Small Beer Brew Co. founders James and Felix often found themselves scanning pump clips in pubs for a beer they could enjoy during the work week, before heading home to their young families. Time and time again, they struggled to find a compelling option that delivered on quality and flavour but didn’t leave them suffering from the bleary-eyed consequences the following day… the holy grail of beers. It was here that their idea for Small Beer was born.
A ‘small beer’ is defined as being below 2.8% ABV, which is a little lower in alcohol than a traditional table beer. Though the concept is a great answer for the fast pace of a busy modern living, it isn’t anything new. In fact, it’s come on a big journey…all the way from Shakespeare’s heyday when it served as a safer alternative to drinking water. What a time!
Small Beer champions the mantra ‘think big, drink small’ because everything they do challenges the status quo, from redefining how beer can taste at a lower strength, to how it’s brewed.
At their South Bermondsey brewery, they always use the highest quality ingredients, brewing with twice the typical amount in order to make sure all their beers never fail to deliver on taste. The brewery also houses their one-of-a-kind brewing kit, specifically designed for the purpose of brewing to small beer strength, as well as making sure they do so in the most sustainable way.
Where industry standards typically require 8-10 pints of water for every pint of beer brewed, their bespoke brewing kit needs just 1 ½ pints of water to brew one pint of Small Beer. As a result, they’re one of the UK’s first breweries to operate a ‘Dry Floor’ policy, saving over 2.5m litres of water since they started brewing in 2019, inspiring positive change across the industry and winning multiple awards for their innovative approach.
Small Beer is also London’s first brewery to achieve B Corp certification, which recognises organisations who use business as a force for good by reaching the highest standards of social and environmental impact.
The team lives by the belief that sometimes the smallest things can add up to making the biggest difference, which is why they work hard to constantly make conscious choices throughout the business. Whether it’s interrogating their supply chains or designing minimal packaging that’s made from recycled materials, their priority is to produce as little waste as possible, so that they’re always brewing with the world in mind.
Small Beer’s Lager and Session IPA are now available in all Oddbins stores and online. Click the images below for more -
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