Catching up with Tom from Barth Haas X

Tom will be hosting a panel talk in the Barth Haas X ' Heart of Craft' Pop-up Tasting Room, Friday 1st March at 1.30pm alongside a number of breweries (book your space via the Hop Hideout stand on the day).

Please tell us a little about how long you’ve worked for Barth Haas X and what your job role is at this global beer company? 

I’ve been with the company just over the year after 8 years of working for small breweries up and down the country! My Job at Barthhaas X is to look after small & growing breweries up and down the country from homebrewers just setting up to established breweries across the UK.

Do you have one formative memory you’d like to share that started you on your beer journey? 

I think the formative moments are the same for a lot of people the first time you had a Sierra Nevada pale, those influential pints of Roosters Yankee and Abbeydale Moonshine, the first time I had a Lambic.

But I think the one that sticks in my memory the most was many many years ago I was working at a pub in York called the Rook & Gaskill which is still an excellent establishment and we had a beer from a small brewery in New Hampshire called Smuttynose, I had no idea how a keg of this tiny breweries beer had ended up in a pub on the outskirts of York city center. The first thing was it was almost £7 a pint!! In 2012/2013 this was remarkable. I sat there and grumbled and sad some remarkably uninformed things about American beer then I bought a half. The flavour was incredible I’d never had anything that was even close to tasting & smelling like that. I’ve spent the past decade chasing that high!

What area/focus at Barth Haas X are you currently really excited to be working on and why? 

The global landscape is evolving, and our industry is no exception. With escalating expenses, shifting climate patterns, worldwide uncertainty, and evolving consumer preferences, we need to innovate. Reimagining hops, brewing techniques and seize the opportunities they present. Looking at the new German varieties such as Callista & 2010/008/124 as well at my personally favorites of Tango & Titan. It’s great to see new flavours and new aromas coming from such a traditional area is fantastic. But also being more reliable in the face of climate change, pests & pesticides, rising energy costs will mean we’ve got plenty of delicious beer for years to come! Or the new hop technology especially liquid hop products, Spectrum is amazing bringing that technology to smaller breweries and seeing how it’s revolutionizing their beers!

We’re looking forward to your hosted panel discussion at Indie Beer Feast. Can you share a little bit about some of the subjects you’ll be covering in this event?

We’ll be looking and talking about the current issue that face the industry from climate change, increasing of energy cost to cost of living and what the breweries are doing to ensure that they have a successful future ahead of them!

Any future beer trends for 2024 you’d like to share with us….

How hopeful can I be? I’d love to see more 7% caramelly bitter West Coasts!

I’ve thought that one of the only good things to come out of COVID was the fact that British lager is now being taken seriously and treated as a serious contender to the European counterparts. Not only by customers but also with brewers taking the time and effort it’s needed to create a great product and long may that continue!

"Climate change is causing increased fluctuations in the growing conditions of hops every year. In the future this may mean some varieties are less able to yield fully, while others will be more resistant and continue to grow well. Adapting your variety usage accordingly as you plan, will protect your business and help the hop farmers ensure supply remains stable." Head to the Barth Haas X website to watch Stephan Schinagl, Head of Purchasing at BarthHaas, explaining how the changes in climate are affecting hops and the beer industry and how can new varieties help mitigate.....LINK