Respecting Tradition

In terms of output, both keg and bottle account for 40% of its supply, with cask making up the remaining 20%. Although it accounts for the least of its output, cask is something the brewery is keen to continue with.

“Cask is in neither of our deep beer traditions but it’s something we want to appreciate and maintain. But we are brewing many different styles from around the world that suit keg more. Since my first experience with real ale, it continues to highlight a variety of favours, and it’s great to be able to put our stamp on it, and push the boundaries with it, too,” says Palmer.

“We are looking at higher alcohol beers, hops you wouldn’t associated with cask. But if we can put the smile of the face of a real ale drinker with our ‘Rider’ or our brown beer, then we are doing something well. It allows us to see how different a beer can be.”

While Mondo Brewing Company is still a relative newcomer in the UK, the team is already looking at opportunities further afield. Distribution is currently around London but they’ve just signed a deal to export their beers with Crafted to New York City in Spring.

“Our roadmap told us to take a right turn in two or three years, but this opportunity popped up earlier than expected and it felt right. The team taking our beer over are on our wavelength, with cold storage during transportation, and they are passionate about it,” says Matteson.

“We know the beers they bring here too, and know they take care of them, so it works both ways. With roll-out initially in NYC, then Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago with the West Coast within a couple of years, it’s very exciting.”

You get the impression however that the team at Mondo want to take every step as it comes, as long as it doesn’t compromise the quality of beer they produce.

“For both of us, coming from a home brewing background, steeped in American Culture, there is one home brewing book, ‘Brewing Classic Styles’, that sums up what most US home brewers felt in the States at the time. This was centred around brewing as many styles as they could get their hands on,” explains Palmer.

“People had taken a trip to Germany, Belgium, England or France, tasted great beers and wanted to get their hands on them again. So they turned to brewing them themselves. It’s like in Japan. I looked high and low for beer styles I wanted, so I started brewing them. So for us here, with our plan, it was about making the styles we want to drink, and see how well we make it against a classic style.

“It has become increasingly clear to us that we passionately have something to offer, brewing as many styles as our hearts desire and to excel each style we turn our attentions to. I’m confident we can do that.”