Bido Lito! April 2015
9
Words: Sam Turner / @samturner1984
Illustration: Scott Duffey / scottduffey.co.uk
Photography: Robin Clewley / robinclewley.co.uk
The past few years have seen a boom in the emergence
of craft breweries: small, independent start-ups
established by passionate individuals who care deeply
about their art. As the thirst for a more refined sup has
caught on, Liverpool has become home to a vibrant
community of its own homegrown independent
brewers. Often these idiosyncratic organisations
are started for precisely the same reasons as those
cited by the single-minded music lover who’s driven
to press his or her favourite unheard band to 7”: an
impulsion to create, a sense of adventure, a drive to
celebrate and, most importantly, as a reaction to the
corporate structures that for so long dominated both
industries.
Maybe, as small-scale indie labels struggle for a raison
d'être in a digital age, the brew kettle is replacing the vinyl
lathe when it comes to defining alternative independent
culture? Maybe craft breweries are the new independent
record labels? We sent Sam Turner to find out.
With lank hair, charity-shop knitted jumper and bright eyes, the
man sitting opposite me is excitedly telling me about the thrill
of pushing his art form forward whilst building on traditional
methods. But this isn’t the latest bedroom techno prodigy or folk
sensation. Gaz Matthews of MAD HATTER BREWING COMPANY is
at the forefront of Liverpool’s burgeoning craft beer scene. And
while ‘scene’ isn’t a word which can usually be ascribed to most
foodstuffs, it is more than appropriate for the community which
has bonded over keg beer in Liverpool and beyond. “It’s about
being artistic and doing something new,” is how Gaz describes
craft brewing and this seems to be the sentiment which excites
and cements devotees across the city.
Over the last few weeks I’ve been meeting some of the key