Over the decades, Liverpool has had more than its fair share of musical output. Echo and the Bunnymen, Cast, The Teardrop Explodes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and its most famous sons, The Beatles, have all introduced the City of Pop to a global audience. But to reduce Liverpool to a set of four chords or mop-tops would do this incredible cultural hub a disservice.
In addition to its music and other largest export – its football teams, Liverpool United and Everton F.C – the city is a fabulous destination for beer and food tourism.
The Grapes is a must-visit pub with an atmosphere to match, serving a range of well-kept cask ales and cosy vibes. Dead Crafty on Dale Street is a cool little bar, often with a range of international beers on tap, including rare gems from the USA. Azvex Brewery & Taproom is always worth a visit when you’re in the city, as is Bundobust – the home of some of the finest vegetarian Indian street food you’ll ever sample. (The Paneer Tikka skewers are simply divine!).
In fact, one of my favourite breweries – now sadly closed – hailed from the maritime city. Mad Hatter Brewery, famed for it’s Tzaiki Sour and its mad brewer known as, wait for it… Mad Gaz, put together some mad beer styles including the gone but not forgotten Rauchbier, Smokey Bacon… and Banana, which tasted like those two things, only in liquid form.
Today, Mad Hatter may be in the deep realms of modern beer legends, and it’s one of Liverpool’s lesser known breweries who are now making waves across the beer scene.
Founded at the start of 2024, based on a very nondescript industrial estate in Bootle, north of the city centre, Colbier Brew Co are quickly becoming a new favourite in and around Merseyside and beyond. Having already had tap takeovers in prestigious craft beer venues such as Manchester’s Port Street Beer House and Sheffield’s The Old Shoe, Colbier literally make Proper Sound Beers. Inspired by their love of music, Mike Corbett, Vik and Stu are brewing classic beer styles literally to the soundtrack of classic songs.
When I visited the brewery, Mike – who, on the day bore, a bit of wild resemblance to 1970’s American rock artist Dennis Wilson – was listening to some serious Beach Boys deep cuts, which alone – in my opinion – makes Colbier one of the coolest breweries there is.
In this discussion, I sit down with co-founders Mike and Stu to talk about everything from starting a brewery with limited cash reserves, digging your own drainage channel with a heavy duty jack hammer, as well as their approach to sales as a new brewery and how to wrestle a cobbled together kit into submission and still make proper sound beers.
I also chat to Crisp Malting Group Technical Sales Manager, Sarah Marshall, about this year’s British malt harvest and what brewers can expect.
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