Dean Baker, co-founder of Baker's Dozen Brewery, joins Martin to talk about the journey from running a pub to building a small independent brewery with his wife Jill.
Founded in 2015, Baker's Dozen is a five-barrel brewery where Dean and Jill do everything themselves, from brewing and cleaning to deliveries, sales and marketing. We chat about how the brewery started, the influence of Oakham and Brewster's, and why focusing on brewing consistently good beer has always been at the heart of Baker's Dozen.
Dean talks about some of the brewery's best-known beers, including Electric Landlady and award-winning Undertow, made with Citra and Nelson Sauvin. We also discuss SIBA awards, BeerX, why the brewery decided to focus on its core range, and how Dean's taste in beer has changed over the years.
The conversation also moves into some of the bigger challenges facing small independent breweries, including rising costs, quieter pubs and access to market. Having previously run a tied pub, Dean shares his experience of the tied pub system and the difficulties independent breweries face when trying to get their beer into more pubs.
And finally, Dean explains his love of the long-gone Carling Premier, talks about a previous Nitro IPA collaboration and why he thinks we should see more Nitro Lagers, Nitro IPAs and other nitro beers.
Could a Baker's Dozen Nitro Lager be on the way?
Shop Baker's Dozen Beer
https://www.bakersdozenbrewing.co.uk/
Baker's Dozen Socials
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bakersdozenbrewing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bakersdozenbrewing
TIMESTAMP
00:00 - 03:25 Meet Dean Baker and Baker's Dozen Brewery
03:26 - 04:53 From home brewing to starting a brewery
04:54 - 05:40 Brewing good beer without reinventing the wheel
05:41 - 08:49 Leaving the pub behind and focusing on the brewery
08:50 - 09:54 Oakham, Brewster's and the influence of hop-forward beer
09:55 - 12:07 Electric Landlady and Dean's favourite hop
12:08 - 14:18 How Dean's taste in beer has changed
14:19 - 16:26 SIBA awards, BeerX and the importance of recognition
16:27 - 21:05 The story behind Undertow
21:06 - 23:59 Building a strong core beer range
24:00 - 30:40 The challenges facing small independent breweries
30:41 - 36:39 Cider collaborations, taprooms and the future of Baker's Dozen
36:40 - Quick fire: favourite beers, nitro lager and future collaborations
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