Craft Metropolis Online Craft Beer Blog

Like most people I love a beer but what’s it actually like to make the stuff, and how hard is it, especially in the current climate? I sat down with relative newbies, Drop Project, to find out what modern challenges there are in making craft beer in 2024. Why start a brewery in such a […]

I’ll admit, 18 months-or-so ago, I never bothered stocking more than one or two alcohol-free beers. It wasn’t because I was such a booze-hound that I thought them a waste of time not worthy of shelf-space, but because there simply weren’t enough to go at. Now they seem to be everywhere: the ‘AF’ sector is […]

Of all the weird and wonderful beer styles that come through the shutters of Craft Metropolis towers, there’s one that holds more authority and decadence than any other – the barrel-aged beer. But what is it, how is it made and why – despite an exhale-inducing price tag – is it so flipping sought after? […]

When an email dropped in my inbox from Anspach & Hobday telling me they were looking at making a dent in the Guinness market with a similar product I have to be honest I thought “good luck with that one!”A couple of years on and I am happy to concede I was very wrong and […]

It’s summer which means it’s beer festival season. Who doesn’t want endless taps of beer in one setting and a party atmosphere? But which are the best? 1) Independent Manchester Beer Convention (Indy Man Beer Con or IMBC)is often seen as the holy grail, the number 1 and the most prestigious beer festival in the […]

It’s pretty hard keeping up with most trends these days. Should I be on TikTok, is oat milk the new coconut milk, and is reverse yoga even a thing? Craft beer is much the same. Sometimes it feels like you need a personal assistant just to keep tabs on all the new breweries popping up […]

At this time of year lower ABV beers come into their own so as part of a look into innovation in craft beer I sat down with one of the UK’s most exiting no/low alcohol craft beer brewery Mash Gang to find out more about their 0% beers and how they make them. Here’s what […]

“Absolute madness and an impossible dream.” That’s the verdict one industry expert on the craft beer industry right now. With the aftermath of COVID lingering and the cost of living and materials at an all time high it’s easy to see why, sadly, this comment might ring true. However, some brave souls are still following […]

It’s a little after office hours and I’m in a queue at, of all places, a bar. ‘What can I get you?’ asks the bartender as I make it to the front. He’s wearing a baseball cap and wire-rimmed glasses, and he dons the obligatory modern-beer-moustache. He’s smiling, enthusiastic and immediately likeable. ‘I’ll have a […]