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

On the Hop Forward Podcast, we travel to Notting Hill, London, to meet Nick Dolan and Tim Peyton from independent bottle shop Real Ale Ltd.

Having been running shops across London for 14 years, Nick and the team have been championing locally brewed, high quality beers ever since and were one of the first shops to stock Punk IPA in can, which - at the time - seemed like a novel idea.

It’s hard to imagine as little as 6 years ago where flavour profiles, packaging formats and the microbrewery boom would take British beer, let alone running shops back when the term ‘real ale’ was the descriptor for what we now call ‘craft beer’.

Founder Nick Dolan has had a front seat whilst navigating the landscape since the early days of driving across the country in his van picking up bottle conditioned beers direct from the brewer, to now sourcing and supplying beer for one of the UK’s largest retailers, Marks & Spencer.

In this episode, we tackle a variety of topics - ranging from quality, branding, pricing and supermarkets, right through to the future of the beer industry.

Make sure you tune in to this fantastic episode.

Independence. It's a word that conjures up lots of emotions.

When independent breweries sell-up to global beer businesses, many supporters and followers feel a wide range of feelings; everything from a slight tinge of sadness to complete and utter betrayal.

But is independence really that black and white? How can we fully know where our produce comes from? Can we really slam a business for selling out to a world-wide conglomerate from the comfort of our Nike shoes whilst using our iPhones?

In this episode, Nick talks to independent bottle-shop owner, Jules Gray of Hop Hideout and Sheffield's Indie Beer Feast, about the importance of independence within the trade, and why transparency is the key to maintaining good relationships throughout the customer journey.

Today's show is sponsored by BIG: a beer festival celebrating the new wave of UK craft breweries destined to grow large; we’re personally inviting breweries we believe are delivering diverse, complex, amazing beers but aren’t invited to some of the well-known festivals because, well… they’re not ‘big’ yet!

Book tickets today at https://eyesbigfest.eventbrite.co.uk

This week on the Hop Forward Podcast, Nick shares some of his personal journey as to why he left the megachurch to start a microbrewery and visits a brewpub based in the heart of Hackney, associated with the local parish church, Hackney Church.

General Manager, Luke Scanlon, and Head Brewer, Ryan Robbins, and the team have created a welcoming space that everyone can enjoy that gives back to the local community - beer for all sorts.

Luke and Ryan talk about leaving their desk jobs to start the brewery with no industry background, working with investors who challenge them to brew world class beers, the challenges of setting up in a railway arch, and how they are serving the folk in the surrounding area with good food and great beer.

For more info on the brewery to pay them a visit, check out https://www.hackneychurchbrew.co/

Today’s episode is sponsored by BIG: a beer festival celebrating the new wave of UK craft breweries destined to grow large; we’re personally inviting breweries we believe are delivering diverse, complex, amazing beers but aren’t invited to some of the well-known festivals because, well… they’re not ‘big’ yet!

For more info and tickets, visit https://eyesbigfest.eventbrite.co.uk/

This week on the Hop Forward Podcast we are joined by Five Points Brewing Company Marketing Manager, Claudia Mayne, in the Pembury Tavern, Hackney, talking all about core range beers, branding, cask beer and cellaring, and the future of the British pub.

Nick also shares on the importance of taking a break every once in a while.

Today's episode is sponsored by BIG: a beer festival celebrating the new wave of UK craft breweries destined to grow large; we’re personally inviting breweries we believe are delivering diverse, complex, amazing beers but aren’t invited to some of the well-known festivals because, well… they’re not ‘big’ yet!

For more info and tickets, visit https://eyesbigfest.eventbrite.co.uk/

BrewBroker are a company that connects brewers to breweries, brands to beers within the global marketplace.

Whereas contract brewing once had - and some would argue, still does - a stigma attached to it, many brands and breweries are turning to resources much larger than their own to have their beers brewed on their behalf.

For many breweries with spare capacity, it also offers a good opportunity to maximise potential and generate income rather than allowing tanks to remain idle.

Though some may hold onto the courage of their convictions to roll up their sleeves and don their Marigolds for themselves, others are perfectly happy to have someone mash in for them.

This week, we talk to Daniel Rowntree from BrewBroker to discuss how their company is helping unite the beer industry and fill the need, wherever it is found, through contract brewing and white labelling.

Visit www.brewbroker.com for more details.

Ric Womersley runs a social enterprise with the aim of raising awareness one beer at a time.

Spotlight Brewing, based on the outskirts of Snaith, aims to produce top class beers along with providing a tailored workplace for people with learning disabilities; all while trying to educate and raise awareness surrounding disabilities.

Running a social enterprise comes with its challenges though, especially when producing beer. Ric has to keep an eye on the team and on the beer, working at a different pace to many of his contemporaries.

His enthusiasm and love for the people in his care are evident has he draws alongside people, offering engagement and teach them skills in the brewing industry.

Nick and Ric discuss the first year of Spotlight Brewing, and the future of the beer industry in general on a warm Monday afternoon in Nick's new favourite pub: The Crown Inn.

Visit http://spotlightbrewing.co.uk to find out more about the brewery.

On the podcast this week, we talk to Dan, Pip and Lizzy from Eyes Brewery about something BIG that is brewing in Bradford:

There are some amazing beers being produced in the UK at the moment. However, not everyone gets the praise they deserve for one reason or another.

BIG is our opportunity to put that right!

BIG is a beer festival celebrating the new wave of UK craft breweries destined to grow large; we’re personally inviting breweries we believe are delivering diverse, complex, amazing beers but aren’t invited to some of the well-known festivals because, well… they’re not ‘big’ yet!

Taking place on Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd September, come and meet the brewers as they pour their beers in the recently opened EYES Haus brewery tap room, based in the heart of Bradford.

Come on down and discover your new favourite beer from a brewery you can truly say, "I knew them before they were BIG".

Listen to Nick and Eyes Brewery talk about the forthcoming beer festival, take on the chocolate bar challenge, hear horror stories about 'The Hell Room' and discuss how localised beer is making a positive impact in cities like Bradford in this week's episode of the Hop Forward Podcast

Tickets to the festival are available now! ** TICKET http://bit.ly/EYESBigfest **

On this week's episode of the Hop Forward podcast we catch up with owner of Bath's Chapter One, Michael Heap, to discuss setting up and running a bar, what considerations bar owners make when purchasing beers to sell, and how to handle the beer bros who want the latest, craziest beers available.

Today’s show is proudly sponsored by Brew Broker – the marketplace for the brewing industry. With over 500 traders already on board, BrewBroker will find you buyers for your spare capacity, or the perfect brewery to create, contract or white label a beer.

Create a supplier profile to fill capacity or sign up as a buyer to start your tender with their easy to use platform. Join today for free at brewbroker.com

Nestled in a railway arch down in Ardwick, Manchester, is a brewery doing things differently to its next door neighbours.

Within a stone's throw of Wander Beyond, Alphabet Brewing Company and Track Brew Co - and a mere walk from Cloudwater - Manchester Union Brewery are not turning out big juicy DIPAs or thick luscious imperial stouts, but have turned to traditional central European lager brewing techniques with a modern local twist to create a unique legacy beer that the people of Manchester can be proud to call their own.

Talking to Will Evans - an employee of Cave Direct in the North and one of the four directors of Manchester Union Brewery - we discuss some of the challenges Will and his business partners have faced in running a lager brewery, including being muscled off taps by multinationals, fermentation times vs. cash flow, and running a tap room bar next to some of the UK's hottest craft breweries.

Although we didn't record sampling the lagers themselves, they were utterly sublime!

Check out https://manchesterunionbrewery.com for more details.

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Today’s show is proudly sponsored by Brew Broker – the marketplace for the brewing industry. With over 500 traders already on board, BrewBroker will find you buyers for your spare capacity, or the perfect brewery to create, contract or white label a beer.

Create a supplier profile to fill capacity or sign up as a buyer to start your tender with their easy to use platform. Join today for free at brewbroker.com

On the Hop Forward Podcast this week, we mix skateboards with brewing as we talk to Beer Riff's Rhys Pillai all about the Swansea based brewery and tap room.

We discuss everything from building a brand and a business in a coastal city far from the UK's brewing and beer hubs such as Manchester, Newcastle and London; through to recent the crowdfunding woes consumers have faced when their favourite breweries have failed to deliver.

Nick also shares some musings from his recent race around Sheffield over the weekend and applies it to running a beer business.

Today’s show is proudly sponsored by Brew Broker – the marketplace for the brewing industry. With over 500 traders already on board, BrewBroker will find you buyers for your spare capacity, or the perfect brewery to create, contract or white label a beer.

Create a supplier profile to fill capacity or sign up as a buyer to start your tender with their easy to use platform. Join today for free at brewbroker.com