Seven years young in 2023, Elusive Brewing continues to delight with its West Coast Pales and IPAs. The business, run by founder Andy Parker and managing director Ruth Mitchell, is a leading light in the UK scene and one centred on inclusivity, community and camaraderie.

Jamil Zainasheff called our friend Sean at Siren to see if we were legitimate – I don’t blame him one bit!”

Seven years since starting Elusive Brewing, its founder Andy Parker remains as unassuming and humble as ever. But the decorated award-winning brewer, alongside managing director Ruth Michell, have long since established the Finchampstead-based business as a leading light in the UK brewing scene. And integral facets of that journey have been the importance of community and collaboration, whether that be with local brewers or those from across the Atlantic.

Jamil Zainasheff is a hero to many brewers. Having scooped more than 500 brewing awards, he is also a highly-respected author. Zainasheff was in London at the end of last year to deliver a keynote address at our very own Brewers Congress event.

And as a self-confessed member of said brewer’s fanbase, Parker reached out to the US brewing icon to invite him for a collaboration at Elusive HQ. It was handy then that Zainasheff’s good friend Sean Knight is the head brewer at Siren Craft Brew, which is a mere stone’s throw from Elusive, put in a good word and helped get the brewday over the line.

“So Jamil, what would you like to brew?” Parker recalls asking. “We love everything about the West Coast, IPAs – Red, Brown, Black, all of them!”

“When I hear brown ale, I think of Tasty’s Janet’s Brown Ale,” replied Zainasheff. 

Mike ‘Tasty’ McDole was one of the most prolific and influential people in modern homebrewing and a good friend (and TBN co-host) of Jamil’s. His Janet’s Brown beer was featured in Jamil’s book and went on to become one of the best known and loved homebrewing recipes out there, brewed the world over. Tasty sadly passed away in 2020 after a battle with cancer.

So in tribute to Tasty, they took his recipe for Janet’s Brown and brought it bang up to date by fermenting it with WHC Labs Hop Unlock, a so-called ‘thiolised’ yeast which can unlock aroma compounds. It was then mash hopped with Cascade (to promote bound thiol levels) that lead to a super aromatic and tasty American Brown Ale. 

In addition, Elusive made a donation to Macmillan Cancer Support in Tasty’s name and their good friends at The Malt Miller to produce kits released alongside the finished beer.

But that project was merely one of many that Elusive have taken part in recently. Not content with brewing together, Parker and Zainasheff have just signed a joint author contract with CAMRA to collaborate on a new book, The Modern Homebrewer. CAMRA will be publishing this in Autumn 2024 with the aim to cover all the latest products and innovations, covering ingredients, process and equipment. 

And earlier in 2023 there was the launch of the latest iteration of the International Women’s Day Home Brew initiative, and also the brewery’s first Brave Noise beer – a global collaborative effort to provide inclusive and safe environments for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ people throughout the beer industry. 

Then last month, the brewery marked its birthday with the return of its popular home brewing competition, something that has helped launched the professional brewing journey of outfits like Middle Child and also most recently – Snowmoon. In short, business as usual for Elusive, which means being busy… very busy. 

But the brewery has come a long way, and evolved a great deal since being founded back in 2014. Although one thing has remained the same and that it’s a business that creates beer with one eye on tradition and the other on taking things to the next level.

It’s just that Andy now has more help in spreading the message of Elusive, thanks to the appointment of Ruth Mitchell as managing director last summer. With more than 13 years of industry experience Mitchell has a proven track record of delivering sales growth through sustainable business development. 

Former roles at Adnams, West Berkshire Brewery and Utopian Brewing have seen her work across many key areas of the industry, enabling her to build a deep and formidable skillset. With full responsibility for the leadership and development of Elusive Brewing’s business, she is playing a key role in taking the company forward.

“I feel that me joining Elusive was definitely a product of lockdown,” she explains. “Back in April 2020 Andy was doing home deliveries of his beer. His colleague Ricky had been furloughed and I had also been furloughed shortly after starting my role at Utopian Brewing.

“Add to that, my other half Paul – who then worked for Oakham – was in the same position. Ultimately we we were sitting at home, bored and trying not to kill each other!”

Parker was busy brewing, but also delivering his beers to the great and the good Berkshire, and exhausting himself in the process, while the would-be MD was “sat doing nothing five miles down the road”.

“I messaged him just to plead that we could help him out. And soon Paul and I would come in and do the Friday beer deliveries. It was honestly just an excuse to get out of the house, it was fantastic!” says Mitchell. “And before long, that turned into me helping out with bottling and the odd bit of brewing, too.”

As restrictions eased, Elusive would reopen its taproom and Mitchell would be there to satiate thirsty drinkers eager to enjoy the delights of the on-trade once more. “It was lovely to come in and talk to other people. But when the world got back to ‘normal’ I was sad at not being able to do this anymore,” she says. “Thankfully Andy felt the same way so I ended up never leaving, just like a stray cat!”

Mitchell started with Elusive in a sales and marketing capacity. “There was a natural need,” says Parker. “Ruth had already imparted a lot of her experience at that point, so it was really just a case of making things more formal. But to have someone come in with that focus has enabled us to grow.”

He adds: “It was all very natural. The demand was there, we just needed someone to unlock it. And with that we’ve been able to add some extra tanks and also invest in our very own canning line.”

Ruth Mitchell and Elusive Brewing was a perfect fit. And last year Parker would acknowledge that further by appointing her as the brewery’s managing director. “I was delighted to make that appointment and step down from the role, which allows me to focus on product development and quality.

“Since joining us, Ruth has delivered consistent sales growth and demonstrated strong leadership skills whilst increasing our operational efficiency across all areas of the business,” Parker says. “It felt like a natural progression to hand the day to day running of the business over to such an experienced individual and it’s exciting to give Ruth the freedom to execute her vision for the brewery’s next phase.”

With Mitchell’s expertise on board, Parker says he wants Elusive to be viewed more as a team rather than just a one-man band that he fronts. “I want Ruth more at the forefront of this business,” he explains. 

And with her dealing with sales, marketing and planning responsibilities, among many others, Parker can focus more on production, packaging and process improvements. “All the stuff that goes into making the product falls to Andy, and getting the product out falls to me, smiles Mitchell. “I just tell him – please don’t make anything I can’t sell.”

Thankfully, that’s not a problem faced by Mitchell and team Elusive. Since those very early days of brewing a Smoked Ruby Mild, Parker found his feet with West Coast Pales and IPAs. “I learned very quickly that you can’t run a business brewing and selling Smoked Ruby Mild,” he laughs. “Which is just as well because West Coast beers are the ones I love to brew and drink.”

And those are the beers the public love Parker brewing, too. One such number is Oregon Trail, which has arguably become the brewery’s flagship release. A 5.8% West Coast IPA, it’s brewed with Extra Pale Malt and features Chinook, Simcoe and Columbus in the Hop bill.

These combine to deliver a resinous profile with a citrus undertone while the bitterness help to balance the light caramel flavours of the malt. The success of that beer has led to a bigger, bolder version in the form of Double Oregon Trail while Midnight Oregon Trail, is the much-loved beer given the Black IPA treatment thanks to the addition of roasted malts. 

But Elusive are not a one-trick pony. Far from it. Other beers such as Level Up: American Red is a fan favourite and remains an important beer in the brewery’s journey, as is Overdrive American Pale Ale and releases like its Coffee Porter – Spellbinder.

The brewery’s size also means Parker has the ability to “play around a bit” with other beers, too. One such example is the decadent 10% Sticky Toffee Imperial Stout released earlier this year. 

“We’ve always had room to do that, it’s one of the benefits of brewing 15HL of a beer,” he says. “There’s no pallets to go out, as it all moves through in cask, keg and can. But the success of beers like Oregon Trail have definitely given us the freedom to do these one-off releases.”

Regardless of the beer released, one aspect of business Parker feels has much-improved at Elusive is in planning and pre-selling. “If we packaged all of the beer in our tanks and hadn’t pre sold any of it, we wouldn’t physically have any space to put that beer! he says. “We don’t have room for things to be hanging around but it also means the beer is leaving in super-fresh condition, too.”

And these beers are also benefitting from the use of pressurised tanks. “The quality, especially of our Pale Ales, has gone up a notch from my point of view. I feel that we are a bit more grown up,” he adds.”

Like its peers, lockdown changed much at Elusive. Prior to the pandemic, small pack rarely appeared on their radar. But the change in consumer habits resulted in visitors leaving with bottles of beer filled direct from the taps. And now, with the addition of their canning line, small pack accounts for approximately 30% of their production and 40% of revenue.

Parker explains: “We know we need to look at a slight expansion. There are two units here that will soon be available, but we will need to work out where it’s more cost-effective to stay here or relocate entirely. There’s lots to consider.”

Mitchell adds: “Personally, I’d really like us to be more accessible in terms of public transport. But that being said, there are lots of new houses being built near here, too. I also love being so close to Siren. There is a benefit of people coming out to see both businesses. As Andy says, its a balancing act.”

As an active and celebrated homebrewer before starting Elusive Brewing, having a business that has now turned seven is somewhat surreal for Parker. Especially when he has a rare moment to take a step back and reflect. “Yeah that’s weird when you think about it!” he laughs.

“Particularly when you look at the collab with Jamil. It completes the circle a little because I listened to his podcast in those early days home brewing, and I still do now. Early on I’d be pestering brewers like Summer Wine to see if they’d let me collaborate with them. And now I have people approaching me. Personally, that’s the biggest compliment you can make. I’ve never wanted to be a brewer that wasn’t welcoming. I know I’ve benefitted a lot from others, too.”

Parker is a highly-regarded, award-winning brewer, and has made many friends in the industry. The same applies to his colleague Mitchell. “With the exception of my family, the most important people in my life I’ve met through the beer industry. My partner, Andy, my best friends, they’ve all come through the industry,” she recalls. “Yes, it can sometimes be difficult to separate work from your social life but at the same time, that’s because you’re working in a job you love.”

With Elusive Brewing seven years young in 2023, Andy and Ruth are proud of their journey and excited about the road ahead. And one year into her role as managing director, Mitchell is satisfied for a number of whole number of reasons. 

“I’m really proud of the business here, and that it’s still here after the challenging few years we’ve all faced. I love the community we’ve created both online, in the taproom, and the friends made along the way,” she says.

“But personally, my greatest achievement was Andy going on holiday. That he felt comfortable to take time off, leave the country and trust me to look after Elusive was huge. He went away, enjoyed himself and I still didn’t manage to burn the brewery down!”