Where's the Innovation in the UK Brewing Industry?

I read a very interesting post over on Tandleman‘s Beer Blog earlier today and it sparked off a train of thought that ended with the question in this post’s title.

Tandleman was commenting on an interview with James Watt, Head of Stuff at BrewDog, posted by US-based craft beer ‘zine TheFullPint.com. Tandleman picked up on Watt’s comments about CAMRA and the impact of the campaign on innovation in brewing, to whit: “I blame CAMRA for single-handedly holding back innovation in British brewing by focusing too much emphasis on too few beer styles” and made the point that BrewDog and CAMRA a) have never really gotten on all that well and b) aren’t actually preaching to the same choirs, with CAMRA members being mainly pub-going, cask-ale drinkers, whereas BrewDog are primarily a bottled-beer focused brewery. Although there have been an increasing number of sightings of cask BrewDog in the wild in recent months, if the beerblogosphere is to be believed.

Tandleman then finds himself in agreement with James Watt, when he in turn says: “Going back to innovation, British brewers by and large are the most staid and conservative bunch you could ever meet – with of course, honourable exceptions” and it’s this point that’s got me thinking: who are the leading examples of Tandleman’s honourable exception? When it comes to the UK brewing industry, in whose hallowed mash tuns and fermentation vessels does the genuine spirit of innovation reside?

In my own (still novice) opinion, some good suggestions might be:

BrewDogBrewDog – The media darlings / demons of the UK brewing industry are obvious contenders for the ‘most innovative’ label. With the likes of their strongest-beer-in-Britain Tokyo* Imperial Stout (second edition), smoked Paradox Stout (in various whisky-cask finishes, including Rake Raspberry), insanely uber-hopped How to Disappear Completely Imperial Mild (and the frankly rather poor piss-take that is Nanny State), their Dogma (formerly ‘Speedball’) poppy-guarana brew, numerous takes on historic IPA-styles including Hardcore IPA, Punk IPA, Chaos Theory and the limited editions Atlantic IPA and Zephyr, as well as many more, they’re surely the last brewer in Britain you could accuse of churning out boring session bitters.

ThornbridgeThornbridge – Whilst not so attention-hungry as BrewDog, Thornbridge have been steadily and confidently pushing the quality-innovation curve in new and interesting directions and have been garnering praise, accolades and awards at an impressive rate as a result. I haven’t tried anywhere near as many Thornbridge brews as I’d like to, but multi award-winning Jaipur, Halcyon and Ashford (a session-strength bitter but one that’s far from dull or ordinary) were all excellent, and I’m desperate to get my hands (and taste buds) on some of their Bracia stout. But then – playing devil’s advocate for a moment – hasn’t the majority of Thornbridge’s quite considerable brewing talent actually been imported from overseas? New Zealand, Italy, places like that? So although Thornbridge are clearly one of the best brewers in Britain, bar none, can they truly be said to be ‘British’ innovators, if their knowledge and passion comes from abroad?

Marble BeersMarble – One of Manchester’s very finest, with some superb beers in their roster, from their Pint and JP Best session beers through to the tonsil-tingling Big Ginger, sublime Chocolate and punch-packing Dobber. But then again… can they be considered a truly innovative brewer? Marble brew a wide range of superb beers that I’d happily drink all evening, any evening, but aren’t they mainly variations on existing, classic beer styles: IPA, stout, pale ale, best bitter?

Outstanding BeersOutstanding – One of my favourite local breweries, based up the road in Bury who once again produce some truly stellar brews – Outstanding Stout has to be one of my very favourite session stouts and the like of their Pushing Out (an excellent IPA in all but name) and Outstanding Blonde are truly excellent as well – but once again, does brewing high-quality versions of common beer styles count as being innovative per se or would Outstanding have to go further than that to be considered true innovators?

All of which raises another couple of questions: firstly, what does constitute ‘innovation’, anyhow? Is it enough to call yourself ‘innovative’ if you brew a beer that stands head-and-shoulders above similar examples of the style, or do you have to really push the weird ingredient / unusual flavour envelope? In which case, does Badger’s River Cottage Stinger (brewed with Dorset stinging nettles) count as an innovative beer? Or Sharps Chalky’s Bite, a strong, Belgian-style beer that’s delicately flavoured with wild English fennel? Or Fraoch Scottish Heather Ale from Williams Bros? What about Innis & Gunn Rum Cask oak-aged? Or Boggart Hole Clough’s Rum Porter? Does chucking in another, strongly-flavoured spirit, or maturing in a liquor cask count as ‘innovative’ or is it just, again, a case of varying an established theme?

And is it actually important to be an innovator? Or is a traditional approach to brewing, coupled with a passion for maximising quality, a more sure key to long-term success?

Me, I’m something of a self-confessed variety-junkie, always on the look-out for the more interesting, extreme beers, but I’m genuinely interested to hear what everyone else thinks. So, I’d like to throw the following questions open to the floor:

  1. How important is ‘innovation’ to you as a beer drinker? In general – bearing in mind that this is always going to be a subjective, mood-related question – would you rather try something new and interesting, stick to an old favourite, or a new version of a preferred style?
  2. What exactly constitutes ‘innovation’ in brewing anyway? What does a brewer have to do to qualify as ‘innovative’ in your book?
  3. Which UK brewers or breweries do you think are the most innovative and why?

Answers on a comment-shaped postcard, if you please:

  • http://real-ale-reviews.com Mark, Real-Ale-Reviews.com

    This is going to be a right ol’ ramble!

    I admire (most) innovation, whether forwards or backwards it leads to (short- or long-term) progress. There are some UK breweries (good examples mentioned) who are more innovative than other more traditional breweries. By their own admission there are definitely some UK breweries who make money on deliberately not innovating – they have a target market, a consistent product and they create a trusted brand that people go back to, time and time again.

    I love trying new beers, exciting beers, so innovation is a positive for me. But there’s lots of people who want a good old favourite, something safe and many breweries cater for that. So perhaps variety is more important than innovation, but of course innovation often leads to the variety.

    And what is innovation? Is it blurring the lines between styles (indian brown ale, celebration ale), mixing in different ingredients (e.g. heather, kola nuts), modifying the brewing process (e.g. taking beers on boats or putting it in whisky infused oak barrels). I’m not sure, but it makes for interesting beers!

    That’s a lot of thinking out loud, I should really leave work now!

  • http://www.thebrewcompany.co.uk Pete Roberts

    I own a small craft brewery in Sheffield. A good question you pose sir! IMHO – you can be creative without having to be seen as being innovative all the time. I like some brewdog beers, hate others, but their beer like mine are a variations on a theme. Is it really innovative to over hop beer? The Americans have been doing it for years. There are many beer styles but only so many permutations that spawn from these ‘mother’ recipes. I have just brewed a chocolate raisin stout, a belgian dubbel and a spiced porter with nutmeg and cinnamon which keeps my creative juices flowing. But as you pointed out, you could happily drink some session beers all night, and that in general is what drinkers want when they go out. My business model is so far from that of BD, i don’t bottle at all, if i do start bottling i would want to bottle high ABV different beers as this is what the market demands. As for cask, well, what we brew isn;t dicated to us by CAMRA, who lets face don’t really influence our busineses much. No, it is simple supply and demand forces. Landlord wants 4% session pale and hoppy or 4.2 dark and malty. So we oblige. If us small craft brewers don’t pay the rent, we wont be here soon! Innovation isn’t everything, all the time…

  • http://www.pencilandspoon.blogspot.com markdredge

    Nice post. Give me innovation but not over quality. I see innovation as using new techniques, boundary-crossing styles or different ingredients. I think there’s a place for it and I’m all for it, but it’s all about the taste at the end of the day – I’d rather a great 4% hoppy pale ale over a 9% ale brewed with some crazy ingredient and aged in some crazy way.

  • aealvid aparesly

    Innovation is about freshly articulated, executed ideas.

    Personally, Thornbridge leads a small pack, good luck to them. Brewdog just remind me of Hooper’s Hooch.

  • Ben

    Innovation is interesting, would CAMRA ever accept canned beers (as they seem to be increasing with US craft breweries or filtered keg beers for that matter)
    Personally I like to try different beers but I am lucky that my local has 6 pumps and is committed to micros local and afar.
    Finally Marble Dobber is brilliant, only had it once on a very memorable beer trip.

  • http://www.tandlemanbeerblog.blogspot.com Tandleman

    You know, when you think of it, innovation in brewing is mostly technical lead, not recipe lead.

    I think we sometimes mix up innovation with different, or good. I reckon Brew Dog does a fair bit of that.

  • http://www.darrenturpin.me.uk Darren Turpin

    @Mark RAR – Good point, well made re: the majority of beer drinkers wanting to come back to an old favourite time and time again. After all, the majority of beer drinkers in the UK still clearly prefer bland, mass-produced, entirely-interchangeable whatever-lager-they’ve-got over anything with flavour or character. And I used to have my own favourites which I’d drink regularly – Hobgoblin and Old Ember – but that was before I started beer blogging.

    @Pete Roberts – Another entirely good point re: the market being driven by pubs demanding safe, comfortable session bitters and dark ales. I always find it frustrating though when even a proper real ale pub with a number of hand pumps still seems to be offering just those sorts of beers across their range. Summer was the worst time for this – some places had eight pumps, all serving pale / golden ales / at 3.5 – 4.5 ABV, not a stout, porter or anything else in sight.

    And can I just say, “a chocolate raisin stout, a belgian dubbel and a spiced porter with nutmeg and cinnamon” all sound rather fantastic – I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for those! Are they likely to be on sale anywhere in Manchester by any chance? How about the Bury Beer Festival? Sorry to hear you haven’t started that bottling programme yet – do let us know whan / if you take the plunge, eh?

    @MarkDredge – Quality is the key for me as well. I’d rather stick to something I know will be superb than try something just because it sounds different. Case in point: I passed on a couple of Festival specials in Wetherspoons last Saturday because they had Phoenix Wobbly Bob further down the bar. And then later in The Trackside I was drinking my way through their Halloween themed beers quite happily until they put on a fresh cask of Dunham Stout, at which point I was nicely set for the night.

    @Aelvid – “Innovation is about freshly articulated, executed ideas.” I like it, very succinct. I think BrewDog have a bit more substance to them than their headline-grabbing attitude to media management suggests, though. Their core range – Punk IPA, 77 Lager, Trashy Blonde, that sort of thing – really is very good stuff and the off-the-wall specials are just the icing on the cake, IMHO.

    @Ben – I think CAMRA originated in a desire to promote un-canned, un-bottled beers, didn’t they? so although they’ve embraced the bottle maybe the can might be a container too far? I’m sure those better versed in CAMRA policy and lore than me could offer a more informed opinion…

    And Dobber is bloody brilliant, aye! Jo and I are heading down to the Marble Arch tomorrow afternoon, all being well and I sincerely hope they’ve got it on tap :)

    @Tandleman Interesting distinction. I suppose recipe innovation is always going to be more obvious at the point-of-sale though, so presumably any brewery looking to build a reputation as being innovative has to be recipe-innovative first and foremost?

  • Steve Wright

    Interesting article and some great links. One brewery which IMHO has stepped up to innovation just now is Adnams – who had an incredible kolsch on pump in my local back in Norfolk (The WOrlds End in Mulbarton), they’ve now started brewing a series of small-run ‘foreign influenced’ beers such as kolsch and are bringing new styles to an otherwise good-but-staid range. I think that’s a good hallmark of appropriate innovation: widening your drinkers palates and introducing some traditions from Europe and America.

    I think that’s where innovation can come from (when did you last see a really good wheat beer on pump/keg? Have you ever had rye beer?) rather than a technical lead, it’s mixing traditions and brining in influences. The range of malts now available is incredible so home brewers are often the innovators but it doesn’t seem to bubble up to commercial scales, but BrewDog are certainly the ones to watch.

    This year I was most impressed by the range and experimentation with real ales and cask beers in the USA… By comparison we do seem stuck in the same-old same-old paradigm hence saluting Adnams efforts.

  • http://theormskirkbaron.blogspot.com/ Baron Orm

    I used to only select from around 8 different ales in the supermarket when selecting some beer for the weekend. Now that I’ve started blogging/tweeting and ‘baron rating’ ales I’m a little more adventurous!

    I think you always need a good mix of the two – some steady common ‘every day’ tasting ales and then some more ‘tasty’ ones to mix things up a little.

    The twitter world has a lot to answer for as I’m now on the look out for some Thornbridge & Bath ales – both breweries I would have probably skipped for the common ones just a few months ago…

  • http://www.impymalting.wordpress.com Impy Malting

    Great post, wonderful links– really fleshing out a necessary discussion started by Tandleman.

    Steve makes an excellent point, “rather than a technical lead, it’s mixing traditions and bringing in influences.” I think many UK brewers are doing this– using hops from the US or New Zealand, mixing styles, but perhaps BrewDog is just more in-your-face about announcing it while others are perhaps doing it quietly? Crouch Vale’s Amarillo, using the American hop of the same name for a session bitter was a revelation to me– making a style I normally find boring to be quite compelling. Likewise, Harviestoun’s Schiehallion when I had it in the cask was really something unexpected for a lager.

    As someone who doesn’t care particularly for session bitters, it’s dismaying that they have such a hegemony over the pub pumps. I don’t think that’s what most drinkers want– it’s just what’s available.

    Blogging landlords like Stonch-Jeff have often commented that more complex and potent beers go very fast when on cask.

  • John Clarke

    “Innovation” – well, for the most part I don’t think there’s much truly new under the sun in the world of beer. Perhaps the exception to that rule is the trend for ageing beers in various spirit casks. Apart from that almost everything has been done before but clearly what we are seeing now is a revival and fresh interpretation of many old beer styles and that’s exciting, I think. But innovative? Not in the historical context. What isn’t a variation on an existing style?

    I read the Brew Dog man’s comments on CAMRA with a degree of bafflement. Unless I’ve missed something in the 30-odd years I have been in CAMRA I don’t think the organisation has ever focussed emphasis on beer styles. I know that in Manchester we have really celebrated some landmark new beers along the way – Yakima Grande Pale Ale from Brendan Dobbin’s West Coast Brewery was one of the first UK beers to really focus on US hops, and the incredible Pictish Blue Moon was a USA-style IPA some years before most people had heard of the stuff. If it’s a good beer then we have got behind it regardless of style.

    I wonder if he meant CAMRA’s emphasis on cask (and bottle) conditioning. I think people forget that CAMRA is not an organisation of general beer enthusiasts (although there are many in its ranks) but is there to promote cask and bottle conditioned beers. That’s what it does. I’m not saying that no-one in CAMRA cannot see that great beers can come in other forms (personally I think we are too hung up on bottle conditioning) but CAMRA is not there to promote them, it’s not its job

  • http://boakandbailey.com bailey

    A bit late to this discussion. Some of the subtlest but most striking innovations for me are things like single hop beers using unusual varieties. They taste different and teach you something at the same time. I really, really loved York Brewery’s Perle, for example, which used only that variety of noble German hop.

  • http://www.darrenturpin.me.uk Darren Turpin

    @Steve W – I do like the sound of Adnams new brews, yes. Just wish a few more larger independents would follow their lead and try something even slightly outside of their comfort zone.

    @Baron – Bath are another brewery I rate highly as well – don’t think I’ve had a Bath Ale yet that I haven’t enjoyed. But again, they do seem to stick to a fairly traditional range of pale (golden) ales and bitters. Do they even have a stout in their range? Can’t remember off the top of my head… [quick check of the website] I take it back, they do: Dark Hare. I just haven’t been lucky enough to meet that one yet.

    @Impy – There’s another interesting discussion about session beer shaping up on Tandleman’s blog at the moment. Sounds like the problem with session beers is that they actually are what most drinkers want, it’s the enthusiasts like us who cause trouble by expecting something different, interesting, original, innovative, flavourful etc. And I agree that Steve’s point about traditions and influences is probably key to the innovation question.

    @John C – It’s hard to come up with something genuinely new after all, but it ought to be relatively easy to blend, merge, extrapolate and generally experiment in order to produce something that’s different enough to be interesting. Good point as well about CAMRA’s mission statement not being about promoting innovation per se.

    @Bailey – Good point as well: sometimes you don’t have to have a mash-up of multiple style to create something innovative; making a single ingredient work to the very best of its potential can be impressive as well, certainly.

    And Big Thanks to everyone for commenting and making this one an interesting discussion!

Latest Comments

Recent Comments

Powered by Disqus

Subscribe for Updates

Facebook


Twitter Lists

I follow over 2,500 beer-themed Twitter accounts via @FolkAle and have organised many of them into lists:

If you run a beer-relevant Twitter account and would like to be listed, please follow me at @FolkAle and I’ll take a look.