Beak

Beak Brewery emerged from a decade of patience. Founder Danny Tapper spent years as an award-winning food and drink journalist, writing for The Guardian and Waitrose Food Monthly while quietly honing his brewing skills. He volunteered at The Kernel, invested in homebrewing kit, and spent years cuckoo brewing at respected operations like North Brewing Co., Partizan, and Brass Castle. When he finally opened his own place in Lewes, East Sussex in early 2020, just two weeks before lockdown hit, the timing could have been disastrous. Instead, the surge in online beer sales during the pandemic gave Beak exactly the launchpad it needed.

The brewery sits on the Cliffe Industrial Estate in Lewes, a historic brewing town where Harvey's has dominated for generations. Beak brings something different: contemporary craft beer with a distinctly playful character. The labels, designed by illustrator Jay Cover, look more like children's book covers than typical brewery branding. Primary colours and whimsical imagery set the tone.

What sets Beak apart is the philosophy of restraint. Head brewer Robin Head-Fourman, who joined from Burning Sky, deliberately limits each recipe to two to four hop varieties. The goal is clarity of flavour rather than overwhelming intensity. Their flagship Parade IPA exemplifies this approach: soft, juicy, and aromatic without the aggressive bitterness that can dominate modern IPAs.

For alcohol-free drinkers, Beak launched Nolia as a dedicated subsidiary project. The Nolia AF IPA uses hops hand-selected from farms in Washington's Yakima Valley and New Zealand's Nelson region. The result is a hazy, tropical beer with apricot, mango and lime character that regularly draws praise as one of the better craft AF options available. It's the same thoughtful approach Beak applies to everything, just without the alcohol.

Beak has earned recognition from the British Guild of Beer Writers as one of the most exciting new breweries to emerge in recent years. Their annual These Hills festival brings international breweries to Lewes, while their taproom and street-food canteen has become a destination in its own right. You'll find Beak beers at quality bottle shops and craft beer retailers across the UK, with Nolia increasingly appearing at specialists who take their AF selection seriously.

The Collection

NOLIA 0.5% Alcohol Free IPA