At Simpsons Malt, we’re really passionate about working with some truly incredible customers in the brewing industry. We love supplying good malt to make good beer – and we really love finding out where our malts end up.
We spoke to Quality Control Account Manager David Kerr of Wylam Brewery. The well-known Newcastle brewery is famous for its delicious beer range – and beautifully designed packaging.
Find out what David Kerr had to say about working at Wylam, his favourite malts, and changes within the brewing industry in recent years…
When did Wylam Brewery start using Simpsons Malt?
“We started using Simpsons Malt all the way back in the year 2000 when we first set up. Every Tuesday some of the Simpsons team would drive down to Newcastle where we would hand ball each sack of malt off the truck and carry them into the storeroom.”
What’s your favourite Simpsons Malt malt and why?
“We’ve always been big fans of Golden Promise which is in all our core beers and is also used in a lot of our big IPAs.
What has been the biggest challenge for you in the brewing market over the last few years?
“With the closure of a lot of traditional pubs in our area we have seen a huge decrease in cask beers which were a large part of Wylam a few years ago. We had to trim the core range of cask beers to keep the cask we did produce fresh and in the best condition possible.
“As big cask drinkers here at the brewery it’s a shame, but we still produce plenty of cask and we’re looking forward to producing seasonal cask beers again in the near future.”
If you could only drink one beer style for the rest of your life, what would it be?
“As much as I love pale ales, IPAs and DIPAs, I think a classic robust porter or export porter in cask is where my heart lies.”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“Don’t eat yellow snow!
“Also be true to yourself and brew the beers you enjoy drinking – it’s easy to follow trends but if you’re not passionate about that beer style, you may not be paying attention to the finer details.”
Is there a Wylam beer you are most proud of?
“We had a fantastic 2018 producing a lot of new beers across many styles. What stood out for me was our Northern Powerhouse collab boxset. To work with eight northern breweries making eight different beers and releasing all the beers for the Great Exhibition of the North was a big ask for the brew team and I think they pulled it off exceptionally.
“We were also awarded the Rate Beer ‘Best Beer in the UK’ award for Imperial Macchiato. Our American Pale Ale, Room 237 landed in the ‘Best 50 New Beers in the World’ category, which was a great achievement.
“It is however always hard to look past Jakehead our core IPA that really opened up the market for us outside of the North East.”
What’s next for Wylam Brewery?
“More of the same! There will be plenty of new beers coming out throughout the year.
“We will be attending festivals all over the world and hosting our very own “Craft Beer Calling” festival in October.
“There also will be some exciting additions to our brewhouse over the year to help increase production, beer styles and packaging – so keep your eyes peeled!”
Cheers, David!
Want to find out more about Simpsons Malt? Read our latest beer chat with Roger Ryman, Brewing Director at St Austell. Or, get in touch with our sales team who are always on hand to advise about our malts.