NEWS
WORDS : JULIE BURNISTON PICTURE : DAZ MACK
Strip Tees
Salt Steel Brewery present a cheeky little beer that ’ s sure to get pulses racing
S trip Tees is live and ready to buy !
But before you let your imagination run riot , Strip Tees is the name of a craft beer lovingly brewed by Middlesbrough ’ s Liam
Senior and his Salt Steel Brewery . Acklam-based Liam has a real passion for the project . After many months of trials and tweaks , the full-flavoured bitter blast of citrus , grapefruit and pine with floral hop aromas has had the seal of approval and is live to purchase online . The beer comes with iconic packaging by Lemon Top Design Agency , who took their lead from the eye-catching Salt Steel Brewery logo designed by Darlington ’ s Ink Bear .
The product can be bought in packs of six or 12 , alongside an array of merchandise including T-shirts and glassware to create the perfect pressie for craft beer aficionados .
“ We fermented a few weeks ago and sold over 200 pre-order cans in the first 12 hours ,” says Liam proudly .
“ In addition , around 20 local businesses have placed orders , so Strip Tees will also be on sale in some of your favourite pubs , bars and restaurants , plus bottle shops , takeaways and coffee shops with alcohol licences .”
With the aim of making Strip Tees as synonymous with the region as the parmo , plans were well under way for an earlier launch – and then lockdown happened .
“ It could have spelt disaster as it interrupted the brewing process ,”
admits Liam . “ Instead , I took the enforced time to further perfect the product with research and recipe development .”
Liam sent “ care packages ” of six variants of the brew to friends , family and those in the industry , taking their suggestions to heart before alighting on the seventh and final incarnation – a refreshing and light , five per cent beer that ’ s crisp and full of flavour .
“ Craft beer drinking is a passion that ’ s growing in popularity ,” says Liam . “ For Salt Steel Brewery , it ’ s all about recipes and aromas and also ensuring that people feel a part of the process . Strip Tees is the perfect introduction to craft beer .”
To ensure that his product stands out from the crowd , Liam is a strong advocate of social media to document Salt Steel Brewery ’ s journey .
Senior service : Salt Steel Brewery ’ s Liam Senior
“ Our brand is story-led . It ’ s important to get our voice out there , to encourage people to follow us , to celebrate the highs and commiserate with the lows , to collaborate and have their say .”
With early indications that Strip Tees is going to be a big hit , Liam plans to grow the brand regionally and beyond .
“ We ’ re confident that we can get firmly established on Teesside ,” he says . “ Ideally , we ’ d like to get into more premises in our region , take on staff and perhaps even have our own Strip Tees bar in a year or two – though we ’ d have to ensure people don ’ t have the wrong idea about what sort of bar they were going into !
“ Eventually , though , we ’ d like to roll our own taste of Teesside out to the rest of the country .
“ We are proud of what we ’ ve created , proud of our region and see it as another way of putting the Tees Valley on the map .”
For orders and more information saltsteelbrewing . com
90 | Tees Business