Interview: Steve Briscoe, MD of Wirral firm Peerless Brewing Company

When it comes to beer, I’m an experimentalist. Find me in a Liverpool pub of a Friday evening and you’re likely to see me poring over the pumps at the bar, looking for a pint I’ve never tasted before.

While I can always enjoy a few scoops of ubiquitous brands like Peroni and San Miguel, I’d prefer a bevy from one of the local breweries any day.

Last week I got to speak to Steve Briscoe, the managing director and head brewer at Wirral-based Peerless Brewing Company.

When I asked about the firm’s beginnings, Steve laid out a rich account of his journey into the industry. “I’m a native of Cumbria,” he said, “but I left home aged 16 to take up an apprenticeship with GEC Telecoms in Coventry.

“It was the start of 30 years in an exciting industry. I rose from telecoms engineer to teaching people from all over the world at the Liverpool training school in the late ’80s.

“Finally I ended up as a sharp-suited sales and marketing executive. Over the years I enjoyed visits to more than 60 countries, but I loved getting home for a quiet pint of cask-conditioned ale.”

Steve explained how his love of real ales really took off while he was in the Midlands. “I mainly drank milds,” he explained. “Ansells Mild was consumed in vast quantities by thirsty car workers.”

“We have noticed the trend for craft ales and are making our first tentative steps into the world of craft.”

However, it was during a visit to Bass Brewery in Burton-on-Trent (Steve called it a “holy shrine” of the industry) that his enthusiasm for real ales combined with his entrepreneurial subconscious.

“Finally, I decided to hang the suits in the wardrobe – they are still there – and set up my very own brewery in Birkenhead. Although all the equipment was bought second hand, the Peerless Brewing Company was still a huge investment for us – my wife, Rose, is a co-director.”

I wondered about the significance of the name Peerless and how it fits into the firm’s brand identity, which was overhauled last month by Preston-based agency Zircom.

Steve said he and his wife wanted a name that was both memorable and local - something simple with a connection to the Wirral area.

“The long defunct Birkenhead Brewery had used an advertising slogan proclaiming ‘Peerless Ales’. It inspired us – and appears to be well chosen. In just six years we have won many trophies from SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers.

“Last year we were recognised as a top North West brewer in the region’s toughest beer challenge - the SIBA NW Beer Competition - where we took five top accolades, two of which were gold medals.”

It seems Peerless’ sales are growing in line with its list of accolades, having recently shown a year-on-year increase of around 30%.

I told Steve that I’d noticed an increased taste for craft ales today, particularly among younger people, and I wanted to know if this is something he’s seen too. If so, has it informed Peerless’ brewing decisions in any way?

Steve told me: “We are mainly a producer of ‘real ale’, but we have noticed the trend for craft ales and are making our first tentative steps into the world of craft.

“Our first offering is Storr Lager for keg dispense. This was developed from our cask version. An authentic, Munich-style, straw-coloured beverage.”

The Storr Lager, he explained, would have “a decent amount of natural carbonation and a good-sized head”, with a lemony citrus scent, faintly floral sweetness and a “crisp, clean” texture.

“We can make changes to the malt mix, the hop content, mash temperature, ABV, final gravity. All of these can affect the final brew.”

I had a vague sense that despite beer’s status as a drink with so few ingredients, developing a new one must be a long and painstaking process, so I quizzed Steve about it by asking him what Peerless would do to create a (hypothetical) new brand of stout.

He replied by explaining how Peerless brought its Oatmeal Stout to market. The beer, Steve said, was developed by Alex Morely, a brewer with the firm.

“First he (Alex) brewed a test brew. This is only around 20 litres but is enough to give us an idea. Once tasted, we all offer suggestions as to how make changes. We can make changes to the malt mix, the hop content, mash temperature, ABV, final gravity. All of these can affect the final brew.

“We then tweaked the recipe and brewed a further two test brews. At this point it was deemed ready to be brewed on the main brew plant and we simply scale everything up to our full 4,500 litres.”

“For an IPA, I love Jakehead by Wylam. Strong and chock full of hops.”

Next, I asked Steve about Peerless Brewing Company’s position on the Wirral. Does the fact that Liverpool is just a stone’s throw away (if you can throw a stone over the Mersey) give Peerless an edge?

“The main advantage of operating from Wirral is that it’s where I live!” he joked. “Of course, we benefit from our proximity to Liverpool, and also Chester, Manchester, St Helens, Wigan, Bolton and so on, as we deliver right across the North West.”

Peerless’ beers are available all over the country, but I wanted to know if Steve had plans to expand the business in the next year or so.

“We have just doubled our capacity,” he said, “so the next 12 months will be a case of using that capacity to sell more beer. We plan to increase sales next year by 20%.”

To round off our discussion, I asked Steve about his own taste in beers. It’s a list, he admitted, that changes all the time.

“For an IPA, I love Jakehead by Wylam. Strong and chock full of hops. For a session ale, Hawkshead (a brewery in Kendal) do a 3.5% ale called Iti. This is a superbly balanced pale ale and lots of citrus notes.

“My current dark favourites are Dark Star Original and Elland 1872 Porter. Both superb.”