What does it take to make your mark in the UK independent beer industry? I sat down with two young brewers who are doing exactly that. Sophie Ashdown, Senior Brewer at Buxton Brewery and Natalya Brown, head brewer at State of Kind Brew Co.
Both have taken different routes into professional brewing, but they share a passion for creating great beer, learning their trade and helping shape the future of independent beer.
Sophie, who won Young Brewer of the Year, talks about her journey from working at Buxton Brewery's tap house to becoming a senior brewer, developing recipes and helping train the next generation of brewing talent.
Natalya takes us behind the scenes at State of Kind, where she has progressed from apprentice to head brewer. She explains the realities of running a brewery, developing new recipes, managing the demands of brewing and finding the confidence to put her own ideas into practice.
We also get into the challenges and rewards of working in a traditionally male-dominated industry, the importance of women supporting women in brewing, and how apprenticeships can help turn an interest in beer into a career.
There is plenty of brewing talk, too. We discuss recipe development, experimenting with different beer styles, balancing creativity with what customers actually want to drink, and the beers each of them is particularly proud of making.
From Natalya's passion for West Coast IPAs and creative stouts to Sophie's love of Brown Ales and her work on beers celebrating women in brewing, this is a conversation about the people, ideas and determination behind independent beer.
Both were recognised at the Brewers Congress, and we talk about what that recognition means, the lessons they have learned so far and where they hope their brewing careers will take them next.
We finish by talking about the beers that first captured their imagination, the independent breweries they think deserve more attention and the beers they would recommend to someone looking to discover something beyond the usual global brewery pub favourites.
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Sponsored by The Keg Warehouse
Socials:
Buxton Brewery: https://buxtonbrewery.co.uk/
State of Kind: https://www.instagram.com/stateofkindbrewco
CHAPTERS
00:00 - 01:45 Meet Two Young Brewers Making Their Mark on Independent Beer
01:46 - 05:37 Two Journeys into Brewing
05:38 - 07:41 Experiences, Challenges and Changing the Industry
07:42 - 13:11 Learning the Trade and Building a Career
13:12 - 21:43 Life and Responsibilities as a Brewer
21:44 - 27:27 Experimenting with New Beer Styles
27:28 - 31:29 Creativity, Collaboration and Personal Achievements
31:30 - 37:45 Sharing Knowledge and Supporting Each Other
37:46 - 41:04 Young Brewer Awards: Recognition and What It Means
41:05 - 44:15 Future Ambitions
44:16 - 48:24 Brown Ale, West Coast IPA and the Styles Deserving More Attention
48:25 - Getting More People into Independent Beer: Recommendations and Memorable Brews