Three years ago, myself and 3 friends set out to reshape how craft beer lovers connect with breweries. Launching Brewser was no small feat—it took 10 months of dedication to create a never-before-seen subscription model. One that gave consumers unparalleled flexibility to plan ahead, choose from hundreds of products and directly support their favourite independent breweries.

However, starting something brand new always comes with challenges and uncertainties.

Mid-pandemic, with the whole team dedicating evenings and weekends to Brewser, I had lost my day job due to COVID so had time on my hands to hit the road in my mum’s car. Armed with little more than a PowerPoint presentation and a barrel load of passion for the industry I love, I visited breweries across the UK to share Brewser’s vision. The result? A resounding “yes” from 40+ breweries and a boot full of free beer!

Thanks to a scrappy pre-launch campaign (and plenty of determination), we welcomed 400 subscribers on day one… we were gob smacked! Fast forward three years, and Brewser now partners with over 100 breweries and producers, introducing thousands of beer enthusiasts to incredible brews while giving breweries a platform to shine.

We’ve had lots of standout moments so far and have been lucky enough to collaborate with some of the best in UK craft beer, bringing exclusive products to market and creating campaigns that keep the industry buzzing.

2 years in we welcomed our first full-time employee. Ash has become an integral part of the Brewser family and we don’t know how we ever managed without him!

From our launch in my isolated self-built tiny home in Wales (internet powered by my phones hotspot!) To 3 years on… A (slightly) more professional set up, with a growing team & driving around in my own van (thanks mum). Brewser’s growth is a testament to the power of the community, innovation, and a shared love of great beer.

As we toast our third birthday, the mission remains the same: to craft and connect the ultimate community of beer explorers.

Thank you all for being part of the journey—cheers to the next chapter! 🍻

We currently have an incredible box live from Burning Sky. It features 10 of their finest brews, and a sensational branded glass! Although you may have heard of Burning Sky, you might not know too much about the small team behind it, so we wanted to introduce you!

Burning Sky was founded by Mark Tranter in 2013. His brewing career started in 1996 when whilst working as a chef and having a beer with friends, he was unexpectedly offered a job with Dark Star based on the quality of his home brewed beers. Mark was awarded Brewer of the Year by the Guild of British Beer Writers in 2014 and is currently the Brewers Congress Brewer of the Year. Joining Mark, is a small, highly talented team of miscreants all dedicated to creating the best beer possible, from cool cask beers to mixed fermentation farmhouse beers, via IPA’s & Porters, then all the way back again.

The brewery is located in refurbished farm buildings in a beautiful village called Firle in the foothills of the South Downs. Burning Sky is a true farmhouse brewery. Their beers are inspired by the history of British and Belgian brewing traditions, along with the American Craft Brewers. They produce a wide range of beer styles from fresh cask and keg ales (with a distinct devotion to well balanced hop forward beers), to barrel aged mixed fermentation beers. The team strive in a quest to make world class beers across all styles and formats – embracing brewing traditions in harmony with modern methods and tastes.

Burning Sky was the first modern British brewery to invest in large oak vats for ageing beers and also the first to install a coolship for making spontaneously fermented beers in the tradition of the lambic breweries of Belgium. They have won many awards over the years, including the BBC Food and Farming Awards, the World Beer Cup, many SIBA industry awards – the most recent one being the best UK beer overall in small pack. 

And here are three stand-out beers that you can expect in the 10-pack, with tasting notes from the team!

Arise
‘Cos it’s our mainstay and we make (and drink) a fair amount of it! A sessionable pale ale brewed with Pilsner and wheat malts. Backed up with a charge of Citra, Centennial and Amarillo hops to give peach, pine and resinous aromas – full of flavour but so easy to drink.

Robust Porter
Shows our command of the dark side. Maris Otter barley and a complex range of roast and crystal malts, it’s complex but totally balanced Hopped with UK varieties, this rich and satisfying beer will fortify you.

Petite Farmhouse
Because no one else in the UK really does this. It’s a mixed fermentation small beer, light and easy drinking. Aged in white wine barrels and then dry hopped for a refreshing finish before canning. It made the top 50 UK beers earlier this year, voted for and by brewers.

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! 

Something different for me this month and a box of cider!

I’ve gone for the Intro to Little Pomona box, and as a bonus for all of February, if you lock in any Little Pomona box you’ll get a voucher for a free tour, tasting and cheese matching at their cidery, which you can use between April and September. 

These four 750ml bottles are all really different and fascinating for a flavour nerd like me. I had a quick sip in my opening video, but I needed much more time to really taste my way through them, and I was rewarded by some of the most complex and wonderful drinks I’ve tasted in a long time. 

Hard Rain Hot Pink 2022 is only 3.4% but you’d never guess that from the taste. It’s an impressive, impactful ciderkin (that’s a weak cider) blended with blackcurrant cordial made local to the cidery, and matured with Simcoe hops. There’s all the tangy apples, tart blackcurrant, the pungent hops, a nice refreshing fizz and a light acidity. This is nothing like a cider and black you may have drunk growing up!

The Table Perry (7% ABV) is the first drink I’ve ever been told to use a sieve when pouring it out, and that’s because of the ‘perry diamonds.’ This is just natural tannins which clump after bottling, and while they’re fine to drink, you can just use a little sieve or tea strainer to remove them. And that’s a good idea because it leaves you with a much crisper perry. This has a lovely pear flavour, juicy fruit but also light tannins and dryness, with some tropical fruitiness, all of which reminded me of a beautiful pet nat sparking wine. This is one of the best drinks I’ve had recently. 

Balls Bittersweet 2021 (7.9%ABV ) is named after an unusual Herefordshire apple, and this cider is aged in third-use oak barrels. It’s really dry, tannic, has some light smokiness, even a creaminess, and a really nice fizz. Every sip gave me something different to think about and enjoy, and let me taste an apple I’d never even heard of before. Lovely!

Still Life with Quince 2020 (7.1%) is an apple and quince wine and it’s really aromatic with the apple and the quince, plus a really tropical quality and something creamy, like funky papaya or even some blue cheesiness (in a good way!). It’s a still cider and another one that’s remarkably complex. It’s reminiscent of old lambic.

This is a brilliant box for anyone interested in cider and perry, and for drinkers who love sour beers, sparkling wines and natural wines. I think you’ll be really impressed with this box.

Nanna is the Creative Director at Pretty Decent Beer Co. She is behind the brand’s look and feel, and most importantly, the beer labels – no mean feat given the ‘interesting’ beer names she is tasked with bringing to life. We had a few questions for Nanna…

The beer names at PDBC can be quite tenuous. How do you go about bringing them to life?
I’ll start with a little solo brainstorm session in my sketchbook. I jot down references that come to mind and I’ll make a couple of doodles in the hope that something will emerge that will make sort of sense. If all fails, stick eyes on it!!

Where do you find your inspiration?
Definitely not from the briefs I get! It’s funny how anything can spark an idea. Like something I saw on the back of a bus, while stuck behind it on my bike. An elderly couple on a tandem that I pass every morning on my way to the brewery, will feature on an upcoming release. I’m also an avid collector – I’ve got more ceramic statues of cats and dogs than my other half is happy with. It all feeds into my work.

What beer label did you enjoy creating the most and why?
Ooh, difficult one!! I really enjoyed working on ‘Have You Heard The Live Version’. I got to draw some icons of the LA glam rock/hair metal scene: big hair, leopard prints, flying V guitars, Axl Rose in white cycling shorts. And it’s always a joy to work on two of our returning characters, an arsey penguin and a polar bear that holiday together and bicker.

We’ve heard a rumour that James (Co-founder) often tries to shoehorn faecal references into the beer names – do you ever struggle to create imagery?
Haha no I don’t! In recent months we’ve had a shiny turd, a Stonehenge made from portaloos and – in dedication of our pink toilet block – a toilet brush, a bottle of Duck and e-coli taking selfies. So, from a creative perspective I’d never say no to a faecal reference, but we do have to keep in mind that we are trying to sell a tasty beverage!

How would you describe Pretty Decent’s personality?
Fun, friendly, self-deprecating, ill thought out! Walking to the beat of their own drum.

Other than Pretty Decent, what’s a beer brand that you love for its design?
Ooh so many to choose from, there is lots of amazing stuff around! Baron uses great illustrations. I love how they vary in style but their cans still have a very coherent and recognisable look. Gotta love a bit of white space!

If you’d like to see Nanna’s work in the flesh, and try the epic beers that Pretty Decent produce – head over to their profile and explore their huge 12-can showcase!

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