I first went to Beer Club at the Theberton Lion back in 2016 and was a regular attender until I moved away from Suffolk in 2022.

In the early days, Tom would just get a selection of bottled beers in for us to sample, with the idea being that this would allow him to choose beers to stock in the pub. This soon evolved into a brewery being invited to showcase five beers, often with a presentation by the head brewer or brewery owner.

As a homebrewer and beer blogger (at the time) I really appreciated the chance to meet and learn from people like Bruce Ash of the Norfolk Brewhouse and Emma Pinder of Boudicca Brewing Company. Not necessarily names that are well known outside of East Anglia, but very knowledgeable people nonetheless.

Going back to Beer Club as a professional brewer myself, I was simultaneously thrilled and nervous. Thrilled to be standing at the front of the room, presenting myself, my brewery, and my beers as a professional. Nervous as this is the first time I have been in this position and it feels very different to any other situation in which I’ve spoken to a group of people – this feels very personal.

It was very heartwarming to see plenty of familiar faces, including Tom (the landlord), the regular Beer Club crowd – especially Harry and Viv (my old morris dancing friends, Dylan (my middle son) and a few of his friends. It was also a joy to see Fergus and Julie, who I had got to know quite well through Covid related Zoom beer sessions – although their presence did nothing to ease my nerves – Fergus is the former head brewer at Adnams (he now has a more prestigious job title, which I forget, but I am sure sounds less exciting than head brewer).

For various reasons, largely due to the fact that Tom had only got back from his holiday a couple of hours before the event, we were a little bit late starting. Once we did start though, I soon got into the swing of things; talking about the brewery, the beers, and the stories that inspire them. Hopefully, I didn’t bore people too much – at least nobody fell asleep, which given the age of some of the Beer Clubbers is not to be taken for granted!

On the whole, the beers went down very well. Black Shuck was a clear favourite, which was no surprise as several of the regulars are definite stout fans. Obviously, I was particularly interested in Fergus’ expert feedback. Happily, he was very positive about the beers, but he did make some suggestions about minor tweaks that could raise my beer to the next level, so I’m very glad to be able to take his advice on board.

While we were down in Suffolk, we also enjoyed spending some time with my sister, brother-in-law and their dogs, taking in some sights and much needed RnR.