If you’ve enjoyed some of the fantastic imperial stouts produced by Azvex then you’ll know that Jack Walker is a maestro when it comes to this style of beer. Here he shares how you can make one of your very own. I’ve done my best here to make an Azvex style take on a big coffee and vanilla stout. This is a deliciously un-efficient and difficult style of beer to make.   I have no bones about using sugars and DME on a homebrew scale to stop those modest mash tuns from bursting at the seams, and still get a decent yield or beer in the end.  I prefer DME to dextrose as there is a flavour ..read more

As head brewer at Liverpool-based Azvex, Jack Walker is responsible for creating a raft of celebrated beers. Here’s how made his start in the world of beer and the breweries that helped him along the way. I started home brewing at university. I won’t lie, the concept of cheap booze was a major driving factor.  At first, it was just a case of buying pre-hopped malt extract, some hot water, an included packet of yeast and some equipment bought from Wilkos.  As a biomedical science student, you’d think I may have a passing understanding of sanitation. Alas, I am fairly sure there were s ..read more

Brewing industry veteran Rupert Thompson has agreed an investment deal with London craft brewer Mondo, which secures the future of the Mondo brands, as well as its brewery and taproom in Battersea. Following a prepack administration, the deal will see brewing continue at Mondo’s Battersea site. As well as delivering a fresh injection of capital to drive continued growth of the Mondo brands including Dennis Hopp’r, Road Soda and Little Victories, the financing will allow investment to be made in the Mondo tap room, and in additional sales and marketing activities. Thompson, owner of ‘TEA ..read more

BarthHaas is expanding its innovative PHA (Precision in Hop Aroma) product range with a series of water-based alternatives designed to enable the production high-quality beers and other hop-based beverages to be produced more efficiently and more profitably. With PHA products added after filtration, the company said they make it easier to produce beers with different flavours from one single production stream. “This enables breweries to diversify their product portfolio and increase product efficiency at the same time,” explained Hannes Schneeberger, head of sales management at BarthHaas. “It ..read more

Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) has launched DynaBoost, described as an “exceptionally flowable variety-specific hop extract”. The product, formerly known as YCH 702, is designed for whirlpool use and was created using a proprietary process, capturing true-to-type hop aroma attributes and delivering them to your beer in an easy-to-pour bottle. Tessa Schilaty, technical marketing manager at YCH said: “It’s rewarding to introduce a product that encapsulates our research into a practical, innovative solution for brewers. “DynaBoost not only enhances the sensory palate with its high concentration of beer ..read more

What’s the largest event you’ve organised alcohol licensing for?  Well, today’s guest has licensed major festivals such as Glastonbury, pubs, bars – oh and the King’s Coronation, too. Piers Warne is a licensing lawyer at TLT and has 20- plus years’ experience licensing premises for the sale of alcohol and other licensable activities. This includes licensing breweries for direct sales to customers, online sales and for taprooms. He has acted on the licensing around sale and purchase of major breweries and small start-ups across the country and on registrations for AWRS and other relevant ..read more

Big Drop Brewing Co, one of the UK’s leading alcohol-free brands, has successfully challenged a trademark on the term ‘Dry January’ in a tribunal held by the UK Intellectual Property Office*.  The trademark for Dry January was registered by Alcohol Research UK (now known as Alcohol Change UK) in 2014 to support its science-based resources for harmful and hazardous drinkers. This was in the primary class of educational and behavioural change programmes but, in 2022, ACUK sought to extend the trademark in new areas of products and services. According to the company, this atte ..read more

The brewer’s spent yeast market is projected to grow from a size of $1.46 billion in 2023 to reach $2.17 billion (£1.75bn) by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.83%, new research shows. The figures steam from a new report titled “Brewer’s Spent Yeast Market by Type (Dry, Liquid), Category (Primary Spent Yeast, Secondary Spent Yeast), Application – Global Forecast 2024-2030” from 360iResearch.com. According to the report, the rise of sustainable and cost-effective alternatives in the animal feed industry has led to the innovative use of brewer’s spent yeast (BSY), a nutrient-rich by-product of the brewing pr ..read more

Zevero, a decarbonisation platform that empowers companies to reach a net zero future, has announced it has been acquired by Singapore-based climate tech startup, Levelup. The multi-million-pound deal will see the two companies merge under the Zevero brand and expand operations across Asia, Europe and the U.S., fuelling Zevero’s access to the global $15 billion* carbon accounting market. Zevero’s innovative software platform uses AI-driven carbon modelling, automated emissions calculations and real-time analytics to help companies within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry to accura ..read more

The team from Our Farm by Simon Rogan have worked alongside the multi-award-winning Fell Brewery in Flookburgh to collaborate on a second beer in their collaborative series of four limited edition brews. Using surplus produce grown on the farm near the Lake District village of Cartmel, the two teams have crafted a Courgette & Mint Gose for Spring. Gose beers are unique in their style, with an unconventional salty and sour flavour profile. Gose beers have a different flavour profile and a low ABV, meaning that they are more versatile when adding unusual ingredients like courgette or fresh h ..read more