#26 Crafting the industry

In 2005, you would have got some pretty confused looks if you asked after the latest Imperial Pastry Sour. There would have been no Instagram to capture the ‘Iceman pour’ of your beverage and no Untappd to rate said beer on.

The beer landscape has, unsurprisingly, changed beyond recognition in the 15 years since Nick Dolan founded Real Ale, a bottle shop in South West London.

Breweries have come and gone and, to an extent, so have certain beer styles. But what has remained constant is Dolan’s desire to promote excellent beer from the UK and beyond. He’s just doing it on a bigger scale now.

We sat down with Nick and Real Ale’s managing director Zeph King to discuss the shift towards buying local, changing consumer tastes and the company’s work with retail giant Marks & Spencer.

GUESTS

Nick Dolan, founder of Real Ale
Zeph King, managing director of Real Ale