Brewery Feature: Papworth, Cambridgeshire

Brewery name: Papworth

Location: Earith, Cambridgeshire

Mission statement: 

Papworth Brewery was founded on an uncompromising philosophy, 'It’s All About The Beer', and an ambition to brew deliciously drinkable ales. The idea is that if we stick to the philosophy, then we’ll achieve the ambition.

Dyke's End favourites: Fen Skater 4.0%, Whispering Grass 3.8%

When did you start brewing and why?

2013, because brewing beer had to be better than the job I was doing at the time.

As a smaller, independent brewery, how do you compete in a market often dominated by larger, multi-brand owning breweries?

It’s a very hard market to make any money in. There is a saying amongst brewers “if you want to own a brewery worth £1million, start with £3million” – and it’s never been more true! But our approach to competing with the larger producers is by creating the best beers we can, and being confident in the quality of our product.

As beer-loving scientists, what would you say is the main reason for Papworth beers being so 'deliciously drinkable'?

Obviously water is the main ingredient of beer, and water quality is incredibly important to every brewer. So I decided at the outset that we would purify our water and then have complete control over the water chemistry.

What's your favourite hop and why?

An American hop called Sabro. It has a very complex aroma profile, including notes of tangerine and coconut. You could be forgiven for thinking that wouldn’t necessarily be a great combination, but actually it’s fabulous.  We used it in our 10th Anniversary beer, “Sabro Summer”, and it didn’t disappoint.

Head-brewer Chris Jones harvesting Papworth Brewery's very own Cascade hops!

If you could take one firkin of beer to a desert island, what would it be?

Fen Skater. It’s a supremely refreshing pint, which would probably help on a desert island.

Lastly, will you be attending the Dyke's End beer festival :)?  

Hopefully!