Moving house can be an exciting time in anyone’s life. So, imagine how exciting moving to a new brewing premises could be. That’s what South London based brewery Drop Project Brewing Co have lined up. They will not only have the ability to make more of their quality beers, but the site will be an awesome place to hang out, drink beers and maybe have a cheeky skate on the brewery half pipe…that’s right, a halfpipe!
We caught up with Drop Project founder’s William, John and Joe to find out a little more about the brewery and what’s in store for them over the next 12 months.
Q. Can you tell me a little about Drop Project?
We are three guys with a big passion for beer and boardsports. We have a big environmental focus and wish to produce amazing, quality and interesting beers whilst maintaining that focus.
Q. How is your beer connected to the local area?
Right now, though our independent customers all around South London. As we are moving sites our web-shop is down but will be up in a matter of weeks so watch that space.
Q. What do you think is unique about your beer and your brewery?
I think what really makes us unique is our drive to match our hobbies and morals into an additional passion, which is of course great beer, brewing and an industry we love being a part of!
Q. How do you decide on what new beers to brew?
Well, the inspiration can be literally drawn from anywhere for a new beer or concept, usually it’s from our own experience it could be a great trip somewhere, usually it’s a great trip and a great beer you had. Then you try to replicate something similar. Seasonal and market decisions do play a part also. Occasionally we will also just push the boat out on a new concept, process or ingredient we have read about or cooked up.
Q. Are there any beer styles you are looking at tackling in the future that you haven’t done already?
Mixed ferm/barrel ageing definitely on the cards for future and of course more lager beer a style we just have not been able to push due to our first year as gipsy brewers.
Q. How important do you think collaborations are with other breweries?
I think it depends on why you are doing the collaboration in the first place. Don't get me wrong coming together with friends and ex colleagues to brew for old times and new is a perfectly good reason. But for the most part I think it needs to mean something and be a bit more than a plain marketing exercise.
The best collaborations are when for whatever the reason you turn up and both teach each other something valuable and walk away better brewers for it. Hype brewery plus another Hype brewery doesn't always equal a good beer.
Q. What efforts do you make to be environmentally friendly?
We currently brew on a site that has a huge solar field plugging energy back into the grid, we compost all of our liquid waste and our solid waste is repurposed into animal feed. We utilise high efficiency energy sources like gas and steam in the brewery as opposed to just everything electric.
To offset the carbon we do burn we also plant a tree every time we make a beer. To date, one year in, we have planted over 30 trees. All our merchandise is Earth Positive clothing, meaning it’s organic and 90% carbon reduction manufactured. With our equipment, we try to buy as much in the UK as we can and work with environmentally conscious suppliers and being local means it doesn't have to be shipped half way around the world.
Q. What have been your biggest challenges over the last 12 months?
I think starting a brewery is a huge challenge, starting mid pandemic is even bigger. But we are all facing this together.
Q. What are the problems you run into in producing beer?
Mainly this year has been not being able to produce enough given we have been working out of an external site. That and sourcing and maintaining quality and ethical ingredients.
Q.Have you produced a beer that didn’t turn out how you expected it to - either better or worse?
I think every beer is a little bit different going from imagination to glass. Simply put, we have had some beers received better than others, despite not being to our taste. Anything that's not up to snuff though goes on the compost pile, simple as that. Thankfully there hasn't been many of those.
Q. What has been your favourite beer you have produced?
Probably Shifty. It was our first beer and it was an out and out banger, we love drinking it and it’s our only core beer.
Q. They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but how important do you think branding/package design is for your beers?
It's huge, people buy with their eyes and you want to be individual and stand out on a crowded shelf. I think it's nice when your branding represents what you do as business. Our branding is all abstract concepts of Urban, Mountain, Ocean and environmental scapes. We love the outdoors and our hobbies and it’s nice to reflect that.
Q. Do you feel that non-alcoholic beers have an important part to play in the craft beer industry?
I think they do, as there should be a home for everybody in craft beer. The industry, for us, has always been about inclusion.
Q. What’s next for you over the next 12 months?
We have just begun construction on our very own brewery, so that’s the main focus now. That and turning it into an awesome place to come drink, hang out and maybe have a cheeky skate on the brewery half pipe.
From the Author
A massive thanks to William, John and Joe from Drop Project Brewing Company for agreeing to be interviewed during what is a very busy time for them.
About Drop Project Brewing Company
Address: TBC
Taproom: Not at the moment
Online delivery:
Website: https://www.drop-project.co.uk
Social Media: @dropprojectbrew (Instagram), @dropprojectbrew (Facebook), @dropprojectbrew (Twitter)