Comment Magazine Issue 7

From fallen acorns,
mighty beers grow
A little over a year ago, much loved Hampshire
brewer Oakleaf Brewery hit hard times and
was facing collapse. It was rescued by local
entrepreneurs Dan Richards and Matt Curd
together with Just Develop iT, and Fallen Acorn
Brewery was born. Comment joined them for
a pint of its award-winning Hole Hearted.
The number of breweries in the UK
is, according to the Campaign for
Real Ale (CAMRA), at its highest since
the 1930s. The craft beer movement
is gathering real pace, with beer
connoisseurs today able to choose
from a staggering variety of beers
from more than 1,700 breweries
across the UK. There is, quite literally,
a beer for every occasion and every
excuse to raise a glass.
Gosport’s new beer on the block,
Fallen Acorn Brewery, has strong roots
in the region having risen from the
financial ashes of the much loved
Oakleaf Brewery in 2016.
“Oakleaf Brewery had been brewing
some terrific beers for over 10 years
in Gosport when it found itself in
financial difficulties,” explains Matt
Curd, Fallen Acorn’s Managing Director
and part of the team at technology
company Just Develop iT. “As a
dedicated fan of its beers, it would
have been a real shame to let it and its
talented team just disappear.”
“Just Develop iT invest in a wide
portfolio of businesses outside of the
tech sector,” explains Dan Richards,
Chief Operating Officer at Just
Develop iT and a director at Acorn,
“and we thought it would be pretty
cool to own a brewery.”
Matt and Dan after much
discussions with the administrators of
Oakleaf Brewery and examining the
numbers discovered a business that
had promise and on which they could
build. They successfully managed
to buy the assets of the brewery and
were able to keep its talented head
brewer, Ed Anderson, and its threestrong
team together, relaunching
in the summer of 2016 as the Fallen
Acorn Brewery.
The brewery, with a small tap room,
is on Clarence Wharf Industrial Estate
in Gosport, with terrific waterfront and
harbour views.
Its beers are created by true
craftsmen and with real passion,
underpinned by a strong commercial
discipline. The brand has been
refreshed, and the team has been
bolstered to include an assistant
brewer and a sales team, all led by
experienced businessman Matt Curd.
“I have spent my career in a number
of different sectors leading sales,
marketing and customer services
teams,” says Matt. “With the support
and guidance from Dan, we are
building a brewing business that
has firm financial footings that will
secure its long-term future creating a
platform for growth.”
Today, Fallen Acorn is producing
some 5,000 litres, or over 8,700 pints
of beer a month, supplying pubs and
micro-pubs and beer festivals across a
40-mile patch. Its stable of five beers
are sold in cask, keg and in bottles.
And within its first year, the Great
British Beer Festival held at Olympia
every year invited the brewery
to include its Black Hearted beer
amongst the country’s best. “It is
almost unheard of for a brewery in
its first year to be invited to join the
Great British Beer Festival as they tend
only to focus on the more established
brewers,” says Dan. “We knew we were
on to something good.”
“The boom in micro-pubs and the
resurgence of craft beers has created
a real and sustained demand for our
beers,” adds Matt, “and we believe
we can grow this substantially over
the next few years. We can push
our geographic boundaries further,
and introduce new beers. We are
currently exploring more bottled
beers, which would open up the
supermarkets. We are also considering
opening our own pubs at some point
too.”
One area of growth is from its
almost unique ‘pilot brewery’ that
allows Fallen Acorn to experiment
creating small batch and specialist
beers.
The pilot brewery – effectively
the dream home-brew kit – allows
Matt and his team to create up to
80 pints of beer trying new flavours,
celebratory and seasonal beers
(eggnog stout anyone?), and one-offs
for individual pubs or the ultimate
party or wedding bar.
“Head brewer Ed and assistant Miki
are hugely talented and can spend
time with you crafting a beer for every
occasion,” explains Matt. “We have
had stag parties creating beer for the
groom’s wedding day through to beer
festivals creating their own festival
ale. It allows us to create some truly
special beers that may make regular
appearances and even a best seller.”
But perhaps one of the biggest
reasons to celebrate the success of
Fallen Acorn Brewery is the fact that
it has managed to keep its talented
and dedicated team together whilst
creating new jobs at the same time.
Now that is reason to celebrate.
Cheers.
To find out more about Fallen Acorn
Brewery, to visit the tap room or to
order its beers visit
www.fallenacornbrewing.co
THE FALLEN
ACORN BEERS
Hole Hearted
Originally brewed for the Hole in
the Wall pub in Portsmouth. Five
times Hampshire Beer of the Year.
Expedition IPA
A classic pale ale with complex
citrus and grapefruit notes.
Twisted Oak
Malty with a long hoppy finish.
A great session beer.
Black Hearted
The rebel twin and a dark version
of Hole Hearted.
Double Tide
A craft and refreshing pilsner
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