Landmark 2016

aving attended her first Campaign

for Real Ale meeting with her

father when she was just a few

months old, Chloë has always been a

keen advocate of the traditional real or

cask ale. So when the position of Assistant

Brewer at Stroud Brewery came up, it

was too good an opportunity to miss.

Having landed her dream job, Chloë got

stuck in and soon knew the brewing

process like the back of her hand. “I

started with plenty of enthusiasm, but no

practical experience, so it was an incredibly

steep learning curve. The role was very

demanding, especially physically, as there’s

a lot of lifting malt bags, climbing in and

out of vessels, and manual cleaning.”

Chloë was a natural, and it wasn’t long

until she’d passed her General Certificate

in Brewing with the Institute of Brewing

and Distilling, and worked her way

up to Head Brewer, a role which she

shares with one of her colleagues. “On

a day-to-day basis, I’m responsible for

managing the brewhouse. We brew two

or three times a week, making around

15,000 pints worth which is split between

cask, keg, bottled, and canned beer.

The biggest challenge is keeping the

brewery running smoothly whilst carrying

out side projects and developing new

beers – which I particularly enjoy.”

Stroud Brewery offers a

comprehensive portfolio of

20 different draught and

bottled beers, including

three core draught beers,

at least one seasonal

draught beer each

month, and 15 varieties

of organic bottled beer;

all of which are produced by a small but

capable brew team of three. “We brewed

14 new recipes last year, which could be

anything from a seasonal draught beer

to a special brew for a one off event,

or a contract brew such as the award-

winning Gloucester Services Stout.”

Winning awards is something Stroud

Brewery is particularly good at. “We

scooped 10 awards at the Cotswold

Artisan Drinks Awards 2016, received a

bronze award at the national, and a gold

and two silver awards at the regional

SIBA Beer Competitions 2016, and were

named Stroud Life Food Business of the

Year in 2015. Each award we pick up is

extremely important for us. It recognises

the high quality of our products, as well

as the hard work that goes into creating

and maintaining a sustainable business

which benefits the local community.”

Passionate about conservation, Chloë

completed her undergraduate degree in

geology and oceanography before studying

for her MSc in Rural Estate Management

at the Royal Agricultural University. “I

wanted a qualification that would expand

on my environmental background and

lead to a rural career. Working in a brewery

unites my passion for real ale with my

scientific and agricultural background.

“Stroud Brewery appealed because of its

environmental ethos. We use local and

organic ingredients, with the malt coming

from Cotswold farmers within 15 miles of

the brewery. We send our spent grain to

local farms as feedstuff for the animals, and

keep custom local to reduce our carbon

footprint. Our ‘Your Pint, Your Place’

campaign, which is supported by the

Cotswolds AONB Sustainable Development

Fund, allows us to build relationships

with our farmers and communicate our

local story. It also encourages people to

embrace our beer as a valuable asset

to Gloucestershire’s rural economy.

“Looking to the future, I would very

much like to increase awareness of the

brewery at a national level, and continue to

promote the links between the landscape,

agriculture, and the finished pint of locally

brewed beer that our customers enjoy.”

Fantastic work Chloë, we

raise our glass to you!

Overseeing the production of 15,000 pints of beer a

week whilst creating innovative new recipes using

locally sourced ingredients is a dream come true for

conservationist and real ale fanatic Chloë Brooks,

Head Brewer at Stroud Brewery.

Name:

Chloë Brooks

Course:

MSc Rural Estate Management

Class of:

2011

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