Sam’s first step was to speak to his brewer friend, Justin Hawke of Moor Beer Co in Bristol, to gauge his reaction. Justin jumped straight on board and has gone on to play a crucial role in bringing the project to life. As one of the first recognised craft brewers in the UK and boasting long-standing relationships with great breweries across the country and the continent, Justin was ideally placed to recruit the other 23 brewers. Justin additionally brought in Beer 52 to give the project huge UK-wide distribution and exposure. With a range of other partners including Simpsons Malt, Charles Faram Hop Merchants, eCask, Crown Beverage and Multi Packaging Solutions, the whole of the craft beer supply chain has come on board with the project. All ingredients – including hops – will come from Europe.

Justin Hawke said: “As someone who chose to move to Europe and start my brewery in the UK, this topic is hugely personal. It was crucial for us to avoid a negative, antagonistic tone in what we’re doing. Sure, we believe strongly that it’s a bad idea to leave the EU, but we don’t want to be political. At the heart of everything we’re doing is a positive message celebrating all the great things that can be achieved by working together. This project uses beer as a medium for people to really internalise how we must continue building bridges as people, as businesses and as nations.”

Callum Stewart, Craft Beer Buyer at Beer52, commented: "As a beer club, our whole mission here at Beer52 is to explore the world through beer. We uncover great breweries and learn about other cultures by sharing a beer with the people we meet along the way. Whatever the outcome of Brexit, we're going to continue to brew and drink many beers with our European friends and explore their lovely countries. If ever there was a time to have a few beers with our continental neighbours it is now. The 'Citizens of Everywhere Project' really chimed with what we believe in and has triumphed at showcasing the universal power of beer to bring people together!"

And why ‘Citizens of Everywhere’? Sam Owens explains: “Back in October 2016, the Prime Minister said, ‘If you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere.’ As someone who considers himself very much a citizen of the world, I wanted to turn that statement around in a positive way. What could be more beautiful than uniting people, businesses and countries to brew wonderful beer? This is a fantastic demonstration of the UK and EU working together, all the way from the growers to the manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers. That is well worth raising a glass to and considering why we need to continue working together."

Contacts:

Sam Owens, Thirsty Cambridge

sam@wearethirsty.co.uk

01223 464436

Justin Hawke, Moor Beer

justin@moorbeer.co.uk

0117 941 4460

Partners:

Thirsty Cambridge has been open in Cambridge since August 2015. Part-bar, part-bottle shop and with season-long pop-up events at locations around Cambridge, Thirsty has built up a huge following locally and an increasing profile nationally. Owens has extensive European credentials. As well as obtaining a degree in French and German, he has lived and worked in both France and Germany. He founded Le Verre Gourmand in the French Alps in 2005, selling wines and craft beers from all over the world to clients in the ski resorts of France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. While he insists he always supports England against France in the rugby, he feels as much European as British as English.

www.wearethirsty.co.uk

Moor Beer was born in 2007 when Justin Hawke purchased a defunct brewery based in the Somerset Levels and Moors. With its headquarters now in the centre of Bristol and a site in London, Moor Beer has become one of the world’s top-rated breweries regularly winning national and international awards. In 2017, Justin was named ‘Brewer of the Year’ by the British Guild of Beer Writers. He kicked off the unfined beer movement in the UK. Moor Beer is the first brewer to be accredited by CAMRA for cask, keg, bottle and can. Moor Beer’s inspiration mirrors the journey of its founder. Born in California and enjoying beers with intense hop flavours, Justin graduated from West Point and was stationed in Germany, introducing him to naturally hazy beers. Trips to the UK meant the discovery of secondary fermentation and highly drinkable and well-balanced beers. The result is what Moor Beer Company prides itself on – Modern Real Ales and Lagers. Drink Moor Beer!

www.moorbeer.co.uk

Beer 52 is the UK’s largest craft beer subscription box business.

www.beer52.com

Simpsons Malt have been in business since 1862, malting what many consider to be some of the worlds best base and coloured malts.

www.simpsonsmalt.com

Charles Faram Hop Factors & Merchants have operated since 1865 and have worked closely with the craft beer industry since its inception, supplying all ingredients a brewery needs. They are also instrumental in the reinvigoration of the hop industry through their hop development programme.

www.charlesfaram.co.uk

eCask are a member of the Close Brothers Group, supplying brewers with cask and keg rental, alongside traditional finance.

www.closebreweryrentals.co.uk/ecasks-and-craft-ekegs

Crown Holdings, Inc., through its affiliated companies, is a leading supplier of beverage packaging, food packaging, aerosol packaging, metal closures, and promotional packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world.

www.crowncork.com

Multi Packaging Solutions specialise in packaging solutions for the beverage, branded and healthcare markets

www.multipkg.com