Where do you go for a pre-match pint? If you’re one of the Fratton Park faithful supporting Championship-bound Portsmouth, there’s a strong chance you’ve frequented the excellent taproom on offer by the good folk at Staggeringly Good Brewery.  On matchday they often welcome no fewer than 1,000 footy fans to their superb spot that’s only a stone’s throw from the famous football ground. So whether you’re in the market for their Beerbasol Pilsner Lager, Little Arms Big Ambitions NEIPA or perhaps a Megalodawn Breakfast Coffee Stout, they’ve got you covered. Founded by Joe Ross and Jon Chapman in 2015, the brewery continues to make a wealth of excellent beers enjoyed across the UK and beyond. But for the full Staggeringly Good experience, a visit to their brewery and taproom is a must. In this episode, we speak to Joe about the brewery’s journey over the last eight years, their commitment to brewing beers from across the style spectrum, the role the business plays in the local community and why fans of live music, comedy and, of course, wrestling have a place to call their own at Staggeringly Good brewery.

We’re only two months into 2024 and this year has been somewhat seismic for Mash Gang, the producers of high-quality, small-batch low and no alcohol craft beers. In addition to a wealth of new beer releases, the team announced that they are significantly boosting their output after securing major investment from tech investor Ryan McCarry. The investment process, managed and advised upon by Daniel Finn, brewery sector lead of Brabners LLP, marks a pivotal moment in Mash Gang’s journey, fuelling its growth strategy and reinforcing its commitment to producing best-in-class beer. The investment aims to position Mash Gang as one of the UK’s largest non-alcoholic brands. With production upscaled to 500,000 units in a single run. And last month, we invited Jordan to speak at our Brewers Lectures event hosted at Azvex Brewing Company in Liverpool. In the episode Jordan explains how in beer, we all come from different starting points and why there is no such thing as a mistake – just an opportunity to learn. He asks if you are engaging with your consumer base and also why it’s important to choose a path, and stick to it.  Photography: Noelia Amado

How do you ensure that your potential fans, your potential customers, your potential advocates feel like they’re part of your story? How do you bring them on that journey with you? At Neptune Brewery, their newly-opened beerhouse is one such way of doing just that.   A business and a relationship forged in Liverpool, Neptune Brewery was founded by Julie and Les O’ Grady. Producers of modern beer inspired by tradition, their beers are naturally conditioned and unfined. In this episode, we speak to Julie and Les about the brewery’s evolution, the growing importance of their beerhouse in connecting the brewery to the local community, how they are navigating a challenging market and why the maritime city of Liverpool deserves more credit, especially when it comes to beer.

How can we make brewing a more sustainable process? We can all pretty much agree that when it comes to the world of beer, the topic of sustainability needs to be more than a box-ticking exercise or a buzzword that we occasionally throw about as part of our business plans.  And we’re a month into the new year so many of us are probably assessing how well our resolutions for 2024 our panning out. And from a business perspective, reducing our impact on the environment and improving the efficiencies of the brewing process is no doubt high on many agendas. In this episode, part of our February Digital Takeover on sustainability, we discover how to approach the often-daunting idea of becoming more sustainable and also hear from a brewery that is making on-going strides to do just that.  With that in mind we speak to Chris Lewington, the founder of Brew Resourceful. He argues that when it comes to sustainability, there are three pillars to consider – namely economic, environmental and social.  We also hear from Joe Watts, the operations and sustainability manager at Wiper and True. The Bristol-based brewery is on a mission to reach Net Zero by 2030.  Joe explains how the team has implemented a raft of sustainability projects but how they are also mindful these are part of an ongoing journey – one that involves constantly working to become the most sustainable brewery they possibly can be.

Experts Margaux Huismann, Stephanie Brindley, and Todd Isbell discuss biotechnology advancements in brewing, including yeast flavors and carbonation, genetic modification, traditional Norwegian yeast strain, challenges in the agricultural sector, and blending traditional methods with new biotechnology for unique flavors.

Where were you a little over 30 years ago? As today’s guests recall… England had failed to qualify for the World Cup, 2 Unlimited were Top of the Pops, Shane Warne had bowled the ‘Ball of the Century’ and Rooster’s Brewing Co has just hatched. And in doing so, forever changing the shape of beer in the UK.  And in 2024, Rooster’s Brewing Co is ramping up its limited release offering in 2024, with close to 50 different beers scheduled for production in addition to their year-round core range. The Harrogate-based brewery has mapped out their brewing schedule for the twelve months ahead, which includes several new recipes, the return of a few old favourites from the archives and a series of collaborations with some of the UK’s most highly-regarded breweries. Rooster’s will be brewing a mix of styles that will cover various pale ales, stouts, lagers, amber ales, and fruited beers across a range of ABV’s. Some beers will be only available in cask, some keg and can only and others across all three package types. As with the whole of the brewery’s core range, the overwhelming majority of the beers will be vegan friendly, while the lagers planned will also be gluten free. In this episode we speak to Tom Fozard, the brewery’s commercial director, to discuss the plans for this year. We look back on the impact and influence that Rooster’s founder Sean Franklin has had on the UK brewing industry, and also the way that Tom and his family have helped Rooster’s evolve since taking on the business back in 2011.

Knowing why your beer tastes like it does is imperative, in all parts of the chain. In this podcast, part of our Digital Takeover on quality control and analysis, our contributing editor Melissa Cole chairs a panel discussion with figures from the brewing industry whose roles revolve around ensuring quality and extolling the virtues of this to the wider world. As SHE Compliance Manager at Beavertown Brewery, Jessica Maye looks after all things health & safety, food safety and environment & sustainability across their London sites.  Previously a quality & compliance manager at Fourpure, and a PhD candidate at Queen’s University Belfast, Jessica’s role at Beavertown Brewery as SHE Compliance Manager has allowed her to continue to develop and grow her expertise in Food Safety, in addition to responsibilities such as taking on artwork and label sign off. During this discussion she is joined by Tanya Kondratyuk, formerly quality manager at Leeds-based Northern Monk and also Amber Thorne. Having started her career in beer in the sales team at Siren Craft Brew, Amber has since moved to the iconic Bristol beer scene working with Good Chemistry and is now the Customer Account Manager at Arbor Ales. During this episode they discuss how best to ensure the flow of essential information travels from brewhouse, to quality assurance right through to taprooms and sales – and how that flow really needs to go both ways! As Melissa says, this way everyone feels empowered, every step of the way to offer valuable feedback and information.

How do you build brand consistency at your brewery? Well, it’s clear that starting with controlling the quality of the liquid you’re building your business is on is a great way to start. At Northern Monk, Tanya Kondratyuk was Quality Manager at the Leeds-based business. She started her career in the industry working in quality control, sensory analysis, and the bourbon barrel aging program at Goose Island Brewery, based in Chicago, IL. Her experience is rooted in microbiological & analytical fermentation analysis, yeast propagation, bourbon & sour barrel sensory and blending work. Before moving on to her new role at Harrogate Spring Water, she spent two years with Northern Monk designing and supervising the build-out of their new QC laboratory, launching analytical and microbiological sampling programs, yeast propagation planning, sensory panels, barrel aging programs, and also taking part in production planning and recipe development. In this podcast, part of our digital takeover on quality control and analysis, she shares her expertise on the building blocks you need to create brand consistency at your brewery. She argues that continuous improvements are key, which includes setting achievable goals, embracing your mistakes, keeping quality dynamic and if you aim for consistency, you’ll find room for creativity.

When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold… We’ve all probably heard that saying, or at least a variant of it. In beer, it’s no secret that many US brewers appreciated and were often inspired by classic British styles. And in turn many brewers in the UK, Europe, and beyond have been galvanised by the wealth of creations to emerge from modern US brewing.  One such outfit operating in that landscape is Finback. Founded in 2011, Finback Brewery is born from a passion for brewing and experimentation. After a long search combing through back streets, along canals, under bridges and industrial no-mans lands, the team found a space in Queens in 2013.  Finback would go on to release its first beers brewed in Queens in January of 2014 and the brewery is proud to call Queens home, being part of the diverse and rich culture of the borough. Basil Lee, if the co-founder of Finback, a business that continues to brew exceptional beers through iteration and rotation deploying a variety of hops, ingredients, and techniques as a creative journey in bringing unique beers to the consumer.  With a previous career in design, Basil brought strong training in process and collaboration in building Finback as an engaging beer experience. And with that in mind, we invited Basil to deliver the keynote address at our 2023 Brewers Congress. In this episode, Basil discusses how the industry has evolved in the decade Finback has been in business. He looks at the ways consumer tastes have changed and why, 10 years in, he feels that much of beer and brewing is now about going back to basics.

We have all taken different routes on our journey in beer and today’s guest has taken a path from Wigan, leading to London before heading some 40 miles out to Wokingham in Berkshire. Hayley Pearce is a brewer at Siren Craft Brew. Originally from the north of England, Hayley headed south in 2008 to study Biochemistry at Imperial College London.  In 2012 she joined the Fuller’s Graduate Programme and it soon became clear that her future lay in the brewhouse. Progressing from junior brewer to shift brewer and now with an IBD Diploma in her pocket Hayley was ready for a new challenge.   At Fuller’s she helped commission and run the Pilot Brewery until 2021, when she was drawn by the song of the Siren where she continues to spread her infectious enthusiasm. In this episode, recorded at our Brewers Congress in London, Hayley recounts her career so far, the lessons she has learned along the way and her hope that her journey in beer can inspire others, too.