Acquisitions are a thorny subject in the brewing world, especially with many names in the US craft brewing scene subject to successful takeover bids by groups such as Anheuser-Busch InBev. So how with Plant greet such an approach?

He explains: “I’d give them a tour and say thank you very much and that’s about that! At the moment Beavertown is just me in that sense and I would like to keep it like that. As much as you can, it’s important to keep the power and vision, then that will help us define what we do. It’s key.

“Once you start bringing in higher powers that be that have demands and expect a dilution of your product, that’s where the problems lie. It’s tough, look at Meantime, it’ll be mass marketed “craft” which I guess, is beneficial to us and other breweries as it’ll spread the appeal but who knows what their plans are.

And would Beavertown look to acquire?

“Russian River would be great! We are too small, and still sorting our journey, which is why I like collaborate so much. It’s an extension of friendship, knowledge and experience. Being able to lean on such breweries, and they do too, is a marrying on knowledge. Each one is great and a culmination of consideration for many months. And then the end product, is breaking ground for us in terms of new beer styles and processes. Every beer is special for us and that’s how it should be,” adds Plant.

For Beavertown’s owner and founder, concentrating on strong, solid growth is the key to success and longevity. As a result, he sees his own grounding in the business as paramount. In the beginning, Plant had to work the bar, “long days for first six months brewing in day and working at night.” he says.

Plant adds: “But you were with buddies and the camaraderie was great but there was no way I would have wanted to have the beer I brewed sold by others, it was important that I was there, pulling those pints.”

And now, following those formative days, he is reaping the rewards.

“I was working with a distributor in Sweden serving our beers some time ago and my boy calls me up from a shop in London and excitedly tells me ‘Dad, Dad they have Gamma Ray in the fridge… OH WOW THERE IS SOMEONE BUYING IT!!’,” which you can imagine was so great to hear.

“Back in the day, the kids were with me when I was making a mess in the kitchen, trialling all my recipes. And several years later we did this thing a charity thing for a school in Kensal Rise, with Camden Town Brewery. Throughout the day, they were spotting our Neck Oil Session IPA. ‘There’s one, there’s another and there’s another!,’ they repeated. It never tires me of seeing our beer out there.

And then the next thing I do is pick it up and check the date. It pisses me right off if you see it and it’s slightly old. Thankfully doesn’t happen much,” he adds.

In terms of its canned output, this now makes up 95% of Beavertown’s small pack sales with beers like its Gamma Ray APA, Neck Oil, 8 Ball Rye IPA and Smog Rocket porter commonplace in bars and in shop fridges. And only several days before our visit, they launched its two latest Berliner Weisse beers, Yuzilla Phantom and, according to Plant, the “equally banging” Lemon Phantom, in can form.