by French & Jupps
For nearly a century and a half, Liberation Brewery, evolving from its origins as the renowned Ann Street Brewery and famed for its Mary Ann beer, has been an integral part of Channel Island life. This brewing institution has not only served locals and visitors for generations but has also stood resilient through significant historical events. In this insightful interview, we delve into the brewing philosophy and expertise of Liberation Brewery's Head Brewer, exploring the evolution of their beer styles, the crucial role of malt selection – from base to roasted varieties – and their perspective on the future trends shaping the beer industry. Discover the secrets behind their multi-award-winning beers and gain valuable tips for your own brewing endeavours, while understanding what makes this enduring Channel Island brewery truly unique.
Brewery Name: Liberation Brewery
Brewer Name: Pat Dean
Job Title: Head Brewer
Spotlight Beer: Liberation Ale, Golden Beer, 4.0% ABV
Website: www.liberationgroup.com
Introduction To Pat Dean
Q1. What inspired you to start brewing?
The start of a new and local brewing scene, whilst studying in Bristol. Smiles, Butcombe, Wickwar, Uley etc were all beers we sought after due to their taste/flavour whilst on student nights out!
Q2. How long have you been at Liberation Brewery?
Altogether through different names and forms, 29 years.
Q3. How/Have your beer styles and flavours profiles evolved over the years?
At the start we brewed three main cask styles, a session bitter, premium and occasionally a strong ale, all malt led with a light balanced British hop charge. Then during the late 1990’s the emergence of new exciting hop varieties and the increase in smaller brewers who pioneered innovation/experimentation, the old brewing rule book was thrown out of the window. Since then we’ve been lucky enough to brew nearly all styles of beer, from wheat, fruit, Black IPA’s, smoked, DIPA’s, NEIPA’s lagers, stouts etc
Q4. What factors have influenced these changes?
Smaller brewer’s desire to stand out from the crowd, but also to push boundaries of taste, flavour and the drinkers perspective of beer.
Q5. What sets your brewery apart from others in the industry?
We are the most southerly brewery in the UK and specialise in cask and kegs beers using our local well water. The focus is on consistency/quality and the brewery has a long history of International and National awards for its beers.
A Guide to Choosing Brewing Malts: Tips from Pat Dean, Head Brewer, Liberation Brewery
Choosing Base Malts
Q6. What factors influence your choice of base malts? Is it beer style, colour, extract?
It is usually variety, extract, maltster and unfortunately price!
Q7. What are the key characteristics to look for when selecting a great base malt?
A long established reliable variety and consistent/rounded malt, which suits your water. It is the heart of your brew so it’s vital to get it right.
Q8. Do you have a specific approach to creating a balanced malt bill, ratios, preferences?
All depend on the the beer your brewing. Base malts average between 75-95% and I tend not to go over 20% for roasted malt, wheat, oats, cereals/adjuncts.
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?
Colour and flavour are the most important, so checking the maltsters analysis and specifications is essentially before creating a recipe and deciding on a flavour profile.
Q10. Do you have a methodology for using roasted malts effectively?
I prefer a slightly longer stand and a shorter boil when brewing Porters/Stouts. A small addition of French & Jupps Pale Chocolate malt in Pale Ales and IPAs adds colour and a lovely nuttiness.
Q11. How do you balance the bitterness and astringency of Roasted Malts with the hop bitterness and aroma in your beers?
For Dark beers I leave it to the roasted malts to create the bitterness, and use hops more for flavour rather than aroma.
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?
We don’t tend to use many yeast strains as we have our own yeast. If doing a small batch though, S05 is neutral so the malt and hop characteristics come through, or Verdant which softens the malt and gives a fruitiness to complement the hops.
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?
Depending on the style of beer, I generally go with the patents for colour and add a smaller amount of crystal malts to increase sweetness and flavour.
Q14. Does your water chemistry interact differently with Crystal and Patent Malts to influence beer flavour? Do adjust your water profile?
Hardly ever adjust the water profile, we have a chemistry for ales, stouts and lagers. As long as the composition sits within our specifications the chemistry isn’t adjusted.
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?
Yes, I’ve used nearly all the UK maltsters, also Dutch, Belgian and German. I’m a fan of CARAFA 3, which is great in high gravity Dark IPA’s and use a lot of Dextrin and Naked Oats in NEIPA’s
The Future of Brewing
Q16. In 2025, what trends do you see shaping the next year in the beer industry?
It’s going to be another tough year, but I can see that no and low alcohol beers (<3.4%) will continue to grow. More brewers doing their own stouts and I’m forever optimistic that British brewers see what a unique premium product they have in cask (fresh) beer! I’ve always said if it was American, it would be huge!
Q17. How is your brewery adapting to these trends?
To concentrate on our core range. We now brew 2 x <0.5% , 1 x 3.4% and 1 x 3.6% kegged under CO2/N2
Pro Tips for Homebrewing
Q18. What advice would you give to homebrewers who are looking to improve their skills and create more complex or consistently brewed beers?
I would encourage them to take brewing courses, no mater what level/volume your brewing at, knowledge is key.
Q19. Do you have a ‘go-to’ golden ratio, or malt bill, for making a particular beer style that you would encourage homebrewers to try?
Not really, I would suggest finding a recipe of a beer you enjoy drinking and replicate that. Once mastered then you can experiment with slight variations.
Q20. Can a brewing recipe be directly replicated in a different brewery and on different equipment?
No. Every brewery and beer is unique, you can get consistency close but never the same!
Final Thoughts…
Q21. 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?
I would love to taste the original Boddingtons cask bitter again… However, I’ll choose the second beer I ever made, it was a called Castle 4.2%. It had a beautiful balanced flavour, derived from low chocolate malt and was single hopped with Northdown, very easy. With a good supply of that, I’d be quite content being stranded for a year or two, enjoying the peace and quiet!
Q22. Where can readers find your beers, learn more about your brewery and connect with you?
The best way is to come and visit us at the brewery. Although our website covers most of what we do and our history. Take a look here: www.liberationgroup.com
French & Jupps, Great Britain’s oldest maltster, will be exhibiting at the Craft Brewers Conference on the TBI Pro Brew Supply stand, number 1801, from April 28th to May 1st, 2025.
Gain professional brewing insights into the uses of roasted malt from Santi Bello, Head Brewer at Windsor & Eton Brewery. Explore the techniques behind their award-winning beers and discover valuable knowledge for aspiring and experienced brewers.
We are proud to announce that “Yippee Pie-Yay,” our collaboration ‘Pecan Pie’ pastry stout with Hackney Church Brew Co., has been awarded the Silver medal in the “Stout – Other” category at the 2024 Untappd Community Awards.
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
