by French & Jupps
Arkell’s Brewery founded 1843, is owned and run by the same family on the same site, which began as a small farm brewery. Head brewer is Alex Arkell, the 6th generation of the family and takes a deep dive with us on tradition, technique, and the future of brewing.
Brewery Name: Arkell’s Brewery
Brewer Name: Alex Arkell
Job Title: Head Brewer
Flagship Beer: 3B
Website: www.arkells.com
Introduction To Alex Arkell
Q1. What inspired you to start brewing?
My family have been brewing for over 180 years, it’s in the blood!
Q2. How long have you been at Arkell’s Brewery?
13 years.
Q3. How have your beer styles and flavour profiles evolved over the years?
We have always had a staple of easy sessionable beers with our seasonals pushing our brewing team to learn the impact of heavy hopping really in the early days then a little fruit experimentation and really now we have a broad selection of different beer styles that we brew weekly.
Q4. What factors have influenced these changes?
Mostly consumer and our own preferences.
Q5. What sets your brewery apart from others in the industry?
Certainly our heritage is now very unique in the UK, there are very few old family breweries like us that are still family owned and run. Also we are one of only a tiny number of breweries left that still brew all our beer in our original Victorian brewhouse using all the original techniques.
A Guide to Choosing Brewing Malts: Tips from Alex Arkell at Arkell’s Brewery
Choosing Base Malts
Q6. What factors influence your choice of base malts? Is it beer style, colour, extract?
Colour and flavour influence.
Q7. What are the key characteristics to look for when selecting a great base malt?
These are the building blocks of all beers, for a bigger more characterful beer I will always look for something that adds depth like Maris Otter, for lighter crisper beers I’ll tend towards lager malts.
Q8. Do you have a specific approach to creating a balanced malt bill, ratios, preferences?
For me its all about experience and experimentation.
Choosing Specialty Roasted Malts
Q9. What is your approach to incorporating Roasted Malts into your beer recipes to achieve specific flavour profiles? Are there any dos and don’ts?
A small ratio can go along way, don’t get carried away trying to create colour from darker malts.
Q10. Do you have a methodology for using roasted malts effectively? Perhaps any examples of beers you have brewed where roasted malts have played a significant role?
The beer we brew which has the most roasted malts in would be our Stout, Mustang Black. For this it was all about building layers of flavour, we use 5 coloured malts of increasing darkness to create a softer chocolatey flavour in the beer without too much astringency.
Q11. How do you balance the bitterness and astringency of Roasted Malts with the hop bitterness and aroma in your beers?
We tend to separate our hop forward beers and our roast forward beers, I think the two characteristics are best shown off when they are apart, blending roasted hoppy beers doesn’t really work for me.
Q12. When using significant amounts of Crystal and/or Patent malts, how does this influence your yeast strain selection to achieve your desired flavour profile or ABV?
Not at all. We would mostly use our house yeast for these beers.
Q13. When using Patent Roasted Malts, for example, what approach should you take when considering balancing these with Crystal Malt varieties to achieve colour, sweetness, and flavour?
This is always something we do, its creates a better profile of flavours, layered in together.
Q14. Does your water chemistry interact differently with Crystal and Patent Malts to influence beer flavour? Do adjust your water profile?
Yes, this makes a significant difference. We will adjust for our darker beers.
Q15. Have you experimented with different types of Roasted Malts or unusual malt varieties, and how have these experiments influenced your brewing process and beer styles?
Not hugely, mostly we have used the more well known roasted styles.
The Future of Brewing
Q16. At the start of 2025, what trends do you see shaping the next year in the beer industry?
With the surge in Guinness sales I would hope to see people experimenting with more darker beer brands.
Q17. How is your brewery adapting to these trends?
We have our Mustang Black stout that we will continue to push.
Q18. Are there any specific innovations on the horizon that you are most eager to see, or be developed?
I don’t think so!
Pro Tips for Homebrewing
Q19. What advice would you give to homebrewers who are looking to improve their skills and create more complex or consistently brewed beers?
Consistency is always the biggest challenge with home brewing, repeating the same beer time after time is very difficult with smaller kit. Try to change nothing, if that’s possible and keep repeating.
Q20. Do you have a ‘go-to’ golden ratio, or malt bill, for making a particular beer style that you would encourage homebrewers to try?
I don’t think so!
Q21. If you could advise, what are some common mistakes that homebrewers should avoid?
Balance is key… don’t over do one element of a recipe.
Final Thoughts…
Q22. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one beer, or beer style, for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?
A Cask of our 3B’s. Sessionable, caramelly, malty cask beer is the one style that I always want whatever I’ve been doing. After a hard days shelter building this is what I’d crave.
Q23. Where can readers find your beers, learn more about your brewery and connect with you?
All our beers are sold locally to our brewery in Wiltshire, mostly though our own pubs which are all within 50 miles of the brewery.
We are thrilled to be returning to BeerX, Liverpool, 2025 to connect with the vibrant UK brewing community at “The UK’s Biggest Beer & Brewing Trade Event.”
Calling all London Brewers Alliance LBA members! Step inside the historic walls of Great Britain’s oldest maltster, French & Jupps, on Friday, February 21st, 2025!
For over 335 years, our family has been dedicated to producing the finest handcrafted malt. It’s a tradition we cherish, and a commitment we continue to uphold.
We’d love to become part of your journey and for you to become part of our story.
If you are looking to create your project using the finest malt with beautiful flavours and aromas, please get in touch,
French & Jupps Ltd, Roydon Road, Stanstead Abbotts, Herts, SG12 8HG
Registered Company No. 00165116
To learn about the journey from field to glass and more detailed explanation of the malting process click below.
Proudly delivering outstanding quality and services for centuries to come.
We pride ourselves in:
Producing the finest quality speciality malts
Providing an inspiring environment for businesses to develop and grow
Supporting the community and local youth programmes
Family owned and driven by core family values.
We are: One team, supportive, honest, respectful and care greatly about our community, local talented youth and the environment.
French & Jupps Ltd, Roydon Road, Stanstead Abbotts, Herts, SG12 8HG
