The chiming of forklift trucks and the general furore of day-to-day work has become synonymous with industrial estate taprooms, almost like the chirping of birdsong in a country pub. However, outside of working hours, these beery oases offer those who seek or stumble across them solace in fantastic beer in a setting out of the norm in a city centre.
Their heyday started over in America, slightly out-of-town industrial areas were the perfect place to start up a brewery. More space for less money was key, giving these breweries a blank canvas to create their identity. Since then, this model has been repeated over on these shores, to great effect in old industrial cities such as London, Manchester & Birmingham.
As the light is fading and the ripples of conversation, music and laughter permeate the air outside the giant hangar doors, it entices you and draws you in. Like a moth to a flame, it piques your interest. An oasis of beer.
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Emblazoned above the bar at Liquid Light’s brewery and taproom you will find the lyrics to one of David Bowie’s most famous songs. Backlit in a muted psychedelic script it possesses a mantra-like feel, as where you are stood when you see this music and beer could not be more intrinsically linked.
“Music was my first true love,” says Thom Stone, founder & head brewer of Liquid Light. “It was all around me as a kid. My father played guitar and I was brought up listening to Led Zepplin, The Beatles, Rolling Stones and acoustic stuff like Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. So it has always been a big part of my life.”
Thom’s love for beer and brewing came about in 2014 by stumbling upon a vintage cider apple tree on a farm whilst being a joiner at a workshop. The apples were going to waste, so they were collected and a batch of cider was made. “It made me realise how easy it was to make alcohol! Naturally, I prefer beer to cider, so I listened to a few podcasts and jumped in head first to brew beer.” Thom looks back fondly on his first beer, which he says came out really well, a single hop Simcoe IPA with US-05 yeast, a recipe that he made himself on a homemade kit.
This experiment turned out to be what Thom wanted to do as a career, but the only way to gain experience in the brewing industry was to volunteer for free at local breweries as there was no way for him to get the relevant funding qualifications after finishing university.
“…and then it was little old us lifting the trophy on Sunday in a full main room at Indy Man.”
“An opportunity came about after meeting Rob from Totally Brewed at the Robin Hood Beer Festival. His volunteer assistant had just left so in January the following year I applied for that. I stayed there for 2 ½ years and learned the trade.” From there Thom took the plunge and started brewing under the Liquid Light name from home. “I was at the time asking everyone for a spot to cuckoo brew, it was a chance meeting with Gavin (Magpie Brewery) at the opening of the Overdraught at Canning Circus in 2018 where he said he had a spare tank in the corner for us to brew out of.”
And from that point forward Liquid Light blossomed. They gained a cult following in the local and national Craft Beer scene, somewhat heightened by their victory at the Indy Man Beer Con’s 2018 Thirsty Games. “That was huge” Thom says, “It was a massive confidence boost for us. Generally, you can go off Untappd ratings, but that isn’t the best metric. We were up against Yonder & Donzoko, who have gone on to do great things, and then it was little old us lifting the trophy on Sunday in a full main room at Indy Man.”
“Going to other taprooms in the past, I like to sit down with a flight of their beer looking at the kit it was brewed on. That’s the kick of a proper taproom for me.”
An 1800L fermenter was bought so the brews could be split between keg/cask/can, however, they were still limited to one to two beers a month. What would play out over the next couple of years would change the course of Liquid Light seismically. The search was on for a place to call their own. A proper brewery tap has always been in the ethos for Thom and Liquid Light. “Going to other taprooms in the past, I like to sit down with a flight of their beer looking at the kit it was brewed on. That’s the kick of a proper taproom for me.”
Unfortunately, it is now time for me to mention the most unpopular acronym of this decade, COVID. Going into 2020 the search for a place to call home had come to an end. A small industrial estate on the outskirts of Sneinton was the perfect place to channel the boundless creative energy which usually was only channelled into the beers themselves. Plans to move were put on hold, and this was just the tip of the iceberg.
Unexpected shipping costs on their brand-new kit due to the pandemic put everything further on hold. “If we had held the manufacturing company to their initial quote, they would have made a huge loss on the build, so we split the difference. Our next kit will come from the same manufacturers, so it is important for me to build relationships and not burn bridges.”
“I cried… I was massively overwhelmed by it. Never in a million years did I suspect it to go that well.”
This is when Liquid Light’s now infamous crowdfunding came about. A total of over £24,000 was raised over a period of just 14 days, which is pretty astronomical, and you can tell by the way Thom talks about this he is deeply touched by everyone who contributed. “I cried,” says Thom, “I was massively overwhelmed by it. Never in a million years did I expect it to go that well. It was incredible, we’ve got such a great loyal fanbase that has helped us through the difficult times and continue to support us.” It was from these generous proceeds that Thom was able to create the amazing space that is now the Liquid Light Brewing Co. taproom.
Unit 9 at Robin Hood industrial estate has been transformed into a psychedelic, vintage 1970’s mood board full of lava lamps, indoor plants, and old Jentique-style furniture. A huge Liquid Light mural adorns the wall looking away from the bar, and its sprawling rainbow waves reach out to the far corners of the taproom, connecting all aspects of the brewery. It feels like home, and that is something that Thom wanted to express. “Creating the environment is almost as important as the beer we serve… we want you to feel as though you are in our heads, drinking the freshest beer you can possibly get. We want you to feel part of the process.”
“I have done my Nirvana beers now, they’re one of my favourite bands and I’m happy that I have been able to do this..”
Their ambition is also making its way into their beers, with the release of only their second Double IPA last week. “Over the past few years, we have promoted ourselves as a Session Brewery, packing in as much flavour and mouthfeel into our bees as possible.” ‘Entertain Us’ is a departure from this, clocking in at 9.3% and full of oats and a myriad of hops. It is the last in the unofficial ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ series of beers, with ‘With The Lights Out’, ‘Less Dangerous’ and ‘Here we are now preceding the new DIPA. Thom is happy with this quartet, saying “I have done my Nirvana beers now, they’re one of my favourite bands and I’m happy that I have been able to do this. I can kind of see these coming back as recurring seasonal beers.”
Another thing that is great about the new DIPA is that during Liquid Light’s second crowdfunding, there was an opportunity to help brew it with Thom and the team. The names of all of those who helped are on the newly released can. This is just one way that Thom is giving back to people who have supported him along the way.
This leads me back to the somewhat abstract interlude at the start of the article. On the surface, an industrial estate isn’t very inviting. Hastily erected structures of corrugated sheet metal on a disused brownfield site don’t exactly sit at the top of the list of destinations. However, when you take the vision and quality of product that Liquid light has, location no longer becomes important. You become immersed in the experience, like stumbling across an oasis of beer.
Josh Smith
Kraft Werks
(Photography by Alexa Hawksworth)