Real ale has been to rehab. Craft beers are undergoing an unprecedented renaissance in the UK, with supermarkets stocking a broad variety of esoteric brands and fine dining restaurants matching beers to their menus. For home brewers, it's the perfect time to get into the game.

If you'd like to develop your own artisan ale and bring it to wider attention, this course will show you how. Hosted by renowned beer writer and marketing strategist Pete Brown, this refreshing seminar offers a comprehensive guide to the practicalities of bringing your personal speciality to market. Some of the UK's most renowned brewers and consultants provide no-nonsense advice on the logistical and commercial aspects of refining a beer, launching a microbrewery and marketing a new product. You'll learn about the equipment and quality control knowledge you'll need to get started, how to get bars and restaurants to stock your brew, and how to tackle the realities of setting up a small-scale commercial brewery. You'll also have the opportunity to try beers made by our speakers, and learn tips about the art of brewing that will enable you to perfect a beer you're proud to bring to market.

Course description

This large-scale seminar is designed for entrepreneurs aiming to launch a microbrewery into the commercial market. A panel of experts will cover the technical and marketing aspects of launching and building a beer brand. Topics covered at the event include:

Distribution – how to get your beer into bars and restaurants

The fundamentals of product design and branding

Marketing a new beer brand

How to get involved in the beer community – the benefits of membership organisations, competitions and industry events

The logistics of setting up your brewery

Quality assurance and hygiene

Technical equipment – what you'll need and how much it'll cost

Professional guidance on how to improve your own ales

This course is for you if...

You're a capable homebrewer and want to take their brew to market

You run an existing food enterprise and are interested in branching out into microbrewing

You're interested in learning more about the business of beer, and the financial aspects of setting up a brewery

You want to learn to brew better beer at home

Tutor profiles

Pete Brown is a British writer who specialises in making people thirsty. He is the author of five-and-a-half books as well as the annual Cask Report, and numerous articles in the drinks trade press and consumer press. He appears regularly on TV and radio, and is a judge on the BBC Food and Farming Awards, and the Great Taste Awards. He was named Beer Writer of the Year in 2009 and 2012. After looking for a book that explained the British love for beer but not being able to find it, in 2003, Pete wrote Man Walks Into A Pub: A Sociable History of Beer. It sold so well that it was nearly turned into a BBC TV series, but was pipped at the final commissioning meeting by a series about mountains.

John Cryne is currently Chairman of the North London branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) – a UK-wide organisation that has been campaigning for real ale, community pubs and consumer rights since it was formed in 1971. He was previously the Regional Director of CAMRA Greater London, and has worked extensively on beer festivals, including London City of Beer 2012 and the London Drinker Beer & Cider Festival. John contributes feature articles and book reviews to the London Drinker and many online forums. He also acts as a beer tasting presenter and judge at various beer competitions.

Jenn Merrick is the head brewer at Beavertown brewery. From their site in Hackney Wick, London, Beavertown produce five core beers, including Gamma Ray, Smog Rocket and 8-Ball IPA, and experiment with a new beer every few weeks through their Alpha Series range – be it using new yeasts, barrel ageing or souring. They are moving to a bigger 30 barrel kit in April 2013 based in Tottenham Hale, London. Before joining Beavertown, Jenn worked at York Brewery, Dark Star and Meantime Brewery in Greenwich. She is a native of the Rocky Mountains but currently enjoys living in East London with her partner Nancy, their 2-year-old son Nathaniel and 2 big furry dogs.

James Rylance is Head of Research and Development at Beavertown brewery in East London. He started his career as an apprentice at Kernel Brewery, working with Evin O'Riordain and the team, before becoming Assistant Brewer at Beaverton. In the first nine months at Beavertown, James created a portfolio of beers including Gamma Ray, Black Betty, Heavy Water and Imperial Lord Smog. In 2013, Beavertown was named Best New Brewery in the UK by Rate Beer, and they now export to countries including Sweden Denmark, Australia, Ireland, Canada and the US. They are moving to a bigger 30 barrel kit in April 2013 in Tottenham Hale, where James looks forward to brewing on both small and big brewkits in his pursuit of ever more experimental and exciting beers.

Duncan Sambrook founded Sambrook's brewery in 2008, after going to the Great British Beer Festival and being shocked to find that only one London brewery was represented. Sambrook's started out with one beer, Wandle Ale, named after the river which runs beside the 20-barrel brewery in Battersea. Before starting the brewery with the former managing director of Ringwood Brewery, David Welsh, and and two university friends, Duncan was an accountant working in the City. He finished his career with Deloitte in August 2008, and proudly sampled Sambrook's first beer in November of that year. Today, the brewery creates their best bitter, Wandle, alongside a premium ale, Junction, and a selection of seasonal ales.

Eddie Lofthouse co-founded Harbour Brewing Companyin 2012 with Brewer Rhys Powell. Based on a farm site in the heart of Cornwall, the brewery has a core range of four beers – Harbour Pale Ale, Light Ale, Amber Ale and IPA. They have brewed over 50 different beers to date, which are available in cask, keg and bottles. Since 2012, Harbour has been applying a progressive and innovative approach to both beer style and brewing technique. In early 2014, the brewery launched their new Harbour IPA nationally in Sainsbury's. They are also exporting their beers as far as Australia and are currently installing a new bottling line to facilitate the continued growth of the brewery.

Ed Mason founded The Five Points Brewing Company in March 2013. By November of that year, the brewery had doubled their brewing capacity to meet demand. Five Points have a core range of three beers: Hook Island Red Rye, Railway Porter and Five Points Pale. They brew, cask, bottle and label all of their unfiltered and unpasteurized beers on site in Hackney, East London. Ed is the Director of The Five Points brewery, and also the proprietor of several pubs, including The Duke of Wellington in Dalston, The Deramore Arms in York and Whitelock's Ale House – the oldest pub in Leeds. The brewery supports local charities and community projects, and is the first UK brewery to be Living Wage accredited.

Sophie Atherton put 25 years of beer-drinking experience to good use by becoming the first woman in the UK to be accredited as a Beer Sommelier. Several years later, in 2013, she was awarded Beer Sommelier of the Year. A journalist, working in newspapers, radio and PR for almost 15 years, she now specialises in beer – writing regularly for CAMRA's BEER magazine, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and her own blog A FemAle View. As well as writing about beer, Sophie also broadcasts and speaks about it, including appearances on BBC Radio 4 and Channel 4. She hosts beer tastings up and down the UK, sharing her favourite brews and was recently given a Silver Award for her writing from the British Guild of Beer Writers.

If you're using a mobile device, click here to book

Testimonials from previous brewery courses at Guardian Masterclasses

"It was a very useful day and has given me much information on the pros and cons of the microbrewery business. I think the candour the participants showed over financial matters was really valuable and helps us make much more informed judgements as to whether to pursue this as a career. A good day and I liked the beer tasting afterwards!"

"Excellent day, learnt lots and people were very friendly and helpful"

"Good balance of speakers, from brewers (both owners and head brewers), to a publican and those in the industry"

"It was a good mix of speakers and I wouldn't change anything. Great course – I took away a lot of information."

Details

Date: Sunday 13 April 2014

Times: 10am-5pm. Check-in begins 30 minutes before the start time.

Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU

Price: £99 (includes VAT, booking fee lunch and refreshments)

Event capacity: 100

Dress code: There is no dress code for Masterclasses. Please dress however you feel comfortable.

To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.

Returns policy

Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 7 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.