It’s almost the first weekend of June, which means we’ll be soon making our way north to Glen Fyne to host our third instalment of Meet the Brewer talks and panel discussions at this year's FyneFest! Jonny and Matt will be in attendance to host a total five discussions over the Friday and Saturday, with a range of topics from sustainability in beer, to the developments in modern British lager among the highlights.

The talks take place within the Top Barn, adjacent to the brewery taproom and courtyard, just before you enter the festival site itself. It should be well signposted but just ask one of the crew if you’re struggling to find it and they will point you in the right direction. Tickets are free, but you need to register online to get them. The Top Barn has limited capacity so do make sure you sign up if you want to catch one of these talks.

As per previous years, all of the discussions will be recorded and broadcast on The Pellicle Podcast, and make sure you arrive curious, as there will be space for a Q&A with our panellists at the end of each talk. Check out the full schedule below, and see you in the Glen in just a few days!

Huge thanks to our friends at Fyne Ales for being a Pro-Tier Patreon subscriber. If you’d like to support Pellicle with a monthly or yearly donation, you can sign up here.

Friday 2nd June

6pm: The Big Price of Beer Debate

From the pandemic to Brexit, the cost of living crisis has impacted everyone’s pockets. For brewers, the price of beer production is through the roof, with rising ingredient costs and soaring energy bills, everything has become significantly more expensive. Perhaps the greatest challenge, however, is passing this cost onto the consumer. Beer is an egalitarian product, and drinkers have always had an expectation that it remains affordable, accessible, and live in hope that it doesn’t become a very occasional luxury.

In this debate, featuring members of the brewing industry and hosted by Pellicle co-founder Matthew Curtis, we’ll discuss the difficult subject that is the price of a pint. From the cost at the bar, to concepts like premiumisation, and whether there’s actually a benefit (or not) to the price of beer going up, no stone will be left unturned. Audience participation will be encouraged—think of this as like Question Time but with much more beer.

Hosted by Matthew Curtis and featuring Andy Parker (Elusive Brewing), Charlie Harding (Bonne Vivante Marketing) and Alice Hayward (Cloudwater). Get tickets here

Saturday 3rd June

12pm: Exploring Modern British Lager with Jonathan Hamilton

Perhaps one of the most exciting things to have happened within the UK brewing industry over the past decade is the birth of modern British lager. Whether they’ve been directly inspired by the brewing traditions of Germany and the Czech Republic, or by more contemporary influences such as the American West Coast, the wealth of great lager beers now produced by British breweries, from Helles, to Baltic Porters and even newer styles such as India Pale Lager, is breathtaking.

For this discussion you’ll join Pellicle co-founder, lager enthusiast, and Heriot Watt brewing and distilling masters alumni Jonathan Hamilton, along with an expert panel of brewers to chat about all things lager. If you want to learn your infusion mashing from decoction, or about things such as the influence and flavour of heritage barley varieties in lager brewing, then this is the discussion for you — and if you’re lucky you may get to taste a few examples for yourself while it takes place!

Hosted by Jonathan Hamilton and featuring Colin Stronge (SALT) and two more guests TBC. Get tickets here

1:15pm: Make Beer Fun Again — How Do We Maintain Our Enjoyment Of Beer?

We can all agree that the last few years have been tough, and as a result, it can be difficult to find the joy in life’s simple pleasures — of which beer is one of the best. The past decade in British brewing has been pretty exhausting, with thousands of newcomers entering the category, many of whom have been in a race to make the haziest, juiciest, pastriest, and most intense beers possible. As a result, many of us have reached our saturation point within beer culture.

For this panel discussion, Jonathan Hamilton will speak to people from within the beer industry about their own experiences of what we’re calling ‘beer burnout’ and discuss ways in which we can regain joy from the simple pleasure that is enjoying a well made glass of beer. There’ll also be plenty of opportunity for audience participation, so feel free to bring along your own experiences of beer burnout, and hopefully, together, we can learn to Make Beer Fun Again.

Hosted by Jonathan Hamilton and featuring Lucy Clarke (Sureshot), Aidy Fenwick (Fyne Ales), and Dominic Driscoll (Thornbridge). Get tickets here

3pm: For Beer; For The Planet — The Importance of Sustainability in Brewing

There is no getting away from the fact that producing beer is a hugely energy intensive process. The very nature of brewing requires boiling a huge vat of liquid, which then needs to be cooled quickly, and kept at near freezing temperatures for several weeks. The finished product also needs constant refrigeration if it’s to be kept at its best. Other processes connected to brewing, such as the farming of ingredients, and the production of the chemicals used for sanitisation, all add to its large carbon footprint.

In this panel discussion, hosted by Matthew Curtis, we’ll examine what both breweries and the folks who drink their beer can do to encourage breweries to take responsibility for adopting more sustainable practices in brewing. There’s plenty to debate, from the use of organic grains, to carbon dioxide capture and reuse, to the controversial deposit return scheme that may, or may not have rolled out in Scotland by the time this discussion comes around. Join us as we try to figure out beer’s role in a more sustainable future for our planet.

Hosted by Matthew Curtis and featuring Sarah Luxon (Wiper & True), Jamie Delap (Fyne Ales), and Sam McMeekin (Gypsy Hill). Get tickets here

4:15pm: Is Independence in Brewing More Important Than Ever?

During one of our first ever panel discussions at FyneFest, held way back in 2019, we spoke about the importance of independence in brewing. Not only were the results of the conversation inconclusive, two of the breweries represented in that discussion — Hawkshead and Harbour — have since sold out to larger corporations…

With several years having passed since this talk took place, and the brewing landscape also having changed dramatically during this time, we felt it was time to return to it once again and ask: is independence more important than ever? Join Matthew Curtis for a debate featuring an expert panel to work out if there is still genuine value for both breweries and their customers in remaining independent, or if it’s time to sell out and cash in, while there’s still time.

Hosted by Matthew Curtis and featuring Darron Anley (Siren), Vik Stronge (Magic Rock), Matt Clarke and Michelle Gay (Lakes Brew Co.) Get tickets here

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