I beat my 4:15am alarm by fifteen minutes and can hardly contain the excitement of my first trip to Northern Ireland, let alone getting back behind the paddle to brew our next collab. Making my way through the sleepy old world of Shrewsbury, I reflect on how the next collab idea came about.

Chris Morris, of Modest Beer, had dropped me an email at the end of January to see what plans we had for St. Patrick’s Day (at that point, we didn’t have many…). I was stoked to hear from Chris, as Ash had kindly shared the Modest box he had for photography and, well, If you haven’t tried Modest Beer before, you’re in for a treat.

Chris is a one-man-band operation, brewing some of the finest hazy beers around. What I like about their box (which features 9 cans and tasting notes), is that ABV tends to stay around 4-6%. You do get some that will sneak over or below, but that sessionable range is my sweet-spot at the moment, and the flavours Chris is able to pack in to his beer is outstanding.

We jumped on a call together and what started as being a box featuring a couple of NI breweries soon turned into a bigger collaboration, featuring 6 breweries from the Island of Ireland, 11 cans, including an exclusive collab DIPA chucked in for good measure. We reached out to all the breweries who were happy to be involved and a date was set for the collab brew.

Having now made it safely across the water, I’m stood outside Belfast airport waiting for my ride from the Bullhouse team. It was my first-time meeting both Mark and Gary and I was particularly excited to meet Mark as I know he’s been a subscriber of ours for some time.

We drove about an hour Northwest and got to where Modest Beer is located, high above Randalstown in Country Antrim, with beautiful views overlooking Lough Neagh. Sam from Lacada, and Michael from Our Brewery were awaiting our arrival with Chris. It was bloody cold, but we were fortunate for a clear day to be able to see the views.

One of the best views of the day though was of Chris’s brew kit. It is a small set up, but unlike any other kit I’ve seen before. It’s manufactured by Brewiks and all tanks are sat on casters so he can move them around as he pleases. It’s pretty-state-of-the-art but also has fair amount of getting your hands dirty (I left the digging of the mash out to Gary and Sam).

The Beer
This one-off Brewser exclusive collab beer is a creamy and soft DIPA packed full of Motueka and Citra, bringing punchy tropical fruit flavours, sweet lime and orange.
ABV: 7.6%
Hot Side Hops: Idaho 7, Mosaic
Dry Hop: Citra, Citra Cryo, Motueka

With the hard work done (by everyone else), we made a beeline for Belfast to visit the Bullhouse East taproom. We were honoured to also be joined by the one and only Neil Delargy (REFTSC5EFKMWY – IYKYK). If you’re heading to Belfast, this taproom is a must-visit. Everything from your craft bar heaven: the three-piece foldable beer tables, 20 taps of draught to choose from, a beer fridge stocked with all sorts of delicious beery goodness and of course, pizza! We were well looked after by our hosts and would like to thank all the staff for a great night.

You’ll hear it a lot from everyone in the industry, ‘one of the best things about craft beer is the community and the people that work in this industry.’ Northern Ireland is no exception, in fact it’s hard to find a stronger community of craft beer lovers anywhere.

The restrictions and licensing laws of NI make it extremely difficult for these independent breweries to get their beers out and therefore promote craft beer to a wider audience. Outside of the 2-3 taprooms in Belfast, I understand that a mere 20 keg lines are free for local breweries, out of 1,100 pubs. Big beer and drinks companies own all of the lines and therefore only their products are allowed to pour, that’s what keeps this craft beer community so tight and passionate about their beer, you have to work hard to make it, and drink it.

We’ve brought together the best breweries from the Island of Ireland for this special box. This is your chance to sample some of their most-loved beers, try something new and support these fantastic teams – all in celebration of St Patricks Day.

So put down that pint of Guinness and pick up Lacada’s Shamrock Pinnacle whilst you thank the brew gods for independent brewing and the joy of discovering something new.

Sláinte! 

Like many good ventures, Modest Beer was born in a parent’s garage in Holywood (with one L) when Chris Morris, a tax accountant by day, brewed a small experimental batch of Kölsch for a friend’s restaurant. The beer was a quick success, pleasing man and spreadsheet alike, inspiring both parties to collaborate long term and for Chris to build a proper brewery.

Whilst the brewery started out at the end of 2019 as a side project for Chris while he continued to work full-time, it quickly outgrew the original premises and is now a full-time operation in a commercial unit located 30 miles up the road in Randalstown, County Antrim. 

Whilst the name of the brewery does a lot of the heavy lifting, one of the core values behind Modest Beer is ‘appreciating life’s smaller joys’. This is exemplified through the simplicity of the design and language that we like to use, and also by our approach to brewing. Simplicity not to be mistaken for basic or budget, because there is an emphasis on high quality, considered details, and refined finishes. We love to take time to ‘stop and smell the roses’ here and we want the taste of a Modest Beer to be something that reminds you to pause and appreciate it for what it is. 

One of our recent releases – a Fresh Hopped Harvest Beer brewed exclusively with Northern Irish grown Fuggles hops – is a shining example of this approach. With deep notes of caramel, toffee and digestive biscuit from the Crisp heritage and speciality malt base, and a herbaceous and spicy finish from the fresh hops, it’s the perfect Autumnal sup (now available in the Modest Beer showcase boxes for December and January).

Do you know what Fresh/Green hops are and why you should care? To help answer that question, we’ve linked a thought-provoking article written my Matthew Curtis (award winner writer, photographer and broadcaster) written for the for the Get ‘Er Brewed Blog, entitled “Lose the Lederhosen — On Green Hopped Beers and The UK’s Appropriation of Oktoberfest” for your morning coffee break.

Oktoberfest UK – Get Er Brewed Blog

Don’t misunderstand us, we like donning lederhosen as much as the next person, but while we have a glut of fresh hops down the road and the stunning beauty of Autumn closing in, you’ll forgive us for not giving two hoots of a tuba.

www.brewser.beer/brewery/modest-beer

Six collaboration brew days across the UK in the space of a couple of weeks was a daunting prospect at the start of 2023’s Xmas ProjectX. Thankfully, craft breweries are known for their hospitality, and we relished the opportunity to catch-up with many of our partners in person. There are fewer hospitable breweries than the father-and-son run Pastore Brewing in Waterbeach near Cambridge. I headed there on a crisp October morning to help brew Cosmic Snowball – the Pastore x Vault City collaboration imperial sour based on a Snowball Cocktail.

After a short walk through the beautiful Waterbeach village, I was greeted by the ever-smiling Chris and Ben Shepherd – the father and son behind Pastore. By the way, if you’re wondering how it should be pronounced, it’s “Pas-tor-ray” – Italian for ‘Shepherd’. Both being big Wolves fans, it was only right that we discussed the start of the season over a coffee before meeting the rest of the team and the wonderful brew kit that they work on. With the brew underway, Chris and I went to pick up lunch, and I got to learn more about two of the friendliest people in the business. As well as developing his brewing skills on a 50L kit focussing on Belgian Dubbel, Chris has worked most of his career as a software engineer. He taught Ben how to brew at home, and Ben went on to study brewing at Heriot Watt, travel the US, and come up with the idea for a mixed-ferm brewery. This combined love of old and new-world mixed-ferm beers gives Pastore’s beers their characteristic style to this day.

I asked the team about their process for coming up with new recipes, and here’s what they said:

“When devising beer ideas at Pastore, we usually start by identifying a theme (e.g. cocktails! fruit crumbles!), and then bombarding each other with ideas that fit, however loosely, said theme. We seek to design beers that fit not just the theme but that also take other factors into account – so the choice of cocktail we’re seeking to mimic, or the fruit selection, will be influenced by many factors including seasonality. From that point, we work backwards from the idea to a recipe and brew process. We are super flexible on fruits and other adjuncts, including natural flavourings and / or extracts where these will add value to the flavour profile we are seeking. We never add lactose, though, and all our sours contain living yeast and lactobacillus cultures (not kettle-soured, not pasteurised). Over the years we’ve gotten better at understanding what will make a great-tasting beer and have grown more confident with our use of ingredients and the ways in which we combine them. And when collaborating with skilled beer designers from other breweries, the fusion of experience and ideas can lift things to a whole new level!”

Pastore’s mission is to help make the UK a centre of modern, innovative sour and mixed-fermentation brewing. With their attention to detail, charismatic style and wonderful taproom, Pastore are doing all they can to raise the profile of sour and mixed-ferm beers in Waterbeach and beyond. I loved spending the day with the team and learning about their past and present, almost as much as I loved trying Cosmic Snowball at our Birthday party – it’s a triumph!

Turning Point Brew Co. is run by a small team of beer lovers with a clear mission: brew their favourite beers and have a good time. Their site recently located to Knaresborough, after two (and a bit) years at the original site in Kirkbymoorside.

The brewery launched into orbit in 2017, with Aron & Cameron calling time on the day jobs and never looking back. Since then, Turning Point have been busy brewing as many unique beers as possible. Whilst modestly honing their craft, they are learning everything they can about the mysterious liquid, and trying their damnedest to cram as much fun into every minute of it as possible.

Alongside the brewery is the incredible taproom Turning Point Taproom in Knaresborough, but you can also get the full Turning Point experience at The Outpost (Spark) and The Falcon, both in York. They invite you into their little world filled with hops, good music, and space travel.

Turning Point’s showcase delivers everything you’d expect from this amazing team. Keep those eyes peeled for a super special Dark Box being released for Winter 2023…

www.brewser.beer/brewery/turning-point-brew-co

Rivington Brew Co is home to one of the greatest craft beer locations in the country. A spot that showcases the beauty of the local area, and the beer that comes from it. We were lucky enough to visit Rivington Brew Co not too long ago for High Hills Fest and to brew our latest collab (At Least You Landed It), where we met 17-yr old brewer – Hattie.

Having worked in Rivington’s taproom, Hattie wanted to learn more about brewing, but wasn’t sure how to get the ball rolling… The stars aligned when she found out she could enrol in Nottingham’s Brewing Apprenticeship program and gain hands-on experience in Rivington’s brewery. Hattie says the apprenticeship attracted her because she could leverage practical learning whilst developing her technical skills in science and maths.

But she had to forge her own path, with very little information available at school about how to get into brewing. After a conversation with Rivington’s Ben, a day spent in the brewery and confirming she was eligible for Nottingham’s program, she didn’t look back. Unfortunately, young women in brewing are a rarity, and Hattie recognises more can be done to make brewing a more accessible career path for young people. She suggests that more talks in schools from brewers, more women in brewing events, and more conversation with female brewers would help make the industry less intimidating.

Hattie’s open to any young prospective brewers reaching out to her to ask questions about her journey so far – so if you, or anyone you know, is looking to start a career as a brewer, don’t pass up that opportunity! @hattielily8166 on Instagram. And a huge thanks to Hattie and the Rivington team for hosting us and letting us share this story!

To celebrate the release of Duration’s limited edition Lager and Mixed Ferm box, we’re diving a little deeper into the story of this special, rural brewery. In 2019 founders Bates and Miranda opened Duration Brewing in a converted 10th century stone barn in West Norfolk to make beautifully balanced beers that reflect Norfolk’s agricultural heritage.

They produce a fresh range of session strength IPAs, Pales and Lagers made to drink fresh alongside some mixed fermentation and barrel-aged wild ales that evolve slowly over time.Duration has scooped 18 awards since opening 3.5 years ago including Best New Beer of 2021 for Turtles their flagship IPA and ranked in the Top Ten New Breweries Worldwide on Ratebeer in 2020 while quietly trebling their team and production capacity.

Nestled in ancient woodland on a working farm by an idyllic chalk river the brewery is on the Rebellion Way bike route and close to the Peddars Way walking trail. This means you enjoy a farm-to-glass pint at Duration’s taproom as part of your own Norfolk adventure. Founder-led tours let you learn more about their farmhouse ethos of making ‘Beers That Belong’. Head Brewer Bates who hails from South Carolina says “Norfolk reminds me of his beloved south. Big skies and a whole lot of nothing going on. People living in the seasons and connected to the land. I try to convey that sense of belonging to a place in my beers”.

Co-founder Miranda says “We’ve added local honey, apples, flowers and even oysters into our beers. Our location also plays a big part in naming our beers: Bet The Farm from watching the barley harvest come in and Sweeping Coast from sunny family days out on beaches”.When you crack your next can of Duration take a beat, slow it down remember life can be fleeting. It’s sometimes good to think of your place in it all with a good beer in hand. Cheers!

www.brewser.beer/brewery/duration

Julie is the co-founder of Neptune and Head of Sales & Events. As well as managing the day-to-day brewery ops and team, Julie is hands-on with brewing on occasions too. As Neptune opens its first Beer House in Maghull, Julie will also be overseeing that project when it is due to open in April 2023.

“Neptune has always been about brewing well-made, consistent and highly drinkable beers. We love offering a wide variety for all drinkers but the key thing is that people enjoy the Neptune beer they’re having and want to have another one.”

Just before joining Neptune full-time, she founded the Liverpool-based women’s social group Ladies That Beer in response to not seeing enough other women at beer events and festivals, and wanting to create a safe space for that.

Established in 2015, the group meets monthly in pubs and bars across Liverpool and beyond, and has the aim to encourage women to drink and appreciate beer – learning about the different styles and how they’re made. They enjoy days out and have brewed with several well-known breweries.

Chess joined the Neptune team in 2021 as Sales & Beer Experience Manager. She’s a Beer Sommelier, Certified Cicerone® and judges in national and international beer competitions. She likes to bring her expertise and enthusiasm to deliver activities that engage with both beer-lovers and newbies alike.

A Stockport resident, Chess has also founded a Manchester Chapter of Crafty Beer Girls, a social group for beer-loving and beer-curious women. They meet monthly in indie venues across Greater Manchester, with new faces joining each time. It’s a real mix of those in the industry and those who simply enjoy their beer and its aims are simple.

“We just want to encourage other women to enjoy beer and offer a welcoming space for those who are curious but don’t have any pals who share this interest. Manchester has so many fantastic venues that champion great beer and we want to support that as much as we can.”

Lacada Brewery is an award-winning co-operative brewery based at the top of Northern Ireland in Portrush.

Their journey began when a group of friends and beer lovers devised a cunning plan to share their passion and create employment in Portrush. The co-operative attracted almost 500 members, and in 2015 they hit the ground running, with Stranded Bunny Porter and Utopian Stout, in particular, garnering plaudits and awards.

The Devil’s Washtub followed, winning Best Ale and Best New Product in Blás na hEireann (The Taste of Ireland) awards of 2017, along with beers like East the Beast and Nine Rubies, which quickly sold out.

Driven by the enthusiasm of their members, the range has grown in all directions. Many of the recipes are devised by a talented and dedicated core of home-brewing members.

Local places, stories and legends have inspired the beer names. Lacada point, beside the Giant’s Causeway, is where one of the last ships of the Spanish Armada, the Girona, sank in 1588. The Golden Salamander on their logo was recovered from the wreck.

After an additional share offer in 2018/19, the brewery invested in cold-storage, water treatment, a significant upgrade to their fermentation vessels, and a move to canning. This finally allowed them to start sharing their beer beyond the North Coast.

A brewser box will contain some beautiful stouts, lagers, sours, and their NEIPA, Blue Pool, which has proven such a hit that it has already become a core beer. Check their profile out and give them a try!

Track Founder, Sam, returned home from 2 years cycling tens of thousands of miles around the world with an idea. Having gathered first-hand experience of beer and its communities from around the world, he set out to bring it all together back home in the UK.

2014 saw the establishment of Track Brewing Co. in a railway arch tucked away in central Manchester. The goal? Brew beers that take people on a journey. Over time the team experimented, tinkered and consistently produced beer that did just that.

In 2020, Track up-sized and moved into their current home, meaning a bigger kit and the opportunity to develop a bespoke taproom. Combining visions from Track’s in-houe designer, Amy Haselden, On The Brink Studios, and MikeSian Studio – the immense taproom was born.

Now one of the most-loved breweries in the UK, and the producer of multiple award winning contemporary beers, Track is a pillar of Manchester’s and the UK’s craft beer scene. Enjoy their exclusive brewser showcase and pales/IPAs boxes, and journey through their freshest brews!

Track on Brewser.

Tartarus Beers was founded in 2020 by Jack Roberts and Jordan Orpen with the shared vision of wanting to produce a range of high quality craft beers. They wanted to enter the market with a style of beers that they felt were underrepresented in the craft beer scene, particularly in the current UK market. And they did just that, the launch of their first 3 beers being a Belgian Saison, a Belgian Triple & a Russian Imperial Stout.

Their decision to release two Belgian beers was an obvious one, with their love of Belgian beer and the fact that not many UK breweries produce these styles. The imperial stout they released is 17% and was in fact at the time, the strongest imperial stout floating around the UK market. These beers were intended to hit the market hard and make the craft beer scene look up and pay attention. And they did just that, with the first 3 beers selling out immediately and their imperial stout ‘Abaddon’ becoming well known in the industry amongst craft beer drinkers and other breweries.

Their focus is on brewing Imperial & European beers but they also produce a wide range of styles from clean crisp lagers, easy drinking saisons to full bodied stouts. Traditional styles of beers are usually met with a Tartarus Twist, with their latest invention being a Squid Ink, Seaweed & Yuzu Imperial Gose which was released to celebrate their second birthday. And if that wasn’t enough, all their beers are named after mythical creatures and legends, with each beer getting its own tale which you can read whilst you sip the creation.

2022 saw Tartarus move into their own 5000 sq ft brewery which will also be home to their very first taproom. The taproom will showcase their wide range of beers on offer, including special and one-off releases. 2023 will see the taproom host tap takeovers, events & food vendors in the hope to place the taproom on the map as a great drinking venue in Leeds. We can also expect a barrel project from Tartarus over the next coming months which will see a variety of complex barrel aged beers.

Tartarus on Brewser.