Brewers Journal Podcast

Chris Lewington is on a mission at Brew Resourceful, and that’s to make the world of craft brewing more resourceful.  ​He has spent more than a decade in some of the UK’s top craft breweries, and he’s been exposed to the industry’s best and helped some of the future best on their journeys. Individually, the elements of resourcefulness have always been the focus of his brewing life but in the last few years he saw how all the elements can combine under this same header. We should make being resourceful one of our top priorities, it helps reduce our industries carbon footprint, keep businesses financially healthy and stimulate our industries minds.  ​This is exactly why he wanted to bring the topic of resourcefulness to the forefront of our discussions. He wants it to be talked at every conference, dinner, journal article, chat around the brewery & podcasts.  ​With that in mind, we recently invited him to speak in Newcastle to outline the basics of sustainability. He explained how none of us are perfect but we should challenge our suppliers, challenge ourselves and also focus on what we can control.

When it comes to no-and-low, that no longer means no choice, no quality, no variety. Thanks to outfits like Mash Gang and their peers, there is something for everyone.  And of late, demand has been so high the business has actually run out of beer. To remedy this, they’ve recently brewed at five different breweries to get the capacity ready for their peak season. That means there’s currently more than four hundred and fifty hectolitres in tank. This plan of action also involved investing heavily in draught production, moving from just Cans in Hands, to Pints in Pubs. In this podcast recorded last month Jordan Childs, the leader and brewer at Mash Gang, shares his thoughts on changing consumer perception of now-and-low beverages, recipe creation, his love of working with breweries and businesses of all kinds, and the group’s collective desire for continuous improvement.

The pressure is growing for all businesses to demonstrate a coherent response to the climate crisis. In this podcast, Andrew Furness of Net Zero Now explains that a carbon footprint is the foundation of a credible climate strategy and provides essential content for key stakeholders. He says that corporate climate strategy has evolved in the last decade towards a consistent approach, built on global standards falling into four sequential and iterative actions. In this episode, he outlines them and explains how the brewing industry and those around it can all play their part. 

A love of ingredients and flavour exploration led Jordan Mower to open a nano brewery back in 2014. And nearly 10 years on UnBarred Brewery of Brighton, with its team of 16, lives for one thing – that’s to inspire discovery through boundless creativity. In this podcast, Jordan talks us through the early days at the brewery, the journey since and the role of the community at the business. He also outlines the overarching purpose of UnBarred as a cohesive unit and that you should trust your heart, your tastebuds and gut instinct. That you should work with people that bring out your creative truth and don’t be sold a marketing deck without integrity.  Photo: Noelia Amado

They are a brewery based in Hoults Yard, Newcastle. Home to great beers & an award-winning taproom since 2018. But why Full Circle, we hear you ask? The inspiration comes through three generations of a family business. Brewery owner, Ben Cleary’s grandparents were in the pub and beer trade, while his parents got into the wine business, and now Ben has moved towards the beer industry – thus the family has come Full Circle. A brilliant business, headed up on the brewing side by Alex Redpath, has forged its name with full-flavoured regardless of the style or ABV, such as Looper, Repeater, Hoop and Rotator. In this episode, we speak to Ben Cleary about the brewery’s growth, investment in capital equipment its strength in the export market and the company’s plans for expansion.

How much do you know about your beer and your customers? That’s the question asked by Amber Thorne. And when it comes to your brewery, what is your niche – your USP? And on the other side of the conversation, why do you want to sell to a particular venue? Amber Thorne started her career in beer in the sales team at Siren Craft Brew. She has since moved to the iconic Bristol beer scene working with Good Chemistry and is now the Customer Account Manager at Arbor Ales. In her time in beer she has also worked with the non-alcoholic lager brand, Lucky Saint. In this latest podcast, recorded in Bristol in June, she explains and outlines the questions we should be better at asking, why we should know more about who our customers admire and also, why it’s worth being honest when asking ourselves if we can actually service an account that we’re planning to work with. 

What is marketing, and what is it not? That’s the question Rachel Auty asks…. The head of marketing at Brew York, Rachel is a marketing leader, and brand and communications strategist who has worked extensively across the beer industry and the arts. She has work directly with SME founder-owner-managers, senior management teams, and boards of directors across tech, charity and not-for-profits, and fmcg. This rare breadth of cross-industry business and marketing experience enables Rachel to bring fresh and unconventional thinking to drive change and build resilience. Rachel has more than 24 years’ marketing and business experience underpinned by formal qualifications in marketing, leadership and management. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. A feminist and equality champion, she is outspoken about the value of women on boards and having marketing expertise at board level. In this podcast, Rachel says when it comes to your business, work on strategy not just tactics, utilise the skills of your experienced marketing colleagues and in terms of competition, don’t only watch your competitors. Be brave and be bold – in a world of noise and choice, we can’t afford to just do the same as everyone else.   Photo: Rachel Auty

When it comes to the world of brewing, sustainable can no longer be just a buzzword or a box-ticking exercise. And at Bristol-based Wiper and True, they are constantly working to become the most sustainable brewery they possibly can be. As they admit, it’s no secret that brewing uses a lot of energy and creates a significant amount of by-products. So they are one outfit that want their overall impact on the planet to be a positive one, so in the day-to-day running of our business, they are always focused on tackling the biggest environmental impacts that our brewery is making, whether that be our energy demand, efficiency savings, waste products or ingredient sourcing. In doing so, they hope that in talking transparently about what they’re up to and where we are succeeding in our sustainability goals – as well as where we can make improvements – they will encourage other individuals and businesses to think about their impact on the planet, and what all breweries can all do to lessen that impact. And working for Wiper and True for 9 years is Joe Watts His role as Operations and Sustainability Manager has given new impetus to focus on implementing sustainability projects, and he has given his ‘green’ slant on a multitude of operational system in the brewery. In this podcast, recorded live at their brewery in Bristol, he explains how they’re doing just that…

With Jordan from Mash Gang speaking at our Brewers Lectures in Newcastle next Wednesday, what better time to revisit our chat with him from January 2023… Gone are the days where choosing a beer without the alcohol meant forgoing genuine choice in the process. Countless macro businesses now offer 0.5% or 0.0% iterations of well-known brands. Beers that complement the burgeoning number of beverages available to consumers that want a great beer, just with less, or none, of the alcohol. For today’s guests, who started their brewing journey back in the first COVID lockdown, no-and-low is their raison d’être. And if ongoing demand is anything to go by, they’re showing that the appetite for quality beers, without the alcohol, is only growing and growing. A successful crowdfunder, brewing 36 beers, exports to the Nordics, Australia, and USA to name but a few along with 700% growth FY21-FY22 – it’s not been a bad few years for the team at Mash Gang. Of course, that’s come with a lot of hard work along the way.  But in doing so, they’ve showed that you can produce exciting beers that taste great, look the part and further broaden people’s understanding of what low and no alcohol beers can really be. In this episode, we speak to Jordan Childs, the leader and brewer at Mash Gang about challenging consumer perception of NOLO beverages, its debut supermarket beer launch, working with breweries and businesses of all kinds, and the group’s desire for continuous improvement. Image credit: Mash Gang

Last year’s release of Prize Old Ale was a real highlight for many fans of excellent beer. But the journey of this storied beverage, that classic fruity, strong, dark ale, goes back somewhat further. Originally a recipe from George Gales & Co, a great deal of interest was generated by the latest version of Prize Old Ale, which was brewed at Dark Star by head brewer Henry Kirk. According to John Keeling, the former brewing director at Fuller’s and a previous colleague of his, Henry made a version of great character and personality –  much like himself. For those that don’t know, Henry is a celebrated brewer. Previously the head brewer at Dark Star and has worked in a variety of breweries including Fullers over the past 12 years. He is also passionate about old British styles and cask beer. In this podcast, he recounts the rich history of this revered beverage and his role in ensuring its story was kept alive. And thanks to Henry, you can refer to his presentation, which is linked right here. You can also read John Keeling’s article on the story Prize Old Ale in his own words.