Starting out in 2005, Purity Brewing Co has become one of the UK’s most respected breweries. Founded by Paul Halsey and Jim Minkin, the company’s countless brewing successes have been driven by director of brewing Flo Vialan. His journey has led him from The Alps to Warwickshire, via Swindon and Kent, but one thing has stayed constant and that’s the desire to brew the best beer possible.
Timing is everything.
Early last month, this very writer was enjoying a pint at The Owl & The Pussycat, an excellent microbrewery and pub located in Ealing, West London.
When it was time for another, a local patron enquired as to what I was drinking and the types of beer I enjoyed. Barely a word had left these lips before he starting regaling me with his love of the beers from Warwickshire’s Purity Brewing.
“Longhorn IPA is one of my favourites, but on cask… have you had it on cask? It’s a thing of beauty!” he enthused.
“Funny you say that, I’m actually visiting the brewery tomorrow,” was my reply.
Wide-eyed, and amused by the coincidence, he tells, nay orders, me to try it on cask. By all means necessary.
That drinker, a Scot, was imbibing in West London while extolling the virtues of an unfiltered Rye IPA brewed by a Lyon native in Warwickshire. They often say beer is a social lubricant but surely it’s a geographical one, too.
The architect of that much-loved beer is Flo Vialan, who has been the head brewer at Purity Brewing since 2006. Hailing from Lyon, France, it’s nearly two years to the day since Vialan was named ‘Brewer of the Year’ at the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group Beer Awards.
The highly-prized and prestigious award is one of only a small number handed out annually by the government-related All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group.
The accolade for a brewer who has a meticulous attention to detail, projected in the consistency of the beers he makes, was no fluke.
A cursory glance at the awards section of brewery’s website showcases an uninterrupted chronological list of recognition from 2006 to the present day. 12 awards under their belt in 2018 have already been followed up with several so far this year, including one for the aforementioned Longhorn IPA.
And that award, ‘Keg Champion’ at the International Brewing Awards, is one Vialan is particularly proud of.
“Winning that was an amazing feeling,” he explains. “To make beer that people enjoy is incredible and that award is a real highlight in my brewing career.”
Vialan’s brewing journey started at a brewing operation in The Alps. A wondrous environment to start learning his trade. It was here he had his first experience of English-style beers, albeit ones dispensed via keg.
“It was a great experience, but I was still young and wanted to see what the world had to offer. So I called a friend and asked if they knew of any roles,” he says. “They mentioned a brewery called Archer’s, in somewhere called Swindon. So that was it, it was time to leave The Alps for Swindon.”
Such a move enabled Vialan to achieve many of his goals. He wanted to work in the UK and improve his English. It also allowed him to spend more time with “his second love behind brewing” by playing rugby regularly. Something he did with Wootton Bassett.
Living in Swindon would give him those experiences. It would also help introduce the budding brewer to world of cask beer.
“Call it a cliché but I’ll never forget that first pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. It truly changed my career,” he recalls. “I would be out with the fellow rugby players who were all drinking Carling. I opted for the Landlord and knew, at that moment, I wanted to strive to brew beer like that.”
Vialan would soon go on to work at Larkins Brewery in Kent but his ongoing desire for new challenges led him to reach back out to his friend in the hope new opportunities lay head.
“He told me two guys up near the M5 and Birmingham were setting up a brewery. I said: ‘M5? Birmingham?’ and hung up,” he laughs. “But he called me back and said not to be so hasty with my decision. He encouraged me to visit the site, chat to the team and see how things went.”
13 years later, and Vialan has never looked back.
The picturesque rurality of the Warwickshire countryside, coupled with the ambition of brewery founders Paul Halsey and Jim Minkin, was enough to convince him to make the leap. And in the years since, Purity Brewing has gone on to become one of the UK’s most well-respected independent breweries.
What started as sales of 80 firkins, in a good week, at the start of Vialan’s tenure has become 2000 in the same timeframe. That’s in addition to the keg, can and bottled produce it also offers.
“It’s incredibly rewarding for things grow like that but it was all part of our plan, too. Those early discussions outlined the plans Paul and Jim had for the business and the ambitious growth they were targeting. So I’m not surprised to be in this position now,” he explains.
The brewery started out with two beers in the form of Pure Gold and Pure UBU. The former is a 3.8% zesty Golden Ale while UBU is a 4.5% Amber Ale brewed with English Maris Otter, Crystal, Black and Wheat malts, with Pilgrim and Cascade hops with an IBU 36.
Two years after Vialan joined, a Pale Ale would be added to the ranks. The 4.2% Mad Goose is a zesty pale ale with a smooth and citrusy finish that is brewed with English Maris Otter, Caragold and Wheat malts, with Pilgrim bittering hops and Cascade and Willamette aroma hops with an IBU 48.
Beers like Saddle Black, Bunny Hop, Longhorn IPA and Lawless Lager have all followed. A variety of styles all underpinned with the same approach.
“I like the idea of brewing in a pure way,” says Vialan. I’m not interested in the use of flavourings, hop oils or any of that crap. I’m more concerned with using the best hops, yeast, malt and water at my disposal. I don’t believe in messing with the brewing process.”
He adds: “My dad is a butcher and he always told me that you should do your best to get the finest ingredients and then to produce something to the very best of your abilities. That’s how I approach brewing.”
Beers at Purity are brewed on company’s Braukon system. The 60HL two vessel brewhouse is backed up by a wealth of FVs ranging from five 60HL capacities up to the ever-growing fleet of 240HL fermenters.
The option to brew up to five times over a 24 hour day is there if needed. The addition of new 240HL tanks will hopefully alleviate the issue where the brewery’s currrent fleet of tanks are full at all times.
Vialan says he was “seduced” by the level of automation offered by the Braukon system, which was installed six years ago.
“It’s a reliable, efficient, well-designed machine. The support offered has been excellent and you genuinely get what you pay for,” he adds.
Procuring such a brewhouse was something of a step change for the business, enabling it to boost its output but also diversify it, too.
“It changed a lot for us,” says Vialan. “We still do more cask than keg as cask beer is very much our DNA but a good few years back, Paul knew we also needed to offer keg beer to the consumer, or we would be missing a trick.”
Such a focus paid off, with beers like Saddle Black, Longhorn IPA and Lawless Lager all proving incredibly popular. Newer numbers, such as its excellent gluten free Session IPA, are sure to make a lasting impression, too.
While Purity is dedicated to producing quality, consistent beers, this is matched by its fierce commitment to the company’s sustainability and its impact on the environment.
It uses the latest heat-and-steam technology to reduce energy consumption at its 90,000 hectolitres brewery.
Elsewhere, a natural ‘wetland’ system cleanses the waste water, and the spent hops are used as fertiliser on the local farm.
Last year, the brewery received a £7.5m capital investment from the Business Growth Fund to help support its organic growth strategy. The investment is helping support Purity’s plans to expand across the UK, grow export sales, and to develop new products.
Speaking at the time Paul Halsey, said: “We’ve made big strides for a growing company. Our vision has always been to create brilliant brands, value our people and put sustainability at the heart of everything we do, and we’re delighted to have the support of BGF to help us take our offering to the next level.
“We have an amazing team who know the secret to making great beer with real character, and our new partnership with BGF will allow us to access their expertise in helping businesses like ours to scale, as well as their extensive network.”
Purity’s beers are reaching far and wide. With that, director of brewing Vialan will frequently visit customers in cities such as London.
“After brewing in places like The Alps and here, I’m not sure how well I’d cope brewing in a built-up city. It works both ways, of course. I love visiting London but I enjoy coming back here,” he explains. “It’s the ying and yang.”
And when you take in the expansive farming landscape Purity Brewing calls home, it’s hard to argue.
“I’ve got a good life here,” says Vialan. “I have my family, I like this part of the world and I get to brew beer for a living. What could be better than that?”
