Big Smoke Brew Co. has appointed Jenn Merrick as its managing director. Merrick has been appointed to the newly-created role at the award-winning, independent brewery, which was founded in 2014 by James Morgan and Richard Craig.

The new appointment is the culmination of the company’s recent expansion and cements a period of rapid growth for Big Smoke, with the brewery doubling in size at the end of 2021, expanding its footprint to 10,000 sq ft, and upping annual brewing capacity to 3.5M pints.

Jenn Merrick is a leading expert in the UK craft brewing industry, with a wealth of experience in brand expansion, brewing, brewery operations, and building outstanding businesses; notably leading growth and expansion projects for Beavertown, Dark Star and Meantime.

As an award-winning brewer, Jenn has designed many well-recognised beer brands, and more recently founded the community-interest brewery project, Earth Station, supporting people from underrepresented groups to enjoy beer and participate fully in the brewing industry.

Richard Craig, founder and director of Big Smoke Brew Co. said: “We are thrilled that Jenn has joined the Big Smoke family – her experience, expertise and personality are the perfect fit for our company and her appointment represents a huge leap forward for our team, and an epic start to 2022!”

From humble beginnings, brewing in a 500 sq ft. space at The Antelope pub in Surbiton, Big Smoke now features a 33-hectolitre Gravity Systems brew kit and eighteen 65 hectolitre fermenters producing Big Smoke’s core beers – Electric Eye, Solaris, Fruju, Cold Spark, Medicine Man, Pilsner and Helles Lager; alongside regular seasonal brews.

The Big Smoke retail operation also saw exceptional growth in 2021, opening The Big Smoke Tap House & Kitchen at Heathrow Terminal 2 in May 2021, The Big Smoke Tap Room & Kitchen at the brewery in August, alongside 7 new pub sites. The White Horse, in Welwyn; The Old Wheatsheaf, in Enfield; The Queen’s Head, in Harpenden; The White Lion, in St Albans; The Rising Sun, in Epsom; The Abbercorn Arms, in Teddington and The Crystal Palace, in Berkhamsted takes the Big Smoke portfolio to 15 sites across the South East.