OUR INGREDIENTS

The success of our ales is down to the quality of our ingredients. The pale ale malt which forms the backbone of all our beers is made from Maris otter barley, the only barley variety specially bred for brewers of cask conditioned ale. It is quite simply the finest brewing malt in the world. A portion of speciality malts are blended with this to give depth and variety to the flavour of our beer.

We use only whole leaf hops, with several additions made for each brew. Hops added early in the boil give bitterness to the beer which balances the sweetness of the malt, but much of the aromatic oils from these early hops will evaporate. So we add more hops towards the end of the boil, and after the boil has finished, to ensure that our beers have a good hop aroma and taste. We use a mix of Kentish, continental and new world hops to make traditional ales with a contemporary taste.

THE TEAM

Lionel Fretz – Managing Director

Lionel awoke at the start of 2009 and decided this would be a good year to do something different. He reckoned a lot of breweries had been around for a really long time so, with the right approach there must be something in it, and he liked beer. So he wrote the plan, underwrote the business, and roped in Mick, Guy and Clive.
In 2008 he was a winner of the Ernst & Young Entreprenneur of the year award for London and in 2007 was a finalist in the FT Sustainable Banking awards, and sold some windfarms.  He knows next to nothing about brewing, but thinks he knows how to run a successful business.

Guy Mapplebeck – Sales & Distribution

From humble beginnings as a sand salesman in the middle east, Guy has glided effortlessly  up the slippery slope of sales and marketing. He is the most experienced (read oldest) in the team, and has seen most types of market failure (stock market, housing, sub-prime, Dubai – he has seen them all !). This time he thinks  he has got it right .
Guy forages tirelessly in the undergrowth of Kent and East Sussex, seeking outlets for our beer, and in his spare time reminds Mick (Aussie brewer) about the Ashes. He is passionate about sport, although unaware that the referee cannot hear him through the television.

Ed Wray – Head Brewer

With a Degree in Microbiology from Imperial College and a post graduate degree in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot Watt University, Ed has an up close and personal understanding of the life and loves of most yeasts! In his spare time he has been a keen home brewer and a member of CAMRA for all his adult life, Ed knows about making beer from gristing in through to racking. You may also find Ed climbing mountains, however we’re not sure about his naviation though as he can’t seem to find his way past an open pub door!

Mick “Red Top” Hoban – Brewing Advisor

Old Dairy Brewery is privileged to have as its founder brewer, the legendary Australian, Mick “Red Top” Hoban. For many Australians, coming to the UK to make beer that actually tastes of something is but a pipe dream, but not for our Mick.
Mick is a graduate in brewing from the University of Ballarat and after many years making wine, decided his destiny lay in real ale. He also has a background in engineering trades which means he knows how to fix stuff.
Mick derives great satisfaction from showing the Poms how to make good beer, which only partly offsets his grieving over the loss of the Ashes.

William Neame – Assistant Brewer ( Slave)

“With a degree in Archaeolgy, Anthopology and Art History, Will decided to expand his range of interests to subjects beginning with a ‘B’ ( Beer &  Brewing ). A local lad, he is also a keen home brewer, and in the past has worked as a cameraman. At Old Dairy Brewery he helps out Ed on brewing, Guy on deliveries and sales, and works out where all our Casks are!

Steve Hockney – Logistic Support

Fresh from a background in decorating and modelling (model aircraft that is!! not pullovers), Steve joins us to help out with our increasingly hectic delivery schedule.

A local man again, Steve has intimate knowledge of many of our customers, and brings great experience in customer management. This brings our full time staff to four, plus the boss – who doesn’t really do much – oops says web site controller…..

Sally – Customer Services and Sales

Sally joined the brewery under the impression that beer festivals were a great place to pick up blokes, how misguided she was! If you need help with your orders or need to know pretty much anything about the brewery,
Sally will be on hand to help.

Clive Allen – Marketing & PR

Lionel was doing ‘research’ with a friend into Thames pubs when it struck said friend – “speak to Clive he will sort out all that marketing stuff, he knows about breweries!”. The partnership was formed.
With over a decade in creative and marketing to breweries, there isn’t much that Clive doesn’t know (he thinks) about the industry. Yorkshire born n’ bred he also has fair experience of a decent pint (unlike some softie southerners). His wife kindly gave birth to the ODB cows (not literally), a great source of pride, and we all look forward to seeing them grow up.