Hopulist issue 5

Born out of pass|on
Jules and Will Gray opened Hop Hideout in
Sheffield’s vibrant Antiques Quarter back in
November 2013.
“Initially we started out as a pop-up shop
next door to a vintage shop,” explains Jules.
“Will and I met in Birmingham and I was
working for a fairly large brewery at the
time. I found myself getting frustrated with
the more corporate nature of this brewery
but still loved beer and the industry, so we
decided to set up a bottle shop in our own
image.”
The pair deliberated over where to open
this business dream for some time before
deciding on Sheffield due to shared happy
memories of the city.
Jules continues: “I went to university
here, Will used to live here. We both have
a fondness for the city and also the way it
feels like a city but also like a village, with
each ward or area having strong and friendly
local communities.”
For Jules and Will, opening the shop
was not only a case of the right place, but
also the right time as craft beer hit another
significant growth spurt.
“The initial burst for modern craft beer
seemed to happen around 2009 with
breweries like The Kernel in London, but
then in 2013 there was a significant second
wave with many breweries in the north of
England starting to spring up,” says Jules.
This was one reason for opening the store
then, the other was a more international
influence: “We had just spent some time in
Belgium, obviously sampling the fine beers
of the nation. But we were really taken by
Belgian café culture – small places where
you could go to buy beer but also sit down
at a small table in a corner and have a quick
sociable drink if you wanted to. More of a
place where the community can get together
occasionally.
“Thankfully Sheffield is a place that
allows us to do that - it’s a super friendly
community, as is the rest of the craft beer
industry.”
As you glance around the cosy and
masterfully decorated interior of Hop
Hideout, you can see where this influence
takes hold.