Our beer buying team have over 17 years’ experience of working with independent breweries from all across Britain. While it’s a job that any beer lover would dream of, it is important to retain self-control and not act like a kid in a sweetshop buying all your own favourites!
Our warehouse is situated on a business park in the north Midlands, benefiting from a great central location and easy access for commercial vehicles. We have a core lineup of around 20 breweries who are regular suppliers. These producers make a wide range of award-winning beers, encompassing all the popular styles from jet black stouts to IPAs. You will see these guys in your first delivery of the Cheers Britannia Beer Club and they will feature in most of our curated cases.
We tend to stay on the traditional side of the British beer market. Our customers are more at home with a Best Bitter than a Blueberry Banana Choc Chip Double Shake Sour (Yes, that really is a thing!) Our handpicked cases will hopefully introduce you to some new favourites in a style you know you like.
We know that some people change their drinking habits throughout the year, maybe preferring a darker beer in the winter months and a refreshing pale ale in the summer. Our scheme is so flexible that you can amend the beer styles you receive, so there really is a beer for all seasons!
We’re often asked if we have a favourite brewery or beer style and that is such a difficult question to answer. To remain impartial, we’ve assembled a Cheers Britannia drinking panel who sample every beer before we feature it. This group is chaired by our senior buyer who is a qualified beer sommelier and who has the overall responsibility of choosing which beers we stock.
There are currently in the region of 1600 independent breweries in Great Britain, some of these are well established, family businesses like JW Lees in Manchester and Swindon based Arkell’s who celebrated their 180th birthday earlier this year. Others are much newer and started life in the owner’s garage, like Staffordshire Brewery in Leek, who can now brew 5,000 pints at a time. We work with breweries who are based in old milking parlours and cattle markets. Others have set up their business in a disused reservoir, a converted windmill or even on an old aerodrome!
Please join us on our drinking journey together and learn more about who makes your beer, how it’s made and raise a glass to Britain’s award-winning independent brewers.