If you’re anything like me, you might have noticed that a certain dark beer has slowly but surely become the most ubiquitous beer in the UK. I am of course talking about Guinness. Now the most popular beer in the country (by value) it feels almost impossible to escape the gravity created by The Black Stuff.

Many of the smaller breweries I speak to—particularly those in Ireland—malign the ubiquity of Guinness. But perhaps where there is one popular stout that a whole new generation of drinkers is drawing enjoyment from there is also opportunity. Convincing someone to switch up from their favourite macro lager into something a bit more complex is challenging, but if they’re already drinking stout, that way opportunities potentially lie.

At FyneFest I recruited a panel from three independent breweries who are doing incredibly exciting things with their dark beers. At Lost Cause, Colin Stronge is continuing the great work he built his reputation on at breweries like Buxton and Salt, but now completely under his own steam. In Northumberland, Rigg and Furrow is focused on producing beers with a sense of place, and this feeds into some truly unique stouts and porters. Marketing manager Harriet Edgar is here to fill us in on those. And at Barney’s Beer in Edinburgh, career brewer Andrew ‘Barney’ Barnett is getting really experimental with his post mortem series.

While you won’t get to taste through the beers like our gathered audience at FyneFest, by listening to this you will get to enjoy a fascinating, and hugely jovial conversation about why we love dark beers with three hugely entertaining guests. The laughter and merriment throughout is a great reminder of why we return to the festival every year, and why you should consider joining us next time around. Until then, get your ears around this.

We’re able to produce The Pellicle Podcast directly thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and our sponsors Get ‘Er Brewed. If you’re enjoying this podcast, or the weekly articles we publish, please consider taking out a monthly subscription for less than the price of a pint a month.

Let’s begin the description of this episode with a mea culpa.

In February 2025 I visited the Trading Route, a new venue from the people behind Manchester Union Brewery, and Manchester restaurants Trof, and Stow. One of the main reasons I was excited to go was because Manchester Union co-founder Will Evans had appeared in an Instagram video advertising slow poured versions of their lager, complete with voluminous creamy heads.

Slow poured lager—like that offered at Denver’s Bierstadt Lagerhaus—is something I love. This method of pouring the beer in stages, letting the beer rest for anywhere between three to seven minutes between each stage of a three or four part pour has this magical effect of bringing out malt sweetness. This works particularly well in bitter lager beers, such as Bierstadt’s eponymous Slow Pour Pils. Manchester Union’s own lager is a 12º Czech-style, decoction mashed pilsner, with a bitterness of around 35IBU (International Bitterness Units) which brings it close the the 39 possessed by perhaps the most famous Czech lager in the world: Pilsner Urquell.

Only, that’s not quite what happened. The food was fantastic, the lager itself tasted great. But when it came to the slow pour, I found the experience to be lacklustre, so I decided to use the experience to practise my critical writing skills over at my personal blog, Total Ales.

Here’s the thing though. Trading Route, sidled right up to the brand new Aviva Studios (or Factory International or whatever you want to call it) is a lone independent in a sea of transplanted London-chains, from Hawksmoor to Dishoom, and even a brand new Caravan Coffee right next door. Good ideas often take time to perfect, especially without the same level of resources of those chains I’ve just mentioned. Was zooming in for a hot take three months into Trading Route existence the right thing to do? Maybe, just maybe, I jumped the gun a little with my review.

Regardless, I’ve now been back to the Trading Route—in a way, Manchester Union’s de facto taproom—several times, and on my last two visits the Slow Pour was served as advertised. I also took this opportunity to catch up with Will on record, and have an important conversation about the brewery he helped to establish in 2018, because it’s a brewery worth knowing about. Manchester Union is the city’s only dedicated lager brewery, and the fact that they’re concentrating on Czech style lagers (including a fantastic dark lager) is an important point of difference to me. How do you stand out when lager is still the most visible product on any given bar? The answer is quite Mancunian in nature, as it happens: to do things differently.

In this episode of the Pellicle Podcast I catch up with brewery co-founder Will Evans and get to the nub of what makes Manchester’s only dedicated lager brewery tick.

With special thanks to our dedicated Patreon supporters who help bring the Pellicle Podcast to life.

One of the best things about making a yearly trip to Fyne Ales for FyneFest is that I get to check in on the brewery’s Origins side project.

It’s the vehicle for its wild beers, typically produced using mixed or spontaneously fermented and then barrel-matured beer, and often showing locally grown fruit, or forage herbs. These beers are a long way from cherished Fyne Ale classics like Jarl or Highlander, but they arguably show an even greater ‘sense of place’ than the cask beers that put this particular brewery on the map.

For the past couple of years the project has been under the stewardship of Dan Wye, an experienced brewer who now lives next door to the brewery in Glen Fyne. When he took the project on he was given carte blanche to make Origins his own, which he did initially by gutting and cleaning the small brewery he uses to produce wort, and even getting rid of a few barrels he felt didn’t meet his standards.

Any fermentation project such as this needs time, and now we’re at the point where Dan has his feet under the table, and Origins is beginning to produce some incredibly special beers. Among these are what Dan likes to refer to as ‘Chimeras’. Named for the mythical beast from the Greek classics, with the body and head of a lion, the head of a goat and a snake for a tail, Dan’s Chimera’s are far less threatening. Instead he uses the term to describe hybrid beers that are designed to ape beverages like wine or cider, but don’t feature any of the ingredients that would be traditionally used to make such drinks.

The results are pretty magical, with beers such as Smudan employing Nelson Sauvin hops before being further aged on gooseberries, elderflower, limes, sunflowers, marigolds and borage to imitate both the mouthfeel and flavour of cold climate Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a seriously impressive beer, but don’t take my word for it. The beer is carried by local restaurant, Inver, which presently holds a Michelin green star.

If you recognise Dan’s name, it’s because he featured on a Pellicle podcast recorded at FyneFest in 2024. On this occasion Dan spoke alongside The Kernel’s Evin O’Riordain, Mark Tranter of Burning Sky, and Will Harris of Balance Brewing in Manchester. This year, we figured seeing as he’d been super busy releasing lots of beers, and the fact we’re literally on his doorstep, it might be nice to have a one to one conversation about what he’s been up to.

Speaking of which, keep your eyes out for a forthcoming Origins, Pellicle collab in the not too distant future. I’ll be heading to Fyne Ales for non-FyneFest related reasons for the first time ever to help make a foraged beer that helps explore a notion I’m rather cynical about… Terroir. Expect more details soon!

We’re able to produce The Pellicle Podcast directly thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and our sponsors Loughran Brewers Select. If you’re enjoying this podcast, or the weekly articles we publish, please consider taking out a monthly subscription for less than the price of a pint a month.

About 10 years ago I was roaming along Red Bank in a part of Manchester city centre I was hopelessly unfamiliar with. On either side of me were tall stone walls topped with railway bridges, boxing me in and hiding the sun from view. Not another soul was to be seen. I sincerely hoped I was in the right place.

Thankfully, a few moments later, I was met by a smiling face that had emerged from a red door in the side of one of these dark, Mancunian trenches. Here was Mark Welsby, the founder of The Runaway Brewery and soon he was leading me on a quick tour and tasting. Although it was a while ago, I still remember being thoroughly impressed, especially with his sweet, chewy and resinous American Brown Ale.

As the years passed I got to know Mark increasingly well, especially after I relocated to Manchester myself in 2020. But more recently we’ve become very familiar, as in 2023 he moved Runaway to Stockport, opening a small brewery and taproom a mere 10 minute stroll from my own front door. This means that rarely a week goes by without me bumping into him or his wife and business partner Sam, because the space they’ve built in Stockport is wonderful, and the beer is tasting better than ever.

Located in a former metalworks, opposite Stockport’s brand new £140 million bus terminal and right on the banks of the River Mersey as it begins its journey westwards to Liverpool, Runaway has built a space the local community can be proud of. Featuring seating across two levels, twelve beers on tap (including two on cask) and pizza from another excellent local business, Honest Crust, in a roundabout way, it's a shining symbol of Stockport’s continuing redevelopment.

But more than that, it’s a sign of Mark’s intent. When the brewery moved here in April 2023, he signed a 10 year lease. This is where the next stage of this brewery’s development is to be, and it's here for the long haul.

In the latest episode of the Pellicle Podcast—and as part of a wider, more concerted effort to focus on what’s happening within the Manchester Beer Scene—I chat to Mark about the origins, and first decade of The Runaway Brewery, before discussing what it means to have relocated, after embedding itself within the Stockport community.

We’re able to produce The Pellicle Podcast directly thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and our sponsors Loughran Brewers Select. If you’re enjoying this podcast, or the weekly articles we publish, please consider taking out a monthly subscription for less than the price of a pint a month.

Should we scrap the pint measure? Or is the very notion of doing so rooted in prejudices like classism?

These were the questions I asked following the September 2024 publication of a study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge. Back then my focus was singular: why indeed did such a study focus specifically not just on beer, but on pubs? Its focus was to look at alcohol consumption rates, and investigate if reducing the size of the available measures would in turn reduce the rate of alcohol consumed.

Following the study’s publication, I contemplated why it focused on the pub, when around 60% of alcohol is now consumed in the home. It eventually led to bigger questions, such as where the pint measure fits within the fabric of British culture itself. This, I felt, was the perfect subject for an old-fashioned debate.

Once again, this summer we headed up to FyneFest to host our Meet the Brewer tastings and panel discussions, and we decided to kick off Friday evening with this very topic of conversation. I was pleased to welcome back two previous Pellicle podcast guests, in the form of Rooster’s Ol Fozard and Lost Cause Brewing’s Vik Kastenbauer Stronge. It was also a pleasure to welcome Chris Shepherd from Cambridge-based Pastore brewing, for what I hope won’t be his only appearance on this podcast.

While the festival got underway around us, we kicked our debate into action. You might say that being members of the beer industry, this is a side of the discussion loaded with some bias. But you’ll also hear some really interesting questions from the audience, including former CAMRA national executive chair Colin Valentine, and some other surprising guests.

As conversations around alcohol and health continue I’m sure this is a discussion that will come back around pretty soon. But in terms of the pint as a British cultural reference point, this is a fascinating panel, and one I hope you enjoy.

We’re able to produce The Pellicle Podcast directly thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and our sponsors Loughran Brewers Select. If you’re enjoying this podcast, or the weekly articles we publish, please consider taking out a monthly subscription for less than the price of a pint a month.

It’s fair to say I’ve developed something of an obsession with Theakston’s Old Peculier. Ever since deputy ed. Katie Mather and I sat down and had a couple of pints in Manchester’s The Salisbury a year or so ago, it’s become a cornerstone of my drinking habits. Katie went on to write a very fine profile of this majestic beer, and following that the brewery reached out and invited me to the brewery for a tour.

Politely, I asked if, while there, I’d be able to record an interview with its former managing director, now chair, Simon Theakston. His wing of the family acquired the brewery from previous owners Heineken in 2003, bringing it back under family control for the first time since 1987. Simon and his brothers share the same grandfather as would-be heir, Paul Theakston, who in 1993, seemingly in defiance at his family brewery’s loss of independence, founded Black Sheep Brewery (which has now entered its own tumultuous phase.)

To my delight, they agreed, but getting to the brewery itself was an issue. I don’t drive, and the market town of Masham, North Yorkshire, where the brewery is located, is a fair way from the nearest train station. Thankfully the brewery found a solution. Current MD Richard Bradbury offered to pick me up from Sheffield station, as he commuted to work from his home in Derbyshire. This gave me a great opportunity to chat to Richard about his own background—how his career started at Bank’s in his home of Wolverhampton, and how he worked on various Heineken brands before landing the role at Theakstons—during the drive over. Richard also kindly agreed to sit in on the podcast, and he shares some useful perspective within.

What was most interesting about meeting and chatting to Simon himself, was explaining to him my aims and intent, and what Pellicle is all about. He seemed genuinely thrilled that our young magazine is so dedicated towards the coverage of cask beer, and afterwards kindly allowed me to ask questions at will—including, yes, about beer duty and the Small Brewers Duty Reform Coalition (SBDRC).

Simon also gave me an in depth tour of the brewery, including a look at its vintage (and that’s an understatement) grain mill, and the famous Steel’s masher that helps contribute towards the unique character of Theakston’s ales. My favourite part of the tour—other than when Simon poured me a pint of Old Peculier from the wood—was the fermentation room. Here in this corridor lined with open Yorkshire squares, the unmistakable aroma of Old Peculier was at its most potent. I also got to have a peek inside the cooperage, where in house journeyman cooper Euan Findlay builds the very casks that dispense this hallowed beer.

During the interview we get into all the good stuff, including the history of the brewery, and its current objectives as an old brewery in a very different market. We also dig into a bit of beer politics. It’s a very satisfying conversation, and one I hope you enjoy as much as I have done cutting it together. If you do enjoy this episode, do consider leaving the podcast a rating or review in the app you use to stream it, and sharing it with any friends who you think might find it interesting.

We’re able to produce The Pellicle Podcast directly thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and our sponsors Loughran Brewers Select. If you’re enjoying this podcast, or the weekly articles we publish, please consider taking out a monthly subscription for less than the price of a pint a month.

Those of you with good enough memories will remember I have some thoughts on terroir in beer. Basically, I think the concept is a scam, and that a product which is so influenced by not just a confluence of ingredients, but so much human intervention can’t possibly express the t-word.

However, I remain open-minded, and I try to let those opinions remain somewhat malleable. While beer as a finished product might not be the best device to showcase the influence of climatic conditions on ingredients and flavour, when it comes to those ingredients individually I admit that differences can be demonstrated.

Take, for example, Centennial, a public aroma hop variety that is known for expressing aromatics that range from freshly zested lemon rind to sun-warmed rose petals in full bloom. Centennial is a characterful hop that makes delicious beer, and if you don’t believe me just ask breweries like California’s Sierra Nevada, or Bell's Brewery in Michigan, who use this particular hop to stunning effect in beers such as Celebration and Two Hearted. In fact, the latter of those two beers is what we have to thank for the continued success and admiration for this particular hop variety.

But what’s the difference between a Centennial hop if it's grown in the hot, arid climate of Yakima Valley in Washington compared to the cooler climate of Woodburn, Oregon? While located further south, with the city being just outside of Portland, it's also closer to the coast, which brings in that cooler, Pacific air. It means the hops experience completely different growing conditions, giving Oregon Centennial its own vibe compared to the harvest a few hundred miles north.

Crosby Hops are the owners of that hop farm, and they are growing the Centennial that you find in Bell’s Two Hearted. But it’s also making its way over to the UK, and most recently it has been showcased in a new, nationally released IPA from the Leeds-based Northern Monk Brewery called Beyond. While it's still packed with that familiar pithy citrus, it also has something else—a brightness, a resonance if you will. It brings a distinctive character to the beer, and a lot of this is down to where it grows, and who grows it.

In this episode of The Pellicle Podcast I’m lucky enough to sit down, in person, with Christine Clair and Nolan Russll of Crosby Hops, a generational family-owned hop farm in Oregon, USA. It was a great opportunity to chat about both the challenges faced by, and the opportunities available to modern-day hop farmers, and there’s a good mix of chat that veers from the scientific and technical, to the romantic. Hops are an ingredient that gets a lot of people fired up about beer, so if you love hops, then this is an episode for you.

A special thank you to our sponsors at Brewers Select who made this episode possible by bringing Christine and Russell over to Beer X Liverpool, where this interview was recorded in March 2025.

We’re able to produce The Pellicle Podcast directly thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and our sponsors Loughran Brewers Select. If you’re enjoying this podcast, or the weekly articles we publish, please consider taking out a monthly subscription for less than the price of a pint a month.

If you’re a regular user of pubs I’m probably someone you’d refer to as a ‘transient’ pubgoer. I enjoy variety—the spice of life, as it were. Stimulation, for me, comes from visiting lots of different pubs, and here in Manchester I am spoiled for choice.

It’s easy enough for me to hop from Café Beermoth, to The City Arms, to Bundobust, to head over to The Salisbury for yet another Old Peculier. And if I jump back on a train or bus to where I live in Stockport, I can visit The Magnet, Ye Olde Vic, The Petersgate Tap, Runaway Brewery… you get the picture.

But it’s also part of a problem in that this desire I have to visit and experience lots of places often leaves me lacking the feeling of being grounded. And when you think about it, that’s one of the key reasons pubs exist in the first place. Thankfully, one pub, just down the road from me in the Stockport borough of Heaton Chapel, seems to have changed all of that. Here I have found a place where the staff know my name (and insist, for some reason, on always calling me by my full name), where they know what I want to drink before I order it, and where I can sit down and be in full conversation with other regulars within seconds. Here is somewhere I feel safe and welcome, always.

The place? Heaton Hops, a tiny pub (you might call it a ‘micropub’ but I find it diminutive so it's not a term I like to use) just off the busy A6 that’s nestled into a neighbourhood that has collected a multitude of similar small, independent businesses. A genuine community. The pub was founded in 2014 by husband and wife Damian O’Shea and Charlotte Winstone, initially as a bottle shop that sold a limited amount of beer to drink on premise. The needs of the community, however, dictated that it should be a pub first, and a bottle shop second, and so that’s what it became; home to eight lines of keg beer, and three hand pulls serving immaculately conditioned pints of real ale.

Me being me, in my fondness for this place I decided to pitch an article about it to BEER, the quarterly magazine for the Campaign for Real Ale I write for relatively frequently. The piece will be featured in the Summer 2025 edition, and so if you’re a member you’ll be receiving that around the beginning of June. Listening back to the interview recently, I thought wouldn’t Damian, essentially the landlord of my local, make a great podcast guest. And so I’ve edited that recording into a nice, half-hour interview for you to enjoy.

Damian and I chat about Heaton Hops itself, and how he came to own and run his own pub. But we also get stuck into what’s happening in terms of small, independent hospitality businesses at the moment, and what kind of beer gets Damian out of bed these days while also indulging ourselves in a bit of nostalgia for the early craft beer days. It’s a fun conversation, and one I hope you enjoy.

If you’d like to visit Heaton Hops (which is also featured in my book, Manchester’s Best Beer Pubs and Bars) you can find it at 7 School Lane, Stockport, SK4 5DE. You might even find me propping up the bar.

We’re able to produce The Pellicle Podcast directly thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and our sponsors Loughran Brewers Select. If you’re enjoying this podcast, or the weekly articles we publish, please consider taking out a monthly subscription for less than the price of a pint a month.