At the end of 2024, a new brew was making its debut in Manchester’s vibrant craft beer scene. Founded by Richard Alston, Tūn Brewing Company is the result of years of passion, perseverance, and a desire to bring a new perspective to the UK’s drinking culture.
We caught up with Richard to understand his journey into the world of brewing and the launch of Tūn Brewing Company’s modern English IPA, Archetype.
Where did your passion for creating beer come from, and what was the catalyst for turning this from a hobby to the launch of Tūn Brewing Company?
I’ve always had a creative side, and when I was a teenager, I discovered the world of homebrewing. This wasn’t quite your stereotypical brew in a bathtub set-up, but it wasn’t a million miles away! I started off making cider from apple juice and using beer kits you could buy from a home brewing shop. The beer wasn’t great, but it was the magic of the yeast converting the ingredients, be it wort or apple juice, into something alcoholic and drinkable that sparked my interest.
My studies at university took over, but wherever I was, I’d always bring along my homebrewing kit and occasionally brew something up; needless to say, it was always popular with the students! The hobby did get lost along the way when I started working as a doctor, but more recently, with my own mental health struggles, I’ve rediscovered it and used it as a creative outlet, which has helped my well-being tremendously.
I’ve always said that when people ask, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” I would start a microbrewery. Rather than wait for something that will likely never happen, I decided to take fate into my own hands and follow that passion. I’m fortunate to have the financial means to make that dream a reality, and I felt that if I didn’t try now, then I probably would never do it; this way, there wouldn’t be any regrets!
How did you balance a successful career in psychiatry while pursuing your passion for creating beer?
I didn’t initially, and that’s why, more recently, I rediscovered this passion. The rigours of training meant I had little time to do much in the way of hobbies, but having recently finished my psychiatry training, I found the time to reconnect with my more creative side. I’ve gone less than full-time, and that’s helped me to start honing the recipes. I shifted to “all-grain brewing”, where rather than using homebrew kits, you make the beer out of raw ingredients, just like the commercial breweries. Needless to say, I’ve been making a lot of batches to perfect those recipes, and luckily, I’ve had some great friends and family who’ve helped drink it all and provided me with feedback.
What have been the biggest challenges in launching Tūn Brewing Company, and how did you overcome them?
It would be fair to say that most startups have similar challenges. Perhaps the main challenge facing them is raising finance, which is even more difficult in the current economic climate. There isn’t much support out there, and I think that’s something that needs to be looked at as a country. As a result, I put a lot of my own personal money into the business, which is less than ideal.
I also have minimal experience in business, and it was, therefore, quite daunting starting a company for the first time, particularly in an already crowded and challenging market. I did a business management course at the London School of Economics and had some support from the Greater Manchester Growth Hub, which was invaluable. I also had to get my head around the nuances and intricacies of the brewing industry, which sometimes feels like they have their own language! However, what underpins the industry is a sense of camaraderie and support – I reached out to a couple of local breweries, and they were really keen to give me advice, which was terrific. I’ve also had pubs and bars approach me, showing an interest in stocking our beer to support another local business. It’s experiences like this that have made me realise that I’m going into the right industry.
How long did it take for you to perfect Archetype, and what are its signature flavour notes?
It took three attempts before I was happy with the recipe. I love a West Coast IPA, which is classically hop-forward, bitter, and marmalade on the palette. I remember watching a YouTube documentary by The Craft Beer Channel about reinventing the English IPA. It included an interview with the staff at Charles Faram, a hop farm based in Worcester, who has led the innovation in English hops. They have started a breeding programme combining traditional English strains with new world strains to create hybrids that blend both characteristics. I found this fascinating and wanted to make my first recipe using these hops strains and to build my take on a reinvented or “Modern English IPA”. I, therefore, made the recipe in the style of a West Coast IPA but “anglicised” it with a few of these strains.
Archetype is a marriage of the West Coast IPA but still retains the classic character of an English IPA. It has the fruity, citrus and marmalade aroma and flavour of New England hops but still has the earthiness and grassiness you find in traditional English hops. This is set on a bready malt base from the Maris Otter malted barley used in this recipe. It packs a punch with higher IBUs (a measure of bitterness) and at 6% is strong but I think this complements the depth of flavour that you find in this beer.
Who do you envisage would be an Archetype drinker, and is there an ethos behind Tūn Brewing?
I tried to make this beer accessible to as many people as possible. It’s vegan and gluten-free, and whilst bitter, it’s not intimidatingly so. Inclusivity is an important pillar underpinning Tūn, and I’m always conscious of that when making our beer recipes. I, of course, hope that the craft beer lovers out there will love it, as there is no getting away from the fact this is a premium product. A higher price tag allows us to use premium ingredients and creates a product that is savoured, not just drunk, for the alcohol content. For example, Maris Otter is a strain falling out of favour despite being famed for its flavour. Due to it not being as resistant to disease, farmers were using newer, more disease-resistant barley varieties. However, more recently, it has seen a resurgence because its flavour is so prized, but it comes at a cost due to the lower yields.
This leads me to the other important ethos I wanted to drive home with the brewery, which leans on my psychiatry background – “drinking with purpose”. I want people to enjoy our beer, but I want it to be responsible and to move away from the historically harmful drinking culture that’s found in this country. We want people to connect to the manufacturing process of making beer and drink it in an environment that fosters a healthier relationship with alcohol, be it to socialise with your friends, for the beer to be paired with a meal or to enjoy it whilst watching entertainment, not just to get drunk.
How did you select a partner to shadow brew your beer, and how has this helped you gather momentum within a competitive market?
I initially wanted to make the beer myself and was considering installing a large-scale homebrewing setup in our garden office. However, the council wasn’t particularly keen on this idea, and in some ways, this was a blessing in disguise. It led me to explore the option of contract brewing, which ended up having several advantages, such as allowing me to tap into the expertise of an established brewery and take advantage of the economies of scale.
I found it quite tricky to find a contract brewery, which is a good sign, as all the local breweries were too busy! I was let down by one brewery, which was a stumbling block, but I soon found Farmyard Brewing Co., who I now use. They were incredibly friendly and invited me to their premises to try their beer and meet the staff. Their beer is incredible, and I was impressed with how they do things. Their head brewer, Natalie, helped me commercialise my recipes and has been a great source of advice for a novice in the industry.
How did it feel to see the first cans of Archetype?
I was thrilled! Holding the cans in my hand for the first time, cracking one open and being amazed at how well Farmyard had replicated my recipe was a very special moment. We went with a tactile experience with the label, which makes it feel like something that has been crafted, and I was really pleased with how that turned out. The months of hard work developing the recipe, building the business, learning the ropes, developing the branding, and pulling the trigger on production all came together, and I won’t forget that feeling!
Can you give us any hints as to what the characteristics of your next beer will be?
Of course, the next beer is going to be a dry-hopped pilsner. I’m using a hop called “Lemondrop”, which, as the name suggests, will bring a citrus flavour to the beer. It went into production on the 8th of January and should be available in about six weeks, so I’m very excited for that beer to be released.
What are the plans for the future for Tūn Brewing Company?
The first steps will be about building a core line of beers, and I’m looking to add a product line about every month – I’ve developed a recipe for a New England IPA, a stout, a DIPA and a Helles lager. In the next year or so, I am going to think about stage two of the business, which is going to be opening our own brewery and tap room. This will bring together my vision of a taproom where people can eat, drink, socialise, be entertained, and learn. I want it to be the centre of the community, similar to how pubs historically have been; therefore, we are toying with the idea of calling it the “Tūn Hall”! But maybe that’s a bit too kitschy…
What advice would you give anyone looking to launch any product in the hospitality sector?
I would say that you need to find something that you’re passionate about. If that’s your motivation for creating and selling your product, this often shines through, and people understand that. Getting your finances in order before you start is really important – it’s tempting to get started as soon as possible, but sales often don’t meet expectations, and you then have to worry about cash flow. It’s definitely something I have learnt, and if I were to go back, I would have told myself to be more patient!
Finally, where can beer aficionados purchase Archetype?
We struggled to get Archetype stocked in pubs, bars and bottleshops before Christmas, as they were all run off their feet in the lead up to the holiday period. However, they all said they would be keen to open up discussions in the new year, so that will be our big push for this quarter.
Archetype is available at Ladybarn Social Club and Strange Brew, both in Manchester, or you can buy directly through the Tūn Brewing website.
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