Opening your own brewery, at any point is time, comes with its own challenges and hurdles to overcome. Just ask the team at Great Beyond Brewing Company, and many of their peers.

But John Driebergen, Ollie Parker and Nick Walsh have shown that with hard work, determination and a wealth of brewing skill you can succeed. Their ever-popular taproom in Hoxton, London, is testament to just that.

And in their formative first years they have sealed a trio of awards at our very own Brewers Choice Awards – winning accolades in 2024 for ‘Beer of the Year‘, ‘New Beer of the Year‘ and ‘New Brewery of the Year‘.

In this episode, recorded live in Bristol, John Driebergen stresses the balance between structure and creativity, the significance of sensory analysis, and the impact of leadership and delegation on brewery culture. He concludes by also underscoring the need for breweries to adapt, listen, and empower their teams to thrive.