Brockley is a great example of a brewery that has changed yet has remained committed to its values. The brewery was set up by a group of friends in May 2013, with Andrew being the main instigator. He had lived in the area since 1987 and explained, “There were a lot of attractions to Brockley. Although it was diverse and had a close proximity to London, we thought that it lacked identity; we asked ourselves what we could do to bring the community together. I’d always been interested in beer from a consumer point of view. We had started to see a change in beer culture with the growth of breweries in Hackney but, nearby, we only had Meantime and Zero Degrees. We thought that there was a gap and I had a moment of insanity.” Andrew added that they wanted to offer something back to the local community, “We got a lot of local support, including some emotional support. Backing from the community is key to local businesses”.
The first task was to find some premises. This did not prove easy and they found their premises, an ex-builders’ yard and garage, purely by chance. It had the advantage of being just a few minutes’ walk from Brockley railway station. There were lots of technical aspects to think about and the whole process from the idea to the first brew took twelve months. “We wanted to get enough investment so that we could have some spare cash but we were all clear that they might not see it back again,” said Andrew. He continued, “We ran the business on communal lines. The owners, four men and two women, all had different responsibilities. My role was as the brewer; I was often brewing at 2am and I was still working in my ‘main’ job although I did get assistance from others. To start with, we did bring in a commercial brewer on a temporary basis to help for about twelve months. I learnt a lot from them.”
Over the last ten years, Brockley has grown. Its workforce now includes a brewer, an assistant brewer and a sales person. There are now two breweries and tap rooms; the second is in Hither Green, in the former premises of the Chiltonian Biscuit Factory. Andrew said, “We never set out to invest and then sell out but we were bold enough to take on Hither Green. This gave us space for more fermenters. It was based on an ambitious business plan but this was back in 2019.”
The timing meant that Brockley had to go into survival mode shortly after putting the plan together. They didn’t furlough anyone during the pandemic but they changed their business to off sales. “We were like a social service in those days. We delivered by cycle and got to lots of isolated people”. Covid also had another impact on plans. Brockley had intended to install a canning line but that had to be abandoned. Today, they either outsource or bring in a mobile canner. Andrew also believes that Brockley, in its way, developed long Covid; “Exhaustion set in with the founders and a decision was made to move away from our level of involvement. We considered other investors but we wanted Brockley to continue to be there for the local community, so we transferred our shares to the management team. The other founders have stepped out leaving just me loosely involved. I am here to provide support and advice.”
Along with Andrew, the London Tasting Panel were hosted by two of the management team, Maricy Rizzato (brewery operations manager) and Gianluca (head brewer), reflecting the international nature of brewing in London. Maricy is from Brazil and Gianluca from Italy and they got to know each other while they were working for Southwark Brewery. When asked about their plans for the future, the answer was simple: “To continue the founders’ ethos of serving the community and to survive.”
For tasting notes on the beers sampled by the London Tasting Panel, go here. For more information on the two breweries and tap rooms, go here.
Christine Cryne