OUR BREWERY
A little bit about us & who we are
Influence & Vision
Our brewing style was influenced by both the American craft brewing scene and the British ‘real ale’ tradition, and so combining these two influences is at the base of most of our creations.
Our vision is to raise the quality of beer, increase the choice of beer available to beer drinkers, and make good beer much more widely available to buy and drink. This vision underpins why By The Horns Brewing Co. began life.
By The Horns Brewing Co. was launched in 2011 due to the lack of beer choice on offer in pubs, off-licenses & bars in the UK. Alex Bull & Chris Mills, the two founders, wanted to tear away from their corporate jobs and give themselves the freedom to do what they enjoyed most….brew beer. The UK brewing landscape in 2011 was very different to what it is today, and there was absolutely no blueprint for what they wanted to do. In forming By The Horns Brewing Co. their vision was to brew approachable beers but bring taste, choice and flavour to the fore.
The Journey
The first 5 years of business was a time of discovery & learning; and purely applying a new business in a growing ‘craft’ beer market-place. This phase of our business saw organic growth, but more importantly it was about the journey and where we wanted to take By The Horns in the future.
We organically grew the brewery with additional brewing kit being installed to meet demand, & implemented world-class brewing processes & regimes which would allow even better quality and consistency.
Today
At the beginning of 2021 we commissioned a new production brewing facility on the outskirts of London (Salfords, Redhill to be exact), and in doing so upgraded our Brewhouse and most of our brewing equipment. This new site has allowed us to implement the very best procedures and enable us to brew all our beers in the most consistent way possible. At the same time we launched a brand refresh, bringing a contemporary feel to our brand, perfectly reflecting who we are as a brewery and emphasising exactly what we are about.
We also added our Squeezer Juicy Pale Ale to our core range of beers, with our core range now offering a spectrum of beer styles, with each bringing something new and different to the table. Each month we also brew two or three one-off special beers which look to offer something different.
WEST END PILS
Our award winning Pilsner Lager is a true great, clean & crisp yet with enough malt & soft hop notes to keep it forever interesting. The Champion Independent Lager in London & South East England in 2019 & 2020 in can & keg (& 3rd best in the UK in 2019).
COSMIC WARRIOR
A Transatlantic Pale Ale influenced by the late great Marc Bolan who once lived on our brewery site long before we started our brewery. A blend of British & American hops set this pale ale alight with flowing tropical flamboyant glam-hop, backed up with a smooth malt base brewed with oats.
HOPADELIC
The beer that offers everything. Bitterness, tropical hops, a rounded malty mouthfeel & at only 4.3% abv.
SQUEEZER
This Juicy Pale Ale was added to our core range in 2021, it offers huge upfront juicy tropical hoppy goodness with a soft hazy mouthfeel. This beer was a huge hit when brewed as a one-off special in 2020 and gives a perfect balance to our core range selection.
STIFF UPPER LIP
This is the first beer we ever brewed, and yes we have tweeked it along the way, but this is still a stand-out go-to cask ale to still be part of our core beer range.
Brewed by brewers that careMEET THE TEAM
Alex Bull – Co-founder / Production Manager
Alex heads up our brewing & production side of the business, ensuring we brew enough beer for all our customers. A ‘we can do this better’ attitude, a hands on approach and the love of all things foodie, wet, and outdoors fully drives his creativity.
Chris Mills – Co-founder / Sales Manager
Chris ensures all our customers get what they want, when they want it. Chris’ move into the craft brewing world was fuelled by a love of the culture and tradition which surrounds beer. Hand him a great porter and he’ll be one happy guy!
Ross Lonsdale – Lead Brewer
Ross learned the pub trade with Antic pubs for several years which really got him interested in brewing, then working for another London brewery for a short while before jumping on board with us. Karaoke and his will to never be defeated are two great strengths, of course alongside brewing some awesome beer for us & managing our brewing team!