30 and still drinking beer

This day thirty years ago Paul Theakston of brewing dynasty fame opened my “tin pot” brewery in my in-laws garden sheds. The party was fuelled by an unintended but prescient very hazy, bitter, amber crafted beer. This was at the time in the Recession of 1991, out of a job twice in seven months, no money, a whopping house mortgage and the kids had free milk at school. 

Like all small breweries we faced the pubco giants and a slide in beer consumption. Beer duty relief for us tiddlers in 2003 and our move into bottling for others rescued us and gave birth to immense competition from great new craft beer makers who became our customers. 

Luck played its part too. We received our massive loan for a new brewery two months before the financial crash of 2008 and lending shut down. On March 16, 2020, we were in contract brewing and bottling in big way and very fortunately it has turned disaster into enabling a thirty year vision come true. 

With others far less lucky, I am relieved, ironically, to have paid my house mortgage and replaced it with a colossal debt for the new warehouse built during the meltdown of last year. 

I thank my dear family so much for their endeavours too, to make this anniversary happen and I am pleased I have handed over to the next generation, with a financial burden befitting their passion and skills. Good luck and I love you all!