A business and a relationship forged in Liverpool, Neptune Brewery has just celebrated its seventh birthday. Here, co-founders Julie and Les O’ Grady discuss expansion, the ongoing desire for consistency and why the maritime city deserves more credit, especially when it comes to beer.
During one their first dates, enjoying pints of mild, a couple while away the evening in one of the UK’s most fashionable cities. But no, we’re not talking about 2022. Instead this is Liverpool in the late 1980s.
And although they were both working in hospitality back then, little did Julie and Les O’ Grady know that some 30 years on, they’d be running a different drinks business of their own.
As we all know, a lot can happen in 30 or so years. For Julie and Les, they’d meet at Dunny’s Sports & Social Club. They’d get married, and have two children, Les would run a successful aquatics company while Julie had a decorated career in the NHS.
But after Les decide to call time on that venture, he’d hang up his fishing net and pick up his mash paddle, with Julie joining him full-time several years later. And at the start of April this year Neptune Brewery celebrated its 7th birthday. It’s a brewery that has grown and expanded since starting out in 2015, and one that looks set for its biggest year yet in 2022.
“Back then at Dunny’s, Les was my boss,” recalls Julie, who helped out at the club several evenings a week. “And now I’m not. Now it’s the other way around!” laughs Les.
Dunny’s Sports & Social Club is located in Walton, Liverpool. For those unfamiliar with the area, head south about four miles and you’ll hit the famous Cavern Club. Continue on another three quarters of a mile or so and you’ll reach the Royal Albert Dock and air of the River Mersey.
“My dad was an electrician by trade. But when he retired, he became manager of the social club,” says Julie. “Les started part-time but then eventually joined the business full-time. I’d be working there a few hours each week to earn a bit of extra money. We got chatting and realised we had similar ideas on life, and just just hit it off.”
If you frequented Dunny’s during the late 1980s, you would be treated to beers like Carling, Guinness and Castlemaine XXXX, the Australian beer previously brewed in Milton, Brisbane by Queensland brewers Castlemaine Perkins. There was Snakebite, lots of Snakebite, and there was also Mild on offer, too.
“I remember having that first taste of Mild and asking myself if I liked it or not,” laughs Julie. “I look back at those times fondly. We enjoyed beers together realising we had a shared outlook on things.”
In the years that followed Julie and Les would get married before welcoming their first daughter Rebekka followed by Saira a year later. And in the world of work, Les would go on to run the aforementioned successful aquatics business for 25 years while Julie worked in the NHS.
However, following the best part of three decades in that field, Les eventually find a different calling. “I found myself jaded from what we were doing previously, knowing it was something we never wanted to do for the rest of our lives,” he says.
And being a couple that enjoyed good beer, they understandably also enjoyed Liverpool’s fine hostelries. They’d meet like-minded people and drink beers from new outfits at the time such as Mad Hatter and Liverpool Craft.
“We found ourselves enjoying it more and more and soon felt that we could maybe give it a go ourselves,” Les explains. “It seemed like a good industry to become part of. We didn’t have any expectations of wanting to take over the world but also didn’t go into it half-hearted either.”
“Taking over the world can wait,” smiles Julie.
For the duo, starting Neptune would initially veer more towards a lifestyle business. Something that could pay them a wage while they would hopefully have some fun along the way. Although it’s safe to say that seven years on, Neptune Brewery might account for most of their lifestyle, but they’d definitely having fun while doing it.
Early beers such as Pale Ale Triton, Riptide Bitter and Abyss Triple Oated Stout struck a chord with drinkers. They were buying it, enjoying it and seeking it out locally. Beer that were, and still remain, vegan.
“We’re grateful that from an early stage, we knew that we could probably make a pretty good go of this,” recalls Les. “And in the years since we’ve managed to grow the team, expand our capabilities and brew more beers of different styles. Racking four casks per brew seems a long time ago now.”
Julie would join the brewery full-time in 2018, although she had been working behind the scenes handling sides such as social media and also helping out on days off.
She adds: “We never run before we can walk in anything that we do. It has all been done organically. We’ve heard of so many breweries that have bought bigger kits without the sales to utilise it and we’ve obviously never wanted to be in that position. Everything we do goes back into the brewery.”
And it’s that approach that has seen Neptune’s output and reputation steadily grow year-on-year since 2015. With their current production capabilities, they’ve built a name on reliability and consistent core beers. But that doesn’t mean they’re afraid to diversify and experiment, either.
The Neptune team in 2022 comprises Julie and Les, alongside Chess, Gav, JP, Andy and Will. Production at Neptune takes place on a 10HL kit, brewing five days a week resulting in approximately 50HL of beer. An amount the team can achieve “without killing ourselves” because, as Les explains, they still need a day off. Cellar capacity comprises eight fermenters, one of which is set aside exclusively for the brewery’s lagers.
Core beers are brewed each week with limited and seasonal releases produced on a bi-weekly basis. The plan, if things go accordingly, is to move to a bigger 25HL kit in due course while retaining the existing brewhouse to enable Neptune to brew an even more diverse range of beers across the style and ABV spectrum.
But until then, the duo are proud to have built a reputation on making reliable, consistent beers that are frequently sessional, too. “We’re never been followers of fashion, if you like. That said, it’s amusing sometimes when you see more and more Bitters and Milds coming out, along with the fanfare that comes with it. We’ve been doing that since our inception!” Julie laughs.
However, whether it’s a Bitter, Mild or a Pale Ale, hearing positive feedback about the beers they brew never gets old. And Julie and Les appreciate the growing brand recognition that comes with it.
“We’re really happy with the reputation that we’ve built,” explains Julie. “There is space in the world of beer for everyone. Some people want something new each and every week, while others want reliability, knowing exactly what they’re going to get in that pint.”
She adds: “We’re known for consistency, which is great. If you have our Mosaic one week and then don’t have it for another four or five weeks, you will taste the same beer, exactly as you had previously.”
Les goes on: “It’s always rewarding to know that someone has said ‘that beer is good, I’ll have another’, rather than ‘that was good, what’s next?’.
“We hear feedback from pubs where a table of four has nearly helped empty a cask of our beer between them because they were enjoying it. To know people appreciate your beer gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.”
Beers that patrons are somewhat less likely to session are the latest releases from the brewery’s barrel-aged output. The most recent of which was a barrel-aged version of its American Barleywine, Water of Love.
Water of Love is a 9% American Barleywine, the latest iterations of which are available in Sherry and Rum barrel-aged versions. The original release, launched last September, marked Julie and Les’s 30th wedding anniversary. A beer designed for part of the batch to rest in barrels to help mark another special occasion. This time being the recent 7th birthday.
Lucky patrons visiting the Neptune taproom would have been able to try these beers from the source during its recent celebrations. And both Julie and Les are heartened to see the ongoing role the taproom plays in the brewery’s role within the community.
“When we opened the taproom in May 2019 we didn’t know what to expect,” says Julie. “We’re on an industrial estate, surrounding by housing each side so there was the hope that the community would support us.
“But it was never something we aimed to rely on because first and foremost, the brewery itself is the business and the taproom was the the cherry on the cake, if you like. So when we opened it was a view of ‘Okay, let’s see how it goes’.”
It has, however, grown to be an important part of the Neptune proposition. With many of the pubs in surrounding Maghull tied PubCos, the independent craft offering has resonated with locals and visitors alike.
“We have been absolutely blown away with the ongoing support from the community, especially through COVID and beyond,” says Julie. “And it’s not just locals that come in for a drink, either.”
Les adds: “We’ll often have guests bring in their friends and family that are visiting the area for a good beer. I think people appreciate the environment. There’s no TV or anything like that. Just a communal place for people to chat, enjoy a beer and often the background music, too.”
And within brewing we often talk about sense of place, and the role provenance plays in the beers we drink. But when it comes to the brewery itself, does the environment define the type of business Neptune has become.
“I think Liverpool still has quite a traditional outlook on breweries, with many pubs very much cask-focused,” says Les. “Of course, that has started to change somewhat in recent years but we still have a rich heritage of traditional boozers. Looking back, for the first 12 months we only produced cask beer. Though we’re now equally proud of our keg output, too.”
But does Liverpool define Neptune Brewery?
“Maybe,” he ponders. “I think if we were in somewhere like Manchester or Leeds we might have felt pressured into going down one route or the other, rather than a mix like we have here.”
Julie adds: “I do think it in changing here in Liverpool. But I also think it’s quite sad that in some respects Liverpool often gets overlooked for these other cities, especially when it comes to various events. Liverpool is a fantastic city and it has a lot to offer. Hopefully more people will soon start to realise that.”
But when it comes to the liquid itself, one beer that resonated with Neptune’s customers both in Liverpool and further afield is Razom. A 4.5% Belgian Witbier, Razom meaning Together, is brewed using a recipe from Lviv-based Pravda Brewery designed to show support at a time when they are unable to brew themselves.
Every penny of profit Neptune makes from sales of this beer will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Customers who purchase the cans are also encouraged to donate any further funds they can, via a QR code. All casks and kegs of Razom have already sold out to trade, with some of Neptune’s hospitality partners also pledging to donate all profits of sales of the beer on the bar to the appeal.
Neptune was contacted by the Bradford Ukrainian Club due to the crossover in aims and ethos of their own RAZOM project – a Help Yourself Shop for Refugees. Proceeds from the sales of the kegs and cans of the beer they have purchased will be used to raise further funds for their shop – with money going directly to support those arriving in Bradford.
With kind donations of some malt from Brewers Select, yeast from Lallemand, and invaluable advice from British Guild of Beer Writers Member Lana Svitankova, Neptune gives special thanks to them. And with Razom, the birthday barley wines Water of Love and an upcoming delicious collab brewed for International Women’s Day, there’s no shortage of exciting new releases from Neptune.
But going forward, there’s even bigger plans afoot….
“We are actively looking for new premises at the moment,” explains Les. “We’ve identified the new brewkit we want so we’re just waiting to find somewhere so we can push the button. Hopefully by the end of the year, we will be in a new home brewing on the the new system.
“We’re starting to see more traction when it comes to distribution across the UK and we’re growing our reputation with that. The new setup will mean we can produce more beer, different styles, and grow the team once again. If we can do all that, we’ll be very happy.”
Images: Courtesy of JP and Neptune Brewery
