes from local pre-school Little Doves to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. Congratulations to everyone at the brewery!

BREWERS IN THE COMMUNITY AWARD 2018

BRENTWOOD BREWING! BRENTWOOD, ESSEX: Based in Brentwood in Essex, as its name suggests, Brentwood Brewing has worked with many charities large and small over the 12 years since it launched, not just donating but helping organise events.

Its main charities for this year are SNAP (Special needs and Parents), Fragile X Society and Little Doves pre-school. Last year three members of the brewery staff ran the Brighton Marathon and raised over £3,000 for the Fragile X Society. All local charities and schools get brewery tour vouchers worth £25 for every raffle they hold and the brewery is also a hub for dropping off food, clothes and aid for homeless people - it was the local hub for collections for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. The brewery also helps with the Community Christmas Hamper Initiative and Easter egg collections for children’s homes and helps many local schools and churches set up mini beer festivals for their fêtes and fundays. The Brentwood team organises trips to pubs for people in residential homes using the community bus service and recycles all of the brewery’s spent ingredients the spent hops are dropped off to local allotments and spent grain goes mostly

to the local farmer for cattle feed but also to a local lady who makes dog biscuits. Local schools and colleges come into the brewery for talks on yeast, manufacturing and business or the team goes out into the community to give talks if people are unable to get to the brewery. They host and help with events for the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary clubs and the Mayor’s charities and are heavily involved with The Brentwood Festival, a family orientated music event which raises thousands of pounds each year for various charities - over £250k in total. The Brentwood Brewing team also runs cross promotions with local businesses and works with the Brentwood Business hub, as well as with the council to help deliver their events, such as Strawberry Fayre, Lighting up Brentwood as well as Christmas markets. Through Brentwood’s Elephant School brand the team is working with Colchester Zoo to raise money for an elephant orphanage and the team also works with the Essex wildlife trust and RHS Hyde Hall on reintroducing commercial hop growing in the area. The brewery is currently involved in a project with Ongar Primary

THE POWER OF PARLIAMENT It is so important at a time when the small brewing sector is under increasing economic and political pressure that MPs and policy advisors meet and understand the challenges in the market directly from brewers themselves. To this end SIBA is working with its members to encourage as many MPs as possible to visit their local breweries. More than a third of the brewers who were surveyed said they had already hosted a visit from their local MP which is a really positive sign, and, most encouragingly, a really significant 47% said that although they had yet to do so they wanted to invite their MP to visit them.

75%

OF BREWERS WHO HAD NOT GIVEN THEIR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT A TOUR OF THEIR BREWERY, SAID THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN DOING SO.

YES 34%

NO 66%

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

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school who are celebrating 50 years there is a competition for the children to name the beer and design a pumpclip and donations will be made to the school for every pint sold. Brentwood also offers free venue hire for local ventures and people and works with town twinning associations - last year they brought over Pyraser Brewery from Roth in Bavaria which is Brentwood’s twinned town in Germany, to help celebrate Oktoberfest.

BRIGHTON MARATHON RAISES OVER £3,000

WHY NOT GET YOUR MP ON BOARD? We would encourage all brewers to invite their MP to their brewery to let them see first hand what they do within their communities and perhaps even brew a beer! We would also encourage MPs to contact their local breweries to raise a glass of independently brewed British beer - this can be great profile for both the MP and the local brewery.

Find contact details for your local MP here: www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp

Have you given your Member of Parliament a tour of your brewery?

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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BR

Introducing the new Gutsherren Pint Brimful Tankard!

IMFUL

PINT ET

FO

Rastal is proud to launch a new brimful pint Gutsherren tankard, created especially for the UK market! · Modern, practical and very robust · Flat sides allow multiple decoration options · Bespoke nucleation available · Packed in boxes of 6 pcs · 196mm high, 116mm diameter (including handle) · Glasswasher proof Rastal, as SIBA’s glassware Silver Sponsor offers all SIBA members free artwork origination and first decorated sample subject to receiving a confirmed order.

R RT HE UK MA

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For all enquiries: Nick Crossley, UK agent for Rastal GmbH & Co. KG nick.crossley@rastal.com Telephone: 07758 648660

www.rastal.co.uk

#MadeWithMuntons

Muntons - Est. 1921 -

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N C O N TA C T: MUNTONS DIRECT SALES

DISTRIBUTOR SALES

Katie Richardson

Jake Mortiboys

David Hannah

Staffordshire Brewery

Total Brewing Supplies

South & Ireland

Wales, Midlands & Yorkshire

Scotland & Northern England

North West & West Midlands

North East, Yorkshire & Humberside, Wales, South West & Hampshire East Midlands

Absolute Brewing Supplies

07979 537759

07920 293902

07525 809093

01538 361919

01636 823909

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Katie.richardson@muntons.com

Jake.mortiboys@muntons.com

David.hannah@muntons.com

info@staffordshirebrewery.co.uk

gary@totalbrewingsupplies.co.uk

jo@absolutebrewingsupplies.com

Muntons plc Cedars Maltings Stowmarket Suffolk IP14 2AG T 01449 618300 muntons.com

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

BREWERS IN THE COMMUNITY

CHARITABLE TRUST In the last year, SIBA members have gone above and beyond to support local causes and donate money and resources to local charities and organisations.

You will see case studies in this report highlighting some exceptional fundraising efforts – Rebellion Brewery raised an amazing £72,000 last year, and Wold Top has donated over £40,000 since its launch – but it really is a case of every penny counts and small brewers are supporting worthy causes with their time and money every single day.

Our survey this year highlights the 47% of our members who have raised money for or donated to between 2 and 5 local causes in the last year, with 18% of them now giving to more than 5 local charities, sharing their support over an even wider section of the community. And while 18% say they have not supported any specific charities this year, many of these provide for their communities in other ways, offering free meeting space for locals to hold events and celebrations, and in one of our case studies even office space and admin support for local businesses.

In terms of the amount raised, the majority of the SIBA members (56%) said they had donated up to £1,000 in the last year, with a very generous 21% giving away upwards of that and 5% donating over £5,000. But it is not all about money, and the survey also found that small brewers were generous with their time when it came to helping charities organise events at the brewery free of charge (17%), giving them free beer to use for events or as prizes or running campaigns across their network of customers to promote the charity (31%). More than half (51%) of the brewers who responded also run regular initiatives where a set amount of money from each pint/bottle/can sold of a certain beer goes to a selected charity.

In the past 12 months, how much money was donated by your business to charities?

56%

60% 50% 40% 30%

21%

20%

5%

10% 0%

£1-£1000

£1,001£5,000

More than £5,000

What type of collaboration/involvement does your brewery have with these organisations

66%

70% 60%

51%

50%

How many charities have you supported over the last 12 months?

1 17% 2-5 47%

NEW INCOME STREAMS

40%

0 18%

31%

30%

17%

20%

5+ 18%

10% 0% n They organise events at the brewery for free

n We provide them with beer/merchandise for free n We help them raise funds across our network n Donated money from beer sold

THE MOST STRIKING CHANGES OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS WITHIN THE SMALL BREWERY SECTOR HAS BEEN IN THE NUMBER OF BREWERS WHO NOW OFFER A SHOP, TAP BAR AND VISITOR CENTRE. Last year we saw a quarter of the respondents to our survey had installed a tap bar and this year that figure has risen to an impressive 33%. In addition, 44% of SIBA members now have a shop and 15% a visitor centre.

These figures represent a seismic shift in the way successful small brewery businesses are structured, and by expanding their income streams these brewers are ensuring their businesses are more sustainable in an uncertain market, being less reliant on one source of income.

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

Does your brewery have these services on-site?

50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

44%

33% 15%

n Shop n Visitor centre n Tap bar

Please note some breweries have more than one of the above facilities

4 IN 10 BREWERS (42%) STATED THAT 10% OF THEIR TURNOVER NOW CAME FROM THEIR SHOP / TAP ROOM / VISITOR CENTRE 1 IN 10 BREWERS (9%) SAID MORE THAN 25% OF THEIR TURNOVER CAME FROM THEIR SHOP / TAP ROOM / VISITOR CENTRE

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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Midlands Region Cask Winners

REGIONAL BEER COMPETITIONS

SIBA Midlands Region

Overall Champion of the Cask Competition Sponsored by

SPAsoft Ltd

Cask British Dark Beers (up to 4.4%) Sponsored by Simpson Malt

Cask British Dark Beers 4.5 to 6.4%

Nottingham Rugby Football Club, The Bay, 1 Holme Rd, West Bridgford, Nottingham.

28th June 2018

Jamie Ramshaw of Simpson Malt presents Paul Taylor with the gold award

Neil Walker presents Andrea Wealeans with the gold award

GOLD Navigation Brewery Saviour 5.5 SILVER Navigation Brewery Blonde 5.0 BRONZE Titanic Brewery Plum Porter 4.9

GOLD Shiny Brewery Wrench 4.4 SILVER Fownes Brewing Company Korvak’s Saga: Chapter II Burden 4.4 BRONZE The Grainstore Brewery Rutland Panther 3.4

GOLD Weal Ales Brewery Centwealial Milk Stout 4.9 SILVER The Grainstore Brewery Rutland Beast 5.3 BRONZE Froth Blowers Brewing Co. Riverside Stout 4.8

Cask British Bitter (up to 4.4%) Sponsored by

Cask British Premium Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%) Sponsored

Cask Session IPA (up to 4.3%)

Cask Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%)

David Birrell (Nottingham Rugby Club) presents Alex Cosgrove with the bronze award

Neil Walker presents Guy Jenkins with the gold award

Andrew Reed presents Guy Jenkins with the gold award

Frances Maud presents Marv White with the gold award

GOLD Purity Brewing Company Mad Goose 4.2 SILVER Great Oakley Brewery Egret 3.8 BRONZE The Chiltern Brewery Beechwood Bitter 4.3

GOLD Great Oakley Brewery Gobble 4.5 SILVER Castle Rock Brewery Elsie Mo 4.7 BRONZE Titanic Brewery Captain Smiths 5.2

GOLD Great Oakley Brewery Tiffield Thunderbolt 4.2 SILVER Purity Brewing Company Bunny Hop 3.5 BRONZE Dancing Duck Brewery Ay Up 3.9

GOLD Thornbridge Brewery Crackendale 5.2 SILVER Charnwood Brewery American Pale Ale 4.8 BRONZE The Backyard Brewhouse Ltd Gold 4.5

Cask IPA (5.5 to 6.4%)

Cask Speciality Light Beers

Cask Speciality Mid to Dark Beers

Nigel Hoppit of SPAsoft Ltd presents Dominic Flynn with the gold award

Rastal GmbH & Co. KG

Sponsored by

Charles Faram & Co Ltd

Frances Maud presents Dominic Flynn with the gold award

GOLD Navigation Brewery Saviour 5.5 SILVER Derby Brewing Company You Had Me At IPA 6.0 BRONZE Loddon Brewery Forbury Lion IPA 5.5

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

by

Rankin Brother & Sons

Sponsored by

Brewology

David Grant of Brewology presents Dominic Flynn with the gold award

GOLD Navigation Brewery Blonde 5.0 SILVER Milestone Brewery Raspberry wheat beer 5.6 BRONZE Derventio Brewery Cleopatra 5.0

Anthony Hughes (Regional Chair) presents Anneli Baxter with the gold award

GOLD Titanic Brewery Plum Porter 4.9 SILVER Old Sawley Brewing Company Plummeth The Hour 4.5 BRONZE Milestone Brewery Chocoholic 4.8

Sponsored by

Murphy & Son Ltd

Cask Strong Beers 6.5% and over Sponsored by Bulk

Storage & Process Systems Ltd

Rory Gibson is presented with the gold award

GOLD The Grainstore Brewery Nip 7.3 SILVER Birmingham Brewing Company Strong Brummie 7.2 BRONZE Fownes Brewing Company Hand of Doom 8.2

Midlands Region Bottle & Small Pack Winners Overall Champion of the Bottle/Can Competition

REGIONAL BEER COMPETITIONS

Sponsored by NFU Mutual

Bottle/Can British Dark Beers up to 4.4%

Bottle/Can British Dark Beers 4.5 to 6.4%

Anthony Hughes (Regional Chair) presents Marv White with the gold award

Anthony Hughes (Regional Chair) presents Guy Jenkins with the gold award

Neil Walker presents Anthony Hughes (Proxy) with the gold award

Bottle/Can British Bitter (up to 4.4%)

David Birrell (Nottingham Rugby Club) presents Anthony Hughes (Proxy) with the gold award

GOLD Thornbridge Brewery Melba 5.2 SILVER Thornbridge Brewery Coco Cocoa 5.5 BRONZE The Chiltern Brewery Bodger’s Barley Wine 8.5

GOLD Great Oakley Brewery Welland Valley Mild 3.6 SILVER Shiny Brewery Wrench 4.4 BRONZE Brampton Brewery Impy Dark 4.3

GOLD Loddon Brewery Hocus Pocus 5.0 SILVER Derby Brewing Company Midnight Raven 4.8 BRONZE Brampton Brewery Brampton Mild 4.9

Bottle/Can British Premium Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%)

Bottle/Can Session IPA (up to 4.3%)

Bottle/Can Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%)

Bottle/Can IPA (5.5 to 6.4%)

Chris Whyte, Saxon Packaging presents Guy Jenkins with the gold award

Jamie Ramshaw, Simpson Malt, presents Anthony Hughes (proxy) with the gold award

Anthony Hughes (Regional Chair), presents Paul Taylor with the gold award

Simon Hulse of Beer Box Shop presents Pedro Oliveira with the gold award

GOLD Great Oakley Brewery Gobble 4.5 SILVER Navigation Brewery Rebel 4.7 BRONZE Rebellion Beer Company Red 4.5

GOLD Gun Dog Ales Jack’s Spaniels 3.8 SILVER Shiny Brewery Fallout 4.2 BRONZE Slater’s Ales Top Totty 4.0

GOLD Shiny Brewery Disco Balls 5.3 SILVER Great Oakley Brewery Tailshaker 5.0 BRONZE Weal Ales Brewery Weller Weal 4.6

GOLD Dhillons Brewery Red IPA 6.2 SILVER Navigation Brewery Saviour 5.5 BRONZE Brampton Brewery Speciale 5.8

Bottle/Can Imperial IPA 6.5% and over

Bottle/Can Session Lager & Pilsner up to 4.4%

Bottle/Can Premium Lager & Pilsner (4.5% to 6.4%)

Bottle/Can Speciality Light Beers

Anthony Hughes (Regional Chair) presents Dita Kolmejevova with the gold award

Anthony Hughes (Regional Chair) presents presents Marv White with the gold award

Andrew Reed presents Alex Cosgrove with the gold award

David Birrell (Nottingham Rugby Club) presents Marv White with the gold award

GOLD The Loose Cannon Brewing Company Ltd Double IPA 7.5

GOLD Thornbridge Brewery Lukas 4.2 SILVER Birmingham Brewing Company Stirchley Lager 4.4 BRONZE Charnwood Brewery Liska 4.0

GOLD Purity Brewing Company Lawless Lager 4.5 SILVER Freedom Brewery Freedom Organic Helles Lager 4.8 BRONZE The Loose Cannon Brewing Company Ltd Oxford PILS 5.0

Bottle/Can Speciality Mid to Dark Beers

Bottle/Can Sours/ Spontaneous

Bottle/Can Strong Beers (6.5% and over)

David Birrell (Nottingham Rugby Club) presents Marv White with the gold award

David Birrell (Nottingham Rugby Club) presents Marv White with the gold award

David Birrell (Nottingham Rugby Club) presents David Smith (Proxy) with the gold award

GOLD Thornbridge Brewery Coco Cocoa 5.5

GOLD Thornbridge Brewery Tart 6.0

GOLD The Chiltern Brewery Bodger’s Barley Wine 8.5

Sponsored by Saxon Packaging

Sponsored by Beatson Clark Ltd

Sponsored by Simpson Malt

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GOLD Loddon Brewery Night Of The Stag 4.4 SILVER The Backyard Brewhouse Ltd blonde 4.1 BRONZE The Chiltern Brewery Gold 3.8 Sponsored by Beer Box Shop

GOLD Thornbridge Brewery Melba 5.2 SILVER Milestone Brewery Raspberry Wheat Beer 5.6 BRONZE Navigation Brewery Font Craftworks GPA – Grapefruit Pale Ale 4.0

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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Wales & West Region Cask Winners

REGIONAL BEER COMPETITIONS

SIBA Wales & West Region

Cask British Dark Beers (up to 4.4%)

Cask British Dark Beers 4.5 to 6.4%

Nigel Hoppit of SPAsoft Ltd presents Chris Gooch (Proxy) with the gold award

Chris Gooch (Regional Chair) presents Alison Parr with the gold award

Norman Pearce (Regional Director) presents Wilf Nelson with the gold award

GOLD The Untapped Brewing Company Whoosh 4.2 SILVER Salopian Brewery Hoptwister 4.5 BRONZE Stonehouse Brewery Limited Ballast 4.4

GOLD Stonehouse Brewery Limited Ballast 4.4 SILVER Hobsons Brewery Champion Mild 3.2 BRONZE Bespoke Brewing Co. Kings Shilling 4.2

GOLD Salopian Brewery Midnight Express 5.2 SILVER Bewdley Brewery William Muclows Dark Mild 6.0 BRONZE Boss Brewing Company Boss Black 5.0

Cask British Bitter (up to 4.4%) Sponsored by

Cask British Premium Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%) Sponsored

Cask Session IPA (up to 4.3%)

Cask Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%)

Mike Benner presents Mike Gamble with the gold award

Chris Gooch (Regional Chair) presents James Evans with the gold award

Norman Pearce (Regional Director) presents Ray Davies with the silver award

Iain Kenney of Murphy & Sons presents Kev Harris with the gold award

GOLD Prescott Ales Hill Climb 3.8 SILVER Severn Brewing Ltd Copper Ale 3.8 BRONZE Heavy Industry Brewing Ltd Electric Mountain 3.8

GOLD Glamorgan Brewing Company Jemimas Pitchfork 4.5 SILVER Gower Brewery Company Limited Gower Power 5.5 BRONZE Harbwr Brewery Tenby RFA Sir Galahad 4.6

GOLD The Untapped Brewing Company Whoosh 4.2 SILVER Grey Trees Brewery Mosaic 4.2 BRONZE Wood Brewery Born N Bred 3.8

GOLD Salopian Brewery Hoptwsiter 4.5 SILVER Grey Trees Brewery Afghan Pale Ale 5.4 BRONZE Bewdley Brewery Beaulieu 4.2

Cask IPA (5.5 to 6.4%)

Cask Speciality Light Beers

Cask Speciality Mid to Dark Beers

Cask Strong Beers 6.5% and over

Mike Benner presents Kev Harris with the gold award

Chris Gooch (Regional Chair) presents Simon Dove with the gold award

Norman Pearce (Regional Director) presents Chris Kelly with the gold award

GOLD Gloucester Brewery Imperial Stout 9.0 SILVER Rowton Brewery Portly Stout 4.5 BRONZE Pershore Brewery Ltd Black Moon 5.0

GOLD Salopian Brewery Polygraph 7.4 SILVER Gloucester Brewery DIPA 7.5 BRONZE Big Hand Brewing Co Ltd Telekinesis 6.9

Overall Champion of the Cask Competition Sponsored by

Ludlow Castle, Castle Square 12th April 2018

Rastal GmbH & Co. KG

Sponsored by

Charles Faram & Co Ltd

Will Rogers of Charles Faram & Co Ltd presents Simon Dove with the gold award

GOLD Gloucester Brewery American Pale Ale 6.4 SILVER Salopian Brewery Kashmir 5.5 BRONZE Mumbles Brewery Ltd Albina 5.7

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by

SPAsoft Ltd

Rankin Brother & Sons

GOLD Salopian Brewery Slipstream 5.1 SILVER Corvedale Brewery Ale Of Odin 4.2 BRONZE Stonehouse Brewery Limited Witbier 4.2

Sponsored by

CBI Insurance

Sponsored by

Murphy & Son Ltd

Wales & West Region Bottle & Small Pack Winners

REGIONAL BEER COMPETITIONS

Overall Champion of the Bottle/Can Competition

Bottle/Can British Dark Beers up to 4.4%

Bottle/Can British Dark Beers 4.5 to 6.4%

Phil Maile presents Alison Parr with the gold award

Chris Gooch (Regional Chair) presents Alison Parr with the gold award

Norman Pearce (Regional Director) presents Simon Dove with the gold award

Bottle/Can British Bitter (up to 4.4%)

Mike Benner presents Simon Dove with the gold award

GOLD Stonehouse Brewery Limited Sunlander 3.7 SILVER Gloucester Brewery Dockside Dark 5.2 BRONZE Wye Valley Brewery Ltd Glorious IPA 6.0

GOLD Stonehouse Brewery Limited Ballast 4.4 SILVER Hillside Brewery Over The Hill 2.0 BRONZE Stroud Brewerys Tom Long 3.8

GOLD Gloucester Brewery Dockside Dark 5.2 SILVER Bewdley Brewery William Mucklow’s Dark Mild 6.0 BRONZE Tenby Brewing Co Black Flag 5.5

GOLD Gloucester Brewery Cascade 4.2 SILVER Salopian Brewery Darwin’s Origin 4.3 BRONZE Wye Valley Brewery Ltd The Hopfather 3.9

Bottle/Can British Premium Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%)

Bottle/Can Session IPA (up to 4.3%)

Bottle/Can Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%)

Bottle/Can IPA (5.5 to 6.4%)

Chris Gooch (Regional Chair) presents Nathan Micic with the gold award

Norman Pearce (Regional Director) presents Shane Parr with the gold award

GOLD Castles Brewery Ltd Bartizan 4.6 SILVER Mumbles Brewery Ltd Red Dragon 4.6 BRONZE Salopian Brewery Avarice 5.7

Bottle/Can Imperial IPA (6.5%and over)

Mike Benner presents Pawel Meksrski with the gold award

Chris Gooch (Regional Chair) presents Peter Amore with the gold award

GOLD Stonehouse Brewery Limited Sunlander 3.7 SILVER Gloucester Brewery Gloucester Gold 3.9 BRONZE Bespoke Brewing Co. Leading Light 3.5

GOLD Zerodegrees Cardiff Downtown Pale Ale 4.6 SILVER Salopian Brewery Hoptwister 4.5 BRONZE Purple Moose Brewery Antlered IPA 5.2

GOLD Wye Valley Brewery Ltd Glorious IPA 6.0 SILVER Salopian Brewery Kashmir 5.5 BRONZE Clun Brewery Citadel 5.9

Bottle/Can Session Lager & Pilsner up to 4.4%

Bottle/Can Premium Lager & Pilsners 4.5 to 6.4%

Bottle/Can Speciality Light Beers

Norman Pearce (Regional Director) presents Wilf Nelson with the silver award

Norman Pearce (Regional Director) presents Paul Williamson with the gold award

GOLD VOG Brewery LTD Red Right Hand 7.0 SILVER Salopian Brewery Lullaby 9.0 BRONZE Clun Brewery Unk IPA 7.5

Mike Benner presents Gareth Bateman with the gold award

Chris Gooch (Regional Chair) presents Shane Parr with the gold award

GOLD Hillside Brewery HCL – Hillside Craft Lager 4.3

GOLD Wye Valley Brewery Ltd 1985 4.5 SILVER Purple Moose Brewery Mwsh 4.7 BRONZE Stonehouse Brewery Limited Pilsner 4.9

GOLD Stonehouse Brewery Limited Witbier 4.2 SILVER Pershore Brewery Ltd Elder May 3.8 BRONZE Salopian Brewery Slipstream 5.1

Bottle/Can Strong Beers 6.5% and over

Bottle/Can Speciality Mid to Dark Beers

Mike Benner presents Eric Geipel with the gold award

Norman Pearce (Regional Director) presents Wilf Nelson with the gold award

GOLD Salopian Brewery Meraki 4.8 SILVER Mumbles Brewery Ltd Bock 6.0 BRONZE Purple Moose Brewery Chocolate Moose 4.5

GOLD Geipel Brewing Bock 6.5 SILVER The Untapped Brewing Company Tymor 7.4 BRONZE Hop & Stagger Brewery Solstice Rouge 6.8

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

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South West Region Cask Winners

REGIONAL BEER COMPETITIONS

SIBA South West Region

Cask British Dark Beers (up to 4.4%)

Cask British Dark Beers 4.5 to 6.4%

Guy Sheppard of Tuckers Maltings presents Mike Thornton with the gold award

Justin Hawke presents Arthur Frampton with the gold award

Tony Jerome presents Alan Collyer with the gold award

GOLD Dorset Brewing Company Jurassic Dark 5.9 SILVER Twisted Oak Brewery Ltd Leveret 4.6 BRONZE St Austell Brewery Big Job 7.2

GOLD Isle of Avalon Brewery Pomparles Porter 4.4 SILVER New Lion Brewery Totnes Stout 4.4 BRONZE Weighbridge Brewhouse GWR Mild 4.0

GOLD Exeter Brewery Darkness 5.1 SILVER Roam Brewing Co. Tavy Porter 5.2 BRONZE Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout 4.5

Cask British Premium Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%) Sponsored

Cask Session IPA (up to 4.3%)

Cask Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%)

Overall Champion of the Cask Competition Sponsored by

Tuckers Maltings, Teign Road, Newton Abbot, Devon 19th – 21st April 2018

Cask British Bitter (up to 4.4%) Sponsored by Rastal GmbH & Co. KG

Rankin Brother & Sons

Sponsored by

Crisp Malting Group

Sponsored by

Murphy & Son Ltd

Peter Martin (proxy) presents James Higgins with the bronze award

Tony Jerome (proxy), presents Keith Hayler with the gold award

Nigel Gibbons of Crisp Malting Group presents James Higgins with the gold award

Iain Kenney of Murphy & Sons presents Jez Noyce with the gold award

GOLD Great Western Brewing Co. Maiden Voyage 4.0 SILVER Bays Brewery Gold 4.3 BRONZE Quantock Brewery Wills Neck 4.3

GOLD Twisted Oak Brewery Ltd Leveret 4.6 SILVER Powderkeg Brewery 6ixes & 7evens 5.0 BRONZE Roam Brewing Co. Sound Bitter 4.5

GOLD Quantock Brewery QPA 4.0 SILVER Powderkeg Brewery Speak Easy 4.3 BRONZE St Austell Brewery Prophecy 3.8

GOLD Kettlesmith Brewing Company Timeline 5.4 SILVER Firebrand Brewing West Coast Session IPA 4.5 BRONZE Cheddar Ales Ltd Frozen Deep 4.5

Cask IPA (5.5 to 6.4%)

Cask Speciality Light Beers

Cask Speciality Mid to Dark Beers

Cask Strong Beers 6.5% and over Sponsored by Bulk

Nigel Hoppitt of SPAsoft Ltd presents Justin Hawke with the gold award

Justin Hawke presents Brewhouse and Kitchen Ltd with the bronze award

Bill Edgerton of Bulk Storage & Process Systems Ltd presents St Austell Brewery with the gold award

Sponsored by

Charles Faram & Co Ltd

Jason Little of Charles Faram & Co Ltd presents Ryan Read with the gold award

GOLD Electric Bear Brewing Company Above The Clouds 6.2 SILVER Eight Arch Brewing Co. Corbel 5.5 BRONZE Dawkins Ales Ultra 6.2

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by

Tuckers Maltings

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

Sponsored by

SPAsoft Ltd

GOLD Moor Beer Company Do It Together 5.2 SILVER Great Western Brewing Co. Bees Knees 4.2 BRONZE Hunters Brewery Ltd Crispy Pig 4.0

GOLD Dorset Brewing Company Jurassic Dark 5.9 SILVER Gyle 59 Brad’s Coffee Stout 4.5 BRONZE Brewhouse and Kitchen Ltd Bristol BA Maple Sap Scotch **Barrel aged** 6.4

Storage & Process Systems Ltd

GOLD St Austell Brewery Big Job 7.2 SILVER Exmoor Ales Exmoor Beast 6.6 BRONZE New Lion Brewery Double Stout 7.4

South West Region Bottle & Small Pack Winners Overall Champion of the Bottle/Can Competition Sponsored by SPAsoft Ltd

Nigel Hoppitt of SPAsoft Ltd presents Jame Rylance with the gold award

Bottle/Can British Dark Beers up to 4.4%

REGIONAL BEER COMPETITIONS

Bottle/Can British Dark Beers 4.5 to 6.4%

Bottle/Can British Bitter (up to 4.4%)

Justin Hawke presents Theo Corfield with the gold award

Peter Martin presents Ryan Read with the gold award

Tony Jerome presents Des Archer with the silver award

GOLD Castle Brewery Moat Mild 4.4 SILVER Yeovil Ales Stout Hearted 4.3 BRONZE New Lion Brewery Totnes Stout 4.4

GOLD Electric Bear Brewing Company Inspector Remorse 4.7 SILVER Roam Brewing Co. Tavy Porter 5.2 BRONZE Palmers Brewery Tally Ho! 5.5

GOLD Liberation Brewery Liberation Ale 4.0 SILVER Padstow Brewing Company Padstow Pale Ale 3.6 BRONZE Quantock Brewery Rale Head 3.9

Bottle/Can British Premium Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%)

Bottle/Can Session IPA (up to 4.3%)

Bottle/Can Premium PAs (4.4 to 5.4%)

Bottle/Can IPA (5.5 to 6.4%)

Justin Hawke presents Jem Ham with the gold award

Peter Martin presents James Rylance with the gold award

GOLD Harbour Brewing Company Ellensberg Session IPA 4.3 SILVER St Austell Brewery Big Job 7.2 BRONZE Liberation Brewery Liberation Ale 4.0

GOLD Cheddar Ales Ltd Karst 4.9 SILVER Arkells Brewery Moonlight 4.5 BRONZE Dartmoor Brewery Ltd Jail Ale 4.8

Sponsored by Beatson Clark Ltd

Tony Jerome presents Belinda Kelly with the gold award

Sponsored by Niche Solutions (GB) Ltd

Paul Calcott presents Steve Farrell with the gold award

GOLD Harbour Brewing Company Ellensberg Session IPA 4.3 SILVER Great Western Brewing Co. Hambrook Pale Ale 4.0 BRONZE Palmers Brewery Palmers IPA 4.2

GOLD Brewhouse and Kitchen Ltd Bournemouth Yankee Hack 4.8 SILVER Quantock Brewery Titanium 5.1 BRONZE Art Brew AB6 DDH 4.6

GOLD Eight Arch Brewing Co. Corbel 5.5 SILVER Firebrand Brewing Graffiti IPA 5.5 BRONZE Beat Ales Funk 5.5

Bottle/Can Session Lager & Pilsner up to 4.4%

Bottle/Can Premium Lager & Pilsner 4.5 to 6.4%

Bottle/Can Speciality Light Beer

Bottle/Can Speciality Medium to Dark Beers

Justin Hawke presents Rob Jones, Tom Bryant and Matt Barnes with the gold award

Peter Martin presents James Rylance with the gold award

Nigel Hoppitt of SPAsoft, presents Mike Poole with the gold award

GOLD Keltek Cornish Brewery Swifties Cornish Lager 4.0 SILVER Harbour Brewing Company Helles Lager 4.5 BRONZE Hunters Brewery Ltd Devon Maid Lager 4.4

GOLD Harbour Brewing Company Pilsner Lager 5.0 SILVER ZerodegreesZER1 Pilsner 4.8 BRONZE Powderkeg Brewery Cut Loose 4.7

Sponsored by SPAsoft Ltd

GOLD Red Rock Brewery Ltd Honey Slow Beer 5.0 SILVER Hop Kettle Brewing Co. Busaba Saison 5.3 BRONZE Skinners Brewery Company Ltd Hops and Honey 4.0

Tony Jerome presents Glen Dawkin with the gold award

GOLD Dawkins Ales Foresters Black 4.9 SILVER Hop Kettle Brewing Co. Flapjack Marmalade 7.7 BRONZE Padstow Brewing Company 317 7.4

Bottle/Can Strong Beers 6.5% and over

Peter Martin presents St Austell with the gold award

GOLD St Austell Brewery Big Job 7.2 SILVER Moor Beer Company Old Freddy Walker 7.3 BRONZE Firebrand Brewing Impy Stout 10.0

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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GOLD MEMBERS

Charles Faram & Co Ltd SIBA supporters since 1989 and Gold Members since the formation of the Gold Member Category! In this issue we head back to the world of hops and brewing products for an update from Gold Member Charles Faram & Co Ltd. Since the last update the company has been working very hard on all aspects of supply to its customers. Here are some of the developments.

Quality

“The store was completed in January and we are delighted with the results. With the new store we have the ability to have British hops off farm earlier and get them processed into T90 pellets or Freshpak and into store much quicker.”

Faram’s have been investing heavily in their facilities in both the UK and the USA to ensure the best quality hops are received by their customers. Following on from ISO 9001 certification in 2016 growers are now audited regularly for the quality of their facilities, their production methods, their adherence to the Modern Slavery Act and as always, the final quality of their hops. To ensure the hops stay in the best condition a new cold store has been built at the Worcestershire site which stores the hops at 0°c. Paul Corbett, Managing Director said “This is a huge investment for Faram’s and the new facility is up there with the best cold stores in the world for storing hops.” The 1,860m² (20,000ft²) store is capable of storing an additional 1,700 pallets and is already full with stock. The hops are being held for customers to draw on as Paul Corbett, Charles Faram MD required. “We noticed that we were storing more and more hops for our contracts each year and wanted to make sure that we were storing them in the best conditions possible” continued Corbett.

“The store was completed in January and we are delighted with the results.

With the new store we have the ability to have British hops off farm earlier and get them processed into T90 pellets or Freshpak and into store much quicker. With our US and New Zealand hops they are now 100% cold from the day they are picked up from the farm. The Yakima facility we installed in 2016 has been fully operational for over a year now and the cold store there has proved to be a very useful staging point for the quality checks and safe carriage of US hops to the UK. With refrigerated containers continuing to be used to bring hops across the Atlantic it really is a complete cold chain.”

The company has also taken its responsibility with pesticide residue testing very seriously too. This has become a much bigger worry for everyone in the brewing industry and the testing programme undertaken by Faram’s has been stepped up to take samples from every farm they work with and have them checked for pesticide residues. “It forms part of the company’s commitment to supply the safest and highest quality hops we can” said Corbett.

Check out the Faram website or get in touch with the sales team for an up to date picture of all the products available. Whether its hops, malt, dried yeast, finings, kegs, sensory training kits, bottle tops or closures they are very keen to hear from you.

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

GOLD MEMBERS

Hop Development Programme The company continues to work brewers who have tried the new hops are doing a “There are even closely with growers in the UK, great job!” the US, the Czech Republic more exciting new Faram’s have also invested in the programme of new hop and Slovenia to develop seedlings developed by the British Hop Association at Wye possibilities in the new varieties of hops. Will Hops in Kent. Working in conjunction with Peter Darby this Rogers, Charles Faram Sales pipeline” will give Faram’s access to a completely different genetic Director and lead on the Hop pool of potentially new varieties. 11 different “potentials” Will Rogers, Charles Development Programme is are being planted out in larger farm trials plots this year and Faram Sales Director very excited by the way the and lead on the there are many more in the pipeline. The Faram’s team have new varieties are developing.

Hop Development been making the annual September pilgrimage to Kent to test “We have already been able to Programme the “green aromas” on the trial plants; anything that smells release several new varieties that promising has then been picked and dried by the Wye Hops have shown great potential” said Will. “There are even more team and presented for further aroma evaluation in January exciting new possibilities in the pipeline” he adds. “It seems that the further after harvest. This is where the 11 high scoring selections have come from we go with our programme the more intensity of flavour we are getting. I and no doubt more will follow. can’t wait to taste some of the results from the brewing trials this year, the

#Brithop

and British Music In association with the British Hop Association Faram’s has sponsored and supported an initiative from Drinks Maven to have several brewers (The Kernel, North Brewing Co, Burning Sky, Wild Beer Co and Cloudwater) to brew some fantastic new beers using British hops. Each brewer has nominated a song to be matched to the beer. The results were released this week at Mother Kelly’s in London and went down a storm! The aim is to raise awareness of the locally produced British varieties (old and new) and promote the benefits of using locally grown hops. Hopefully this event can be rolled out to more brewers next year with an even bigger selection of breweries, hops beers and music.

Customer visits To keep more in touch with their customers Faram’s has recently introduced two new sales managers for the North and South of the UK. Beth Eaton has joined us from Robinson’s Brewery in Stockport where she was Contracts Manager for Brewing and Packaging. Beth is covering the North and the South will be covered by Jason Little who has been at Faram’s six years in the Sales Department. Both are available to visit your brewery so please give them a call if you would like an appointment.

They are very happy to discuss the hops, malt, yeast and brewing aids that Faram’s can supply and will gladly bring along samples if there is anything you would particularly like to look at.

Current market update

Beth Eaton

It looks like this year could be another interesting one with the Czech Republic and Eastern Europe reporting a very early bloom in the crop.

So early in fact that some hop yards are already coming into cone! This could mean that the harvest is very early this year and if it is will lead to reduced yields. As always it is very important to make sure that all your contract requirements have been communicated to your hops supplier so that the necessary arrangements can be made to cover them.

Last but not least

Faram’s very own (and previously SIBA’s very own) Charlie Gorham has got married this summer so please join us in wishing her and her husband Adam all the very best for the future.

Jason Little

www.charlesfaram.co.uk 01905 830734 WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

77

Water

GOLD MEMBERS

The fourth ingredient: know it, understand it, treat it!

Murphy & Son, the home of quality liquor treatments and laboratory services.

✔

GET IT RIGHT and all the steps in the brewing process will be at the optimum pH.

✖

GET IT WRONG and you will get poor extract and beer that is difficult to fine.

The brewer’s world revolves around four main ingredients; malt, hops, yeast and water. A fine balance that separates the good, the bad and the ugly! Well here at Murphys we exist within that fine balance, that scientific art, that modus operandi. Our world goes beyond your four main ingredients (like great beer)! As part of this, we recognise that superior brewing water comes only from knowing it, understanding it and treating it, on a recipe by recipe basis. Water makes up approximately 90% of all beer, so getting this right is paramount. This is where we come in; not only do we supply the liquor treatments you require, we underpin this with industry leading laboratory services and technical knowledge.

We’re here every step of the way, from analysing your water to assessing the dosage rates required and throughout the brewing process, should you need us.

A bit of history…

History aligns great beer styles with geographic locations, for the majority, because the water in these locations lent itself to said style; the Pale Ales of Burton-on-Trent, Porters of London, Stouts of Dublin and Lagers of Pilsen spring to mind. The composition of one’s water was a direct result of its journey from sky to brewery.

A route which defines whether water is ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ and so what ions it boasts; where the water runs through rocks that are soft it will permeate

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

WATER TEST

once a year! for all Murphy’s customers

through said rock, dissolving lots of minerals along the way and become ‘hard’, but where the rocks are hard, the water cannot penetrate deeply, making it low in dissolved salts and so ‘soft’. Things have changed a bit since then, allowing for more control but also requiring greater forethought.

negative effects of variable water supply more and more. To meet demand, water authorities will often rely on more than one water source, which is detrimental for brewers as these supplies can have completely different profiles. Alongside which, please note that Local Authority reports can provide out-of-date results too.

Today our water is supplied by local authorities and must be fit to drink and free from pathogens, so reaches us already treated (chlorine is usually added). However, modern water supply is by no means consistent across the UK and certainly not to the degree required to brew. Nor will one water profile fit all beer styles, nothing’s ever that easy, obviously! The objective of liquor treatments are, therefore, to convert the water sent to us into acceptable brewing liquor for a chosen beer style, by removing unwanted ions and adding desirable ions.

So, how do you get by in these unpredictable conditions? Testing your water is invaluable; the more frequently you send in your water for analysis, the more likely you are to notice patterns in your supply and so, be able to plan accordingly.

Get to know your water supply…

We recommend you send your water off for analysis a minimum of once a year, which is lucky because if you’re a Murphys customer you can get your water tested by our lab FREE OF CHARGE once a year! However, as Fran one of our Technical Sales Representatives explains, sometimes testing annually isn’t enough…

“As someone who talks to brewers about their water profiles on a daily basis, I’m noticing the

Murphy & Son Ltd, Nottingham, UK Tel: 0115 978 5494 Technical: techsupport@murphyandson.co.uk Laboratory: laboratory@murphyandson.co.uk

78

FREE

But, how do you know the supply you’re on here and now? Well, here’s my top tip, just knowing your alkalinity will help you cross reference which profile you are on! Invest in an alkalinity testing kit for under £30 and have at your fingertips the means to test your supply in seconds. Simply fill a sample container to 50ml, then add one tablet and shake until tablet disintegrates, then continue to add a tablet and shake until the water turns pink. Note the number of tablets used and follow this formula: (number of tablets x 80) 40, this will give you the alkalinity in ppm.

I’ve been super impressed by the accuracy of these tablets. I experimented with several water profiles, putting said tables up against our laboratory’s beer master, they faired remarkably well!”

GOLD MEMBERS

We’re here Monday to Friday to provide you with technical advice and support, simply call us on 0115 978 5494 or send an email to techsupport@ murphyandson.co.uk for technical advice or laboratory@murphyandson. co.uk to organise a water analysis.

The ions to promote and the typical levels to aim for…

We’ve given a lot of space to chatter about water profiles and desirable ions, but few of us know these without referring to an old text book or worn scrap of paper at the back of the notebook.

Even the most experienced of brewers would struggle to reel off the typical ion levels for every beer style without at least a pause for thought. So, here’s a handy table for your pin board…

Calcium

Bitter

Strong Beer

Lager Mash (65°C)

Porter

Mild

Wheat

Stout

180 - 220

200 - 220

120 - 140

130 - 160

120 - 140

180

120 - 140 < 150

Alkalinity

< 50

< 50

< 50

< 100

< 100

< 35

Chloride

150 - 300

200 - 300

Low

200 - 300

300

250

300

Sulphate

250 - 400

300 - 400

Low

200 - 300

150

220

100

Calcium (Ca++) Calcium is probably the most important ion for brewing, most notably because of its acidifying effect on the wort, it decreases the pH during mashing and wort boiling which improves enzyme activity, but it has numerous other benefits.

For example, it promotes the precipitation of unwanted proteins during the boil and reduces extraction of silicates, tannins and polyphenol from the mash. It can also aid yeast flocculation at the end of fermentation, promotes head retention on beer and also, reacts with oxalate to form an insoluble salt which prevents gushing in beer.

Alkalinity, or Bicarbonate (HCO3-) High alkalinity (bicarbonate) levels cause high pH values throughout the brewing process, so reducing the desirable effects of calcium. High alkalinity can therefore cause harsh after-tastes in the finished beer, lower enzyme activity, poorer fermentation, reduced protein precipitation and more. So, it’s a very important ion to control.

Chloride (Cl-) and Sulphate (SO4-) Chloride imparts a palate fullness and sweetness in the final beer, whereas sulphate gives beer a drier, more bitter final flavour. It is, therefore, important to get the ratio of chloride to sulphate right. For example, a ratio of 1:2 chloride:sulphate is typical for bitter and a ratio of 2:1 chloride:sulphate is typical for mild.

Track your pH to ascertain success…

The pH of the water you use to brew will have little effect on the pH of the wort and beer, alkalinity and calcium are more important in pH control. However, pH is an excellent way to know your brewing along the right lines, as if your liquor treatments are right all the steps in the brewing process should be at the optimum pH. So, here are some guidelines for your reference: Raw Liquor ���������������������������������pH 6.0-8.0 Treated Liquor ����������������������������pH 6.0-8.0 Mash ������������������������������������������pH 5.2-5.5 1st runnings �������������������������������pH 4.8-5.2 Last runnings ������������������������������pH 5.4-5.6 Wort in Copper ���������������������������pH 5.1-5.4 Wort after boil ����������������������������pH 4.9-5.3 Beer after fermentation ����������������pH 3.7-4.2

Convert your water supply into acceptable brewing liquor by using our water treatments We’d always recommend speaking to a member of our technical team for advice on which liquor treatments to use, but it’s important to know that liquor treatments must be blended from food grade materials, which all our treatments are. Our Top Sellers and the two we recommend for the majority of recipes are: AMS, a blended acid used to reduce the alkalinity, but also add chloride and sulphate and DWB, a blended powder suitable for most brewing requirements. Used to adjust the calcium levels and the chloride/sulphate balance which will affect the beer flavour. Our range of liquor treatments is one of the most extensive on the market and caters to all styles and water compositions; simply give us a call and select technical for some advice or contact our laboratory.

Collated by Emily Kerrison. Ref: ‘Water, Water Everywhere’, ‘Ionic Composition – Brewing Liquor’ and ‘Murphy & Son: Products and Services Brochure’, all intellectual property of Murphy & Son Ltd.

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79

The beer experts Courses for brewers We offer a range of courses suitable for the brewing industry.

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Craft Brew Packaging is an intensive one day course providing a comprehensive introduction to packaging techniques for cask, keg, bottling and canning. It is suitable for those looking to advance their knowledge and skills in packaging to ensure quality and consistency in their final products.

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

20/03/2018 13:29

SIBA brewers' news Crafty launch from Wiltshire family brewery

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

Box Steam Brewery has served up two new striking craft beers, in a move to attract the next generation of ale drinkers.

Available in keg and bottle, Pony Truck, a New World pale ale, and Steam Town, a transatlantic India pale ale, represent a bold new direction for the Wiltshire brewery.

Remaining true to its heritage and acclaim for its characterful cask conditioned beer, Andy Roberts, head of family run Box Steam Brewery, says the team has spent months working on these new additions, to ensure a high quality product.

“We felt the timing was right to apply our knowledge and understanding of ale craft to something new,” said Andy, who hopes the beers will encourage wider interest in the company’s approach and core range. A view shared by experienced Box brewer, Tom Downes, who said: “Our beers are described as beautifully engineered, and Pony Truck and Steam Town both live up to this standard, but offer something different.”

Tom added that the brewing team had listened to their customers and the market, and combined their refined brewing know-how with the changing taste of modern drinkers to create these two new craft products.

“There’s such a wealth of exciting ingredients available now,” he said. "We’ve had a lot of fun playing with hops to develop a new style craft beer that we would all happily choose to drink. Craft beer doesn’t always make for good session ale, but we’ve hit the nail on the head with Pony Truck. Already, Pony Truck and Steam Town have attracted a really encouraging response from the trade, thanks to the contemporary forward hop fruit flavour we’ve brewed into these.”

Pony Truck and Steam Town provide a fitting nod to the brewery’s heritage:

PONY TRUCK - New World Pale Ale, 3.8% History: The unpowered Pony Truck at the front of the engine – often referred to as the bogie wheels – enabled trains to travel faster and more securely, especially around bends.

This new craft beer takes influence from these smaller guiding wheels, as it does the driving tradition of Box Steam Brewery. The name also provides a suitable nod to American engineering – home to the original Pony Truck and this style of pale ale.

STEAM TOWN - Transatlantic IPA, 5.2% History: Steam Town is a nod to the villages and towns around Brunel’s greatest buildings and structures, where vast proportions of the population were employed or involved in the project - including employees of the original Box Steam Brewery. Brunel’s works were not just outstanding feats of engineering; they represent an integral part of UK’s industrial heritage and culture.

Derby Brewing’s Tap celebrates 10 years with a Birthday Beer Festival Ten years ago The Royal Standard in Derwent Street in Derby faced the bulldozers.

Luckily, help was at hand. Noted local brewer Trevor Harris had taken early retirement after 15 years of running The Brunswick Inn, but it wasn’t long before he felt the barley and hops calling again and in 2004 set up as Derby Brewing Company.

In 2008 Trevor, his wife Kes and son Paul decided to get back into the pub business and rescue the Royal Standard from demolition. They renamed it The Brewery Tap, (rebranded four years later as The Tap Beer and Spirits House) and set it up as Derby’s leading ale house.

Ten years on and that focus remains: to bring the best of the world’s beers to the city of Derby. Manager John Moore has recently returned to The Tap after a brief sojourn elsewhere and has been working

hard to introduce new and exciting beers to the pub.

The unique corner shaped building is a buzzing community pub loved by traditional ale drinkers, craft beer lovers, musicians, businessmen, and football fans alike; and has become popular among the ‘beer tickers’ who determinedly seek out new and exciting beers to add to their lists.

The link with Derby Brewing Company enables The Tap to be the first to offer the latest experiments from the DBC brewery.

The brewery, on Nottingham Road, is lead by passionate head brewer Andy Marshall and his team. Under the direction of founder Trevor Harris, who still takes an active interest in the brewing, the team are constantly working to push the boundaries of brewing. They have recently been experimenting with unfined beer which has been hugely popular amongst the many drinkers at The Tap who believe that the

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

particles usually cleared by the isinglass provide body and flavour levels that are lost after the fining process.

To celebrate their 10th anniversary, The Tap hosted a Birthday Beer Festival from 7th-10th June. Manager John linked up with breweries across the country to bring in the best of what the UK has to offer and introduce guest brews that have never before been sold in Derby.

Andy at the DBC brewery produced a collection of one-off brews especially for the festival, which will be a combination of versions of DBC classics and totally new recipes.

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

81

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The CANPRO filling systems achieve filling speeds ranging from 80 cans per minute with (330ml cans) up to 600 cans per minute while delivering very precise fill levels, very low O2 pickup and minimal product loss.

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SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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SIBA brewers' news Bees helped by Brakspear beer Britain's under-threat bees are being offered a lifeline

by Henley brewer and pub operator Brakspear, whose Honey Bee beer, available throughout May, raised money for Friends of the Earth's Bee Cause campaign.

to do some bee-spotting with a free smartphone app and provides lots of advice on what we can all do to help these precious, but under-threat, pollinators.

Brakspear pubs selling Honey Bee featured on an online map on the Friends of the Earth website, encouraging supporters of the Bee Cause to try the beer in a pub near them.

Brakspear Chief Executive Tom Davies said: "We're delighted to be supporting the Bee Cause again; it's a cause that our licensees and customers are keen to support, as reflected in the growing demand for Honey Bee. Our partnership with Friends of the Earth started in 2014, when many of our pubs started to plant bee-friendly flowers and shrubs and continued with the launch of Honey Bee, a perfect beer for sipping in a pub garden or patio.

Supporting Friends of the Earth's Bee Cause is a natural choice for Brakspear. We have a bee in our logo, and some of the finest pub gardens in the region, which rely on bees to pollinate the plants and shrubs that make them so attractive. We're confident sales of Honey Bee will help us to once again make a good contribution to the Bee Cause."

Honey Bee, a 4.4% honey beer, was back by popular demand for a third year. Every pint sold contributed 10 pence for the Bee Cause, the campaign to protect our declining bee populations. Last year, Brakspear presented a cheque for £2,890 to the charity.

Created by Brakspear head brewer Malcolm Mayo, Honey Bee was originally brewed in 2015 at Brakspear's Bell Street Brewery in Henley, but has moved to the larger Wychwood Brewery in Witney to meet growing demand.

It is brewed using Maris Otter and Crystal malts as well as malted oats, First Gold and Willamette hops and has delicate, subtle honey notes, with a bracing delivery of hops on the follow through.

As well as selling Honey Bee, Brakspear pubs are supporting bees, and encouraged customers to join in the Great British Bee Count (www.GreatBritishBeeCount. co.uk) from 17 May - 30 June. This initiative by Friends of the Earth, sponsored by Ecotalk, encourages the public

Brakspear’s easy ways to help bees: row bee-friendly plants - through the 1 G seasons

Bees visit plants for their nectar and pollen, and may visit a plant for one or both of these. Different bee species prefer different flower shapes, so aim for a range from tubular-shaped flowers like snapdragons and honeysuckle, to open-headed flowers like sunflowers, yarrow and fleabane. It's not just flowers like these that bees love - try shrubs, herbs, trees (cherry, goat willow) and fruit and veg (beans, peas, peppers, raspberries) too. Spring and autumn flowering bulbs like crocus are also great.

2 Short of space?

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

Even if you don't have a garden or much space, a few plants in a window box or pots will all help bees.

Try lavender, heathers, nasturtiums, sunflowers and bulbs like crocuses.

3 Enjoy fresh herbs

Herbs provide a valuable source of food for bees - and great flavours for your cooking. Chives, sage, marjoram, mint and thyme are great if you have limited space.

4 Learn to love a few weeds

If you have a lawn, leave some dandelions and clover to flower for the bees. A ‘messy corner' with a pile of old wood and leaves will help bees and bring other wildlife too.

5 Avoid using pesticides

Help wildlife thrive by putting away the chemical pesticides, especially those containing bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides.

6 Buying a gift?

Bee-friendly plants or a bee hotel make a lovely gift. How about a patio fruit tree like a crab apple or cherry (wild, sour, bird or plum cherries) for a special anniversary?

Strawberries and blueberries are great for young children.

Rebellion Brewery: Donated £72,000 to local charities in the last year In the last 12 months Rebellion, based in Marlow in Buckinghamshire, has donated an incredible £72,000 to local charities, with a large proportion going to Scannappeal, a Buckinghamshire based charity raising money for hospital scanning equipment.

A whopping £65,000 of the £72,000 was raised during the brewery’s Biennial Charity Open Weekend held in July 2017 and takes the grand total raised for charity in the last five years to a staggering £250,000.

Rebellion also offers support to local schools and organisations by donating presentation packs of beer which can be used to raise money as prizes, for example. In 2017 they donated over 470 prizes, worth £3,500. All charities and schools within a 15-mile radius of the brewery are also eligible for discounted pricing on beer for their events, helping them maximise their fundraising. The brewery runs monthly social nights and at these events they collect donations as people leave - in 2017 Rebellion raised around £4,000 for various charities through this, including Help for Heroes and First Response.

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SIBA brewers' news

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

Langham Brewery: Over £6K raised for the local community The team at Langham, in Lodsworth, West Sussex, pride themselves on being part of their local community, contributing to a wide variety of events.

A number of times a year their ‘brewery-in-a-barn’ hosts live charity, music and comedy events, which raise money for local causes, including Chestnut Tree House, Autism Sussex, Midhurst Football Club, the Southdowns National Park Trust and more. Langham Brewery are also thrilled to be the first corporate partner of the South Downs National Park Trust, and are giving 5p from every bottle of South Downs Best Bitter sold to support the National Park's new 'Mend our Way' initiative. The brewery is also involved with a new 'Walkers and Cyclists' welcome scheme for the local area, which helps to promote and encourage people to enjoy the Southdowns in a sustainable way. The brewery has raised over £6,000 in the last five years for the local community.

BREWERY-IN-A-BARN’ HOSTS LIVE CHARITY, MUSIC AND COMEDY EVENTS

Wold Top Brewery: Over £40,000 raised through garden scheme Yorkshire brewery Wold Top puts its close knit rural community at the heart of everything it does and is incredibly proud to have been able to support the fundraising initiatives of a number of local groups over the last 12 months.

The brewery raised £4,000 for nursing charities by opening its Hunmanby Grange garden under the National Gardens Scheme – in fact in total Wold Top has raised over £40,000 in the 24 years since it opened, through the scheme. Wold Top raised £2,006 for Kidney Research from its Wedding Open Evening, Dragon Boat racing and other events. And this year’s

charity of the year is Macmillan Cancer Support, which has already received over £800 through some unusual fund-raising ideas that have included Pancake Day, a Rugby sweepstake, Cheese Toastie Day and a murder mystery event! The brewery also raised over £1,100 for the local branch of the Poppy Appeal by brewing a special Remembrance Tide beer called Remember. The brewery also donates a value per cask and per bottle on sales of Wolds Way to the National Trail for the upkeep of the eponymous trail and raised £1,179.20 in this way in the last 12 months.

The Five Points Brewing Company: Social responsibility in action!

In 2018, as in years before, The Five Points Brewing Company in Hackney, East London, is striving to be a socially responsible business and employer. Since the brewery began in 2013, part of its ethos has always been that businesses have a responsibility to contribute to both the local and wider community around them. This year, Five Points updated its Charity and Community Support Policy to help reflect this better. Alongside its continued support of local arts, cultural and social projects through beer donations, the brewery has initiated a new annual charity partnership scheme with two local charities, the Hackney Winter Night Shelter and Headway

East. This partnership has seen the brewery support these two fantastic charities in many ways, including donating thousands of pounds worth of beer to supply their fundraising events across the year so far. In January, Five Points organised the Tryanuary Hackney Beer Hop and raised almost £250 for the Hackney Winter Night Shelter, and in August the brewery will be hosting a second tour fundraising for Headway East. The final stop on the tour will be the pub and taproom, The Pembury Tavern, and the team will be donating £1 on each pint of Five Points sold to the charity. All of the brewery’s staff members have also been given an extra day’s paid

leave to work on a charity or community project of their choosing and Matteo, one of the draymen, is currently training for a 10km run and raising £350 for the Hackney Winter Night Shelter! The brewery team is incredibly proud to be working alongside these two charities so close to their home, and close to their hearts as well. Although still in its early stages, Five Pints is also working towards becoming B Corp accredited – a scheme for businesses with the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, and that aspire to use the power of markets to solve social and environmental problems.

Abbeydale Brewery: Annual charity beer project going strong!

Each year, Sheffield’s Abbeydale Brewery chooses a different local charity to work with. The team brews a full 40BBL batch of beer in conjunction with the charity and 10p from every pint sold goes straight to them. The first pour of this beer takes place each year at Sunfest, Abbeydale’s annual beer festival held at its pub the Rising Sun, itself a community hub. In 2017 Abbeydale worked with Cavendish Cancer Care to create Triple C, a pale and hoppy session beer with Cascade, Columbus and Centennial hops. Beer sales raised a total of £1,064 for the charity, with their presence at the festival raising a further £939.70 from a combination of pork pie sales, a tombola and donations from

part used beer tickets. In addition, the brewery invites other local charities to participate in the beer festival. A cake stall from local Women’s Institute group Seven Hills raised £600, Whirlow Hall Farm raised £800 via their popular hog roast, and Rain Rescue ran a dog show which raised £457. The brewery is based just off Abbeydale Road, which is a real community in and of itself, and as such the brewery has worked in collaboration with a number of businesses in the local area including Hop Hideout, a specialist beer shop and tasting room, and Birdhouse Tea Company. For 2018 Abbeydale is continuing its fundraising efforts by producing a beer in support of Bluebell Wood, a local children’s hospice.

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SIBA brewers' news

SIBA BREWERS' NEWS

Lancaster Brewery: Giving a local forest garden project a home

Lancaster Brewery in Lancashire has co-funded and supplied a much needed safe work space for local organisation Fork to Fork, which is a project for local people of all ages and abilities to help create and nurture the area’s first eco and wildlife-friendly forest garden. Lancaster Brewery has employed a project worker, offered advice, provided tools and admin for this project which is based on the brewery site. Over the last year the brewery has raised funds for them via its annual ‘roll out the barrel’ competition, outside event bars and running cloak rooms at the Lancaster Beer Festival as well as collection points on site. The Fork to Fork project helps around 20 adults by making them part of a team that provides plants and groundwork skills all year round.

So far this year Lancaster Brewery has raised around £2,000 towards this project.

Wishbone Brewery: Supporting two local charities for 2018 Wishbone Brewery, based in Keighley, in West Yorkshire, has supported at least two local charities over the last 12 months. The brewery’s sales person organised a brewery event in aid of Manorlands, the local Sue Ryder hospice, which tied in with her Great North Run. There was a charity pump on the brewery bar and sales from that raised £520 for the charity. Wishbone also holds an annual Homebrewers’ Competition with a charity homebrewed and commercial bar with all proceeds to charity - this year it raised £514 for Bradford Cat Watch Rescue.

Lymestone Brewery: Brewery tours for charity in their 10th year The Lymestone Brewery, based in Stone in Staffordshire, is celebrating its 10th brewing year by planning to have a brewery tour each month with 50 tickets each month given to a local charity to sell. The charity is able to keep a proportion of the funds raised through ticket sales to help with fund raising. Lymestone also regularly gives raffle prizes to local charities - either three bottle gift packs or brewery tour tickets - and sponsors several events that rely on local businesses helping out to survive - Stone Carnival, Ride Staffs and most of all AED Donate. AED Donate supply and fit defibrillators to venues across the country, and Lymestone runs events for them at the brewery, at its pubs and labels a beer for them with a proportion of the sales going directly to the charity. The brewery also supports a lot of dog-related events at the Borehole pub (on site at the brewery) including hosting charity walks, and fund raisers for dogs abroad.

Island Brewery: Over £3,700 donated to the local hospice Isle of Wight based Island Brewery has the community at its heart.

There is an extremely deserving charity on the Island, the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, to which the brewery donates 10p for every pint sold of its Earls RDA (named after the Hospice, and with the hospice logo of a sunflower is on the label).

To date Island has donated £3,714.20 to the hospice and also donates all proceeds from the Island brewery tours.

Elgood & Sons: Donated £10,000 to local organisations last year Elgood & Sons, the family-owned brewery based in Wisbech in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens, has a long tradition of support for local charities and organisations, some of which have been associated with the brewery for many years. Last year, Elgood’s raised or donated in the region of £10,000 to a number of these groups, including the Norfolk Hospice Tapping House, which has benefitted from the proceeds of events in the Brewery Gardens for many years. Last year they were presented with a cheque for £1,045.50 at the annual Christmas Special Weekend. A stall and raffle, organised and run by a former employee at the Brewery’s Beer Festival in September raised £1,148.86 for Rare Brain Tumour Research at Addenbrookes Hopsital, and several local sports clubs benefit from sponsorship, ranging from £120 for a bowls club, through to the major annual sponsorship of Wisbech Rugby Union Football Club and the town Football Club, the Fenmen. Elgood’s has also long been sponsors of the Wisbech Lawn Tennis Junior Coaching. In all, sports sponsorship in 2017 was in excess of £5,500. The brewery has a long-standing relationship with the Wisbech Historic Vehicles Association as well and sponsors their annual Road Run. There are also many small donations in the form of beer or vouchers for brewery tours for raffles, bingos and tombolas for various local organisations such as care homes, clubs, schools and charities.

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FOCUS

BREWING, BOTTLING AND CANNING EQUIPMENT

CFB Boilers celebrates Innovation Award win Steam boiler specialist CFB Boilers has won a prominent innovation award in recognition of its work in changing and shaping the steam boiler and ancillary heating equipment landscape.

The Essex-based manufacturer picked up the Tendring Blue Ribbon 2017 Award for Innovation in Design & Technology, fighting off staunch competition in a category that was open to all industries. CFB Boilers’ application, which effectively demonstrated ‘a product or service innovation that has led to commercial success’, was submitted anonymously by another company - that which still remains a mystery to CFB Boilers.

CFB Boilers has been developing groundbreaking products and services since its inception over 120 years ago. Its flagship series 4VT Steam Boiler remains class-

leading in several areas, such as energysaving, start-up time and steam quality, despite having been developed by the company decades ago. CFB Boilers’ most recent innovation, a reverse osmosis unit named BoilerRO, has been manufactured to deliver a similar performance to other leading options on the market, but at

Croxsons: leading from the front Sporting a newly refreshed website, leading glass packaging business Croxsons continues to offer the best choice of glass bottle containers, closures and decoration to international food and beverage brands.

Their service provision is underpinned by being able to provide their clients with a ‘more than packaging’ approach. And as Croxsons nears the remarkable milestone of 150 years in business, this value-added strategy has seen the firm achieve 15%-20% growth year-on-year.

A recent example of this in practice saw Croxsons supplying independent family brewers, Robinsons, with a million highlyintricate 3 colour printed crowns and glass bottles for the launch of a new golden English ale: Trooper - Light Brigade, a premium British beer.

Five pence from each bottle sold is donated to Help for Heroes to help the thousands of Servicemen and women living with complex physical and mental injuries and are looking to regain their purpose in life.

Croxsons is proud to support this fantastic cause.

Visit Croxsons beer range and get in touch to learn more about how your brand can benefit from the firm’s engaging value-proposition at www.croxsons.com.

around 50% of the cost.

“This award is a reflection of our dedication to innovation in design and technology, as well as customer service.

Everyone here is really proud of this achievement, which really came out of the blue, and we’re especially pleased that another company would go to the trouble of nominating us for the award. We’d like to thank all of our customers for their support,” said Derek Parish, Managing Director of CFB Boilers.

Since winning the award, CFB Boilers has decided to encourage other innovating companies by providing sponsorship funding to the awards.

For more information about CFB Boilers call 01255 224500, email boilersales@steamboilers.co.uk or go to www.steamboilers.co.uk.

GEA presents its brewing solutions at Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America GEA presented its latest brewing and bottling solutions on its stand at BrewExpo in Nashville in April.

GEA presented its latest brewing and bottling solutions on its stand at BrewExpo in Nashville in April.

The stand’s main attractions was a craft brew house and a wet mill, which was going into operation at Lawson's Finest Liquids – one of Vermont's most prestigious craft brewers – soon after the event.

Oliver Jakob, Product Manager for craft and specialty breweries at GEA, said: “Quality, consistency and efficiency in the use of resources are now vital for craft brewers in the highly competitive market. That's exactly why we have developed special systems and components that can be expanded on a modular basis and applied flexibly.”

For the award-winning brewer of Lawson's Finest Liquids, these arguments were key to trusting GEA and their world-renowned brewing technologies.

The heart of their new production was on display at the CBC: The CRAFTSTAR™brew house is composed of a mash tun kettle, a lauter tun and a combined whirlpool/ wort kettle with an output of 40 hectoliters (35 US barrels). In addition, the Vermont brewer decided in favour of a MILLSTAR™ for simultaneous milling and mashing.

Another highlight at the stand was the GEA separator skid “HB 05 Plug & Win” for craft brewers, which reduces production time by 30 percent and increases yields by up to 10 percent.

For more information go to www.gea.com.

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The EUROPEAN BEER STAR Award honours the best beers brewed in accordance with the European style across the globe. The competition is open to all brewers worldwide, which brew according to European tradition.

Closing date: 7th September 2018 Why not participate and submit your best beers for the EUROPEAN BEER STAR 2018 competition?

For more information and registration forms visit www.european-beer-star.com

PARTNERS OF THE EUROPEAN BEER STAR:

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NEXT COURSE: 4 - 7 NOVEMBER 2018 David Smith or Rob Smith David: 07970 629552 / Rob: 07966 693097 enquiries@brewingservices.co.uk www.brewingservices.co.uk

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FOCUS SUPPLIER viewpoint

It came as a bit of a shock the other day to be told that, as I only deal with breweries that brew conventional beers, I didn’t understand modern craft brewing! The comment came from a brewer who felt that as they only produced ‘craft’ beers, these beers are somehow produced differently from other more ‘traditional’ styles of beer and should not have to adhere to the natural laws of brewing, namely – efficiency, consistency and most of all quality.

I think this particularly misguided and narrow view of beer styles is held by some of the new wave of brewers who consider their extremely cloudy, intensely hopped, fruit infusion or kettle soured beers to be completely different to anything that has gone before, rather than an extension to the vast array of beer styles which has always existed since time immemorial.

If you think of beer styles and flavours as being like light waves and then consider the electromagnetic spectrum; there is the visible part with its rainbow of colours which represent the spread of more traditional beers we know; but then, at either end there are the ultra-violet or infra-red beers, with flavours which lie just beyond what we drink every day and are a little harder to pin down. These latest, ever more extreme, styles of beers could be said to be simply moving more and more into the X-ray and radio-active regions of the spectrum, with the current DIPA, NEIPA and kettle sours at flavour wavelengths well beyond what we have seen or tasted before.

Nonetheless, they are still a part of the same spectrum of beer which all start out in the same way. When it comes down to brewing good beer, there is no difference in the basic approach to the brewing of ‘traditional’ or new styles of ‘craft’ beer.

What brought about this original comment was the fact I’d commented that a 70% yield between Mash Tun and bottle was very poor and might raise a few eyebrows with Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise, without some very good reasons for experiencing such high process losses. More worryingly, when

BREWING, BOTTLING AND CANNING EQUIPMENT

It’s not what you brew, it’s the way that you brew it. we analysed the beers, they were nearly all 1.0%Alc above their declared values.

Whilst Trading Standards officers might be happy with the alcohol levels in some of these beers, HMRC officers might well come knocking on their door demanding duty payment for these under-declarations.

It’s surprising the number of new brewers who have never heard of Notice 226, let alone read it. What this particular brewer couldn’t work out was that, by adding sugar priming to the beer in bottle and keg for the purposes of increasing carbonation (using a calculation they got from the internet), there would also be a corresponding increase in alcohol content.

This brings us to the crux of the problem, brewers not understanding the very basics of the beer making process. When we investigated the problems this brewery was experiencing, including exploding bottles and keg dispense issues, these problems were caused by fundamental schoolboy errors that any reasonably well-trained brewer shouldn’t be making.

But for many, the brewing problems start even before a beer is mashed in - with poor recipe formulation. Recipes that often work well in the home brew kitchen, or pilot brewery, very rarely scale up to commercial volumes without some major revisions. So, while recipes brewed in 35 litre batches may work fine, possibly even when scaled up to 350 litres, when scaling up to 3,500 litre brew lengths, without revision, the balance of recipes will start to go awry.

Some brewers have no idea about how to calculate the litre degrees required for a recipe and no understanding of Mash Tun efficiency or how to calculate it. We quickly realised, when this brewery had moved on to brewing on a larger plant, they were adding 20% more malt to the grist than was required.

The problem with so much extra malt in the system is the inability to extract the Mash Tun sugars efficiently and this brewery was typically seeing last wort runnings from the mash of 1015° or higher. The result was the brewery was simply pouring extract, and money, straight down the drain.

In addition, there is inadequate understanding of the relationship between wort sugar content and %Alc., and that a 1050° gravity wort doesn’t necessarily produce a 5.0%Alc. beer, particularly if a further 5+° of sugar is added when priming in bottle or keg! A further misconception is the brewer can decide the final gravity of a beer arbitrarily. With yeast present, then it is the yeast that decides when it wants to stop

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fermenting (the attenuation limit) depending on the spectrum of sugars present, much of which relates back to the initial mash temperature, as well as yeast strain.

Efficient brewing depends so much on understanding the basics of recipe formulation starting from the required alcohol content in the final package and working back through the process to correctly calculate malt requirements. Any brewer worth their salt should be able to do these basic calculations. Increasingly, we discover brewers with no real idea about the steps required for putting a recipe together, leaving much to guesswork, keeping their fingers crossed and simply hoping for the best.

Great innovation or a recipe for disaster?

Does it matter that a brewer has never mastered the art of recipe calculations or how to run a Brewhouse efficiently? Well, not if they aren’t bothered about brewing consistently good beers. Good brewers know that no two batches of malt and hops are ever the same, and the better brewers will amend their recipes to take account of these changes to their raw materials. The not so well informed brewers will simply brew with the same amounts of materials in their recipes every time, the outcome being greater variability in the final product.

This particular brewery’s problems didn’t end with their poor mash efficiency. When we looked more closely at their Copper boil, we found they were making numerous hop additions during the boil to achieve a complex hop aroma. Unfortunately, they were oblivious to the impact of the different additions, and differing alpha values of the hops, to the final bitterness of their beers.

Online bitterness calculators will only take you so far, unless you know the exact utilisation value for each hop addition. This will be compounded by the unknown impact on the bitterness of large amounts of hop additions made late in the boil for a huge hop flavour. Hops added part way through the boil, although not always fully isomerised into iso-alpha acid, are still bitter and will add greatly to the final measured bitterness of the beer. Failure to make the necessary changes in the alpha acid content of the hops, no matter at what stage of the process they are added, will invariably lead to inconsistencies from brew to brew.

David Smith, Brewing Consultant, Brewing Services Ltd

For more Information go to www.brewingservices.co.uk

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01283 565912 www.ubplastics.co.uk UB Plastics Ltd, situated in Burton on Trent, are the primary UK manufacturers of a complete range of 2 piece plastic shives in 6 different sizes to suit all cask bush variants. We also manufacture thermoplastic keystones, hard pegs, keystone re-sealing bungs - which are a far cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to cork - and a complete range of keg caps.

Shives, keystones and keg caps can be customised to our customers requirements.

We manufacture in a large range of colours and can also offer printing on the shives.

UB Plastics are now manufacturing an in mould labelled Plastic 1 Pint Cup offering up to 5 colour branding.

The cups are reusable therefore environmentally friendly, fantastic quality and are an excellent advertising tool for festivals / events.

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

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brewingbusiness.co.uk

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SIBA supplier news

SUPPLIER NEWS

Simpsons Malt appoints new Board of Directors member Family-owned Simpsons Malt Ltd, based in Berwick-upon-Tweed, has announced a new member of its Board of Directors, Andrew Hindhaugh.

With 33 years' experience within the agricultural industry, Andrew has worked in the agricultural trading division of the business, McCreath Simpson & Prentice (MSP), since 1996.

In his current role as commercial director, he has overall responsibility for all facets of the business along with maintaining a farmer/client base of his own. This focus will be reflected in his role on the board.

Andrew joins the board of Simpsons Malt, headquartered in Berwick-upon-Tweed with another malting plant at Tivetshall St Margaret in Norfolk, at an important time. The last 12 months

has seen the malting business continue its investment in onsite infrastructure and report an increase in turnover.

Speaking about his appointment, Simpsons Malt’s Managing Director Tim McCreath said: "We welcome Andrew to the role and look forward to his expert and passionate insight. His main focus will be on the merchanting side of the business, which is such an integral and strategic part of Simpsons Malt Ltd." Having studied Agriculture, Food and Marketing at Newcastle University, before beginning his career at HG McCreath (part of Associated British Maltsters) and Dalgety Agriculture, Andrew has a much valued wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise.

Married with two children, Andrew lives in Alnwick, Northumberland and enjoys sports and country pursuits in his spare time.

For more information on Simpsons Malt go to www.simpsonsmalt.co.uk.

Saxon Packaging Guide: Digital Printed SUPPLIER Packaging or Litho viewpoint Printed Packaging?

A common question we get is “What is the difference between digital printed packaging and litho printed packaging?”

– which is a very good question!

To help answer this we have broken the two types of printing methods (lithographic and digital) down into six categories to give an overall guide:

1

Printing Process

The first stage of lithographic (litho) printing is preparing the metal plates the artwork is burned onto using a laser; an individual plate is required for every colour being used in the artwork. These plates are loaded into the printing press where the image is offset (transferred) onto a rubber sheet and then applied to the chosen substrate. The entire process relies on the repulsion of oil and water; the image that is being printed attracts ink from the rollers, whilst the unprinted area attracts a layer of water, therefore remaining ink-free.

Digital printing, on the other hand, is when the artwork is printed directly onto the chosen substrate by a digital printer.

2

Quantity

Litho printing is best for higher quantity orders. Unlike digital printing, the price per

unit decreases as the quantity rises.

Digital printing is best used for smaller quantities. With no set-up costs or processes required it works out cheaper and quicker.

3

Turnaround Time

Litho printing does prove longer for firsttime orders, due to set-up time and the production of plates, however for larger orders it works out much quicker due to the machine printing at a much higher speed than a digital printer.

Digital printing is quicker for small orders as it requires no set-up time, however litho printing soon catches up as the number of prints increase.

4

Print Quality

Litho printing produces the highest quality print possible throughout the entire print run. Colours can be matched to any Pantone reference and it provides the option of a variety of print finishes such as metallic and spot UV. Digital printing is high quality, but not as premium as the standard litho printing produces. Digital printing is restricted in the choice of colours; only the standard CMYK colours are available.

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

5

Variable Aspects

Litho printing is restricted once the plates have been set up to run, no changes can be made to the artwork without a new metal plate.

Digital printing has the option of artwork and information variation. For example, if you required packaging to be personalised with customer data.

6

Overall Cost

Litho printing is more expensive on smaller runs however there is a tipping point after which digital printing becomes more expensive.

Digital printing is cheaper for smaller runs; however, there is once again a tipping point after which litho becomes cheaper.

The questions we would ask our customers are “How many do you wish to print?”, “Do you require photo quality print?” and “Is your artwork the same for you all your packaging?” this would help guide the customer as to which print process is best for their needs.

For more information call Saxon Packaging on 01502 513112 or email info@saxonpackaging.co.uk.

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SUPPLIER NEWS

SUPPLIER viewpoint

Mental health awareness: 8 Traits to Develop Your Resilience Imagine that you’re standing very close to a roaring fire. You can feel the surge of the flames almost licking your face.

It’s so hot you can feel your hair crackle.

Do you keep standing there? Heck NO! When we’re stressed it’s impossible to think rationally, make good decisions, or look after our wellbeing.

With the current focus on Mental Health in the workplace maybe it’s time to step back?

For many small businesses the work is often done by a small number of people.

We supply packaging, primarily to the food and drink sector and according to the FSB, 97% of businesses in this sector are SME’s.

Larger organisations are able to provide the resources and support needed to protect employees from exposure to stress – but what about the smaller enterprise where the workload is more often concentrated in a few individuals?

Some common causes of work-related stress are excessively high workloads, unrealistic deadlines, feeling rushed, unsupported, financial uncertainty, feeling under pressure and overwhelmed. It can creep up so slowly, you hardly notice the changes – like the heat from the fire. It just becomes the new you. Building emotional resilience is a great starting point to combating stress in the long term.

What is resilience?

Resilience is about how people choose to adapt to stressful situations. It may not always feel like it – but we always have a choice. It’s up to us to exercise it. Do we go with the flow in a difficult situation or become panicked and overwhelmed by it?

But it’s my Personality – I Can’t Change it!

It’s true that some people are more naturally resilient than others. It can also be influenced by external factors and life events. However, there are identifiable traits the resilient people share and these can be developed with the right motivation and with practice.

Some of these include: • Self-Awareness: People who are self-

aware understand the specific emotions they are feeling and can identify what’s driving those feelings. They keep things in perspective and don’t blame themselves when things go wrong. They are also acutely aware of their thoughts and manage them. E.g. choosing positive rather than negative options.

• Self-Control: Resilient people know that they can choose responses to a given situation. Their responses are not driven by others emotions or behaviours. In addition, they can identify the stressors in their life and take actions to minimise them. They listen to and understand their own inner workings.

•O ptimistic: When things go wrong resilient people look at what can be achieved as well as what can be learnt from the situation. This helps them to find a way through. They are aware of their thought processes – that inner voice - the things they tell themselves are realistically positive rather than unnecessarily negative.

•S tickability: Resilient people don’t give up. They may need to make changes and re-group, but they believe in their goals and keep going. This also applies

to developing traits such as resilience or other useful behaviours.

• Strong network: Social support is vital as a coping strategy. Resilient people cultivate good supportive connections both at work and home.

• Perspective: Resilient people are able to unpick problems rationally. They can learn from their mistakes instead of being overwhelmed by them. They break problems down and understand what they can influence. ‘What doesn’t kill you makes your stronger’ might be their motto.

• Healthy Choices: Being resilient is influenced by feeling fit and well.

Exercise, healthy diet and life choices all improve our ability to cope with life’s difficulties.

• Coping strategies: Resilient people are not superhuman beings. They just develop good habits. E.g. When things become stressful typically our heart rate goes up, we might start to feel panicked.

Simply learning to breathe effectively in the moment can help to quickly reduce anxiety.

These traits can be developed. It takes focus, effort, persistence and help from your support network.

Check out Mind.org.uk for more information and advice. By Bernadette from Packaging for Retail bernadette@packagingforretail.co.uk For more information about what Packaging for Retail does go to: www.packagingforretail.co.uk

Mr Fitz Aqua Spritz, the non-alcoholic drink consuming the nation Innovators in drinks dispense, Brewfitt Limited, have launched a new, non-alcoholic drink offering called Mr Fitz Aqua Spritz.

The product follows a growing partnership between the Yorkshire based Brewfitt and the Lancashire based Mr Fitzpatrick's Botanical Cordials.

Taking inspiration from gin craze, Mr Fitz Aqua Spritz is set to revolutionise the non-alcoholic drinks market by providing a premium alternative to ordinary, run of the mill soft drinks.

Brewfitt's Aqua3 water filtration and dispense system works alongside the unique flavours of Mr Fitzpatrick¹s

botanical cordials, allowing establishments to boost their non-alcoholic drink offering with over 20 exciting new flavours.

The cordial range includes no-added sugar flavours such as lemon, cucumber and mint, roots and spices including popular flavours such as root beer and dandelion and burdock, and fruits and flowers such as elderflower and apple, amongst many others.

The eccentric brand pays homage to the temperance era and showmanship with bartenders encouraged to follow "The Drill" drink making process. Creating an experience for the customer and elevating the overall product to create a familiar brand for businesses.

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

Using the signature Aqua3 system, still or sparkling wonder water is dispensed through the Mr Fitz Aqua Spritz ceramic font and infuses with rich cordial flavours to create a unique beverage, different from regular cordials and squashes.

The product has already been trialled in several Huddersfield locations such as The Three Acres, Emley and the Manor House, Lindley as well as The Chaser Inn, located in Tonbridge, Kent. The establishments have had an overwhelming positive response, with the bars already seeing brand loyalty and popularity on the rise.

To find out more information visit www.mrfitzaquaspritz.co.uk.

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SUPPLIER NEWS

Guild of Beer Writers opens annual awards The search is on for the best writing about beer and pubs, as the British Guild of Beer Writers opens its annual awards, offering a total prize fund of £11,000 to the winning journalists, broadcasters, bloggers and other communicators.

Entries are invited between now and the 7th of September and will be judged on how well they further the Guild's mission "to extend public knowledge and appreciation of beer and pubs".

Judges this year are: Amy Bryant, food editor at The Telegraph; James Cuthbertson, MD of Dark Star Brewery and founder of the Beer & Cider Marketing Awards; Stu McKinlay, co-founder of Yeastie Boys; Jenn Merrick, founder of Earth Station Brewery; Zoe Smith, retail correspondent at The Guardian and Mark Taylor, Bristol-based food and drink writer.

The current Beer Writer of the Year, Adrian Tierney-Jones, chairs the panel.

Retiring Guild of Beer Writers chairman Tim Hampson said: "We are excited about

Cask and CAMRA – the Craft Conundrum I recently visited a beer festival in the city where I work and I was shocked by what I was confronted with. Of the approximately 100 customers, only a handful were female and probably 80% were north of 60.

At this point I would like to state that I am not ageist and these were lovely people.

However, they do not represent the national demographics and is certainly a very, very long way from the profile of the ‘craft’ beer drinker. To top it all, the event took place in the students’ bar of a university – guess the students must have thought it was a Gardeners’ World convention, they were nowhere to be seen…

I am telling you this because I think it is indicative of the dilemma that Cask and CAMRA both face – it’s primarily one of image and presentation. CAMRA, in its hay day, was a revolutionary force in the beer world and was an exemplar of how a successful consumer movement should

embarking once again on our annual awards, which not only reward those who excel in their field, but also help to raise the public profile of beer and pubs. As the UK's beer and pubs sector develops, so too do our awards. We are delighted to be introducing a new award this year in conjunction with Britain's Beer Alliance, which recognises the vital role that pubs play at the heart of our communities. We look forward to receiving entries to this category that celebrate all that is great about the British pub."

Entries are invited in nine categories, each carrying a prize of £1,000 for the winner and £500 for the runner-up, with the exception of the Best Writer about Pubs and Best Citizen Beer Communicator awards, which give one prize of £1,000 only, and the Corporate Communications category, where entries are submitted by organisations rather than individuals and the winner receives a trophy.

The categories: • Greene King Award for Best Beer Writer, National Media • Adnams Award for Best Beer Writer, Regional Media • Fuller's London Pride Award for Best Beer Writer - Trade Media

• Heineken Award for Best Beer Communicator - Online • St Austell Brewery Award for Best Young Beer Writer • Britain's Beer Alliance Award for Best Writer about Pubs • Guild Award for Best Beer and Travel Writer • Guild Award for Best Beer Writer Corporate Communications • Guild Award for Best Beer Citizen Communicator The Guild will publish a shortlist for all nine categories in November, while the winner and runner up for each will be unveiled at the Guild of Beer Writers annual awards dinner on 22 November at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel. One overall Beer Writer of the Year will receive the Michael Jackson Gold Tankard Award and the Guild also bestows the Brewer of the Year title on one brewer at the same event.

operate (according to Wikipedia, it still has over 190,000 members and is the largest single-issue consumer group in the UK). It had true purpose and passion. It won the battle, however it is now losing the war – those young warriors have grown old and the young, new troops have decamped.

The ‘Trojan Horse’ was at the same beer festival, looking fresh and exciting with its array of exotic flavours and enticing branding (it was called the KeyKeg bar, can you believe it…). It was hidden away behind the cider zone and was worlds apart from the tired and confusing branding of a large proportion of the pump clips in the cask area.

It doesn’t have to be like that. Cask is arguably the real craft beer, it is fresher and more natural – it’s generally cheaper too, how can that be? I went to the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville and quizzed a handful of the 14,000+ craft (keg) beer delegates who attended, on what they thought of cask ale and Steve Hindy, the Chairman of Brooklyn Brewery, summed it up by saying: ‘It is outrageously good, a delight – how the English manage to put so much flavour in their delicious, low ABV regional ales…’ Rich praise from someone who helped pioneer the Craft

beer revolution in the States. Oh, and by the way, anyone remember Nitrokeg, which was introduced over here in the nineties, to help keg beer emulate cask ale – well the American craft brewers have recently rediscovered it…

To be honest, the large majority of beer drinkers do not really understand the difference between keg and cask, and most consumers just want great tasting beer. So why doesn’t cask simply steal craft keg’s best ideas (after all that’s what the Americans did to us in the first place) and reinvent itself as the real craft, a few cask brewers have already ‘woken up and smelt the hops’ and are adopting this principle – it’s about time the rest followed.

Whilst CAMRA needs to regroup and recruit a new generation of consumer champions for a different style of modern age combat.

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

Full details and advice on how to submit entries can be found at: www.beerguild.co.uk.

Entries must be received by the closing date of Friday 7 September and must have been published between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018.

SUPPLIER viewpoint

By Strategic Brand Director Myles Pinfold from brand design consultants WPA PINFOLD. For more information go to wpa-pinfold.co.uk

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30/03/2017 17:34

SUPPLIER NEWS

Independence Day at Brewing Services Ltd New Name, New Face, Same Great Service Brewing Services was launched in 1988, and has much to celebrate as it turns 30.

The company is celebrating expansion, as Brewing Services moves forward to be able to deal with the growing demand for its technical support and training services.

In 2015, Rob Smith joined the company from Meantime Brewery in London and now a new member of the team, Sam Russell, is bringing his experience to the table. Sam trained at York Brewery and more recently was Quality Brewer at Thornbridge Brewery in Derbyshire.

Sam said of his new role: “I am passionate about high-quality, flavourful beer.

I believe that craft and consistency needn't lie at opposite ends of a spectrum and I look forward to assisting brewers in raising quality standards and improving their beers.”

As well as providing over 60 years combined brewing experience, founder David Smith, Rob and Sam are all Diploma qualified members of The Institute of Brewing & Distilling and between them are able to offer a range of brewing and quality assurance skills to help other brewers.

The company is also celebrating a new name. Having started out in 1988 as D. A. Smith Brewing Services, this changed to Brewing Services & Consultancy Ltd in 2011. From 1st July the company will simply be Brewing Services Ltd. The company ethos will remain very much the same, promoting quality, efficiency at every stage of the brewing process.

The team plans to raise a glass or two to celebrate 30 years of helping brewers produce a superior pint and is looking forward to continuing to do the same for the next 30 years.

For more information call Brewing Services Ltd on 01904 706778 or email enquiries@brewingservices.co.uk

“I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT HIGH-QUALITY, FLAVOURFUL BEER. I BELIEVE THAT CRAFT AND CONSISTENCY NEEDN'T LIE AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF A SPECTRUM.” Sam Russell

Warminster Maltings contacts Devon and Cornish growers over closure of Tuckers Maltings Warminster Maltings was saddened by the news of the forthcoming closure of Tuckers Maltings in Newton Abbot and has been putting in place arrangements to ensure there are no supply issues in the region.

Whilst Warminster Maltings is older than Tuckers, having had 50 years under the management of Guinness, it didn't start independent life until relatively recently, in the mid 90's, and has since been active in the brewing and distilling sectors, both in the UK and overseas.

Robin Appel, co-owner of Maris Otter, purchased Warminster Maltings in 2001 and together with Managing Director and Head Maltster Chris Garratt, has overseen the continuous refurbishment program and ongoing expansion of both production and storage capacity. One of the most recent installations being the new malt kiln heating system.

Having had a little time to plan, Warminster has already established contact with the local Devon and Cornish growers to ensure it can provide the continuation and benefit of local barley.

Warminster has its own dedicated fleet of lorries and will provide a dedicated quality delivery service.

For those wishing to collect, Warminster has made arrangements with some local stores to hold a range of malts or receive local brewers’ orders.

To discuss a local supply please contact Chris Garratt on 01985 212014 or email chris.garratt@warminster-malt. co.uk.

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SUPPLIER NEWS

Craft brewers check out £6.7m of support Crisp Maltings to their sector Seventy brewers from across Britain gathered together in the depths of the North Norfolk countryside last month to check out a £6.7m investment in the craft sector.

They were at Crisp Maltings’ open day, showcasing the company’s brand-new bagging line and innovative speciality malt plant.

The speciality plant is the first of its kind to be built on a commercial scale in the UK. Originally developed for processing seeds and nuts for the food industry, the installation has been developed for the even and consistent roasting of cereals.

The operation uses vibration to mix and transport the grains as they pass through phased conditioning and heating zones.

It also has the facility for water injection – vital for the stewing-stages of some speciality malts.

“It will be used for processing both malted and un-malted grains,” explained Crisp director Rob Moody, “including wheat, rye and oats as well as the more usual barley.”

He added that the exciting thing is the precision it offers. The roasting and

colouring of each individual grain will be extremely even, and the exactness of control means there will be true consistency across batches. The design offers great potential for new product development.

“We’ll be able to create speciality malts with more nuances of colour, flavour and texture than ever. Brewers seem just as excited as we are about the possibilities it opens up.”

The new bagging line supports Crisp in packaging the ever-growing number and varieties of malt – both in whole and crushed grain versions. Its capacity of 800 bags per hour anticipates continued development of the craft sector - and demand for a wide variety of quality malts.

The brewers’ itinerary also included a visit

Premiumisation: Drinks Packaging In the late 1990’s the new term ‘premiumisation’ was used amongst the alcohol and beverage market and many people are still unsure as to what it really means and how it has affected the drinks packaging we see in stores today.

To help shed some light on the subject we have put together a brief overview covering (1) What is premiumisation?

(2) How has it affected the drinks industry? (3) How can companies achieve premiumisation? and (4) What is the future for premiumisation?

(1) What is premiumisation?

Premiumisation is a term which came into use in the late 1990’s and has enabled brands (old and new) to increase engagement with their consumers. It has also created opportunity amongst drinks manufacturers who historically were not labelled as luxury and those who are new to the alcohol and beverage market place.

Milly Stilinovic states in her article for Forbes ‘Premiumisation: The Most Affluent Retail Trend of 2016’ that “premiumisation is ultimately to make luxury more exclusive or more affordable”.

Various packaging and print processes

have facilitated this trend and have evolved offering a wide range of ways brands can ‘premiumise’ their products using luxury packaging methods.

(2) How has it affected the drinks industry?

With the new generation (labelled ‘millennials’) coming into maturity, there has been a shift in purchasing behaviour amongst the alcohol and beverage market.

This generation (born early 1980’s to the mid 1990’s) are more conscientious about what they are buying and are interested in products that are sustainable, environmentally responsible and that have individuality.

They care less about price of products and more about the aspirations that the brand stands for and their brand values; seeing this as an extension of their own.

There has also been an increase in competition especially amongst the craft beer market with 70% of typical craft beer buyers deciding which beer to purchase whilst at the shelf, rather than in advance.

(Nielsen Audit) Due to the varying factors the need for brands to stand out, appeal and communicate with their consumers is paramount. And packaging is fast

to the nearby barley fields – famous for producing some of the best malting barley in the world. Here brewers talked to local seed merchants H Banham, who jointly with Robin Appel, rescued the Maris Otter barley variety. They also heard from one of the select farmers who produces trial crops for Crisp.

“There was a huge amount of interest in the trip to the fields, particularly from urban brewers, who have less opportunity to observe cereal farming close at hand. There were some really great questions about the technicalities of growing specialist malting varieties – as well as more general ones about the current barley crop.

“Taking a turn at raking the Maris Otter in the floor maltings proved popular. As did the beer (or three) in Norwich, ‘City of Ale’ that concluded the proceedings!”

Representatives from breweries as varied as Tiny Rebel, Hop Back, Liverpool Craft Beer Company, Bateman’s, Woodforde’s, Humpty Dumpty, Marble Brewery and Pennine Brewing attended.

For more information go to: www.crispmalt.co

SUPPLIER viewpoint

becoming the key marketing tool for drinks manufacturers to achieve this.

(3) How can companies achieve premiumisation?

When thinking about premiumisation, brands need to start with good quality packaging material, they can then achieve a standout appearance by using a disruptive shape, eye catching graphics, high quality print (such as litho), print finishes and film lamination.

As well as consumers seeking appealing packaged products they are also looking for an emotional connection. The product itself can influence this, and graphics will draw the consumer in but the touch of the packaging will resonate.

(4) What is the future of premiumisation?

With continued individuality, brands recognising and understanding their target audience is paramount, as luxury to some may not be luxury to others.

A further increase for customisation to allow for individuality is likely and with the takeover of millennials it is important for brands to really focus on reflecting their personality, encouraging engagement, forging and building on their relationships with consumers.

For more information relating to drinks packaging solutions please call 01502 513112 or email info@saxonpackaging.co.uk.

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GOLD AND SILVER MEMBERS

Gold Members BREWERS SELECT

Dan Unwin dunwin@brewersselect.co.uk

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

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

NAPTHENS

Malcolm Ireland Malcolm.Ireland@ napthens.co.uk

CLOSE BROTHERS BREWERY RENTALS

CROXSONS

Emily Plowman eplowman@ closebreweryrentals.co.uk

PREMIER SYSTEMS LTD Jackie Smith Jackie@ premiersystems.ltd.uk

Tim Croxson Tim.croxson@ croxsons.com

THOMAS FAWCETT & SONS LTD James Fawcett JFawcett@ fawcett-maltsters.co.uk

Quality, Consistency & Support

Silver Members ZOEDALE PLC

SAXON PACKAGING LTD

PAKTECH OPI

WILLIS PUBLICITY

RANKIN BROTHERS & SONS

ANTON PAAR LTD

SPASOFT LTD

BREWFITT LTD

RASTAL GMBH & CO KG

RUSSELL SCANLAN

BEATSON CLARK

CASK BREWING SYSTEMS INC.

mike.dickinson@russellscanlan.com

Charlotte Taylor charlotte.taylor@beatsonclark.co.uk

CRISP MALTING GROUP

SCHAFER CONTAINER SYSTEMS

FLEXTECH HOSE SOLUTIONS LTD

PENTAIR FOOD & BEVERAGE SOLUTIONS

MOESCHLE (UK) LTD

VIGO LTD

KEGSTAR

VISION33

Tim Guest tim@zoedale.co.uk Carl Andrews carl@willispublicity.co.uk Nigel Hoppit nigel@spasoft.ltd.uk Mike Dickinson

Nigel Gibbons nigel.gibbons@crispmalt.com

Debbie Larkin debbie.larkin@pentair.com

MUNTONS PLC

Joanna Perry joanna.perry@muntons.com

BFBI

Ruth Evans ruthevans@bfbi.org.uk

NORRIQ LTD

David Ashmore david.ashmore@norriq.com

Mike Impson mikeimpson@saxonpackaging.co.uk Jim Rankin jim@rankincork.co.uk

James Paxman jamespaxman@brewfitt.com

Mike Hickman mike.hickma56@outlook.com Andrew Wall joanne@moeschle.co.uk Christian Barden Christian@kegstar.com

NFU MUTUAL

Paul Shattock paul_shattock@nfumutual.co.uk

VALE LABELS LTD

John Riches john@valelabels.co.uk

FESTIVAL GLASS LTD

Kelsey Cheesbrough sales@festivalglass.co.uk

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Jamie Christopher jamie.christopher@paktech-opi.com Angela Meringolo angela.meringolo@anton-paar.com Nick Crossley ncrssly@aol.com Peter Love peter@cask.com

Gary Shaw gary@flextechhose.co.uk Camilla Bridewell camilla@vigoltd.com

Ben Crow ben.crow@vision33.com (orchestrated beer)

MAKRO LABELLING

Richard Portman richard@makro-labelling.co.uk

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Independent Family Maltsters since 1809 Manufacturers of the finest Pale Ale, Crystal and Roasted Malts All Malts delivered ON TIME to your specification, crushed or whole.

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Meet the regional elected directors

MEET THE SIBA REGIONAL ELECTED DIRECTORS

NAME: Chris Gooch REGION: Wales & West

NAME: Stuart Cail REGION: Scotland

CONTACT: chris.gooch@siba.co.uk

Photo by Paul Johnston Copper Mango

CONTACT: stuart.cail@siba.co.uk

How did you first get into brewing?

21 years ago I went to work on a Worcestershire farm looking after sheep and cattle.

The family were growing hops and owned a hotel. The brewery was a logical step and I was in the right place at the right time.

Tell us a bit about your own brewery.

Because of our early links to hop growing, we have only ever used hops grown in Worcestershire and Herefordshire. It is safe to say that 95% of our beers are firmly in the traditional English bitter category. Thankfully, those are the beers that I enjoy making most.

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

How did you first get into brewing?

My two placements when at Sheffield Polytechnic were with Harp Lager (as was) in Moss Side and Moray Firth Maltings (as was) in Aberdeen. I then did an MSc in Brewing at Heriot-Watt so things were set from there.

Tell us a bit about your own brewery.

I have now been at Harviestoun for over 20 years. During that period, we have grown from a 10brl kit to 60brl. We moved from Dollar to Alva in 2004 and have continued to expand the site here and are currently looking to do so again.

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

The brewery has been a SIBA member for 21 years. When the brewery opened there were 330 breweries in the country and SIBA was beginning to achieve significant results for smaller breweries. In our region SIBA has always relied on contributions of time and resources from members. Acting as a trustee for the region is a way to put something back in for the years of help we have received.

I have been involved with SIBA over 20 years. Originally with Daleside brewery in Starbeck near Harrogate when the meetings involved a few people in the pub.

There were a lot fewer breweries then and there was much to do to get a greater voice. I think SIBA has achieved doing just that and continues to do so.

What is the main focus of your SIBA role?

Helping with the arrangements for regional meetings and competitions.

To act as a voice for the region on the board of directors and to act as a voice for SIBA in our region.

How do the regions support SIBA members?

Principally by running the beer competition and associated beer festival. Holding regional meetings to allow opinions to be shared.

How can Members get more involved in SIBA locally?

What is the main focus of your SIBA role?

How do the regions support SIBA members?

We have fairly informal meetings and social events which hopefully provides an easy networking opportunity for new and old(er) members!

How can Members get more involved in SIBA locally?

Due to the larger geographical area covered by the Scottish region we try to have at least one social event a year to give an opportunity for members to meet.

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

Come to meetings, speak your mind and listen to others.

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

The most significant is the on-going drive to benchmark costs and rigorously examine access to market for members.

We have many new members which helps build the diversity of styles now available. We also have some challenges including the reduced drink drive limit and the minimum unit pricing. At the moment I do not think MUP will affect members but if it starts to increase it may.

What do you do outside brewing?

What do you do outside brewing?

I enjoy music and play guitar. I also have a large open canoe that is great for the fantastic lochs in Scotland. Whenever I can I like to be outdoors and Scotland has some great outdoors!

Cycle, hill walking, very loud music concerts

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

Do you want me to lose all my friends? Very fond of Cwrwgl by Tomos a Lilford. I rarely meet a beer I don’t like.

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

As the industry has grown, Charles Faram have grown from a hop merchants to be one of the most significant suppliers of brewing materials. The company has never lost the “small business” feel and highest levels of service. Their support for brewers and SIBA has been enormous and their investment of time and energy into the British hop industry gives great hope for the future. We can thank Faram’s MD Paul Corbett for this contribution.

WWW.SIBA.CO.UK

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

We have many good beers in our region and it depends on the day – but I do like Jarl!

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

Geoff Palmer – Sir! He is just a wonderful ambassador for the industry and without him I for one would not be here. Cheers for that!

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

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

DIRECTORS

OFFICE TEAM

Mike Benner Chief Executive mike.benner@siba.co.uk Nick Stafford Operations Director nick.stafford@siba.co.uk Tony Jerome Membership & Marketing Director tony.jerome@siba.co.uk John Hart Finance Director john.hart@siba.co.uk Sara Knox Directors Assistant sara.knox@siba.co.uk

Rachel Harriott Head of Operations rachel.harriott@siba.co.uk James Calder Head of Public Affairs & Communications james.calder@siba.co.uk Neil Walker PR & Marketing Manager neil.walker@siba.co.uk Rebecca Kirby Financial Controller rebecca.kirby@siba.co.uk

Louise Henley Commercial Administrator louise.henley@siba.co.uk Jenna Barningham Regional Executive – North East, North West & Scotland jenna.barningham@siba.co.uk Siobhan McGonigle Regional Executive – East, Midlands, Wales & West siobhan.mcgonigle@siba.co.uk Cheryl Ford Regional Executive – South West & South East cheryl.ford@siba.co.uk

BOARD OF ELECTED DIRECTORS Existing members wishing to contact your regional representatives can use the relevant regional e-mail addresses listed below. For individuals, just type firstname.lastname@siba.co.uk Chairman of SIBA Ian Fozard

EAST east@siba.co.uk Sam Abbott Stuart Bateman Marcus Beecher

Lincolnshire Brewing Co George Bateman & Son Ltd Elgood & Sons Ltd

MIDLANDS midlands@siba.co.uk Greg Maskalick Draycott Brewing Company John Allcroft Grafton Brewing Co Lincoln Green Brewing Co Ltd Anthony Hughes

SOUTH EAST southeast@siba.co.uk Tom Bott Signature Brew Jaega Wise Wild Card Brewery Red Cat Brewing Iain McIntosh

NORTH EAST northeast@siba.co.uk Roosters Brewery Ian Fozard Maxim Brewery Mark Anderson Hop Studio Ltd Dave Shaw

SOUTH WEST southwest@siba.co.uk Exe Valley Brewery Guy Sheppard Driftwood Spars Brewery Peter Martin

NORTH WEST northwest@siba.co.uk Shane Swindells Cheshire Brewhouse Bank Top Brewery Dave Sweeney Peerless Brewery Steve Briscoe

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SCOTLAND scotland@siba.co.uk Andrew Richardson Black Wolf Brewery Isle of Arran Brewery Gerald Michaluk Harviestoun Brewery Stuart Cail

SIBA JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

WALES & WEST west@siba.co.uk Norman Pearce Corvedale Brewery Chris Gooch Teme Valley Brewery Big Hand Brewing Company Ltd Dave Shaw

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