Hop Forward: Getting You Ahead in the Brewing and Beer Business

On the Hop Forward Podcast this week, two designers involved in the craft beer space - Marcus Ohanesian (Perfect Evolution) and podcast host Nick Law (Hop Forward) discuss branding from a designer's perspective.

How has beer branding changed over time?  How does a designer approach a branding project?  What does a brewer need to do to get their product to stand out on a shelf or a bar?  And what even is branding?  Is it just the design on a can or a flashy logo?

These are some of the questions we ask as we talk about how branding can be make or break for your beer business.

Find out more from Hop Forward and our partners…

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Visit hopforward.beer for more insights and a range of branding, marketing and business development services to help you and your beer business get ahead.

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Already a year in the making, Moonwake Beer Co based in Leith, Edinburgh, spent January 2021 lockdown awaiting delivery of their 35hl three-vessel brew kit that has been delayed due to a backlog of containers at the Port of Felixstowe due to issues stemming from Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Demolition in their Tower Street unit commenced in January 2020 with work being halted due to the March lockdown, however, the founders did not let this stop them and instead took on a lot of the demolition and painting of their mural themselves.

Having finally just taken shippment of their brewhouse, it won't be long before Moonwake Beer Co start brewing with mindful intent using modern their kit and quality ingredients, reflecting a rich brewing history and over a decade of collective experience.

In this discussion, we join Finlay Heslop and Vinny Rosario from the brewery to talk about the origins of the brewery, why they changed their name after setting the business up, how they've coped with the various challenges, and what they're hoping to achieve in the coming months ahead.

THIS WEEK'S EPISIODE IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY...

From tanks to full brewhouses SSV Limited have got you covered. In just five short years SSV Limited have established themselves as the go to partner to help you grow or launch your brewery.

High quality tanks, parts, brewing kit and the knowledge and experience to ensure your project runs smoothly from beginning to completion.

Their recently opened parts shop stocks well over 1000 essential brewing parts to keep your brewery up and running.

Visit their website on www.ssvlimited.co.uk and check out their latest projects.

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Visit hopforward.beer for more insights and a range of branding, marketing and business development services to help you and your beer business get ahead.

Join our Facebook Community to connect with other industry professionals from across the globe

Don't forget to check out Beer of the Week in partnership with Brewery Market: Independent Beer Retailer of the Year 2021 in the Drinks Retailing Awards

I first became aware of Vocation Brewery on a warm summer’s drive to Stamford in 2015.  As we passed The Green Man pub on the edge of the town, I saw an A-board sporting a design that reminded me of The Eye of Ra.  I took particular notice of it because in my post-college days, I had been in a band with a similar looking logo.

 This was one of my first interactions with the brewery, though it would take me several years before I actually tried any of their delicious beers.

 John Hickling, who worked in IT for a bank, set up Vocation in 2015, rebuilding an old chicken shed into a brewhouse, which now outputs 50 HL per year, making one of the largest independent craft breweries in the UK.

Not only does the outdoor walkway along the top of their fermentors offer stunning views of the cascading hills of West Yorkshire’s Cragg Vale, the vantage point sees off beers like Love & Hate and Pride & Joy across the UK and waves bon voyage to their flagship brands as they head overseas.

In addition to a canning and bottling line, the brewery have recently expanded its exports to the far east through an unlikely partnership... 

Tired of the corporate world with a similar story to John, Ian Jebbitt - a trademark solicitor by vocation - founded Gweilo Beer in Hong Kong with his wife Emily and friend Joseph Gould to create fun, fresh, natural, unpasteurised beers for the people of Hong Kong and Asia to enjoy.

Back by a team of hard-working, fun-loving professionals, Gwelio has already found its way into many corners of the world in taphouses, hotels, airlines and supermarket shelves and is expanding its brand with a brew-in-market model.

Partnering with Vocation to produce their core range, as well as working with other independent craft brewers for one-off collaborations, Gweilo Beer UK was established under the Commercial Directorship of Sean Robertson, a long time veteran of the brewing industry.

In this episode, East meets West as myself, Sean and Vocation’s Sales Director, John Hadingham, discuss the partnership between the two breweries across the globe.  Our round table discussion covers everything from brew-in-market models, exporting brands to other territories, the growth of the breweries, and how relationships are forged and managed to allow each brand to remain distinctive, despite being brewed in one location.

Please note, at points the audio quality drops in and out a little; I’ve done everything I can in order to clean it up as much as possible, but I think you’ll agree that it’s a fantastic discussion.

Enjoy!

Lallemand Brewing, a division of Lallemand Inc., a global producer of yeast and bacteria, is helping breweries achieve their growth and quality goals by offering products, services, and education.

Lallemand Brewing’s premium brewing yeasts and bacteria deliver unmatched consistency, reliability, and purity, allowing brewers to take full control of the brewing process.

At the forefront of innovation, Lallemand Brewing recently launched several dry yeast products: LalBrew Voss, LalBrew Verdant IPA, and WilBrew Philly Sour.

For more information about Lallemand products in the UK please contact our local representative Andrew Paterson, global contacts details for the UK and other territories can be found via our website www.lallemandbrewing.com

Follow is on Social Media: Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn

Visit hopforward.beer for more insights and a range of branding, marketing and business development services to help you and your beer business get ahead.

Join our Facebook Community to connect with other industry professionals from across the globe

Don't forget to check out Beer of the Week in partnership with Brewery Market: Independent Beer Retailer of the Year 2021 in the Drinks Retailing Awards

During his 5 years as Head Brewer at London Brewing Co, Rich White - original up upstate New York - was able to help it grow from a tiny kitchen brewery to a full size production facility, creating amazing, award winning beers that sold all over the UK.

 As well as at one time even simultaneously taking over 10 taps at over 200 Nicholson's pubs in London, Rich brewed collaborations that even went as far as Finland and the USA, brewing some of the first well received modern sour beers in the UK as well as their award winning 100 Oyster Stout.

With the brewery, Rich was invited to serve 100 Oyster Stout on cask at the Guinness brewery in Dublin as part of their prestigious International Stout Day and was even the first cask tapped at St James Gate Brewery since they'd moved to kegs in 1963!

Recently though, Rich has taken his love of werewolves, creepy clowns, zealous zombies and all things horror is raising funds for an American brewery in London…

Werewolf Beer has been slowly moving along due to COVID-19 but is now ready to charge ahead with support of beer fans from across the globe through an ambitious crowdfunding campaign, which is currently live, to give rise to a brewery unlike any other:

An Americana themed taproom complete with US snacks and its own HAUNTED GHOST TRAIN is coming to Camden Town and I caught up with Rich to find out about the perils of crowdfunding and launching a new brewery in the midst of a pandemic.

However, our conversation takes twists and turns like a spooky rollercoaster as we discuss brewery themes, beer styles, reactions on social media and so much more.

If you’re interested in finding out more, connecting with Rich, and want to support Werewolf Beer’s crowdfunding campaign, then head over to https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/werewolfbeer and give generously.

But whatever you do… don’t feed him after midnight…!

Find out more from Hop Forward and our partners…

Don't forget to check out Beer of the Week in partnership with Brewery Market: Independent Beer Retailer of the Year 2021 in the Drinks Retailing Awards

Sustainability and ethics are not only becoming a part of brewery life but are starting to come to the forefront for the modern beer business.

One brewery who are serious about working out their CO2 emissions and make a real life difference is Cheltenham’s DEYA Brewing Company.

DEYA have become synonymous with their flagship beer, Steady Rolling Man: a soft, opaque New England style Pale Ale that is like drinking a cloud made of tropical fruits.

Theo Frayne, a brewer who studied a Masters of Brewing and Distilling at Heriot Watt and then completed internships at both Odell Brewing Co. in Colorado and Cotswold Brewery, closer to home, took a leaf out of breweries such as Sierra Nevada's book and focused on perfecting one beer, dialing in the recipe until it was perfect.

And it is perfect: a modern classic on every level.

It’s little wonder why DEYA have attracted so much attention and affection in the world of beer through that beer alone, not to mention the other fantastic DIPAs, IPAs and other styles to come from their 40HL brewery.

For anyone who has conversed with Theo himself, you’ll understand how and why DEYA have achieved the success they have in a relatively short space of time.  He is a switched on, intelligent guy who has a deep understanding of both the brewing process and the practical aspects of running a business.

Support for this episode proudly comes from Muntons plc.

Muntons is a UK manufacturer and global supplier of world class malts and malted ingredients.

As the greenest maltster in the world, sustainability lies at the heart of Muntons and is proud to boast the claim of manufacturing 100% sustainable malt. Muntons trustworthy data can support its customers’ raw material credentials by helping to map their carbon impact and look at potential mitigation options.

Over the past 10 years, Muntons has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 24% per tonne of produce and has become the only maltster in the world to sign up to have set a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2010 to 2025.

In 2020 Muntons completed the installation of a Bio Mass plant at its Bridlington Maltings and is currently building one at the Stowmarket Maltings in Suffolk.

Sustainable brewing begins with Muntons.  For more information, contact the Muntons team by emailing [email protected] or visit www.muntons.com

Find out more from Hop Forward and our partners…

On this week's episode of the Hop Forward Podcast, we talk to Ali Capper from the British Hop Association about the devasting impact that the pandemic is having on British hop farmers, coupled up with the conitnued plight of climate change and favour of importing hops from other regions in the world.

We discuss how supply chain businesses have largely been ignored by the government when doling out discretionary grants and support and talk about climate change and the impacts that our extreme weathers are having on hops and their growers.

And we end on a rather somber note to discuss why suicide rates are so high amongst farmers in general and what we can support farmers who live tough lives and are at the forefront of bearing the seasons.

TODAY'S EPISODE OF THE HOP FORWARD PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY:

Brook House Hops in Herefordshire supply and grow the finest quality hops from our family-run farms, and provide an exceptional personalised service direct to craft brewers throughout the UK.

Choose from our lovingly-grown UK hops, with their complex and delicate aromas, or pick from our wide selection of popular US, New Zealand or European hop varieties. For a fresh way to purchase your hops visit brookhousehops.com to place you order or call our friendly team.

For free delivery on your next online order use the code HOPFORWARD at the check out.

Find out more from Hop Forward and our partners…

Pubs have long been a staple part of society, particularly in these parts in the world, and has undergone countless changes over the centuries.  However, even in war time - where pubs were forced to operate on restricted hours to both keep the streets dark during blackouts or by keeping workers sober and hangover free, there was still opportunity to frequent the local.

Fast Forward to the 21st century and the world is fighting an altogether different kind of war.

Pubs and hospitality have no doubt been the fall-guy during the coronavirus pandemic.  There have been stats from the office for national statistics that show that hospitality businesses have seen fewer transmission rates than schools and workplaces.

But the sad fact is that wherever people gather indoors there is the potential to pick up and pass on this coronavirus that could lead to someone’s untimely death.

There are no easy answers here.  And, without government intervention that is fair to everyone - not just to certain chains that offer ‘substantial meals’ to accompany a pint - many of our humble pubs will simply remain boarded up when restrictions are gradually eased.

CAMRA - the Campaign for Real Ale - have been one of the many groups increasingly lobbying the government for further support to the industry.  Their approach, as you’ll hear, isn’t gunho, firing through the air with two guns shouting, ‘Ahhh!!!’.

It’s measured, well-thought through, nuanced and approached with care and diligence… not qualities that often shine through these days over social media where eye space is usually reserved for who can shout the loudest and angriest.

In this conversation with Nick Boley, CAMRA’s Campaigns Director, we discuss how pubs need ongoing support to weather this storm and try to unpick some of the long term prognosis for pubs post pandemic, as well as looking at how people will feel about attending mass gatherings such as the GBBF.

There’s a lot to be said on the subject... and I could certainly talk for hours on end about this topic alone.  I’m hoping to be able to do just that with some of you down the local pub as soon as their open, a thick pint of scrumptious cask ale in hand sat in a warm breezy beer garden.

Ode to the Pub is an excerpt from Remember the Time.
Words & Music by Nick Law © 2020 Splendid Songs. All rights reserved.

Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is arguably one of America’s premier craft breweries.  Renowned for exclusively using whole-cone hops, Sierra Nevada has set the standard for artisan brewers worldwide with beers like Tropedio, Big Foot and their West Coast style Stout.

But it’s the modern classic, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that thrust the brewery into the consciousness of consumers and has since long endured in the hearts of beer drinkers across the globe.

I’m convinced that many, if not most, in the brewing industry can trace their journey back at least in part to that first time they discovered that golden amber coloured ale, boasting all 38 of its International Bitterness Units (or IBUs) and Cascade hops: qualities which, now in 2021, seem merely casual next to the extremities of juicy, hazy NEIPAs or pithy, resinous West Coast IPAs.

The beer that inspired founder Ken Grossman, of course, was Fuller’s ESB: a brewery that itself is predominantly known for its own flagship brand, London Pride.

There’s something poetic that the journey of Sierra Nevada has gone full circle, very much in the same way The Beatles and The Beach Boys played creative ping-pong over the Atlantic, ramping up the volume on 60’s pysedelida with each record.

Yet, it would be wrong to simply discard Pale Ale or even the Sierra Nevada brand as Yesterday’s Brews, earning the ‘Been there, drunk that’ Untappd badge.

Over 40 years on Sierra Nevada still retains allegiance from both faithful fans or the newbie to craft beer who is discovering Pale Ale for the first time with a sense of reverence and awe...  and rightly so!

Who hasn't stood at a shelf or at the bar and - despite all the other exciting beers you’ve never tried and may never even get to - reached for a bottle or uttered the words ‘I’ll have a pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, please?’.

Recently, the Beer O’Clock Show - a long running podcast - ran an exclusive episode featuring the much-sought-after Ken Grossman.  If you haven’t listened to that episode, I’d encourage you to go listen to that first, before this one.  Steve and Martin did a cracking job of interviewing Ken and dissecting what everyone loves about those beers in such a fantastic way.

In this particular episode, though, we explore the brand through the eyes of Iain Newell: the European Managing Director for Sierra Nevada.

We take a deep dive into the world of exporting beer from the USA into other territories, how and why Sierra Nevada - a 100% family owned, operated, and argued over - brewery based in both Chico and now Mills River, North Carolina - resonates with drinkers as far flung as Russia; and we explore the newly launched Cascade Club - a Direct to Drinker and Business to Business e-commerce platform, and what that means for both consumers and those in retail and bar trade.

It’s evident from talking to Iain, he is well versed in the industry. Working for Whitbread, AB InBev and Heinekien - amongst others before assuming his position with Sierra Nevada - we managed to have some interesting discussion on brewery acquisitions and how Sierra Nevada have managed to remain independent after all this time.

Make sure you check out www.thecascadeclub.com/

Support for this episode comes from Lallemand Brewing.

Lallemand Brewing, a division of Lallemand Inc., a global producer of yeast and bacteria, is helping breweries achieve their growth and quality goals by offering products, services, and education.

Lallemand Brewing’s premium brewing yeasts and bacteria deliver unmatched consistency, reliability, and purity, allowing brewers to take full control of the brewing process.

At the forefront of innovation, Lallemand Brewing recently launched several dry yeast products: LalBrew Voss, LalBrew Verdant IPA, and WilBrew Philly Sour.

For more information about Lallemand products in the UK please contact our local representative Andrew Paterson, global contacts details for the UK and other territories can be found via our website www.lallemandbrewing.com

Since 2015, Neptune Brewery have been brewing both traditional and modern quality beers.  In keeping with the brewery’s name - that, as you’ll hear was birthed from their parent business - the majority of their lucious beers are given water-themed names deriving from fish, the sea, and mythological creatures.

Neptune Brewery are well known, highly respected and fondly regarded around these parts on more than account of their beer.

Julie O’Grady and husband Les were keen homebrewers who took it pro and have gained a dedicated following since.  Julie has also been pivotal in a group of women called Ladies that Beer; an inclusive, open group for beer loving women who like drinking and learning about beer in beer and beyond.

I’ve been keen to get Julie on the podcast for some time to talk about their brewing journey and the various challenges that keep them on their toes day in, day out.

In this episode, we talk about everything from the history of the brewery right through to when to (and when not to) dump beer, and just about everything in between.

This Week's Episode is Sponsored By... Simpsons Malt

Golden Promise or Maris Otter...? Crystal Light or Crystal Medium?  Malted Oats or Golden Naked Oats?

Do you sometimes find it difficult deciding which malts will work best in a new beer that you’re brewing? Well, a new online malt comparison tool from Simpsons Malt hopes to change that.

By heading to the Simpsons Malt website, you can now select between two and three of the company’s high quality malts and compare them directly against one another across four key metrics – flavour, usage percentage, colour and the beer styles they are best suited to.

Build your ideal mash now and visit simpsonsmalt.co.uk/compare-our-malts

Simpsons Malt, the Home of Good Malt

Find out more from Hop Forward and our partners…

Hailing from Leeds, sometimes referred to as the ‘London of the North’, Northern Monk began underground in a damp cellar with little more than £5000 - a gift from founder Russell Bisset’s grandparents - and an adventurous northern spirit.

Since those heady days of reinvesting the profits into a sesh on the beers, Bisset and head brewer Brian Dickson quickly pulled ahead in the British beer scene, embracing a wide variety of beer styles, all brewed to exceeding high standards.

In addition core range beers such as Heathen - a resinous tropical IPA - and the soft, smoothing juiciness of its smaller counterpart, Faith, Northern Monk deliver a wide range of beers from light 2.8% Striding Edge - a beer that carries an immense amount of flavour for a beer so small - to colossal Imperial Stouts left to mature in bourbon barrels and Triple IPAs bursting with sticky hoppiness.

Their striving for creative perfection doesn’t stop there: the Patreon's Project fosters a collaboration between the brewery, artists and athletes across the North of England.

Cross pollinating ideas with creatives, each project is treated in the same way that you’d approach buying a vinyl record: the anticipation of collecting it from the record store and sitting with the artwork - in this case a peel-and-reveal label containing information on the collaboration - and devouring the contents in a thoughtful, reflective manner.

if that wasn’t enough, Northern Monk have host two of the most revered beer festivals in the annual calendar. Hop City in spring and Dark City in the autumn celebrate the very best in hop-forward or dark and wild beers with a huge array of national and international brewers pouring across sessions at their respective festivals.

If you’ve never experienced these events for yourself, hosted at The Refectory above The Old Flax Store, then you truly haven’t lived.

Northern Monk have established themselves well beyond the confines of this small but arguably great nation and are sold in no less than 23 countries across the world. Not bad considering the brewery, a mere 7 years old this year, started in a damp cellar in Leeds.

But Northern Monk still have plenty of tricks left up their sleeve even with the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

In this episode, recorded on a snowy January day, Russell joins me to talk about everything monk: the quaint beginnings and stories from yesteryear, their unlikely pilgrimage up a mountain to brew a high ABV beer at even higher altitudes, how the business has had to adapt over the years, and the various creative endeavours that these pioneering freespirits have brought to the craft beer scene.

THIS WEEK'S EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY...

Support for this episode comes from Lallemand Brewing.

Lallemand Brewing, a division of Lallemand Inc., a global producer of yeast and bacteria, is helping breweries achieve their growth and quality goals by offering products, services, and education.

Lallemand Brewing’s premium brewing yeasts and bacteria deliver unmatched consistency, reliability, and purity, allowing brewers to take full control of the brewing process.

At the forefront of innovation, Lallemand Brewing recently launched several dry yeast products: LalBrew Voss, LalBrew Verdant IPA, and WilBrew Philly Sour.

For more information about Lallemand products in the UK please contact our local representative Andrew Paterson, global contacts details for the UK and other territories can be found via our website www.lallemandbrewing.com

Find out more from Hop Forward and our partners…