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 2020 we launched a brand refresh, bringing a consistent progressively traditional attitude to our core range of beers.
In doing so we re-branded the name of our Lager to West End Pils and added Old Smoke to our core range. We added Old Smoke, an English ‘smoke tea’ Bitter, to our core range to offer a beer that was purely English in nature and style but of course with a twist. Our core range now crosses a spectrum of beer styles, with each bringing something new and different to the table.
We also ensure that our seasonal range & one-off specials really look to offer something interesting.
as well as switching to biodegradable labels
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.
OLD SMOKE
English in nature & style, brewed with beechwood smoked malt & traditional English breakfast tea & Earl Grey tea, and dry hopped with Goldings & Challenger hops grown in Kent.
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!
Kelvin Pearson – Taproom Manager
Kel began working part-time in our Taproom bar in 2015 whilst studying at University. He has now developed into our full-time bar manager & brings a wealth of experience about everything (especially KISS the rock band and beer), & he also pours a damn good pint!