hopulist issue 3

TerrO|r terr|tory
The plan for Duration was simple – a farmhouse
model brewery, out in the countryside where they
could make beer with terroir, utilising knowledge
of the land and crops to get the best out of
ingredients and produce beer that dazzles with its
quality.
“I’m a country boy,” continues Bates. “Brewing
beer started out in the countryside back in history,
and knowledge of farming and the land was
integral to making beer of real quality. As much as
I enjoyed my time working in the craft beer scene
in London – and I have many friends and contacts
there who I respect – brewing beer in a railway
arch in a city just doesn’t feel right to me. I want
that connection with the land, I believe I can brew
better beers with that. If I stayed in the city, I would
suffer a disconnect with the roots of brewing, and
it’s also expensive and space is at a premium.”
After intensive research, Bates and Miranda
found their perfect spot in the eastern English
county of Norfolk and an old farm building that
was perfectly equipped to be adapted into the type
of farmhouse brewery they wanted.
Bates adds: “Duration will be a destination
farmhouse brewery – we want it to be educational
and pioneering by using local grains, water from
the River Nar and yeast right from the farm. It will
cultivate a sense of time and location that makes
the beer belong. And belonging is something
intrinsic in me – I want to make beer of a place.”
Bates believes that the industry has gotten
a little lost with the craft beer ‘arms race’ that
has developed as it has become more and more
globalised. His vision for Duration is taking beer
Illustration: Philip Buckingham @ 5HT