Ep 43 — Theo Freyne of Cheltenham's DEYA Brewery

DEYA. It’s spelled in capital letters, a reminder so you can shout its name joyfully from the rooftops. Joy is certainly one thing the Cheltenham based brewery provides in abundance. This is through their carefully put together beers—such as its flagship pale ale Steady Rolling Man—or its vibrantly colourful, energetic, and yet at the same time peaceful taproom. DEYA is a brewery of multiple dispositions.

In November 2022 I finally visited the brewery itself for the first time, doing the 3-and-a-bit hour journey from Manchester (via Birmingham) and back again inside a day to take some photos for another project I was working on. As I was packing my gear, I made a last minute decision to throw my mics and Zoom recorder into my bag, and asked the brewery’s founder, Theo Freyne, if he had a spare hour to be interviewed for an episode of The Pellicle Podcast.

Thankfully, he agreed, and we recorded a really fascinating conversation. Together we covered the origins of the brewery, how it has grown and changed so much since it was established in 2015, and how they make their oh-so-delicious beers that have captivated so many drinkers throughout the UK.

And then, well, I had a book to finish. A book that is now finished. Unfortunately it meant that the recording was left to languish on my hard drive for several months—almost a year to the day, in fact—waiting for me to find the time to edit it. At the start of the year I had every intention of making sure I was producing regular podcast episodes, but time is not something I have in abundance.

Thankfully, however, now the book is out it’s something I have a little bit more of, and on listening back to the episode I was pleased to hear it hadn’t really aged. While it might not include what the brewery has been up to over the past year, it serves as an excellent primer, whether you’re completely new to the brewery, or you’re an experienced Steady drinker, eager to hear more about how this beer is made.

Please enjoy this wonderful interview with Theo, and about his brewery, DEYA. I’ll be back with more podcast episodes very soon, (and I really mean it this time.) Special thanks to our pals at Loughran Brewers Select, who in addition to sponsoring our website are now also sponsoring our podcast. A double whammy of support that means more good stuff for you folks!

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