In 2025 year RedWillow Brewery raised a glass to 15 years of brewing bold, balanced beers. They marked the milestone with a packed calendar of collaborations, reimagined classics, and monthly giveaways, as well as a recent haul of prestigious awards.

And at our Brewers Choice Awards in London next month Toby McKenzie, who started the business with Caroline McKenzie, is shortlisted for our prestigious ‘Brewer of The Year’ accolade.

So what better time to revisit our conversation with Toby from last year? Starting out in 2010, RedWillow Brewery has long since established itself as a leading light in UK brewing. Founded by Toby and Caroline McKenzie, the business has grown and evolved without ever undermining its core values.

To mark this prestigious anniversary last year, RedWillow launched a year-long series of collaborations with some of the UK’s most respected breweries, including DEYA, Lost and Grounded, The Kernel, Thornbridge and more.

These limited-edition beers rolled out throughout 2025, showcasing the creativity and community spirit that continues to drive the UK craft beer scene.

And for Toby, the occasion gave him and the team the opportunity to reflect on a job well done. A brewery that was inspired by their early peers is now one that is revered and regarded by countless others.

In this episode we take a whistle stop look back on the brewery’s journey to-date and discuss the creativity, passion, and friendships that make this industry so special.

Consistency, quality and reliability are all characteristics that brewers strive for in the beers they produce.

They are also attributes that consumers seek out when navigating the tap lines and bustling fridges across UK bottle-shops.

A sense of familiarity, and trust, is something that more and more drinkers desire when spending their hard-earned money on the beers they love.

And for Pietro Maltinti, head brewer at Deya Brewing Company in Cheltenham, those qualities are what he calls the “secret sauce” that make the brewery’s range of beers such as Steady Rolling Man, Boost and Magazine Cover so popular. Beers that been dialled in, evolved and improved over time.

In this episode he tells us that Deya’s ethos is about treating the ingredients and brewing process with due care and attention and how to be part of a team where the head brewer should never try to a “hero” who does everything themselves.

Instead, Pietro says the secret to a successful brewery is the team behind it. And you nurture that by focusing on coaching your staff, fostering internal talent, and ultimately trying to build systems that make a head brewer like him no longer needed on the brewery floor.

Richard Bradbury is the managing director at Theakston. An independent, family brewing company founded in 1827, the business is located in the Yorkshire Dales market town of Masham, North Yorkshire, controlled by 5th generation direct family descendants of the founder, Robert Theakston.

As one of Britain’s oldest established family brewing companies Theakston is famed throughout the country and overseas for its wide range of premium ales brewed in their historic Victorian tower brewery. The business is chaired by Simon Theakston, with his son William joining the company in 2024.

And since 2023, Richard Bradbury has led the business operations in that role of managing director. As guardian of an institution known for such storied beers as Old Peculier, he is more than aware of the rich history Theakston boasts. A story that encompasses everything from world wars to economic highs and lows, and even takeovers and buy-backs throughout nearly two centuries of brewing.

But as the business approaches such an important landmark in 2027, the focus at Theakston isn’t one of reflection but of relevance. And the company continues to ably demonstrate how to respect its heritage but operate highly effectively across the modern hospitality landscape.

2026 is proving to be another year of change and evolution for the brewing industry. Both in the UK and overseas.

And with that, running a successful brewery is a challenge – and opportunity – that many of us are facing.

With that in mind, we are revisiting a talk from our 2025 Brewers Congress, which focused on making strategic production choices and outlined why prioritising markets is key.

Speaking in London was Marian Reed, the General Manager and Head of Business Development at Sudden Death Brewing in Lübeck, Germany.

Throughout her career, she has been able to connect vision to actions, identify root causes and best outcomes, while managing team members in a way that best suits their own personal development arcs.

And last year she flew into London to take part in our 2025 Brewers Congress. In her talk, Marian spoke on how to make strategic production choices via data management and how to prioritize markets and know where you best ‘fit’.

She argued why people are essential to a great brewery and why owners and leadership have an obligation to keep the team as their number one priority. She also outlined that strategies vary, there is no one size fits all, so mix and match which approaches work best for your crew.

If you own a brewery, where did you source your brewhouse from? It might have come from one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers in the industry. Or perhaps it was a piece of loved, second-hand kit that needed a new home.

You were unlikely, however, to have been chased around the streets of Vienna by an angry auctioneer looking for their money. But that’s exactly what happened, through no fault of his own, to Reece Hugill. And thankfully the whole saga would result in the creation of one of the UK’s finest breweries.

In an industry often seduced by the pressure of relentless expansion, multi-site taprooms, and national supermarket listings, Reece Hugill has chosen a radically different path.

As the founder behind Donzoko Brewing Company, he has built something that craft beer frequently preaches but rarely delivers: a fierce, uncompromising sense of place.

In this episode of The Brewers Journal Podcast, we sit down with Reece to trace the winding, highly entertaining, and deeply passionate story of Donzoko.

It is a journey that began when a Newcastle University chemistry student realised that brewing lager in a friend’s school kitchen during a study abroad year was far more soul-fulfilling than a life in the lab.

After brewing stints in Edinburgh and navigating the uncertainties of the pandemic, Reece reached a critical turning point. Taking direct inspiration from the rustic Kellers and village brewpubs of Franconia, he brought Donzoko back to its emotional home in Newcastle upon Tyne, establishing a 10-hectolitre brewpub and taproom just around the corner from where his first beers were poured.

Reece also shares his candid thoughts on why beer culture suffers when every brand is available everywhere, why true passion trumps rigid textbook numbers, and why creating a hyper-local hub for his community is the ultimate reward.

With judging well underway for our 2026 Brewers Choice Awards and with planning in full flow for the Brewers Congress we are taking a step back to revisit one of the highlights of last year’s event.

In his talk on ‘Reflections on Authenticity’ at the 2025 Brewers Congress in London, Matthew Curtis posed a question.

In an increasingly digital world, how do modern marketing strategies resonate with consumers who are looking for something more tangible, something genuine, something authentic?

Matthew is a writer and photographer obsessed with beer, pubs and their culture. Based in Manchester, he’s the co-founder of Pellicle Magazine and the author of three books on beer and pub culture within the UK, including the award-winning Manchester’s Best Beer Pubs and Bars.

In London he took a deep dive into the importance of conveying authenticity in your breweries brand message, and explored how being true to yourself, your brand, your values and – most importantly – the beer you make is key to winning hearts and minds in beer’s modern era.

Simon Rundle. Simon is the founder of Ivybridge, a not-for-profit brewery that is dedicated to providing job opportunities to individuals with learning disabilities.

They believe that everyone deserves a chance to succeed. And with every purchase of their beer, customers are not only supporting their mission, but also enjoying a high-quality product, too.

The company he started provides paid work, training, and volunteering opportunities for people with learning disabilities. They believe that everyone has the right to fulfilling work and an opportunity to contribute to their community, regardless of their abilities. Their passion for great-tasting beer and their commitment to making a positive social impact are what drives them.

At our Brewers Lectures in Topsham in June, Simon outlined how he and the team are dedicated to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.

He believes that their social enterprise model is not only the right thing to do, but also makes them a stronger and more innovative company. By providing training and support to their employees and volunteers, they’re able to produce high-quality beer that’s enjoyed by our community and beyond.

There is little over a week left to enter the 2026 Brewers Choice Awards. To enter or make your nomination please visit our website www.brewersjournal.info before the 10th July.

Showcasing and celebrating the finest beers and breweries from around the globe is one of the most rewarding parts of the brewing industry.

But for these events to happen, breweries need to be prepared to show off their latest creations and decorated judges from far and wide need to assess the great and good.

So what better opportunity to hear from Lotte Peplow. Lotte is is the Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe. Her role is to identify opportunities for international expansion of American craft beer and to raise awareness about the quality, diversity and innovation from America’s small and independent craft brewers.

Based in London, UK she’s a Certified Cicerone, Beer Sommelier, beer writer, author, international beer judge and keen beer and food pairing advocate. And in judging beer competitions around the world, she knows the dos and don’ts when it comes to entering these contests and also how to judge them, too.

So in this episode, we revisit our talk from Lotte about the different competitions available to brewers, unearth some tips and tricks for entering (and winning!) and also essential information on how to become a beer judge.

Image: Nic Crilly-Hargave