Meet The Brewer: Karl Critchley (Liverpool Organic Brewery)

What is your Brewery name and where did it come from?
Liverpool Organic Brewery. We decided early on that we would be an Organic Brewery, the brewery name evolved almost organically you could say!

What is your brewery capacity?
12.5 Barrels

What is different about your brewery?
We don’t sell ordinary beer, we strive for excellence in our product.

How long have you been brewing for?
30+ Years

How did you get into brewing?
Helping my Dad homebrew, he used kits. I taught myself all grain brewing and built my first kit 13 years ago.

What beers do you brew regularly?
We do have a core range of beers but the hop shortage have got that list in a bit of a flux at the moment. However at the moment we have:-

• Styrian 4.2
• Cascade 3.8
• 24 Carat 4.2
• Josephine Butler 4.5
• Joseph Williamson 4.0
• Cambrinus Endurance 4.2
• Cambrinus Deliverance 4.3
• Higsons Best Bitter 4.1

Normally we also have:-

• Liverpool Pale ale 4.0
• Best Bitter 4.2
• Shipwreck 6.5

Though we cannot get the hops for these at the moment.

What special/seasonal beers do you brew?
There are so many!

• Imperial Russian Stout 7.9
• Honey Blonde 4.5
• Empire Ale 5.3
• Iron Man 4.0
• Jade 4.4
• Rakau 5.0
• William Roscoe 4.2
• Everymans Ale 3.6
• American Pale Ale 6.3
• Imperial IPA 7.3
• Cambrinus Celebrance 5.0
• Hoptopia 4.7
• Kitty Wilkinson 4.5

Where do you think the future of brewing lies?
Looking at the States, there was a massive swell of breweries followed by a massive slump. I worry that as we approach saturation point in the U.K we may see a repeat of this in England. It will sort the wheat from the chaff, the breweries that do distinctively tasty ales will flourish.

Do you bottle/keg/cask your beer?
Cask and Bottle

What is you proudest moment in brewing?
Seeing my beer for sale for the first time and watching people enjoy it.

Do you have any brewing regrets?
I didn’t so this earlier!

What is your brewing ambition?
To carry on brewing great beer despite the current hop shortages, there’s a lot of hops I haven’t tried yet!

What was last beer you drank?
Southport Brewery – Old Shrimper. A beautiful 5.5% Dark Winter Ale, absolutely stunning.

What is your favourite hop and why?
Riwaka, it a stunning hop.

What is your favourite beer/food combo?
Beer, beer, any food that does not bloat, beer!

Do you have a Brewing hero/inspiration?
Graham Wheeler, Author of “A Few Home Brew Beers”. I doubt id be writing this know without his contribution to the beer scene.

If you could brew one collaboration beer with someone who would it be with and what would it be?
James at Marble! Something blonde and hoppy!

Which beer do you wish you had brewed?
So many! Marble pint, Dobber or anything by Magic Rock.

How do you spend your time when you aren’t brewing?
With my family.

If you could have one superhero superpower what would it be?
The amazing ability to find hard to source hop!!

Do you have a website/twitter/blog?
www.liverpoolorganicbrewery.com
@livorganicbrew

Anything else you want to tell us?
Support your local micro!!!!!