Brewers Journal Podcast

Meet Andrew Barnett. Andrew is the founder of Edinburgh’s Barney’s Beer. He started his career in brewing aged 16 as a lab assistant at the recently defunct Banks’s brewery in Wolverhampton before doing on to study Brewing & Distilling at Heriot Watt. Various roles in research, production & commercial followed at Whitbread, S&N and The Macallan among others. Starting Barney’s Beer in 2012 the brand has grown steadily. However, the strategy was always to keep growth at a modest scale in order to enjoy the ride. In his recent talk at our Brewers Lectures in Newcastle, Andrew talked us through the brewery’s journey which in recent years has involved the launch of its Post Mortem mixed ferm and impy range and, of course, the successful and popular Gravity Beer Festival. Photography: Ross Fraser McLean / Studio RoRo @Ross Fraser McLean @Studio RoRo

Met Tim Bloomer. Tim is the co-founder and sustainability director at Fell Brewery, an independent brewery based in Cumbria. He holds an MSc in Brewing & Distilling from Heriot-Watt University and was Head Brewer at Fell for many years, helping shape the brewery’s beers and processes before moving into a dedicated sustainability role. Tim now leads Fell’s practical, data-led decarbonisation programme. Following a full, all-scope carbon footprint analysis in 2024 with Small World Consulting, the brewery developed a clear emissions-reduction plan and has already reduced carbon intensity from 300 to 230 gCO₂e per pint since 2023, tracking towards 151 gCO₂e per pint by 2028. In this talk, recorded in Newcastle, Tim shares real-world lessons from an SME brewery: where to start, what to measure, and examples of changes that deliver results, from renewables and efficiency to supplier choices and culture change.

2026 marks 15 years since Tom Bott and Sam McGregor started London’s Signature Brew. The duo combined their backgrounds in the music industry and professional brewing to create a business that aimed to improve the quality of beer at live music events, collaborating with a raft of world-class artists in the process. And 2026 marks eight years since Tom took part in our Brewers Lectures events, so what better time to invite him back? Opening our lectures in Newcastle last week, Tom delivered a state of the nation address. He looked at both how Signature Brew and the wider industry has changed in those last 8 years. Tom analysed the stages of growth his own London-based business has experienced, along with the challenges and opportunities they’ve encountered along the way. He also shared his own advice on being a brewery founder and the lessons he and Sam have learned during their own journeys in beer.

Next week our first Brewers Lectures of 2026 takes place at the fantastic Full Circle Brew Co in Newcastle on the 25th February. We’ve got a brilliant line-up of industry talent taking part including Jack Walker, the head brewer at Azvex. Since being founded by Adam Henderson in 2020, Azvex Brewing Company has gone on to become of the UK’s most respected producers of hop-forward pale ales and IPAs, fruited sours, and imperial stouts. And head brewer Jack Walker has played a huge part in that journey. Next week Jack will share his brewing expertise and give us an insight into how he produces the brewery’s beautiful West Coast Pils. While we look forward to that talk, Jack also shared some experiences of a different kind during our Manchester lectures last year. In 2025 Jack has found himself in the final stages of a coeliac diagnosis and in his lecture he outlines the challenges that has presented for a brewing professional while also outlining some of the misinformation and misunderstanding that surrounds the condition. 

The role provenance plays in beer is something we rightfully celebrate. It can give the beer an identity and a sense of place. And today’s guest has made it his goal to recognise and toast British ingredients, as well as the agricultural excellence that helps make it all possible.Meet Kirk Stamford. He’s the founder of Atlantic Archipelago, an independent beer brand headquartered in Norfolk. Following an extended period of travel across the United Kingdom, the business draws inspiration from the nation’s varied landscapes, longstanding agricultural traditions, and deeply rooted regional cultures. Established in 2023 and informed by a strong agricultural heritage, Atlantic Archipelago was conceived around three guiding principles: the stewardship of British farming, the support of British enterprise, and the strengthening of British communities. According to Kirk, the business holds a deep respect for the role British agriculture plays in shaping the country’s economy, environment, and historic identity. As such, they are committed to working closely with farmers and producers throughout their supply chain. Wherever possible, British-grown ingredients are prioritised, ensuring both exceptional quality and a meaningful contribution to rural prosperity. The company’s portfolio comprises six beers. These are Act of Union Premium Bitter, The West Saxon SIPA, Province of Britannia Golden Ale, The Tea Clipper Pale Ale, Queen and Empress Lager, and The Prince Regent Draught Stout.  And as the company enters its third year in business, we speak to Kirk about his passion British ingredients, his love of agriculture and travel, and also how these all inform the beers that Atlantic Archipelago are seeing great success with.

Fresh from celebrating the brewery’s latest birthday at the end of 2025, the team at Full Circle are gearing up for another year of growth and evolution. One of the UK’s most revered and regarded modern breweries, Full Circle’s 2025 was characterised by new releases and collaborations to events, community gatherings, and behind-the-scenes milestones. And later this month, we are thrilled to be heading to their excellent Newcastle taproom for our first Brewers Lectures of 2026. The Brewers Lectures will take place on the 25th February from 12:00-17:00 at the brewery’s taproom, which can be found at Hoults Yard, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 2HL. You can get your tickets right here. Supported by Certuss Steam Generators, the event will feature a raft of brilliant figures from across the world of beer and brewing. We’ll have talks from Tom Bott, the co-founder of London’s Signature Brew, Tim Bloomer, the co-founder and sustainability director at Fell Brewery and Daisy Turnell, a marketing professional with 24 years of experience in the craft beer and hospitality industries. We’ll also be joined by Jack Walker, the head brewer at Liverpool-based Azvex, Ben Murphy, the head distiller at Ad Gefrin and Andrew Barnett, the founder of Barney’s Beer in Edinburgh.  There will also be talks from Dan Hocking, the head brewer at Bundobust in Manchester and Red Kellie, joint owner and head brewer of the First & Last Brewery, a family-run brewery, taproom and event space situated in rural Northumberland. For more information and to get your tickets, please visit www.brewersjournal.info So on that note, what better opportunity to revisit our chat with Full Circle Brew Co founder Ben Cleary from 2023. And while his values and ethos remain the same, Full Circle Brew Co has come on leaps and bounds since then…

When it comes to brewing, what excites you? The beautiful thing about beer is that we all come at it from different directions, with different passions, different opinions. And for Red Kellie, she loves making a wealth of different beers that end up in cask, keg, bottle and can. But it’s working with wild and foraged ingredients where her and team really come into their own. Red is joint owner and head brewer of the First & Last Brewery. Founded with husband Sam, First & Last is a family-run brewery, taproom and event space situated in rural Northumberland. The brewery doubles as a community space used for everything from art workshops to gigs and literature events. They brew a wide range of styles from hazy IPAs, through to sours, wheat beers, stouts and Belgian beers. At their core, they enjoy brewing well-balanced beers that you want to have another sip of. They also create those using locally sourced & foraged ingredients to produce seasonal specialty beers that offer a true taste of Northumberland.After helping to establish Stu Brew at Newcastle University, Europe’s first student run brewery, and then Twice Brewed Brewery, Red set up the First & Last Brewery in 2016.  Here, her driving passion is for pairing wild ingredients from the local hedgerows and forests with beer styles, so that their qualities complement and accentuate each other. Experimentation and innovation of working with fresh, hand-picked ingredients such as gorseflowers, sprucetips, bullaces and wild raspberries also give her the perfect excuse to be outside soaking up the beautiful local landscape. And in 2026, the team mark 10 years since the brewery was incorporated. In this episode, we speak to Red about her storied journey in beer which would eventually lead to opening a brewery to call her own. We discuss the impact Stu Brew continues to have on the wider UK brewing industry, the love of fermentation she shares with husband and co-founder Sam, and why in a crowded beverage landscape she feels that wild and foraged beers are simply special. Photo Credit: First & Last Brewery

Fresh from celebrating their triumphant 20th anniversary in 2025, Thornbridge can reflect on another year of growth and evolution. And in 2026, beer fans can expect a raft of new beers including a number of fresh releases from its celebrated Union system. So as we gear up for another 12 months of beautiful beer, let’s take a look back at our conversation with brewery co-founder Simon Webster from this time last year ahead of what prove to be a fantastic period for the Bakewell business. There are certain joys, certain constants when it comes to the world of beer. And one of those has to be the pleasure when scanning the bar for a pint and you happen across the pump clip for Jaipur on cask. It’s a seminal beer that has stood the test of time and this year the brewery responsible, Thornbridge, based in the Derbyshire Dales, celebrates the 20th anniversary of both that beer and the business, too. The Thornbridge story began back in 2005 when founders Jim Harrison and Simon Webster recruited two young brewers to brew on a second hand 10-barrel kit in the grounds of Thornbridge Hall. A journey that began in the small Stonemasons Workshop at Thornbridge Hall is one that has gone on to grow into the Riverside Brewery in Bakewell where the team produce some nine million pints of beer each year. Like any good business, the brewery has moved with the times. While Jaipur remains the flagship, its gluten-free Helles Lukas and Green Mountain, a 4.3% Hazy Session IPA, also account for a significant amount of the brewery’s production. Thanks to a brewing team led by Ben Wood, Dominic Driscoll and Rob Lovatt, they create beers that cater for a wide and diverse audience. So as the celebrated brewery embarks on a year that will toast two decades in business, we caught up with co-founder Simon Webster to discuss the Thornbridge journey. We look at the recent fantastic new addition of a Burton Union set, why collaborations continue to play a key part in the brewery’s proposition and, with new pub openings on the horizon, why Simon believes that such environments remain the best choice when it comes to enjoying a beer.

Meet Tamar Banner, a veteran of the craft beer industry, having started brewing professionally in the US in 2001. In more than 24 years of brewing, she has worked in the brewhouse, cellar, packaging, quality, and management. She is currently the brewmaster at To Øl Brewery in Denmark where she manages brewing, packaging, quality and recipe development. Prior to To Øl, she worked for Harpoon Brewery in both Boston and Vermont, New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, and BrewDog Brewery in Canal Winchester, Ohio. As a Certified Cicerone, she has a passion for beer/food pairing, and speaks regularly at beer dinners, festivals, and events. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a master’s degree in Brewing and Distilling Science from Heriot Watt University.  She has been on the board of two different chapters of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, and is currently an active member of the Danish Brewmasters Association.  In her spare time, she loves experimenting with other forms of fermentation, and makes her own cheeses at home. And with such a decorated career, we invited Tamar to deliver a keynote address at our Brewers Congress event in London last Autumn. In this extract from that talk, Tamar asked brewers if they thought their beer tastes the way they intended when the customer is drinking it? And if brewers are satisfied with how their beer tastes at the end of its shelf life. She also emphasised the need for industry collaboration, better refrigeration practices, and consumer education to ensure fresher beer.

From Café Kick to Coin Laundry, and from Moro to Mikkeller, Exmouth Market in London is a favourite spot for many in the capital. For good reason, too… And since late 2019, the Mikkeller Brewpub has been serving the great and the good a wealth of excellent beers.  For fans of brilliant beer there are few experiences more enjoyable than imbibing it at the source. Be that at a brewery taproom, or the brewpub model more commonly found in North America, the idea of grain to glass can mean beer at its best.And under the guidance of head brewer Will Phoenix, patrons can enjoy just that in Clerkenwell in London. The majority of the brewpub’s 20 taps are beers produced on-site with current offerings including New England IPA Mic Drop, Market Best Bitter and Grandma’s Fridge Cake, an Imperial Pastry Stout produced in collaboration with Lervig.While visitors to Exmouth Market can look forward to an upcoming lager showcase starting later in January, we caught up with head brewer Will and location manager Jake Milne at the end of November. With Jake having since returned to his native New Zealand following a decorated career in hospitality in the UK, we discussed what makes him tick and what makes for a successful hospitality environment. We also spoke with Will about his journey in the world of beer, starting out in a mixed fermentation brewery at Pastore of Cambridge, and his love of producing beers in the Mikkeller brewpub environment. The challenges and opportunities this setup presents and his plans for the year ahead.