Staffordshire-based Best of British Beer turns 15 this week, and the team are raising a glass to their busiest year yet.
Gill and Lorna, of Best of British Beer
What started off in a garden shed in 2011 has grown into one of the country’s biggest providers of online beer gifts. It champions more than 600 independent breweries, giving them an additional route to market.
Founders Will and Gill Sherwin never imagined that their idea would be so popular. “I think we started the business at just the right time, when demand for craft beer was starting to take off,” said Will.
“Back then, the number of small breweries had doubled in just a few years to around 2,000, and everyone wanted to be part of the adventure.”
Best of British Beer has just recorded its most successful year to date, with income topping the £3 million mark for the first time. That’s an increase of 11% on the previous year.
As part of their anniversary celebration, the team have created 15 collaboration brews with some of their favourite brewery partners. What started as a plan to produce a couple of limited-edition beers quickly developed into the need for 15 different recipes, names, and label designs.
Co-founder Will Sherwin
“We’ve tried to create 15 different beer styles to give our customers maximum choice,” said Gill. “We’ve had a lot of fun thinking up ideas for each label and we’ve taken inspiration from a number of different sources.
“We’ve teamed up with some of the best names in the business for this project including Buxton Brewery, Edinburgh-based Stewart Brewing, Triple fff in Hampshire, and Bowland Brewery in Lancashire.”
There’s a Zoom Call Dachshund lager, which refers to an online incident with Gill’s mum’s dog, and a ruby ale that celebrates the life of Philip Astley, the father of the modern circus, born less than a mile from the BOBB office in Newcastle under Lyme.
There are two beers which reflect the Stoke on Trent pottery industry. The label on Willow Ale is a re-imagining of the famous pale blue Wedgwood design, while Backstamp Bitter celebrates the Stoke tradition of ‘plate turning’ to see where the product is made.
Best of British Beer became employee owned in 2022, when Will and Gill transferred 51% of the business to the staff. It now employs six full-time co-owners alongside the founders, supported by a pool of around 15 part-time staff, ranging in age from 16 to 79.
The Best of British Beer 15th birthday collection is available to buy online for £32.99.
