Founded in 2013 as Europe’s first student-run brewery, Stu Brew is one of the most unique aspects of Newcastle’s student life. The brewery itself is based on campus, and any student can get involved through GoVolunteer. We, The Courier’s Food and Drink sub-editors, spoke to the President Will Tyson and Head of Social Media Grace Nelson about underrated brews, getting involved, and Stu Brew’s exciting year ahead.
The most exciting news is of Stu Brew’s upcoming expansion into Wetherspoon’s locations across the UK. Collaborating with St Austell brewery in Cornwall, Stu Brew will be producing 400 casks of their most popular brew ‘Exam Room Tears’ to be sold in 400 Wetherspoon’s locations up and down the country. Described as a ‘thick and sumptuous stout with a delicious blend of maple syrup and pecan’, ‘Exam Room Tears’ has been a favourite at Luther’s Bar on campus. Commenting on its popularity, president Will Tyson said: ‘as soon as we make it, half of it has sold already!’.
Stu Brew will be producing 400 casks of their most popular brew ‘Exam Room Tears’ to be sold in 400 Wetherspoon’s locations up and down the country.
We wondered whether these changes had inspired new ideas for Stu Brew’s future. Will is keen to be ‘sensible’, but with collaborations with Greene King and more beer festivals in the calendar, Stu Brew is sure to be in demand. With it being Dry January, we also wanted to know if a non-alcoholic brew was on the to-do list. Will explained some of the difficulties with producing non-alcoholic beers but said that it was ‘definitely something Stu Brew is wanting to look into’ if they can find a market for it.
Sound exciting? Of course it does! We spoke to Grace Nelson, Stu Brew’s social media officer about how to get involved.
There is often the assumption that Stu Brew's team consists of your stereotypical pub-goer, however Grace highlighted a common misconception that people often have about the brewery, with her first assumption being that the committee might be 'male based'. Grace proudly described the team as a 'diverse and inclusive' group and what they all have in common is that they simply 'love to drink beer!'.
Grace proudly described the team as a 'diverse and inclusive' group and what they all have in common is that they simply 'love to drink beer!'.
Grace also highlighted that people often assume that joining the team means you have to be a STEM student. This couldn't be further from the truth! She assured us that this is not a requirement at all: 'although it started as a sustainability project for engineering, it's just expanded to include all students, any students, you know, we don't ask what degree you're doing...a few of us are humanities. We do still have a lot of engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. But even agriculture and maths'.
So, if that hasn't got you inspired to explore the world of brewing already, get yourself down to Luthers to try a crisp pint fresh on draught!