Episode 178: From Bitters to Barrel Farms: Connecting the two with Ampersand Brew Co

On the podcast this week, we're joined by Andy from Ampersand Brew Co, based in Diss, Norfolk (UK). Started by a family team of Amy, Andy & Adrian Hipwell in a converted barn on the family farm, the team have now expanded and moved to our current site in Diss.  Their bespoke brewhouse, designed and fabricated to their own unique set up and specification was specifically designed to optimise what they like to brew and to put people at the heart of the brewhouse, to ensure people get home on time.The brewery was set up to produce high-quality small-batch beer, following their simple philosophy of producing the beer we want to drink to the best standard possible.  On their website, Ampersand states, ‘By doing this we hope the beer speaks for itself and that you will enjoy it as much as we do.’Having been kind enough by Andy to send me some of their beers, I can personally attest to the quality of their beers.  Everything from the most straightforward Golden Promise Bitter through to their complex Mixed Ferm Amber Larger truly hit the spot, with no flavour, aroma or mouthfeel out of place.In addition to brewing a variety of clean beer styles, Ampersand has its own barrel farm, purely dedicated to mixed fermentation and wood-aged beers.In this episode, we share a few beers and discuss everything from cask ale, commissioning a new brewhouse and barrel-aged beers, through to how Covid was the catalyst for committing their beers into cans more frequently, which - in turn - allowed the brewery to reach a national audience.THE HOP FORWARD PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY CHARLES FARAMCharles Faram have been sellers of hops since 1865 and hop growers for even longer.They stock nitrogen-flushed leaf hops, T90 and T45 pellets, and, to ensure their hops remain in optimum condition, they have state-of-the-art cold stores at their sites in Worcestershire and Yakima in the USA.At charlesfaram.com brewers can shop by pay-as-you-go or using agreed credit terms for yeast, malt, fruit purees and other brewing products.  In addition to leading varities from across the world, the Faram’s Family range brings to you Archer®, Emperor®, Godiva™, Harlequin®, Jester®, Most™, Mystic™, Olicana®, and Opus® from their Hop Development Programme right here in the UK.If you would like more information or expert advice visit the brewer’s resources and FAQ pages of the website or contact their technical advisors for different uses, application and recipes. They’re always really happy to help.Visit www.charlesfarm.co.uk to find out more.Follow Hop Foward on social media:hopforward.beer | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook