Meet the Brewer: Sara Barton, Brewster’s
Sara Barton is the founder of the award-winning Brewster’s Brewery, who are based in Grantham. DeskBeers got in touch to find out more…
While a Biochemistry student at University College North Wales, Sara’s interest in brewing was piqued by a lecture about yeast genetics. Upon completing her degree, she undertook the Brewing and Distilling Master’s program at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh in autumn 1987.
Sara’s brewing career began on Courage Brewery’s graduate scheme, where she worked in each of what were then Courage’s main production facilities: Bristol, Reading and Tadcaster. She then spent several years working as a Production Manager for Courage at their Berkshire Brewery. This entailed production management across the brewing process in what at the time was the largest brewery in Europe, with an annual capacity of around 7.5 million hectolitres (or 750 million litres). The main brands produced in Reading back then were Foster’s and Kronenbourg, but remarkably, a small corner of the brewery was given over to producing Bulldog — a 6% ABV strong ale matured on dry hops for months.
Aiming to set up her own brewery eventually, but wishing to develop her business knowledge first, Sara left Courage to study an MBA at Bradford School of Management. Her career deviated into the pharmaceutical and sugars syrup industries, before she set up Brewster’s Brewery in 1997. The beer flowed in the first days of 1998, with the first brew, appropriately, named “Maiden Brew.” This was soon followed by Hophead, Marquis and Decadence, which remain key beers in the Brewster’s portfolio.
In 2011 Sara set up Project Venus, an initiative encouraging collaboration between female brewers (brewsters) and promoting beer to women drinkers. Sara was the first woman to be awarded the British Guild of Beer Writers’ Brewer of the Year Award, in 2012. Hophead won an International Brewing Awards Gold medal in 2015.
Brewster’s Pale Ale (5.0%)
Brewster’s 5% Pale Ale was inspired by classic American Pale Ales. The combination of lightly roasted malts and intense aromatic Pacific Northwest hops such as Centennial & Chinook produce a light golden beer bursting with juicy hop flavours. This is a wonderfully moreish brew. It has a fruity, gently citric flavour, and a gratifyingly long, bitter finish. Brewster’s Pale Ale won an International Beer Awards Gold Medal back in 2011 and is still one of Sara’s favourite beers.
Brewster’s Pale Ale is one of three beers included in our International Women’s Day Craft Beer Box, to be sent out to DeskBeers customers in the week commencing March 6th. International Women’s Day 2018 takes place on March 8th. If you enjoyed this article, check out our feature on Fuller’s Head Brewer, Georgina Young, whose Frontier Craft Lager will also be in the IWD box.
Thanks again to Sara for talking to us, and to the team at Brewster’s for the great beer they brew.
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