A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...! Craft beer is on the rise, queues of beer nerds are lining up for the latest Imperial Stouts and a brave alliance of brewers has formed to bring down the Galactic Empire known as 'Big Beer'.

In this last instalment of the Hop Forward Podcast, we sit down opposite Damian Doherty from Emperor's Brewery in The Fat Jedi (aka Damian's truly intergalactic beer cellar!) to chat all things Imperial Stouts, Porters and Barley Wines. We reminisce about the rise of craft beer, what has changed over the past 10-15 years, how to brew a truly great high-gravity beer, and Damian is put through his paces to see whether he truly is a Jedi or is as mediocre as an Untappd score.

THIS WEEK'S EPISODE IS PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Charles Faram & Co (charlesfaram.com)
Supplying hops for over 150 years, Charles Faram offers a vast range of nitrogen-flushed hop varieties from the UK, Europe, New Zealand, and the USA.

Crisp Malt (crispmalt.com)
Since 1870, Crisp has blended tradition with innovation, producing malts like Chevallier Heritage and Clear Choice Malt.

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On the Hop Forward Podcast this week, we head to Wellington, New Zealand, by the magic of the internet to sit down digitally with Pete Gillespie, co-founder of Garage Project, for a deep dive into one of the most unusual hop-forward beers you’re likely to come across: Sludgefest — a Radical Recycled Hop IPA brewed using reused dry-hop slurry.

We discuss this unusual beer, how it tastes and the approach Garage Project takes towards creativity and experimentation on their beers, while keeping a consistent core range available to the average supermarket drinker.

We also talk about their pickle beer (yes, you read that right!), their wild fermentation programme and how craft beer is considered ‘nostalgic’ to Gen Z - the beers their mums and dads kept in the fridge.

The discussion with Pete starts at 36:32.

Nick is also joined this week by Will Rogers from Charles Faram, discussing the 2025’s hop harvest, what to expect from this year’s crop and how fresh isn’t always ‘best’.

THIS WEEK'S EPISODE IS PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Charles Faram & Co (charlesfaram.com)
Supplying hops for over 150 years, Charles Faram offers a vast range of nitrogen-flushed hop varieties from the UK, Europe, New Zealand, and the USA.

Crisp Malt (crispmalt.com)
Since 1870, Crisp has blended tradition with innovation, producing malts like Chevallier Heritage and Clear Choice Malt.

FOLLOW HOP FORWARD
hopforward.beer | LinkedIn | BlueSky | Instagram

Established in 2011 by General Manager and Brewster Claire Monk, Welbeck Abbey Brewery is situated on the Welbeck Abbey Estate. Founded as a Premonstratensian monastery in 1153, after the Dissolution, the Abbey was bought by Bess of Hardwick's youngest son, Sir Charles Cavendish.

As with many country estates, over time, the house and grounds have become a popular tourist attraction, pulling in crowds of people for a quintessentially English spot of afternoon tea and a gentle potter around. Situated to the rear of the sprawling buildings, you'll find Welbeck Abbey Brewery, set in the heart of an artisan estate-village that produces specialist foods and crafts in a beautiful rural setting.

Producing hand crafted ales using the estate’s own spring water and a unique strain of nurtured yeast, the brewery now produces over 17,000 pints of award-winning ales each week, which they supply to local pubs, restaurants, and specialist bottle shops across the region and beyond.

In this episode of the Hop Forward Podcast, we talk about the power of place with Claire and how they've built the brewery brand and marketing around the story of the abbey estate, while remaining relevant to drinkers in both the beer and pub space, as well as tourists who don't know the difference between an ale and a lager.

We also chat about how swathes of people leaving the hospitality industry are leading to pub closures and how breweries finding it difficult to attract new talent onto their teams.

Also on this episode, Nick catches up with David Griggs, Technical Director from Crisp Malt, to discuss malt consistency and the steps brewers can take in the brewhouse before blaming their barley!

THIS WEEK'S EPISODE IS PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Charles Faram & Co (charlesfaram.com)
Supplying hops for over 150 years, Charles Faram offers a vast range of nitrogen-flushed hop varieties from the UK, Europe, New Zealand, and the USA.

Crisp Malt (crispmalt.com)
Since 1870, Crisp has blended tradition with innovation, producing malts like Chevallier Heritage and Clear Choice Malt.

FOLLOW HOP FORWARD
hopforward.beer | LinkedIn | BlueSky | Instagram