Founded in 2011 by Alex Bull and Chris Mills, By The Horns Brewing Company has been brewing beer inspired by their love for both American craft beer and British real ales.
Today, the award-winning brewery brewed up to 20,000 pints of beer every week and operates a busy taproom on site in south west London. Their range has evolved over the past ten years, reflecting the changing palate of today’s beer drinker. Their tagline, ‘All beer no bull’, reflects their commitment to brewing the highest-quality beer possible without any pretences.
They are passionate that the quality of their beer should speak for itself and they challenge the image of independent beer. When they started brewing in 2011, craft beer was an emerging concept in the UK and there was little choice on the market. Today, things have evolved and more customers are looking for bold, flavoursome choices everywhere they drink—whether it’s a taproom or their local pub.
By The Horns is doing things differently. They aim to bring beer lovers together, bridging the gap between traditional and modern styles. They believe that good beer is for everyone and that by spreading their passion for well-made, yet intensely drinkable beer, they can cater to a wide range of drinkers— whether they happen to be a seasoned craft beer lover or just looking for a quality pint.
With ten years of brewing under their belt, they have now outgrown their current site in South London and will be expanding their operation to new premises. The new brewery will be located in Redhill, 40 mins south from their current home in SW17. They have chosen to locate in Redhill so they were able to build and maintain a sustainable business. This was not achievable in the current location due to current buildings and environment constraints. On a chance cycle through the Surrey Hills they discovered the perfect location where they would be able to create their own custom made brewery to their specification.
As well as brewing beer on site they will be looking forward to welcoming the local community into the brewery for tours and sampling once Covid restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so
By The Horns will commence brewing on the site in early 2021
At the new site in Salfords (near Redhill) a custom made brewery with a semi-automated 30HL 3 Vessel Brewhouse has been installed on their 5000 sq ft site. Instead of heating using electricity, the brewery will use a steam boiler. This will streamline the brewing process and increase efficiency reducing overall energy consumption. Instead of pre crushed malt being delivered twice weekly in 25kg bags, By The Horns have invested in malt silos and a milling system so they will only need to take one delivery monthly heavily reducing delivery volumes and miles on the road. Alongside the existing fleet of fermentation vessels (7x20HL, & 2x50HL) additional capacity has been added consisting of 3 x 60HL & 3 x 90HL vessels, which increases the overall capacity by nearly 300%.
The new brewery will allow them easy access to their existing market in London whilst also opening up to a new community further south.
London Site
By The Horns don’t plan on leaving SW17 high and dry however. The current site is due for a major overhaul with plans of making it into a destination centre for all things By The Horns. They feel very much at home in SW17 as it is where they were born nearly 10 years ago. They grew up there and have built a strong sense of community and loyalty from local beer lovers, this has never been more prevalent than the support they witnessed in 2020 throughout the pandemic. Amongst other things the new site will boast a brand new self-contained pilot brew kit, a cidery and a distillery. There will also be plans to extend a barrel ageing and souring programme. They will also look to extend the offering from current street food residents; The Dough Shack and allow them more space to do what they do best. The site will feature a large open plan eating and drinking area with dedicated outside seating. As well as usual trade they will be setting up regular tours and tastings with a private function area for bookings.
Co – founder and production director Alex Bull says; “this expansion has been a long time in the making and I can’t believe we are now ready to brew on the new kit. It has been an incredible experience to plan our dream brewery from scratch. The new brewhouse and increased capacity will enable us to grow fast and puts us in a fantastic position for the next chapter of By The Horns”
Co-founder and commercial director Chris Mills says. “We have loved every minute of brewing in South London. It is where we brewed and served our first ever beer back in 2011 and we feel very much part of the furniture there, which is the reason why we will continue to brew in SW17 and remain part of the community with this fantastic new taproom venture”
The current core range includes four beers:
- West End Pils (Czech-style lager with extra pale malt, Saaz and Centennial hops, 4.0%) (available in keg/can)
- Cosmic Warrior (pale ale with Amarillo, Centennial and Kent Goldings hops, 4.8%) (available in keg/can)
- Hopadelic (session IPA with Citra, Summit and Cascade hops and extra pale malt, 4.3%) (available in cask/keg/can)
- Panowow (Table Bitter with extra pale malt and all British Hops 3.8%) (available on keg/can)
Plus four seasonal beers released per month across Cask, Keg and Can
By The Horns online:
Website: https://bythehorns.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ByTheHornsBrew/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bythehornsbrew
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bythehornsbrew/
Notes to Editors:
About By The Horns:
By The Horns Brewing Co. began life as a concept and a vision. Alex Bull and Chris Mills, the founders, wanted to tear away from their corporate jobs and give themselves the freedom to do what they enjoyed most: brewing 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, their vision was to brew approachable beers, but bring taste, choice and flavour to the fore.
Their 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 their creations. Launching in 2011 they cobbled together brewing equipment, rolled up their sleeves with a ‘never-say-die’ approach and began commercially brewing in a small industrial site in SW London
Press release from By The Horns
For further information, quotes or assets, contact Chris Mills on chris@bythehorns.co.uk