Small batch brewery is now big business and owner of Wriggle Valley Brewery, Chris Clark, knows this first hand. We spoke to Chris about his Dorset-based brewery and his love for brewing handcrafted beer…
How did you come about setting up a craft brewery?
“I came about setting up a craft brewery following an inspirational trip to New Zealand where the craft beer industry is thriving; I wanted to bring that buzz back to the UK. After a personal life-changing experience, I decided that no better time than the present was set up this new venture. I moved to Dorset in 2012 with my new partner Jane and Wriggle started its amazing journey from there.”
Where did your interest in beer and brewing come from and why did you decide to be a small batch brewery?
“I have always made things, be it jam, home-brewed beer or wine. Having worked in the creative industry for many years as a photographer, I felt that brewing beer was an extension of that. Something highly creative and rewarding, and also associated with my love of nature.
With beer making, you are working with natural products, and if you show respect and empathy for the wonderful things you are using, you will be rewarded. I truly believe that. It’s about having respect for nature.”
What are the advantages to small batch brewing?
“I started brewing in my garage in late 2014 on a very small brewing kit, which I still use in my premises in Stalbridge. Brewing in small batches enables me to experiment more readily without too much risk. Incredibly, all the beer I have made has worked out. I did go on a couple of brewing courses for a week and have also read countless books and watched endless YouTube videos.”
Based in North Dorset, not necessarily known for its hops production, where and how do you source your ingredients to create your beers?
“Ingredients for the beer are all bought from the UK, although some of the hops originate elsewhere, mainly the US and New Zealand.
Different hops have different characteristics, which brewers utilise depending on the style of beer they are trying to make.
All our malt come from Warminster, a traditional floor maltster. The quality of their malt is outstanding. A bit pricey maybe, but you get what you pay for in this life, and apart from anything else, they are lovely people.
Our yeasts are all dried and ready for use. This gives us a great degree of consistency that might be difficult to achieve by harvesting yeast on a batch-to-batch basis. The strain of the yeast can become mutated very easily and I don’t feel confident to do it without problems.”
How do your beers reflect the surroundings you create them in?
“I think working and living in Dorset makes me feel good. It’s a great place and being surrounded by nature is inspiration in itself for making beer. As I said earlier, having empathy and respect for the natural ingredients you are working with helps. It’s a ‘nature thing’.
Do you think the interest in craft beer will continue and how do you think more rural areas, particularly the South West, will respond to this ‘trend’?
“I think the craft beer boom will continue for some time yet. The multitude of small brewers, of which there are many in the South West, is testimony to the fact that there is a big demand for new and interesting beers.
I think the biggest danger to this industry is our Government. The almost ludicrous levels of taxation imposed upon us all is bad for business. I say this even though small brewers get a 50% rate relief in ‘Beer Duty’. I would say that if this was removed, you would see a total collapse of small breweries up and down the country, therefore, it has never been so important to support our regions small batch brewers.”
www.wrigglevalleybrewery.co.uk