Beer people – Jules Gray

Sheffield Beer Week celebrated its 10th anniversary this March. Now that the dust has settled on another successful event, we talk to organiser Jules Gray to get her thoughts on how it has developed since its beginning in 2015.

What changes do you think you’ve seen over the last 10 years?

When we started, it’s the first one so I don’t necessarily think people understand what it is, or what you’re trying to achieve, which is understandable. It was great in that first year that we had a few venues like the Rutland and Shakespeare’s that really got on board straight away and it launched in a very short space of time. I think we organised it in two months.

How many venues were involved the first year.

Probably only about twenty venues and maybe about twenty events. But then once it happened, people saw the positivity from it, not only the people attending events but the economic and longer term benefits of it. The year after it basically doubled in size. At its maximum it was something like forty venues with over seventy events.

How do you think that the Sheffield beer scene has changed in the ten years.

Well, it’s changed in lots of different respects. There’s some of the longer standing Sheffield breweries that are still around, such as Abbeydale, and recently of course Kelham Island Brewery is under new ownership, but it’s still around.

So there’s been a changing of the guard as it were. I’ve seen breweries launch and sadly disappear, such as North Union who actually launched in Sheffield Beer Week. St Mars Of The Desert opened up around the end of 2018-2019 and it’s about recognising that a brewery might be in Sheffield but will be importing ingredients from all around the world and also doing collaborations, which is something that I’ve seen develop.

There’s been a move for traditional breweries to try experimental styles, such as mixed fermentation brewing, and also put in their beers not only in a firkin or keg, but putting it in cans and bottles. When I started Hop Hideout in 2013 I think I only had Bradfield and Kelham Island I could sell in bottles from local breweries.

Are there any standout breweries or beers over the 10 years?

Ohh, that’s difficult. And my memory is terrible these days. I mean, the Abbeydale & Thornbridge collab, ‘Stepping Stones’, was a big thing. I really like the Edward Carpenter beer that we did with Lost Industry. It was a beetroot sour, which was bright purple and had this earthy sourness. He was a Sheffield character from the late 1800’s who lived openly as a gay man in Sheffield and fought for gay rights and women’s suffrage, things like that.

There was the ‘Right To Roam’ IPA we did with St Mars Of The Desert, that was a good one as well. It was a collaboration with Nick Hayes, who’s a best-selling author and campaigner for the countryside, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Kinder Trespass.

I’m really proud of the beer ‘Ethel’ that we did with Triple Point this year to celebrate Ethel Haythornthwaite. She was a passionate environmentalist who helped establish the Peak District.

To be honest, when I look back and I talk to people about it, there’s loads of amazing things that have been part of Beer Week.

Indie Beer Feast is now an important part of Sheffield Beer Week. When was that introduced?

I think the first indie beer feast was in 2018, it was just one day at the Abbeydale Picture House. I’ve always wanted to do a beer festival. It attracts people to the city. What typically happens when you put beer festival on is people visit places whilst they’re here, so it benefits the local economy and local beer businesses.

And have you had any breweries that have been at Indie Beer Feast every year?

I don’t know to be honest. Abbeydale have been quite a lot, but I’m not sure they’ve been at every one. In general, it’s chopped and changed. I generally have some Sheffield breweries represented and then a nice pick from across the country. People like to see a bit of variety.

I like to champion under-represented, minority groups and stuff as well, lots of women-owned businesses and things. So Neptune Brewery have poured quite a lot at Indie Beer Feast.

When you first started it did you think from the outset it would run for years.

I didn’t think that at all. I knew that I really wanted to do it, and I thought it would be really beneficial for a lot of people and I had a feeling that people would support it and be positive about it. I’ve never said this will go on for x number of years, it’s quite organic in that respect.

I noticed that there was four or five cask lines at Indy Beer Feast. Is that something that’s increased, because traditionally it always was mainly keg.

Yeah, it wasn’t ever set in stone you know. It was always down to the breweries, and it can be quite challenging with cask because of the venting and tapping and letting it settle. Obviously some of the newer breweries have typically focused on keg. For example, Kernel Brewery started in 2009 and its only recently they’ve started doing cask beer. But I I’ve always left it down to the brewery, it’s their choice.

You know, I think a lot of people are falling in love with cask beer again as it’s a traditional British way of brewing and packaging beer and I think it’s come full circle in a way. So some of those modern craft breweries are now producing more of it. I mean, some of those that were pouring were Sheffield breweries so it was easier for them but we had Torrside offering cask as well.

I do think that there will always be a place for cask ale.

Hop Hideout are moving to the new development at Leah’s Yard on Cambridge Street in Sheffield City Centre. Their Crowdfunder successfully raised nearly £10,000! Visit www.hophideout.co.uk  to keep up to date with their new move and opening this summer. We’ll talk again to Jules to get the lowdown on how the move has gone once they’re settled in the new premises.

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