There’s a reason Jenn Merrick is courted by so many breweries. As a consultant to new and expanding businesses, Merrick has a CV that includes the role of head brewer, operations manager, production manager and director of operations, among others.

She’s founded her own brewery, too.

Earth Station came into being towards the end of 2017 and after extensive planning, Merrick and her team are ready to break ground in East London’s Royal Docks early next year.

The brewery, which will feature a 20-bbl kit from Gravity Systems, is being founded as a community-based hub of creativity and manufacturing.

It’ll also house The Pipework Project, something Merrick describes a social enterprise comprising of an apprenticeship scheme and a community education program.

No small feat then when balanced with extensive consultancy work.

“It’s an exciting time. We had hoped to have a building by now but these things take time. But we’re at the point where we can move forward and make Earth Station a reality,” she says.

Earth Station will be a boon to the local community. When not focusing on that, Merrick, who has held roles at Meantime, Dark Star and Beavertown Brewery among others, enjoys advising other outfits. Most recently she has helped West London’s Fuller’s with the installation of its pilot kit.

“It’s brilliant because it was hands-on and allows me to use all the parts of the brain I don’t get to use everyday anymore,” she says. “Working on recipes with Hayley Marlor, who heads up the pilot plant, has been a pleasure because she is excellent.”

Early recipes produced on the pilot kit are as diverse as a Thai Stout to a New England IPA, complementing output Fuller’s are more synonymous with. And Merrick too sees a shift in the types of beers being produced and enjoyed in recent years.

“When I was working on the Earth Station business plan there was a real gap for steady, reliable sessionable pales. That’s somewhat changed now and there’s lots of breweries doing this well, and doing this consistently,” she says.

Merrick adds: “It feels like the next chapter will be about differentiation again. You’ll have breweries with large, stable brands, so it’ll be a case of finding another niche and how you can specialise once again and capture some of that market share.”

And Merrick says that the need for innovation once more, should not be an excuse for putting out anything other than excellent, consistent beer.

“You need to have a reputation for consistency and repeatability. People have been burnt once or twice so they won’t accept that again,” she explains. “Ensure you adhere to strict quality standards and compliance, while maintaining a high level of professionalism from the very start.”

Jenn Merrick is speaking at the Brewers Congress in London next month.