Proud of his own Sunderland heritage and roots, news of Vaux’s comeback struck an immediate chord with Clarke and it was driven by pure passion that conversations ensued around playing a small part of the next chapter for the beer brand.
George Clarke explains: “I’m thrilled to see that Vaux is back and when I had the opportunity to invest I jumped at the chance. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be part of the rebirth of one of the most amazing brands in Sunderland.
“With so much regeneration planned in the city centre and along the riverside across the old Vaux site, this is such an exciting time for Sunderland. I’m buzzing about it. What we are doing with Vaux is one important part of that new story.”
Clarke's passion for the brand is undeniable as he recalls his first encounter with a pint of Vaux: “I’ve known the Vaux brand since I was a small boy. You’d see ‘Vaux’ signs everywhere in Sunderland whether it was on pubs, on delivery vans or on pint glasses in people’s hands. The first pint I had when I reached legal age was a pint of Vaux. I went to my first Sunderland football match in 1985 and Vaux became the shirt sponsor in 1986. Vaux was a huge part of my life from that year. For nearly 200 years it was a major employer in Sunderland in the heart of the city by the river wear just a few minutes walk from where my grandparents were born and raised. Vaux as a brand ran just through our veins.
“I like the fact that the guys have moved the brand forwards, while respecting the legacy, to create a modern brewery that the people of Sunderland can be proud of once again.”
The new tap room on Monk Street is set to open to the general public on 31st May and will serve up a selection of the brewery’s current craft beers including favourites such as A Hazy Shade of Citra pale ale and oatmeal stout Black Wave, as well as a range of merchandise. Online purchases also available with nationwide shipping at www.vaux.beer
For further press information, please contact Nikki Murray at Storyfolk / nikki@storyfolk.co.uk or
call +44 (0)7725 131389
We’ve been working hard on recipe development during lockdown. Specifically experimenting with different NEIPA recipes and tweaking our kölsch recipe amongst other things.
On the hop forward beers we’ve been dialling in different water profiles and experimenting with different whirlpool and dry hops as well as the timing of the dry hop and how to maximise aroma (there are thankfully plenty of studies out there to help guide these experiments).
We are really looking forward to getting the brewery up and running ASAP to let you taste some of them...
Until then we’ll be releasing a new beer early July - more details on that soon. Stay safe and that.
]]>Vaux Brewery hopes to have both in operation in Monk Street, off Roker Avenue, Sunderland, by June.
The business, founded by friends, has been searching for suitable premises since resurrecting the legendary Vaux name after a 20-year absence.
The original Vaux Breweries closed in 1999 with the loss of around 700 jobs from the heart of the city.
Since its rebirth last year, the new Vaux firm has brewed a handful of original beers with help from both Sunderland brewing expert Brewlab and Durham Brewery.
Owning its own brewery and tap room, however, will enable it to generate more revenue and to experiment with new drinks while also producing historic Vaux recipes.
Managing director Steven Smith, 38, said: “We are really excited about bringing something new to Sunderland and to contribute to all the exciting regeneration going on at the moment.”
Given the original Vaux’s sponsorship ties with Sunderland Football Club, Mr Smith is hoping that it will prove popular with Black Cats fans heading to the Stadium of Light just minutes away.
He added: “We have been looking for a suitable unit for over a year now and wanted to be in the heart of Sunderland from the outset.
“This unit is ideal for us as it’s 2,000 sq ft so it’s big enough for us to house the brewery whilst also giving us enough space to create a permanent tap room open to the public.”
The plans are currently under consideration by Sunderland City Council with Mr Smith hoping that the brewery can open in April with the tap room following in June.
The brewery is likely to be producing beer from Mondays to Thursdays with the bar opening from Fridays to Sundays and for one-off events.
Mr Smith said: “People stepping inside the tap room will feel as though they are walking into the brewery because they will be able to see the brewing kit.
“The tap room will allow us to meet the overheads on the building and we can use the money to grow the brewing side and eventually take it further afield and hopefully explore markets in Durham, Yorkshire and Northumberland.”
Mr Smith added: “The first year has been a case of us cutting our teeth and slowly working out what we can do with it.
“But there is no doubt that there is a tremendous affection still for Vaux and its links to Sunderland.”
What, when, where?
We'll be sharing more information with you in the coming weeks as we progress the fit-out of the building but here are the headlines:
Now that the cat is out of the bag we'll be sharing updates as we progress things but we'd better get back to work as we've just looked at our to-do list and it's pretty long.
]]>There was a great milestone for Steven Smith and Michael Thompson, the entrepreneurs behind the re-launch of the Vaux Brewery brand, in November, with their first bar set up at the Sunderland AFC fan zone at the Beacon of Light.
This opportunity to meet their customers and sell Vaux beer directly to the public was a fantastic experience for them.
Steven commented: “This was a great start to our relationship with the Beacon of Light and the first of our 10 fixtures there.We had four beers on tap, Ernest, Alter Ego, Decent Days and Night and, of course, Roker Roar, where a percentage of the profit goes to support the Foundation of Light’s work.
This fan zone pop-up bar was also a chance to test the service level needed at a relatively quiet night-time match compared to busier Saturday fixture.The next test will be the Blackpool game on Saturday, 14 December and the guys are looking forward to it.
The Beacon of Light event also gave them a chance to try out their bespoke handmade, mobile bar, which will be used alongside their van in the New Year.They also plan to hire this out to people who want to use it for their own functions with a range of Vaux Brewery beers and guest beers on keg and cask to suit the particular event.
As well as this success, the second exciting news from the business is the potential for growth, with the launch of its online store, selling its beer brands around the country.
Steven said: “We have had an excellent response to the website.People seem to be buying beer for Christmas presents, with branded drinking glasses and other memorabilia, to make up hampers.This has really increased our sales.”
Steve also explained the future plans for the development of this craft beer business.
“We now need to get some premises so we can brew our own beer, rather than contracting it all out to other breweries.It also has to be in Sunderland, that is a given.We are 100% committed to producing our beer on Wearside.
“With our beer production we know our customers want variety and we also need to ensure what we produce is fresh.There is a sweet spot for us economically where we can make enough beer to sell for a profit but not too much that we can’t keep things interesting.”
Next month we will reveal the Vaux Brewery van and there’ll more news on how the search for a permanent base is shaping up.
]]>This fledgling but ambitious Sunderland craft beer brewery is powering ahead with its plans with great successes and the odd hiccup - of the non-drinking kind.
Director Steven Smith said: “It was a real feather in our cap for our beer to be sold during Sunderland Empire’s Book of Mormon shows. The beer sold very well and it was a great testament to the audience’s enthusiasm for a locally brewed beer and hopefully the start of a really positive relationship with the theatre.”
The amount of affection for the Vaux brand in Sunderland is self evident and it presents the company with both an opportunity and a challenge.
“We need to really think carefully about every decision, in some ways more so than most start-ups as we have this legacy behind the name which has to be considered and respected. It’s very important to Sunderland in particular and therefore it’s very important to us not to get this wrong.”
“It’s fair to say there is a very steep learning curve going on for us at present. There are so many decisions that need to be made on every element of the brewery. Everything from licensing, brewing, merchandising, packaging and distribution; it sometimes feels like the list never ends!
Steven freely admits he is not from a brewing background but his quest for knowledge and carefully chosen relationships have helped overcome this. A recent batch didn’t go quite according to plan so there was a decision not to sell any of it. This he says, happens to every brewery at some point.
He said: “It’s one thing experimenting with small batches but then extrapolating that recipe to 500 litres or 2000 litres is not as easy as it sounds. Every brewhouse is different and they have different efficiencies and quirks that you can only really appreciate once you’ve brewed on it.
“We have also found the same variety of malt from different suppliers can produce a very different results. This process has given me a huge level of respect for large scale breweries who do this day in and out, with no change in flavour or quality. Macro breweries are often much maligned but their processes are often very impressive and offer some good lessons for us at the micro end of the market.”
A big part of the Vaux Brewery directors’ ambition is wrapped up with their fierce affection for their hometown of Sunderland and a determination to make it an even prouder, regenerated city.
Steven said: “If the people of Sunderland get behind independent businesses like ours and countless others then the city will be much better off for it. Places like Mexico 70, Holmeside Coffee, Pop Recs and Fausto Coffee have shown that you can succeed in Sunderland if you provide genuine, quality products or experiences.
The next part of Vaux Brewery’s development journey is to take the craft beers on the road with a bespoke Peugeot beer van from the 1970s.
In November’s update we’ll hear more about the well-travelled four wheeled addition to this dynamic start up which will allow the business to reach even more people with their beer.
It’s not every day someone goes on a trip to Germany and gets so inspired by a community brewery that the minute he steps off the plane back home he decides to set up his own, based on a famous Sunderland brewery name.
Whilst it’s taken seven years to get here, Steven Smith and his business partner Michael Thompson, who both live in the city, have been able to successfully rescue the Vaux name and bring back the brewing of Vaux beer to Sunderland and the wider North East.
It has been a real labour of love for Steven in particular, who has invested a huge amount of time as well as money to get to this point but the effort is now paying off. He said: “The time really felt right for our company to start up. We are seeing development on the former brewery site now. It’s 20 years since Vaux closed and I think that enough time has elapsed that people are very keen to celebrate its past, rather than just sadness at its demise. It was a hugely important part of our city and that is why people seem so keen for us to succeed. It really does spur you on when you hear from people who love what we’re trying to do. It makes the years of work all worthwhile to be honest.”
The first step was embark on test recipes and from there Vaux Brewery developed its first beers for two decades. Steven and Michael, along with their friends Matthew Jackson and Ross Palmer chose to work with a Sunderland University spin-out company, Brewlab, to create their first beers. Brewlab is one of the world’s leading beer development facilities, and is also based in Sunderland. The company was also home to some of Vaux former staff, keeping the expertise in the city.
Michael commented: “We wanted the business to be lean and scalable and after we looked at all the different options we decided contract brewing was the best way to launch our first beers at this initial stage. It’s not something we intend to do forever but it’s right for us at this point on our journey.”
Steven added: “The whole point of us starting this business was to play our part in regenerating Sunderland, creating more pride in our home city and at the same time contributing to the craft beer market.”
The company launched four beers at Easter including a Session IPA, a German kölsch style beer, a New England IPA and a Best Bitter. The Session IPA, named ‘Decent Days And Nights’ after a song by the famous Sunderland band, The Futureheads, has been particularly popular with bars and other venues in the city.
The kölsch style beer is based on a style of beer originating from Cologne and is called ‘Alter Ego’. It is a hybrid beer which uses ale yeast but is matured like a lager. The fact that it’s fermented at higher temperatures and matured for six weeks produces a more complex beer than a typical commercial lager.
Michael explained why this particular beer was something they were particularly proud of producing: “We wanted to produce a beer that was approachable for people who typically drink lager whilst retaining our focus on creating a beer we’re proud of. The yeast for this beer comes from a brewery in Cologne and has been cultured for us by Brewlab so that the beer is as authentic to the style as possible.”
The company also released a Best Bitter named ‘Ernest’ and a New England IPA named ‘Kicks Like A Mule’ which were released as part of its relaunch at Easter and were favourably received. The company’s first four beer recipes were fine-tuned following a tasting session where the company invited email subscribers to a private event.
That tasting session was set up at Fausto Coffee on Roker seafront in Sunderland, where supporters of the business gave their frank views of a total of 9 different beers. After making a few tweaks the company chose four beers to use as part of its launch at various venues including the iconic Dun Cow and other venues in the city’s Minster Quarter.
Steven said: “We have spent the last few months fine tuning those recipes and planning further recipes for release in the coming months. Such is the interest in the business we seem to be developing a fan-base rather than a customer-base. There is a huge amount of affection for this name and our products which is great to be a part of to be honest.”
We are also very excited to be now stocked in the Sunderland Empire and that our own IPA will be the only one on offer at the Book of Mormon launch. The audience for this show is exactly our demographic.
The company is keen to collect images of the old brewery in Sunderland or photos connected to any memorabilia. Anyone with photos can send them to brewery@vaux.beer
Link to the original article published by NECC
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Around 700 jobs were lost when the city centre's landmark Vaux Breweries shut in July 1999 in controversial circumstances.
Now a new company named Vaux Brewery has been formed with its first beers provisionally scheduled to appear as early as Easter.
The business, founded by Sunderland friends, is also looking for premises within the city for a micro brewery and adjoining tap room bar.
Managing director Steven Smith, 37, said: "There is still a certain amount of mourning at the loss of the brewery and our mission is to help to heal that wound by ensuring that Vaux beer is made in the heart of Sunderland once again."
Mr Smith said: "While there are one or two historic Vaux beers that we are planning to resurrect, we are very much focused on the taking the brand forward and making beer for the modern beer drinker.
"Our focus is 100 per cent on making the best beer we can rather than on being faithful to old Vaux recipes.
"Vaux Breweries had a history of innovation in respect to beer. For example, Vaux was the first UK brewery to brew a wheat beer.
The first beers, as yet unnamed, will be two India Pale Ales, a German-style lager and a bitter.
Mr Smith, who praised Brewlab for its support, said: "Our goal is to build a purpose-built brewery in Sunderland.
"However, we are initially going to be brewing our beers at selected local breweries as that way we can focus on the quality of the beer and can scale up quickly as demand increases."
Frank Nicholson, who fought against the original business's closure while managing director of the company's brewing arm, has met with Steven Smith to discuss Mr Smiths new Vaux Brewery venture.
Mr Nicholson said: "He came across as an intelligent man and I admire his courage.
"It is very difficult for me to judge if it will succeed because the market place has changed so much since I was in the industry and we were operating on a different scale to what they are planning.
"Back in 1999 there were 150 or so micro breweries in this country. Now there are 2,200 and I do not know how many of them are profitable.
"The problem many of them face is that they do well very early on when they are new and they have a new product to sell.
"But the problem is having an outlet in which to continue selling that product and what tends to happen is that their beer will soon be replaced by the next new thing. And so it goes on."
Mr Nicholson cited The Working Hand Brewery, attached to the Three Horse Shoes bar and restaurant, in Leamside, near West Rainton, as an example of how micro breweries can succeed.
He added: "The micro brewery is next to the pub so they can sell the beer right there on the doorstep."
Mr Nicholson was memorably pictured bidding farewell to Vaux staff back in 1999 after the firm's board followed guidance from London financiers in closing the site and its Ward's sister brewery in Sheffield.
Reflecting on the decision, he said: "The board had fallen out with each other and we ended up committing corporate suicide. It was the board which made the final decision, not the City."
Mr Nicholson became a business advisor after Vaux's demise and is also a non-executive director with the Port of Sunderland and Sunderland social housing provider Gentoo.
He still keeps in touch with former staff and will attend a reunion evening to mark on Friday, July 5, at the Chesters pub, in Chester Road, to mark the closure's 20th anniversary.
Mr Nicholson, now 65, added: "There was a very close bond between everyone at Vaux from top to bottom.
Link to original Sunderland Echo article