#32 Deya: Brew what makes you happy

You can make your way in this industry with great beer but with that, you need to be genuine in your approach. Brew the beers you truly want to make and people will react in kind, explains Theo Freyne, founder of Deya Brewing Company.

“Starting out, my goal was for Deya to become one of the best breweries in the UK,” explains a pensive Theo Freyne. Freyne is the founder of Cheltenham’s Deya Brewing Company.

He says: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with ambition. But to be known as a brewery that makes beer that people enjoy, surprises me each and every day. It shows you’re doing something right.”

Deya has come on leaps and bounds in its relatively short life to-date. Starting out in 2015, Freyne (above right) had a Masters of Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt under his belt, alongside internships at Colorado’s Odell Brewery and, closer to home, Cotswold Brewery.

Operating out of a 4000sqft unit from January 2016, Freyne and the team operated a 10bbl kit, scaling up earlier recipes such as the excellent Pale Ale, Steady Rolling Man.

The popularity of the beer, alongside numbers such as Into the Haze, led to the addition of extra capacity, a canning line and invitations to pour at prestigious beer festivals across the UK.

In 2019, the brewery expanded into new 25,000sqft premises complete with a 40hl four vessel brewhouse. Not to mention a 2,000sqft destination taproom.

Despite the rapid rise, Freyne takes nothing for granted.

“Things have moved quickly,” he says. “There are a lot of breweries taking that major step up. Producing juicy, often hazy, Pale Ales and IPAs, you have to take a step back and ask what ceiling those beers have.”

He adds: “Spending time at Odell was massively eye-opening for me. Operating in a competitive and mature market, they showed that beer had to be at the highest level to compete.

“For me, it’s about keeping things simple but trying to do those things very well and doing them because you truly want to.”

It’s that reasoning which informs Freyne’s desire to brew Pale Ales and IPAs, as well as a burgeoning mixed fermentation project.

“I’m not really into big barrel-aged stouts or the pastry side of things. It’s just not what we’re about,” he explains. “Brew what makes you happy and if you’re doing that, nobody can tell you that your approach is anything other than genuine.”

Freyne adds: “If we loved big stouts we’d be doing an awful lot of them, it’s as simple as that.

“I want authenticity to come out in each beer we brew. That’s why I’ll always look up to The Kernel. People buy The Kernel because that brand represents quality and consistency, I want the same for Deya.”