In this weeks Journal we interviewed the wonderful Billy over at our favourite brewery, Brewing Brothers. We often are at the same events and have worked very closely together over the years. Our latest venture, using our left over Grape skins from our Chenin blanc and Chardonnay and using them to infuse a delicious Lager, this is how we came to POM. Now available in tins and on draught in our Bar.
Can you share the story behind Brewing Brothers and how your passion for beer came to life?
Established in 2016 by Ned and Charlie after a visit to the U.S. where they came across brewhouse culture. It dawned on them that the UK was falling behind in the world of craft beer. They also felt that here in the UK, the art of brewing beer was widely unappreciated, often left to an anonymous character behind closed doors. This spurred the need for change in Ned and Charlie. So, in August 2016, with the help of Billy they opened the doors to the first of the brewing brothers brewhouses.
At Brewing Brothers, what principles guide your approach to crafting beer, and how do you balance innovation with tradition?
Brewing Brothers is founded on the belief that simplicity is best. We feel that by offering simple products we are able to focus more on quality over quantity.
Our collaboration on POM, the lager brewed with Tillingham’s leftover grape skins, was an exciting fusion of beer and wine-making traditions. How did the idea come about, and what was the brewing process like?
We love utilising ingredients that might otherwise be put to waste, adding an extra chapter to its story. The idea came about from a desire to work together and somehow combine beer and wine. Harvest was coming up and this seemed like a great option to trial a collaboration between us.
POM brings together two worlds—beer and wine. How would you describe its flavor profile, and what excites you most about the final product?
Ultimately POM is a very refreshing lager. The nuances brought on board by the pomace are obvious yet subtle. Lemon peel and fresh cut grass are two notes that undoubtedly come from the Chardonnay and Chenin blanc skins. I think what excites me most is how it appeals to such a wide audience. It’s balanced and refreshing yet with an added layer of complexity.
Using leftover grape skins for POM highlights sustainability and reducing waste. How important is sustainability in your brewing practices, and do you see it influencing future projects?
The brewing industry can be very wasteful and can also be a high consumer of energy and resources. Mitigating this and improving our sustainable practices is incredibly important to us and the work we do at Brewing Brothers. On a sunny day our brewery can almost entirely be run on solar power; we don our wellies and get out planting trees in local areas; we compost a lot of our waste and return it to the soil in which we grow vegetables for our venues.
The list goes on and it’s something I could talk about for hours. We have plans to improve our sustainability further and hope to one day be at the forefront of sustainability in the brewing industry.
What’s the experience like collaborating with a winery like Tillingham, and how does working with others inspire new ideas in your brewing?
We’re also led by a sense of community and believe in the importance of working with neighbours. We frequently do this with neighbouring breweries so it was really cool to collaborate with a winery. Especially one as renowned as Tillingham. Collaborations are such an important part of what we do and are integral in our ever evolving business. There is yet to be a collaboration I haven’t taken away some knowledge or experience from.
With POM as the starting point, do you see more opportunities for blending beer and wine-making techniques, or future collaborations between Brewing Brothers and Tillingham?
Absolutely! We love working with Tillingham. It’d be great to start looking at some longer term projects such as barrel aging, blending or even some events!
