Brewers Journal Podcast

The Brewers Journal turned six this autumn. In that time we’ve put out more than 50 editions, run countless live events, hosted awards and also launched this podcast, too.. But did you know we also have a sister publication for the distilling industry? Well now you do…. The Distillers Journal is a quarterly publication in print and also runs as a podcast each fortnight. We are also hosting our inaugural Distillers Lectures alongside The Brewers Congress in London on the 8th December, so make sure to check that out. For more info check out https://distillersjournal.info/ To give you an idea of the types of topics and subjects we cover in The Distillers Journal, here is the latest episode where we delve into the fascinating world of terroir. Depending on where it was grown, you can taste the difference in wines, coffee, tea, chocolate, and olive oil. Cheese and even some beef claim to have the effect of terroir. Winemakers universally accept that where a grape is grown influences its chemistry, which in turn changes the flavour of the wine. A detailed system has codified the idea that place matters to wine. So why don’t we feel the same way about whiskey and the grain used to produce it? However, master distiller Rob Arnold – based on his experience in whiskey distilling in Texas – feels otherwise. Enough so, that he’s written ‘The Terroir of Whiskey’. In this episode, Rob will explain how once local grain was reflected in local whiskies, giving these spirits a unique flavour. But once grains became seen as just a commodity, this was lost. Rob will tell you how you can reclaim terroir in your spirits, giving you a unique marketing tool for not only better taste, but for better sales.

What’s it like when the world’s second largest brewer calls you saying they’d like to chat as they want to support your brewery’s growth? Jez Galaun, co-founder of Brixton Brewery, figured it was a hoax. But one year later, the company Galaun and his co-founders started back in 2013, had partnered with Heineken. And five years on, Brixton Brewery is now fully-owned by the international business. So at our recent Brewers Lectures in Bristol, we invited Jez to deliver a little bit of insight into how the initial partnership came about, what it meant for them as a brewery and a business, and also share some helpful experiences that will apply to any brewery as it scales up production and distribution.

We have all seen the stats More than 8.5 million Brits are actively moderating their drinking while over 20 percent of the UK adult population doesn’t drink at all. Then when you look at those aged 18 to 25, this number hits around a quarter. Women over 50 – are even higher. Like others, you’ve tried a few of the alcohol-free beers out there or are even making one or two of you own. But what you’ll admit only to yourself late at night when no one else is around, they just don’t taste as good as real beer.  Which leaves you wondering: Is there a law out there requiring an alcohol-free alternative to beer to try and copy the taste of beer because that is what everyone is doing. Surely there has to be a better way. In this episode we’ll hear from Jerry Goldberg who thinks he’s created the perfect solution with Zag. But even he’s the first to admit, it’s quite tricky to be something completely different.  Resources ZAG

From clothing sizes to airline destinations, as much as we pretend not to, with all of us thinking we’re mavericks, the truth is we like consistency. If your ticket says Rome and you arrive in Moscow, you’re not going to be happy. Consistency, quality and reliability are the key words in the success of any business, including craft beer. While this trio can be hard to hit, there are steps you can take – no matter what your brewery’s size – to achieve this and keep your customers returning to your brand.  In this episode we’ll be talking with Rob Smith of Brewing Services. Started by his father David in 1988, the father and son team have worked with over 200 breweries both here in the UK and abroad.

Depending on who you ask, beer and whisky is a perfect partnership.  Whether you’re following one with the other, or enjoying a complex, nuanced barrel-aged beer, the two beverages just go hand-in-hand. Some of the most revered and sought-after releases in modern beer have been intricate and masterful stouts and barleywines that have then been aged in former spirit barrels. But that relationship isn’t simply one-way.  We have also seen distilleries team up with breweries to age their spirits in barrels that previously housed beers like stouts, or even IPAs. And today’s guests have been involved in both.  London-based distillery Bimber has worked with Brew By Numbers to excellent effect. Not only providing Whisky barrels for the Greenwich brewery to age their stouts but also using those stout barrels to impart flavours to their spirits, too. In this podcast, we speak to Mat McKay, the head of marketing and communications at London’s Bimber Distillery. We discuss the distillery’s journey, one that started in Poland, how the business has embraced its London home and the ways it works with names synonymous with the England’s capital. We also look at the production processes that are integral to Bimber’s identity, ones often eschewed by other businesses, the ways its working with partners like Brew By Numbers and how the distillery is refusing to rest on its laurels following a whirlwind first five years.

Are you Omnibibulous or otherwise?  I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of being a little Omnibibulous from time to time… Because, as Lotte Peplow tells us, to be Omnibibulous is to drink across a wide spectrum of alcohol beverages.  Lotte is the Brewers Association’s American craft beer ambassador for Europe. And each year, the Brewers Association carries out a survey looking at trends within the American craft beer industry. The latest results reveal 94% of weekly American craft beer drinkers indicate they’re drinking at least one other alcoholic beverage category weekly, such as wine, sprits, liquors, seltzer, cider, and flavoured malt beverages.  And with the increase in popularity of such beverages comes increased competition for beer, too. In this podcast, we hear from Lotte about the trends and challenges facing US breweries, and how we can all adapt as a result.

There’s a very strong chance that anyone listening to this episode has enjoyed a Fuller’s beer in the past.  That might be London Pride, ESB or Vintage Ale. Or maybe it was Chiswick Bitter, Honey Dew or Bengal Lancer. The list goes on… For many years, these beers were produced at Fuller’s in West London under the watch of John Keeling. Having spent more than four decades in brewing, John has seen how the beer landscape has changed across the UK. In this podcast John explains how the balance of power between cask and keg has long shifted, why flavour should always be at the forefront of your beers and why smaller independent breweries need a philosophy to aid their growth.

It’s all about getting an edge, doing something to make your beer stand out in a crowded field. Some do it with the label on the can and others with the ingredients. One that keeps popping up is cannabidiol – better known as CBD. In this episode we’ll be talking with Dr Keith Villa who, not only has his own cannabis brewery in Colorado, he’s also just written a book available here on Amazon, ‘Brewing with Cannabis: Using THC and CBD in beer’. If Keith Villa’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the person who created Blue Moon Beer in 1995, after getting his PhD in brewing from the University of Brussels. Bringing his learnings of Belgium beer back to the States, he helped kick off the US craft beer movement.

Lager, as Bristol’s Lost and Ground Brewers will tell us, is life. And by brewing excellent lagers Donzoko Brewing Company has made its name in the world of beer. Flagship beers such as Northern Helles and Big Foam take the spotlight but Donzoko founder Reece Hugill is also a dab hand when it comes to Belgian-inspired Saisons and mixed ferm numbers, too. In this episode, we speak to Reece about how studying in Munich proved to be a catalyst for a career in brewing, Donzoko’s recent move to Leith and his ongoing commitment to produce beers that are accessible to all.  Photo: Donzoko

Pubs are pillars of our communities. Now, more than ever, we know how integral they are in the fabric of people’s lives and their livelihoods. They are environments for people to eat and drink in but also, so much more. They are places to meet friends, both old and new. And for Cameron McQueen, working and running pubs would not only introduce him to a whole new world of beer. It would be the catalyst for him starting his own business, Turning Point Brew Co, too. In this episode we speak to Cameron about the evolution of the brewery he co-founded with Aron McMahon back in 2017, the importance of Yorkshire in Turning Point’s story and how this year has heralded the launch of a diverse range of beer styles.