Women of WoT

KATIE MARRIOTT

NOMADIC BEERS

‘It's great to be in an industry that shares knowledge and wants to work together’

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role in the beer world? 

Hi I'm Katie and I'm the Gaffa at Nomadic Beers. I've been hanging around the beer industry for about 12 years in various roles but started Nomadic 5 years ago. I love beer, anything from a good quality cask to a funky sour and even enjoy a mass produced lager now and again. I can also be found on the crafty scene as well as the craft beer scene. I love all things yarn and can knit, crochet and spin yarn. I'm basically setting myself up for the apocalypse, when the zombies rise just come find me for warm clothing and a safe, santitised drink.  

Photo Credit: Matthew Curtis for Pellicle https://www.pelliclemag.com

What inspired you to set up Nomadic and what challenges have you faced as an owner of a brewery and brewster? 

Nomadic Beers was set up in 2017 after I left another brewery due to clash of ethos. I wanted to make good cask beers that show off what can be pulled through a hand pull while trying to run a fair and fun working environment. As a Brewster I've faced the usual issues while running a brewery or a business, cash flow and ensuring our product is as good as it can be are probably the major ones.  

As for being female in a male dominated industry, people usually assuming Ross is the boss but he puts them right very quickly. Others will talk to my partner Mike about the brewery even though he's not even employed by me and I'm sitting next to him.  

We’ve been lucky to collaborate with you on several WoT beers now and you’ve produced some more exceptional collabs over the past few years. How important do you think collaboration is in the beer industry? 

Extremely important and it's also extremely fun. We love to brew with other breweries. It's a chance to learn different techniques, pick up handy tips such as mashing in with a plaster mixer gives us great efficiency from the grain and a more consistent brew, and a toilet brush is a great shape for cleaning the heating elements in the kettle! After coming from academia which can be very cut throat and lonely, even a selfish environment, it's great to be in an industry that shares knowledge and wants to work together. We've already done 4 collabs this year and have another 5 in the diary.  

Now that we’re *touch wood* out of lockdown, and after a tumultuous few years what developments are you excited to/hopeful to see in the beer industry? 

I'm loving that people have started to appreciate more traditional styles and hope this continues. I understand why people love a DIPA and hops are very exciting, but grain plays a bit part in brewing too, and I think the more traditional bitters and milds show this off well. It would be nice if people realised there's a lot of us smaller cask specialist breweries that are brewing these styles on a regular basis and the bigger, cooler companies aren't always "bringing back" certain styles. Have a look at your local more traditional brewery and you'll probably find a whole range of new-to-you styles to try. Some of these styles have been around for centuries. 

‘I wanted to make good cask beers that show off what can be pulled through a hand pull while trying to run a fair and fun working environment.’

Tell us about someone in the industry that inspires you, or just deserves a shout out? 

How much space do I have?! First off my team definitely deserve a shout out - Harriet, Ben, Lars and especially Ross. Ross has stuck with me from the being and took a huge leap of faith working for someone who hadn't ran a business before, let alone a brewery! Nomadic would not be where is was with out his blood, sweat and swearing.  

As for inspiration - Rachel and you (Nichola) for all the hard work you put in to make this a fairer and safer industry. Sometimes it probably feels like you're shouting in to the void but trust me there are people who have seen you and appreciate you. Jaega of Wild Card Brewery, Fiona of Loch Lomond Brewery and Melissa Cole all need a mention too. I'm a total fan woman of these three but I think I now manage to play it cool when I see see them at events. 

Most important question. What is your favourite beer you’ve made so far and what’s your favourite beer to drink right now (yours or someone else’s)? 

My favourite Nomadic Beers brew is Strider our 4.4% Bitter. It's been with us from the start, it's awesome on both cask and keg and everyone should try it.  

My favourite beer to drink right now is anything from Anthology (https://anthologybrewing.co.uk). Liam is absolutely smashing it and I've never had a bad beer from him.  

Check out Nomadic Beers on their Website: https://www.nomadicbeers.co.uk