The Really Good Beer Guide

I’ve been doing a lot of work recently researching UK-based ethical & sustainable brewery and pub businesses. Lots of this hasn’t been published yet. It will be released over the next few months. It’s heartwarming to see the amazing work that is taking place across the UK to take extra care of people, community and the environment.

It’s been a tough time for the beer industry, with sexual harassment charges, poor treatment of employees and other unsavoury actions hitting the headlines. So to counteract the negativity, and instead of giving more air time to businesses whose behaviour I don’t like, I’ve decided to start a directory of the breweries who are doing Good Things and making Good Beer!

Who is in?

I’m not, for the moment, including vegan or gluten-free beers. That might be a separate list. Admittedly omitting isinglass from your processes arguably supports sustainability. I think many beers can be incidentally vegan without any conscious choice on the brewery’s part to make a positive change.

I am including cider makers, even though I know they aren’t breweries. But it’s my list so deal with it! I think we can applaud ethical and sustainable producers in both spheres.

With over 2000 breweries in the UK, this list could get pretty long! And I hope it does. I hope it grows over time as more people adopt better business practices. They will be making beer that is as good for the soul as it is for the palate. Now, if you know someone great that is missing, add a comment, or tell me on Twitter or via email. Also more detail about what businesses are doing is welcome.

This is a living list! I can add, and I can take away (I have a private blacklist. No, you can’t see it.) Read all about our ethical and sustainable brewery friends. Happy drinking!

Ethical and Sustainable Brewery List

Ascension Cider, Sussex

Their apples have all been rejected for sale by supermarkets. The Wildwood Series is a low intervention cider fermented directly in oak casks with wild yeasts.

Adnams, Southwold

Adnams donate 1% of their profit each year to support community charities. They champion local ingredients and support the natural environment by employing a beekeeper who cares for over a million bees. Adnams are committed to using more English hops as they have a lower carbon footprint and require less irrigation. Founder members of Open to Everyone. Closed to Racism.

Allkin Brewing, nr Tunbridge Wells

Since their previous brewery was hit by lightning, Allkin have been on the Road to Unruin. A successful crowdfunder has allowed them to rebuild the former Good Things Brewing back better and even more sustainable than before and create a new brand – Allkin. They reused every last piece of sandstone they could find in the foundations.

In October 2022, they launched a new crowdfunder (offering rewards and shares in the business) to take Allkin to a new level and get their sustainable beer out as far as possible. Get involved.

Artistraw Cider, Hereford

Growing an orchard in a wildflower meadow with rare and delicious apple varieties. While this grows, they pick from established, unsprayed local orchards and make full juice cider bottled and labelled by hand using corn starch glue with recycled paper and natural inks.

Atlantic Brewery, Newquay

A Soil Association certified organic unfined cask ale brewery based in the barn of Treisaac Farm where they grow many of their own ingredients including Cornish Green Fuggle Hops. They draw water from their own spring and use locally produced organic malt. They use solar and heat exchange to maximise energy efficiency.

Barnaby’s Brewhouse, Staverton

Organic, vegan lager, certified by the Soil Association. Spent grain fed to cows and hops used as compost at Riverford Farm. Spring water and solar power comes through the farm and wastewater is filtered back through reed beds. Bottling takes place in-house to avoid adding miles. Using organic hops, malts and live yeast.

Beerblefish Brewing Co, Walthamstow

A social enterprise that provides training and mentoring to ex-forces personnel and gives support to computing-oriented youth training schemes and children’s organisations. They also pay all members of staff at least the living wage.

Beer Nouveau, Manchester (now brewing at Temperance Street)

Rarely send any beers outside of their taphouse to minimise the carbon footprint, never use single-use packaging and use locally grown hops as much as possible.

Better World Brewing Company, Borehamwood

Brew in partnership with others, choosing not to have their own brewery building. They plant a tree for every sale they make, ensure every brew is carbon neutral and support the Orangutan Foundation to protect habitat in Borneo. Through 1% for the Planet they give at least 1% of their income to environmental non-profits.

Big Hug Brewing, cuckoo brewers

A Work For Good Partner where some of their profits from Pave The Way pale ale support their nominated charity, Only A Pavement Away, which supports people who are homeless. They have a long track record of supporting charities – “In 2015 we started an initiative called Hugs4Snugs to help raise clothing donations for local homeless charities nominated by the venue at our Tap Takeover events.”

Binary Botanical, South Downs

Using organically grown English hops in their unique light beers, in the brew and infusing the hop leaves too.

Black Isle Brewing Co, Munlochy

Scotland’s first organic brewery. They pay up to three times as much for hops, and twice as much for barley from farms that have massively more abundant insect, plant and birdlife. They importantly help to support declining bee populations.

Blue Barrel Cider, Nottingham

Small batch cider which is the product of inner-city scrumping (my new favourite phrase.) Cider supports Summerwood, a community garden project and a range of projects for the community there, including vulnerable adults, families and young peoples’ groups.

Bluestone Brewing Co, nr Newport Pembs.

The world’s first Green Key accredited brewery. They have their own water supply with reed bed filtration for waste water. The brewery and site has solar panels, living rooves, solar energy and heat exchange in the brewing process. There are lots of recycling and composting activities taking place on sit. They house community events like a local gardening group.

Brewsters Brewery, Grantham

Using compressed sugarcane can holders for loose cans and fully renewable energy supplies to power the brewhouse.

Brewgooder, Glasgow

For every pint of beer sold, they aspire to provide 100 times that amount in clean water. This benefit is delivered via various charities around the world.

Brollins Cider, Birmingham

Collecting unwanted apples from the good folk of Birmingham and turning them into delicious cider (some of which goes back to the donors of course!) All hail the Food Waste Heroes!

Bucks Star Brewery, Milton Keynes

Pioneers of the growler swap, to reduce the use of single use packaging, and creating the UK’s first solely solar powered brew – still one of the only breweries in the UK to be powered completely by its own solar panels.

Burton Town Brewery, Burton-on-Trent

Use locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, give spent grain to local farmer to feed horses, recycle spent hops as fertiliser and source all packaging and bottles within 30 miles.

Bushel & Peck, Gloucestershire

Using unsprayed apples to make natural cider. Reviving neglected traditional orchards and supporting the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Gloucestershire Orchard Trust.

Castle Rock Brewery, Nottingham

Outline their position with a clear sustainability statement and openly commit to no greenwashing. They have been Green Certified with Investors in the Environment since 2016 for their commitment to reducing the environmental impact of their energy and water use and decreasing emissions. In 2019 they won the Visit Nottingham Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism award and work in partnership with a range of local and national nature charities.

Charnwood Cider, Leicestershire

Rob uses locally collected fruit from unsprayed trees (that would otherwise go to waste), has planted around 500 trees in his burgeoning orchard, and uses minimal electricity.

Cloudwater Brewery, Manchester

They run an ethically conscious, human-centred business that is helping to support innovation in Northern communities. They are also notable for using their own not inconsiderable platform to help amplify the voices of under-represented groups under their Beer with Big Ideas project. See their collaboration packs in Tesco stores around the country (although these beers are brewed on their behalf by another large brewery who won’t be making this list, so you pays your money, you takes your chances). Edit – these have now been withdrawn from sale, following a certain documentary. So continue to pay your money and take your chances as you see fit.

Clyde Cider, Glagow

Forage apples from residents of Glasgow and Clyde and use their profits to plant a community orchard.

Conwy Brewery, Conwy

Solar generation reduces power consumption by 30%, reuse of spent grain and waste products along with a commitment to reduced use of water and chemicals.

Crumbs Brewing, Reigate

Saving waste bread by making it into artisanal beer!

Cullercoats Brewery, Cullercoats, Tyne & Wear

Corporate partners of the RNLI, they donate 3p to the charity for every beer they sell, totalling over £60k to date!

Drop Bear Beer Company, Swansea

Wales’ first Certified B Company, brewing alcohol-free beers that use renewable energy and recyclable materials throughout the production cycle. An LGBTQ+ owned and female-led business. In March 2022, Drop Bear submitted plans for the world’s first carbon neutral alcohol free brewery in Abergavenny. And in July 2022, they became the world’s first certified carbon neutral alcohol free brewery.

DuckChicken Cider, South London

Making cider in South London from three revived Kentish orchards that are dry and unpasteurised.

Duration Brewery, Norfolk

Recently build a destination farmhouse brewery on a working farm, with respect to the historic character of the building they restored and the protected wildlife in the area. Working from a farmhouse base gives huge opportunities for working more sustainably and recycling waste.

Earth Station Brewing Project, London

Raise funds through their brewing to support diversity and inclusion programmes such as The Black Curriculum social enterprise who deliver Black British history education.

Eko Brewery, London

An increasing criticism of beer in the UK and beer writing is the lack of representation of People of Colour. This will certainly mean many people wish to support one of the few Black-owned breweries in the UK. Eko are producing delicious beers using what they have learned from researching traditional African brewing techniques and ingredients.

Farr Brew, St Albans

Using locally sourced ingredients (including hyper local honey!) and recycling waste products on local farms including water to irrigate crops, and spent grain and hops as animal feed.

Fierce Brewery, Aberdeen

Collaborated with Beer52 and US brewers Notch to send out their pale ale ‘Brave Noise’ to all Beer52 subscribers in December 2021 with a portion of the profits going to The Drinks Trust. “The project is part of a global initiative to fight sexism in the craft beer industry, after many women took to social media earlier this year with their personal stories of misogyny.”

Find and Foster Cider, Huxhum

Reviving neglected traditional orchards and grafting rare varieties to replace dead trees and replenish the orchards and historic disease-resistant strains.

Freedom Brewery, Staffordshire

All of their wastewater is naturally filtered on site.

F%&k Cancer, Edinburgh

Brewed by Ride Brewing in Glasgow (see below) the F%&k Cancer Brewing Project is making beer to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Futtle, East Neuk of Fife

Soil Association certified organic brewery blending natural beers that have a real sense of place, with wild yeasts and fermentation being central to their small batch brewing.

Good Chemistry Brewing, Bristol

A female-owned business with a pub and brewery running off 100% renewable energy. Spent malt feeds local cows, all packaging is reusable and they aim to be part of an open and inclusive community.

Good Things Brewing, nr Tunbridge Wells

Good Things described themselves as the ‘first closed-loop, fully sustainable brewery.’ They were making their own power, drawing water, making spent grain into flour (using the world’s first spent grain dehydrator, which they invented) and using an electric van for deliveries. Their historic barn brewery was destroyed by fire after being hit by lightning in July 2021. The resulting crowdfunder hit the target within 48 hours. Watch this space to see what they are able to achieve as they rebuild their brewery.

Update October 2022: Welcome a new brand – Allkin Brewing. Yep, I want you to scroll all the way back up to A now please.

Great Newsome Brewery, East Yorkshire

Part of a family farm, the brewery has made a commitment to sustainability by supporting hedgerow development and bird and bee feeding to encourage pollinators.They are using cover crops to promote soil health and carbon capture. Their 2022 beer range ‘Chrysalis’ celebrates the butterfly species found at the farm and they chose to can the range as they are more easily recyclable than bottles. They are also using sustainable materials in their packaging and marketing, using locally grown malt and more British hops and reducing energy consumption by harnessing steam for heating water. They plan shortly to switch to steam for washing casks too.

Gun Brewery, The Sussex Weald

Generate power from solar, heat from a wood powered boiler and feed spent grain to local livestock. Water for brewing comes from a spring beneath organically farmed land which is then microfiltered and UV filtered to remove the need for chemical treatment before use.

Gyle 59, Sadborow

Spring-powered, log fed and propane-driven beers according to their website!

Hackney Brewery, Hackney

Their brewery, warehouse and office is powered from renewable energy used in efficient ways thanks to a nitrogen reclaim system, and heat exchange for example. They are members of the Living Wage Foundation paying the London Living Wage and staff go through ongoing training to help them develop. Waste grain is recycled and recycling is key with their packaging. They also work with local charities to support community events.

Hatherland, Tiverton

A relatively new sustainable brewery, they are integrated with a farm which is a County Wildlife Site. They source their water from a bore hole, take energy from solar and heat from a woodchip boiler fueled by wood from coppicing trees. Brewery waste is recycled on the farm, feeding the rare breed cattle there.

Ignition Brewery, South London

Ignition train people with learning disabilities – a group who are chronically under-employed. The team all learn to brew, package the beer and run the tap house. Apart from the two directors, Head Brewer and the bar manager, everyone who works in the business has a learning disability. They create great beer which people drink within the same postcode to keep the food miles down.

Immediate Brewing, Southampton

They take 100g of carbon out of the air for every can of beer they produce. They have calculated that slimming down their emissions means that each can generates about 50% the carbon you would normally expect, then the carbon reduction projects they commit to account for the rest. Don’t worry about greenwashing here, you can even visit their Brew Journal and see the independently verified record of their greenhouse gas emissions.

Kelchner Brewery, Ampthill

Kelchner reuse and recycle wherever possible, including sending spent grains to farmers and spent hops for compost. Chemical tubs and cardboard is also recycled. Plans are afoot for a new brewery which will include a wind and water turbine, solar panels and livestock on site to reduce grain mileage.

Libatory Brewery, Altrincham

A nano-brewery partly powered through solar panels, and the rest through a green electricity tariff. They reuse cooling water for cleaning, spent grain goes off for dairy cow feed (on an ice cream farm), and most local deliveries are made by bike

Little Valley Brewing, Hebden Bridge

Make a variety of organic beers, recycle spent grain and enjoy Soil Association certification.

Ludlow Brewery, Shropshire

Brewing from a converted railway shed that was designed with environmental sustainability and reduced carbon emissions in mind – including installing an air source heat pump system to reuse heat, recycling rainwater, using low carbon insulation and aim to deliver locally to reduce beer miles.

Magpie Brewery, Nottingham

This microbrewery is powered by green energy, recycle their water to wash casks, waste malt is fed to cattle and waste hops are composted. Plus they offer bring your own bottle refills.

Mashionistas Brewing Company, Coventry

Using 100% renewable energy through Octopus Energy, compost spent grain at a local allotment and only make vegan beer.

Merakai Brewing Co, Framfield

A brewery that aims to connect people in an inclusive community with equality at its heart. They released a Brave Noise beer in March 2022, the proceeds from the beer are being put towards creating Wellness Officers, trained individuals who will be present at craft beer events and festivals to help, support and act as a witness for attendees.

Neptune Brewery, Liverpool

In September 2021, they brewed a charity beer called Sangfroid with the Global Ladies of Wort GLOW ALONG 2021, who aim to highlight female representation in the beer industry. Proceeds from the project are directed to a local women’s charity, Sefton Women’s and Children’s Aid.

Norton Brewing, Runcorn

Norton use the brewing process as a way to give adults with learning difficulties pre-employment opportunities to increase skills and confidence. The bottling plant is also particularly staffed by autistic people who value the employment experience they gain from the structured activities that take place there.

People’s Captain, Hove?

A craft beer range dedicated to supporting mental health initiatives through a dedicated foundation. Appear to work with existing breweries to create their products, but I can’t be sure. More on that as I get it!

Purity Brewing Co, Warwickshire

Their brewery uses heat exchange and steam capture to reduce energy consumption. Spent grain feeds Longhorn cattle and spent yeast feeds pigs. Waste water is recycled using a natural wetland reed filtration system. To support their community they support rugby (from the grass roots up) and encourage and support cycling as a sport and a greener method of transport.

Queer Brewing Project, London

A Queer-owned brewery that provides representation and visibility for LGBTQ+ people, using beer as a vehicle for social change.

Ramsgate Brewery, Kent

Aiming to net zero for their brewery. Ramsgate are not just installing solar panels, but publishing useful data about how well they are working and projected payback schedules. Take a look at their blog for interesting information.

Really Good Beer Society, North London

A B Corp pending business (see below) who do not have their own brewery, but find partner breweries who are independent and focused on sustainable production. They name their beers for a cause and charity partner and give 2.5% from sales to those causes. They seem to have fallen off the radar a bit – their website is operational, but their Facebook page has disappeared and Instagram is inactive. Any updates welcome! (Feb 2023)

Ride Brewing, Glasgow

A social enterprise brewery who offer employment opportunities to people with disabilities. They do lots of good things – community canning to support other small breweries, for example. Ride also make deliveries by bike, make can sleeves from cornstarch and recycle spent grain with local cattle farmers.

Ross Cider, Ross-on-Wye

Traditional family-run full juice natural cider makers who conducted the Innovative Farmers study into the use of a Shropshire breed of sheep to graze orchards.

Rull Orchard, Bickleigh

A project in permaculture encouraging the natural biodiversity of the area. Grow or source locally and sell direct to customers to minimize transportation. They have a new orchard, bee hives, wildlife pond, bird and bat boxes and logpile habitats. They don’t use pesticides or insecticides and use homegrown comfrey and nettles for fertiliser. The farm is carbon negative.

Seb’s Cider, Herefordshire

Slow matured natural cider from unsprayed orchards. Hand picked apples pressed in a low-impact cider barn and pommace fed to local cattle.

Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing, Scotland

Producing low alcohol and regular strength beers and aiming “build the most inclusive, accessible and sustainable brewery in the UK” in 2022. They actively seek to employ people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Sustainability is a long term goal, and inclusivity and community are their key watchwords of the moment.

Small Beer, South Bermondsey

The first certified B Corp certified brewery in London, cutting water use and implementing a dry floor policy, recovering energy and using sustainable packaging.

Spookton Brew Co, The Wirral, Merseyside

A new venture donating 5p per can or pint sold to support charitable ventures. Each beer they brew will support a different charity to literally share the wealth.

Stonehouse Beers, Oswestry

They built an energy efficient brewhouse in 2013 and actively try to save water and energy. They only make cask deliveries within a 30 mile radius. The brewery uses bottles for small pack because glass is less damaging to produce.

Stroud Brewery, Stroud

A dedicated, Soil Association approved organic brewery and the first UK brewery B Corp (see below). They only source ingredients that have a positive impact on ecosystems and the environment, and prioritise local.

Tap Social Movement, Oxford

Deeply committed to social justice, their brand was developed using prisoner artwork that needed a platform. They created a brewery and social space where they hire currently serving inmates and recently released people. Tap offer support to develop new skills, gain experience and learn about setting up their own businesses. They also offer one on one employment support.

Temperance St Cider, Manchester

Temperance St have a scrumping army who help to gather their Manchester-grown apples and foraged elderflowers and other fruit that are then used to make the ciders. This means that fruit that would otherwise go to waste is used. The owners get some cider back in return. They make single variety and ‘estate’ ciders which are blended later. Temperance St work with the Manchester Hop Project to add new flavours to the cider by using green hops. They never use single use kegs.

Toast Ale, London

Using surplus bread instead of virgin barley to use less land, water and energy.

Welbeck Abbey Brewery

Small changes can make a big difference. By converting to a pressure washer for cleaning Welbeck Abbey have cut down their water usage by 75% . This deserves celebrating if you ask me!

Welsh Mountain Cider, Powys

Making full juice, natural cider from a museum orchard of 450 varieties of fruit trees.

Wildcraft Brewing, Norwich

They offer to swap locally foraged ingredients for beer. Sounds like a tasty deal.

Wilderness Brewery, Powys

A transparent brewery who publish their brew sheets and a Code of Conduct. Wilderness use renewable energy and recycled materials wherever possible, calculate and attempt to offset their carbon emissions and each new beer helps to fund new nature reserves. They also support charitable and progressive causes.

Wiper & True, Bristol

July 2022 – A new taproom has been opened in Bristol that is accessible and sustainability focused,

Wold Top Brewery, Hunmanby

They use homegrown barley and water from the farm’s borehole to brew. Alongside this they are planting trees to offset their carbon footprint and planting wild areas to support biodiversity. They use renewable energy from the farm’s wind turbines. Given the Company CSR/Green Initiative of the Year award at the Scarborough Business Excellence Awards in 2021.

Ethical and Sustainable Beer and Cider Directory