Like most people, we are trying to do our bit – no matter how small – when it comes to saving the Earth. But when we need a beer, considering the environmental impact of a post-work pint is often low on our concerns. Two Birmingham-based businesses have come together to produce, not one but, two environmentally conscious beers to ease our minds.
Tyler Grange, an environmental consultancy, and Hockley’s award-winning Burning Soul Brewery launched two seasonal beers – Bramble and Solstice. The environmental planning firm has been brewing ale since 2017 and made eight ales. “Brewed for purpose and not for profit,” these ales are often gifted to Tyler Grange clients and partners.
“It’s a typical Tyler Grange thing to do, as we spotted an opportunity and ran with it, to see what could happen, and it ended up pretty big. Next year we plan to brew four – one for each season and reflective of how seasonal environments shape ecological processes,” said Tyler Grange’s Jon Berry. “We started off many years ago, as a hobby for some of us has become an incredible success and, crucially, it brings many benefits to our business – including employee engagement, happiness and satisfaction.”
These two new beers, however, are only the second and third produced in collaboration with Burning Soul Brewery. Bramble (5.5%) is a farmhouse-style pale ale named after the blackberries growing in hedgerows in late summer. While Solstice (7.3%), named after the winter celebration of the sun in December, is a dark coffee breakfast stout with notes of espresso and dark chocolate.
All three collaborative beers are brewed using locally grown whole cone hops and British-grown malt and British yeast to reduce the environmental impact of transport and food miles. While the brewing process only ever uses renewable energy sources for the smallest carbon impact possible. Tyler Grange is also currently fighting out to make its brewing process go beyond carbon neutral and become carbon negative – removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere rather than simply offsetting emissions.
“Working with Tyler Grange has been a really enjoyable experience. The team is really passionate about brewing beer that aligns to their ethos and brand values, which has been educational and fun,” said Burning Soul’s Chris Small. “The very nature of beer brewing makes it difficult to stay completely environmentally friendly, and the challenge set by Tyler Grange to do as much as we can to offset any harmful impacts provided us with some creative license to experiment with new, carbon-saving methods, whilst making excellent beer at the same time.”
Birmingham’s Burning Soul Brewery launched in 2016 and was named Best New Brewery in the Midlands six months later. To get your hands on their beers, head to their website here.