St Bernardus Closeup

Having just secured draught exclusivity in the UK, it felt like the right time to tell the story of St Bernardus. A truly special brewery that we have admired and enjoyed for decades, and just like us, they’re entering the second generation of family ownership. To find out more, we spoke with Julie Depypere, current CEO Junior, and heir apparent to the brewery.

Lost and Grounded Closeup

Quality is always our primary interest when evaluating breweries to work with. When Lost & Grounded came on to the scene in 2016, we already felt a measure of confidence in their standards; even before sampling any of the beer. Co-founder Alex Troncoso comes with a serious pedigree of brewing excellence, having spent many years overseeing production and quality at Little Creatures in Australia, and more recently Camden Town. We had a chat with Alex to learn more about the story of Lost and Grounded, and their approach to making some of the best beer in the UK.

Hogan's Cider

At James Clay and Sons we’ve been privileged to curate a range of exceptional beers for over 40 years, and in 2018 we were proud to round out our selection with the addition of Hogan’s Cider. Cidermaking in the UK is undergoing a triumphant revival, and we thought this was the ideal time to chat to Allen and Jane Hogan to learn more.

Westmalle Extra Release

Over the years it’s been our privilege to be entrusted with a handful of cases of Westmalle Extra to serve at special events. When the time has felt right we’ve even made requests to complete the trinity of Westmalle beers in our range and be allowed to import it officially. After decades of consideration the Brethren at Westmalle have decided to release Westmalle Extra commercially for the first time.

Barrel Aging

Since we have had a nice big haul of some of the best Barrel Aged and Fermented beers arrive, we thought it’d be a fantastic time to take a closer look at the technique, and speak to some of the people continuing to pioneer in the field today.

Augustiner Close Up

Consider a brewery that spends nothing on marketing in their domestic market, has no export department, and a tiny sales team consisting of a few people. Most likely you’re picturing a fresh faced local craft brewery; it would be completely inconceivable that such an approach could result in sales of over 1.5 million hectolitres per year and global recognition. However, this is exactly the description of the Bavarian classic Augustiner-Bräu, now a household name in the UK.

The Ancient Art of Schlenkerla

Schlenkerla are custodians of ancient technology reflective of what was in use ten thousand years ago. As ancient as the hallowed spontaneous fermentation methods of the Pajottenland Lambic brewers, Schlenkerla’s Rauchbiers receive significantly less coverage. Perhaps lacking the same mystique, their direct fired kiln malting is no less artisanal and is an ancient craft now practiced only by a tiny handful of breweries across the world, with Schlenkerla being the most renowned.

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