Episodes

  • #158 | Vinnie Cilurzo, Russian River Brewing Company

    #158 | Vinnie Cilurzo, Russian River Brewing Company
    Jan 10 2025
    In the world of beer, there are a number of real positives when it comes to working for, or running, a brewery.Creating something that people enjoy, savour and value is a goal in any artistic venture. And in ownership, so is the ability to provide employment, development and satisfaction to your team. Another purpose for many businesses is the ability to affect a change. Breweries are often the beating heart of local communities. They can offer a place to frequent, to socialise and where possible, also have a positive impact on the local economy they form part of.In the case of Russian River Brewing Company, they do just that. And with the release of the modern phenomenon that is Pliny The Younger, their annual sought-after Triple IPA, on the horizon, what better time to catch up with co-founder Vinnie Cilurzo who, along with his business partner and wife Natalie, is the co-founder of the California business. In this episode he shares his observations on the changing brewing landscape, the importance of community and his love of working with different ingredients. We also talked about the importance of maintaining a strong identity, integrity and, in an age of countless beer styles, why Russian River will continue doing what it does best - and that's "staying in its lane" making the beers people love.
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    48 mins
  • #157 | Make your mark in marketing

    #157 | Make your mark in marketing
    Jan 3 2025
    When you’ve worked with award-winning brands in the world of beer and whisky delivering digital communication and paid media strategies, you’re likely to know a thing or two about the world of marketing. And today’s guest, has done just that. Looking back at the last 12 months, Scottish brewery Vault City can toast another incredible year. They released 90 beers in total—up from 84 in 2023. This included 76 sours, 11 imperial stouts, two barley wines, and a Radler. And after four years of brewing in Portobello, in 2025 they are moving to their new forever home in the months ahead. Helping spread the good word of all things Vault City is Richard Wardrop, a marketing manager with more than a decade’s experience on both agency side and in-house.In his career to-date he has received recognition for ‘Best Use of Social’ and ‘Best Low Budget Campaign’ at The Herald Digital Awards and UK Social Media Communications Awards.Based in Scotland, he is currently part of the team at Vault City Brewing, the UK’s largest sour beer producer.Here he is responsible for all elements of brand, NPD, marketing and comms. So in this episode, recorded at our Brewers Lectures event in Edinburgh, Richard explains how brands can make an impact without a big budget, the free insights available to them, the importance of nurturing your community and why you should set goals, be realistic and always focus on doing better.
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    24 mins
  • #156 | Beer, Brewing and London Life

    #156 | Beer, Brewing and London Life
    Dec 13 2024
    Some things are just meant to be. And today's guests are an example of just that. When Young's ceased its London brewing operations in 2006, it looked to signal the end of a historic site where beer has been brewed since at least 1533. The brewery would officially close on 25th September 2006 but, thanks to John Hatch, a nano-brewery was kept on-site throughout construction and development. This ensured that Ram Quarter would remain Britain’s oldest continuous working brewery.And two years later in 2008 a new brewery - Sambrook's - was founded just down the road in Battersea. In the decade that would follow, Sambrook's would go from strength-to-strength accelerating its need for new premises. And in the same period, development plans for Ram Quarter continued at pace. Thankfully its owners Greenland Group had developed a vision of the quarter's industrial brewing heritage through discussions with Wandsworth Council and other key stakeholders. Come 2019 Roger Mears Architects was appointed to work with Sambrook’s Brewery on its relocation to the Ram Quarter. The project provided a solution to the vacant site addressing the setting through the creation of a working Brewery linked to a Taproom and a Heritage Centre and shop. And in opening its new site, the Sambrook's team would welcome the legendary John Hatch to their team. As someone who had kept brewing going on the site, brewery founder Duncan Sambrook and the team knew that John becoming part of Sambrook's made complete and total sense for all involved. As heritage brewer at Sambrook's John complements a brewing team led by head brewer Harley Williams, an experienced leader that helped oversee the move to the company's fantastic new premises. In this episode we speak to John and Harley about life in Wandsworth, John's storied brewing background, their love and commitment to cask and how, together, they continue to help make Sambrook's a beer destination in the capital that's not to be missed.
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    25 mins
  • #155 | Jenny Karlsson on a life in Whisky

    #155 | Jenny Karlsson on a life in Whisky
    Dec 6 2024
    Did you know that in addition to our Brewers Journal Podcast, we also run The Distillers Journal Podcast, too? And there’s where today’s guest episode comes from.If we’re lucky our careers, coupled with an appetite for new experiences, can allow us to visit, work and live in different countries around the world.And in the case of today’s guest, she’s done just that. And as a result the Scottish distilling industry is all the better for it.Because the Scottish Whisky industry is blessed with a wealth of fantastic, talented individuals. But there’s probably very whose journey has taken them from Sweden via Paris then eventually, aged 21, to Scotland.But that’s exactly how Jenny Karlsson did it.Jenny has a decorated career in Whisky that has taken in roles at outfits such as Springbank, Kilkerran and Brown-Forman, as well as studies at the world-famous Heriot-Watt University. And for the last four-plus years, she has been the marketing communications manager at Ardnamurchan Distillery.Established in 2014, the distillery embodies the spirit of its namesake peninsula, renowned for its wild landscapes and untamed character. From traditional double distillation to blockchain technology, Ardnamurchan embrace heritage, innovation and sustainable practises throughout the whisky making process. They use a traditional mix of American and European oak, ex-sherry casks and American oak ex-bourbon casks to mature the biggest share of their whisky, but they also enjoy having fun with other types of oak casks that have previously held anything from white wine to Mezcal, and Sauternes to Madeira.And in this episode of The Distillers Journal Podcast, we delve into Jenny’s career in the whiskey industry and the impact that social media and video-sharing platforms such as YouTube have had on the sector.We also discuss the importance of striking a work/life balance, especially when you have a young family, Jenny’s love of knowledge sharing and education and why now, after roles at a number of other revered distilleries, she says her position at Ardnamurchan feels tailor-made for her.
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    35 mins
  • #154 | 40 years young – Wye Valley Brewery

    #154 | 40 years young – Wye Valley Brewery
    Nov 22 2024
    Reaching an important milestone in any business is a real achievement. It’s the culmination of hard work, commitment and the result of providing a quality product or service. Probably both.... And in 2025, today’s guests will toast their 40th year in the world of beer. And as we all know, that simply doesn’t happen by accident.Since starting out in 1985, Herefordshire-based Wye Valley Brewery has been producing a wealth of excellent cask, keg and small pack beers. They’ve earned a reputation for consistency and product quality, seeing their beers served in more than 1,200 pubs and bars throughout the West Midlands and South Wales.As a result, they’ve gone from a humble beginning of producing approximately 10 brewers' barrels a week to an average of 1000 barrels per week, with further growth to come.Rewind back and the brewery’s story started nearly 40 years ago. After brewing for years for Guinness, Wye Valley Brewery founder, Peter Amor decided to branch out on his own. He began brewing from the back of a pub in Canon Pyon in Herefordshire but soon moved to the old stable block of The Barrels in Hereford - Wye Valley Brewery’s very first pub.After studying at Young’s brewery in London, Peter’s son, Vernon Amor, joined the brewery to help with the demands of the growing business. And some 17 years later, the business would signal its latest growth by moving into a 9-acre former cider mill in Stoke Lacy.But the journey doesn’t stop there - far from it. Ongoing expansion has included the installation of an impressive bottling and canning setup from Bedford-based Enterprise Tondelli, as well as investment in its warehousing and solar PV infrastructure, with a new brewhouse part of the brewery’s future, too.While beers such as it’s super successful Nightjar, a kegged stout based on an original Wye Valley Brewery cask recipe, have helped put the brewery in front of eager new audiences.In this episode of The Brewers Journal Podcast, we spoke with head of sales and marketing Abbie Gadd and head brewer Gareth Batemen, to discover the secret of the brewery’s longevity, the importance of moving with the times and why its 40th year will be the start of a new period of growth and evolution for the much-loved business.
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    29 mins
  • #153 | A Love of Lager

    #153 | A Love of Lager
    Nov 15 2024
    When it comes to the world of beer, Lager is big business. Recent research from Heineken in its 2024 Beer Report shows that Lager’s share of the on-trade market by value stands at 70%. In short, two out of every three pints poured in the UK is a Lager.And when we talk about Lager, there is really something for everyone. In the UK we’ve had a wealth of fantastic lager-focused breweries open in the last decade from Lost and Grounded to Utopian, Orbit, Braybrooke and beyond.And if you head to Walthamstow, East London, and you’ll not only find a range of fantastic pubs, bars and restaurants, but leading breweries, too.Established in 2016, Pillars Brewery started as a family business and remain a team of family and close friends, driven by a mutual love of Lager.Proud to combine contemporary brewing techniques with traditional brewing principles, their beers are created within a traditional Bavarian-style brewhouse, complete with its own lauter tun. They tailor the water profile for each brew using their onsite water treatment plant and complete the process with a minimum of four weeks of cold conditioning. And as 2024 draws to a close, the brewery has just released the latest iterations of its award-winning Icebock.It’s beer brewed at the beginning of the year and conditioned for nine whole months, using freeze-concentration to produce unparalleled, rich flavours.So with that in mind, we caught up with Pillars co-founder Gavin Litton and head of sales Peter Kennelly to discuss the opportunities and challenges that face a lager-focused brewery, their commitment to sustainability and why above all else, everything comes down to the quality of the liquid.
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    19 mins
  • #152 | How we launched a new cider business

    #152 | How we launched a new cider business
    Nov 1 2024
    Launching a new business is always an exciting time. It’s also a challenging one, too. In our sector, you need a quality liquid, great branding and a team that knows the industry. Thankfully, with today's guests you have all of those and more.Earlier in the summer, the cider category welcomed one such new addition. Developed by a team with decades of experience in building successful beer and cider brands, Red Fin Cider is all about offering licensees a medium dry cider that can be stocked as an added value product, alongside existing offerings.The team is made up of the trio of Graeme Baldwin, David Tugwell and Freddie Rouse. Graeme was the first employee at Orchard Pig and heavily involved in the meteoric growth and eventual exit deal for the brand.David Tugwell has worked with huge growth challenger brands, including Estrella Damm and Orchard Pig cider, as well as in the craft beer sector, heading up the sales function at Big Smoke Brew Co and Double-Barrelled Brewery.The third founding partner, Freddie Rouse, has worked with several craft breweries establishing them throughout independent pubs and groups across the UK and most recently at Amathus Drinks, helping grow its agency list with other UK Wholesalers. And after a successful whirlwind few months, Red Fin has just announced a new initiative with Berkshire-based Siren Craft Brew enabling it to service pubs and venues in Berkshire, Brighton and London.So what better time to catch-up with Red Fin co-founder Dave Tugwell to talk through the company’s journey so far. We also discuss the trio launching into a competitive category, its place in the wider world of craft beer and its commitment to showing consumers that cider can, and should be, fun.
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    33 mins
  • #151 | Building a Brewery

    #151 | Building a Brewery
    Oct 18 2024
    Since starting out in 2021, Moonwake in Leith has become one of the UK's most regarded breweries. Founded by a team with extensive craft beer and brewing careers. They believe there is a beer out there for everyone. Moonwake means: “the moon’s reflection on a body of water” and speaks to the brewery’s Leith Shore location, the importance of water as an ingredient, and our beers’ reflection of our combined experience. The head brewer at Moonwake is Vinny Rosario. Upon graduating as a chemical and process engineer in New Zealand, he went on to brew in a number of countries including New Zealand, Spain and England. Moving to Scotland to set up Moonwake where the brewers are as important as the brew. Earlier this year we held our Brewers Lectures at Moonwake's fantastic taproom and in welcoming guests, Vinny told us all a little bit more about the brewery, the beers they produce and the plans for the future.
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    11 mins