Hop Stuff Brewery | Q&A

Are you curious to know about the people behind the beers you buy? Or perhaps you want to know what inspires brewers to brew and beer bloggers to blog? Our “Q&A” posts are a light hearted way of getting to know people working in, and connected to, the beer and alcohol industry.

Today’s post features Chloe Hutchinson from Hop Stuff Brewery.

Who are you/what do you do?   Chloe Hutchinson, Sales and Events Manager for Hop Stuff Brewery.

How did you get into this line of work?   I’ve always had a keen interest in craft alcohol and beer in particular. I’ve drunk in many a bar, worked behind them, and now sell to them.

What is your favourite beer, wine or spirit?   I love a hoppy, flowery Beer. An IPA is probably my go-to beer if I’m out, and I love trying the more exotic flavours which lots of breweries are dabbling in at the moment. It can be a bit of a Russian roulette but I always come away having learned something .

What do you think makes a great beer?   Something that you can drink more than one of, one that consistently delivers and one that’s flavours stay with you.

What was your first drink and where were you when you had it?   I come from a big Irish family. My cousins and I used to go and stay with my grandparents in Ireland. The pubs over there are very different and we were always allowed in the pubs with all the family. My parents were strong believers that if you are going to drink then you should do so properly so alcopops were frowned on. I remember being allowed my first drink in the pub with my older cousins. It was a shandy (a big allowance in itself!) I felt so grown up, but this achievement in status was slightly over shadowed by my choice of prawn cocktail crisps that I had with it!

What drink can you no longer face having had one too many?   I went on a school trip to Porto in Portugal and we visited a port factory. There was lots of tasting involved and no spitting….. I can face it but only with dread.

Bottled or canned beer?   I’m not as fussy as some of the hardened beer drinkers. But if I had to choose I’d go for a bottle. Mainly because I prefer putting a bottle to my lips than a can.

If you have to pick, which would be your top three beers in the whole world?   Only 3?? I can’t do that, there are too many. I can tell you what I’ve enjoyed drinking this week though;
-Brew Dogs Gluten Free beer Vagabond,
-Pressure drops Collaboration with Nanban restaurant called Kanpai, a wheat IPA with Yuzu, Orange and Grapefruit.
-Tuatara Sauvinova . I love the fruity flavours of Nelson Sauvin hop and any bottle that has a bottle neck shaped like a dragon is OK by me.

What is the silliest thing you’ve done whilst drunk?   Not silly exactly but there was a lot of drunkenness involved if that counts? I recently went on a weekend away to Brussels and I decided to set myself a challenge -to make my way through all the Trappist beers!  Once my friends and family knew I was going, they added to my list of beers and breweries that I MUST try. If you take into account that most of the breweries have several in their range and most, if not all of them have a very high ABV then you can image the consequences!

What is the best part of your job?   Talking to people about beer. Seems simple doesn’t it?  It’s an endless and fascinating subject and I learn new things and taste new things every day.

Please tell us about the brewery and how it started.   Founder and Brewer James Yeomans, spent the early years of his London life slaving away in the depths of London’s financial centre until he escaped to focus on his real passion- brewing!
He took over no.7 Gunnery Terrace in September 2013, and brewing was underway by October the same year. Our first beer was sold at the Dial Arch Pub, Woolwich on the 8th Nov 2013.

Why Woolwich? The Royal Arsenal is steeped in Military History, having been an ordnance storage depot, munitions works, and home of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, not to mention the birthplace and spiritual home of a little north London football club. Since the Military moved out, the Royal Arsenal has been redeveloped and is now writing a new chapter in its vibrant history, now becoming a social hub for Woolwich life, with a brewery and now our recently opened Tap Room at the centre!
Since opening, Hop Stuff is now 200% up on original capacity, adding 2 new 10bbl conical fermentation vessels, as well as a new 20bbl tank used for double brews. Demand for Hop Stuff Beers is increasing on a phenomenal level and we are constantly looking to add new styles and collaborations, to our already comprehensive list of core recipes.

Where do you see, or hope to see, the brewery in 5 years time?   Getting our beers out to a wider audience and more collaborations. Basically bigger and better but still maintaining our standards and our hands on, personal approach. Things are pretty exciting at the brewery at the moment so if we can maintain this momentum then who knows where we’ll be!

Out of all the beers you brew, which is your favourite? Why is that?   Our Session IPA is my go-to beer. It’s an easy drinking IPA with all the great features you’d expect. It’s not too alcoholic so you can still enjoy a few without getting too messy.

Where did you learn to brew?   We have a small team and there are no passengers at this brewery, so we all get stuck in.

What is the hardest thing to master when learning to brew?   For me it has to be the timings.

Thank you to Chloe and Hop Stuff for taking the time to take part.

You can view and buy beers from Hop Stuff Brewery here.