Singapore craft beer importer Applehops has announced that it’s now representing London-based Weird Beard Brew Co, and will start distributing their range of beers from this month.
If the local craft beer scene seems to be burgeoning, that’s because it is. One reason for this is the sheer ambition and tenacity of Applehops, which since its arrival on the scene in early 2014 has aggressively expanded its product portfolio even as it has grown the number of trade accounts. London-based director Elijah Toh has been consistently snapping up some of the most desired English craft beer brands, most recently adding the likes of Brew By Numbers, Siren Craft Brew and Beavertown to its currently exclusively British range. Now he’s added yet another quality marque in Weird Beard Brew Co.
Weird Beard brewer-founders Gregg Irwin and Bryan Spooner, like many craft brewers worldwide, started as home brewers. Irwin’s passion for brewing began when he visited the United States in 2008 and saw the sheer variety of impressive craft beers that were being churned out by small breweries. Wowed by such diversity he got into home brewing… right at his kitchen table. Eventually Irwin teamed up with Spooner, another passionate amateur home brewer whom Irwin met through the London home brew circuit, to start Weird Beard two years ago.
Despite being only two years old, Weird Beard has already tripled in capacity and is today producing about 6,000 pints a week.
And in case you’re wondering, yes Irwin and Spooner both sport bushy beards.
“We love creating beers which are a bit different,” adds Irwin. “We’re both proud of our home brewing background. There are people out there who are really pushing brewing boundaries.”
The Weird Beard Sadako Imperial Stout – named after the central character from the horror movie series the Ring – was the beer that won Weird Beard’s Bryan Spooner awards back in his home brew days, using honey, molasses and freshly roasted coffee beans added to the boil for a complex, lightly carbonated imperial stout weighing in at 9.2%. Beer geeks may be interested in its barrel-aged versions soon to be released: some aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels as well as ex single malt Ardbeg casks.
“A lot were said about Weird Beard from other brewers and beer enthusiasts in UK, and it was their release of Sadako Imperial stout that got me calling them up,” shares Toh. “When we first got in touch with Gregg Irwin, co-founder of Weird Bead Brew Co, Weird Beard were only first year into their brewery in Hanwell, West London and already selling beyond their capacity like all good breweries in UK.”
One of its latest brews is an Imperial Stout called Double Perle, their 100th brew which is essentially the same recipe as their popular Black Perle Milk stout with just a few small tweaks and a lot less water. This concentrates all the flavours they love, but makes it a bigger, more luxurious experience (the Double Perle will be made available for Singapore market).
Applehops’ Toh also recognizes that there is a slow but growing home brew movement in Singapore, and he hopes that the story behind Weird Beard can help to spur some of the more talented local homebrewers to go pro as well. “Gregg Irwin and Bryan Spooner started out at home and we hope they can bring aspiring home brewers and micro breweries in Singapore to hit the heights of Weird Beard too,” he adds.
Aside from Weird Beard’s Double Perle Imperial Milk Stout, Applehops will be bringing in Faceless Spreadsheet Ninja Pils, Five O’Clock Shadow IPA, and Mariana Trench Pale Ale in both bottles and kegs in this first shipment. They also have available the Something Something Dark Side BIPA (black IPA) in bottles; there’s also a single barrel-aged Something Something keg that will go to one of their key draft accounts.
Weird Beard Double Perle
Maker: Weird Beard Brew Co
Style: Imperial Milk Stout
ABV: 8.6%
Volume: 330ml, 20L keg
Weird Beard Faceless Spreadsheet Ninja Pils
Maker: Weird Beard Brew Co
Style: Pilsner
ABV: 5.5%
Volume: 330ml, 30L keg
Weird Beard Five O’Clock Shadow
Maker: Weird Beard Brew Co
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 7%
Volume: 330ml, 30L keg
Weird Beard Mariana Trench
Maker: Weird Beard Brew Co
Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5.4%
Volume: 330ml, 30L keg
Weird Beard Something Something Dark Side
Maker: Weird Beard Brew Co
Style: Black India Pale Ale
ABV: 9.2%
Volume: 330ml
