“Making good beer is not easy. To make it to a consistently high quality, and to make it consistent, full stop, is very challenging. To have a brewer that really knows what they are doing, that is all important. And that is what will ensure you have longevity and success.”

I’ve been told that directly, almost verbatim, by several people. Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery and now, Steve Grossman. Yes we have upwards of 1,700 breweries in the UK, producing all manner of beer styles, but how many were catalysed to start brewing following their first taste of a Brooklyn Lager or a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale?

When they talk, people listen.

Grossman is in the UK, as he frequently is these days. As brand ambassador for Sierra Nevada, for whom the UK is its largest export destination, he is here on a regular basis to help plot the route map for of a brewery that has long been something of a byword for quality Pale Ale in these shores. But it is that association that he wants to help, not necessarily move away from but, form part of a bigger brewing picture in the eyes of drinkers.

Sierra Nevada beer is popping up a lot more frequently in the UK of late. That’s in no small part due to the brewery’s growing relationship with distributor Westside Drinks, a division in association with Fuller’s. Granted, the brewery’s beer is available here in more guises than ever before but for many, they’ll still ask for a pint of Sierra Nevada. Do we ask for a pint of Beavertown, BrewDog, Northern Monk, Magic Rock, Fuller’s? Unlikely. And it’s this transition that is being focused on, to increase the presence of the brewery’s seasonal output, and lesser seen styles, in the UK, and elsewhere.

“Pale is still our primary beer at 55% of sales, which is awesome, but it’s great that people see everything else we put out, too. It’s important we are getting representation of the other brands,” Grossman says. “We want to show people what great work our brewers are doing. We’ve always made a lot of decent beers, but many would be only sold locally or at the taproom. Brewing is in our nature. Last year, we made 160-something beers last year so getting some of those in front of drinkers that only know us for Pale Ale is important.”

Ben Hird, account manager for Westside Drinks, explains that he is witnessing something of a “quest” from bar and pub owners to be at the front of the queue when it comes to seeking the newest beers they can offer from the brewery.

“Sierra Nevada is reacting, with us, to an ever-increasing demand from managers and consumers for these beers. Thanks to the increased prevalence of social media, they know what we have the second it is released. So if the brewery has enough to go around, it makes sense to try and satisfy that demand,” he says.

Grossman caveats though that distribution of these beers to a wider base hasn’t always been a key focus for Sierra Nevada.

“Exports are only 5% of our business, but the UK is the biggest part of that. We are in 11 markets outside the US and these scenes are changing all of the time. So it is very important for us to keep our eyes and ears open to what is going on,” he says. “The reality is that there is a lot of competition but at the same time, for Sierra Nevada, it’s more a case of doing our thing and concentrating on getting the best beer we can to people, regardless of the situation that surrounds us.”

And for Sierra Nevada, Grossman enthuses that is has always been the brewery’s philosophy to make great beer each and every time, something he wants to impart on others.

“There is an interesting trend now where breweries are actively looking to make beer different each time, by experimenting with the hop profile in each batch and looking at other ways to change that recipe. That’s interesting to me,” he explains.

“You know, you drink beer for different reasons. Sometimes there is that comfort and reassurance in getting the beer you know, expect, and like. And there are other times where you want to experiment with something and see how it goes. But from the brewing side, this decision to experiment should not be an excuse for not putting out a fantastic beer each time. It’s not something you should expect to hide behind in case it doesn’t work as planned.”

He adds: “Beer is fashionable now. That much is true. But as a result, people are getting into the scene without a solid brewing background, or even one at all, and let’s be honest, there are some beers out there that should not be sold commercially. It’s wrong.

“That is bad for the whole industry, not just their reputation. For one, the brewery is generally given one chance, maybe two, for a person to try your beer and decide if they like it or don’t like it.

“Secondly, if it is someone’s first time trying craft beer and they have a bad experience due to you putting out bad beer, then it can give the whole industry a black eye. So that’s why we’re telling new people in the industry to make good beer. Learn from others. Learn from us, come and see us. If you have issues? We are willing to share best practices. It’s for the greater good. Don’t hold back.”

Is this approach by newer breweries ignorance or arrogance?

“Probably both,” Grossman muses. “In the late 80s, there was an emergence of microbreweries. A lot of them made some bad beers so there was a natural drop-off as many of these went out of business. Right now, I don’t think we’ll have that level of drop-off as there are too many making good beer. When I first started visiting here, there were three breweries here in London. Now how many are there?”

He explains: “To keep this fantastic industry growing, it’s simple. As a new brewery finding your feet, don’t put out beer that is not as good a beer as you can possibly put out. Don’t settle for second best or settle for mediocre.

“If someone starts out and drinks a lot of their own beer, then they develop a palette where they might end up unaware of issues going on like an infection. If you drink one thing all of the time, then you run the very real risk of becoming too accustomed to what you’re doing and little else. We make a point of drinking a lot of different beers, we have been doing this a long time and we know what we our beer tastes like so it is important to keep that variation.”

And it’s variation that Grossman and Sierra Nevada are focused on pushing overseas in the months and years ahead. Beers (outlined in the box-out) such as the year-round 4.5% Otra Vez and its fresh hop 6.8% Celebration Ale will become more prevalent in the UK and elsewhere. Grossman even touches on the possibility of Sierra Nevada rolling out its popular American collaboration programme Beer Camp with breweries overseas. However that is something that won’t be looked at until 2018 at the earliest.

“It’s certainly not out of the question, though,” he explains.

One thing that is out of question though is Sierra Nevada allowing its beers to be brewed under license outside of its two US breweries.

“Would we approve brewing under license? No. Collaborations? Sure. The former is not something we want to do. We are always looking into collaborations. But my brother? He’s a control freak and we want corneal of the quality and the equipment coupled with out team and the dedication,” he says. “You know, there are some great breweries around. But we do things our own way and if we had one of our brewers over here, or at wherever, running a brewery then it might be something different. We always look at options but we have our hands full with the new brewery in North Carolina.”