Ep80 — Nick Scarffe and Elizabeth Townsend of Kerroo Brewing

A few months ago I met a couple who had recently opened their own brewery on the Isle of Man. I was really compelled by their story, that one of them had lived on the island for most of his life, and how the other had returned from a life in London. Together they were trying to bring modern beer styles to a British dependency with a population of just 85,000 people, surrounded by the Irish Sea.

That was Nick Scarffe and Elizabeth Townsend, the founders of Kerroo Brewing. Since then we’ve met on several occasions and their story has only grown more compelling, so the next time they arranged to hop on the ferry and visit Manchester, I managed to pin them down for an hour* and have an in depth conversation about their brewery.

I was fascinated to learn that the beer culture on the Isle of Man remains relatively traditional, with a handful of independent breweries—from the 175 year old family brewer, Okells, to more up-to-date outfits like Bushy’s—but many residents hadn’t yet been exposed to such wonders as hazy IPA…

A keen homebrewer, Nick had dialled in his recipes, and when she turned back up on the island during lockdown, the two shared beers, started dating, and eventually decided to do what they thought was the most reasonable thing: to open a brewery of their own.

Operating in the village of Port Erin at the southwestern tip of the island, they run a 1000 litre brewery and a small taproom that opens monthly. We had the chance to chat about the struggles they’ve faced bringing modern beer styles to a market that remains relatively traditional—at least compared to mainland cities like Liverpool and Manchester—and how challenging it has been getting their beer out into the wider market. 

Despite this, they’re still giving it a go. And take it from me, the beers are delicious, hence why I found their whole story, and this conversation, so compelling. Thanks to Nick and Elizabeth for joining me in this conversation.

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*We may have enjoyed several pints over several hours after the recording of this podcast.