Blog for 2024 – Year in Review

As 2024 draws to a close, we reflect on a truly remarkable year. The excitement began early when SIBA named us their Brewery of the Year. Being recognized in such a competitive field of incredible breweries was an immense honour. Closing out the year, our Production Manager, Dominic Driscoll, was awarded Brewer of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers. We could not be prouder of him and the entire Thornbridge Brewing team for their dedication and hard work.

A highlight of the year was receiving the prestigious gift of a Burton Union set, which we installed proudly behind our Taproom. This unique brewing system inspired the creation of our new Union range, led by The Union, a British IPA available in both bottle and cask. To make the year even more special, we welcomed two of our favourite breweries, Odell and The Kernel, to Bakewell for collaborative brews, resulting in some truly exceptional beers.

We were thrilled to collaborate with our friend and Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, on his Global Initiative ‘Brewing for Impact’ which works to highlight the use of Fonio in brewing. Just a small number of breweries were selected to be a part of this, and we were so proud to be one of them. Together, we created ‘Fonio’, a beer named after this remarkable African grain, this was the first cask beer ever to be created using Fonio.

Our alcohol free range took a significant leap forward this year. We launched a 0.5% version of Green Mountain, our Hazy Session IPA, which was very well received. A particularly proud moment for us was unveiling an alcohol free version of our flagship Jaipur. Knowing how beloved Jaipur is, we worked tirelessly to perfect the recipe, and we’re so proud of the results.

We celebrated the spirit of Peakender with a lively party at our Taproom, featuring live music, food trucks, and, of course, great beer. Meanwhile, our Thornbridge & Co. sites continued to thrive, and we’re thrilled to announce two new locations opening in 2025—one in Sheffield and another in London. We can’t wait to bring our beer to even more fans in these cities.

Sustainability remained a key focus throughout the year. At the brewery, we introduced more efficient equipment; reducing our carbon footprint, energy consumption, and chemical use. Our office team transitioned to energy-efficient workspaces, and simple changes like swapping hand towels for air dryers in the Taproom bathrooms has saved thousands of kilograms of CO2e annually. Additionally, all our cardboard is now fully recyclable and FSC-certified. Our sustainable advent calendar was a huge success, with many reusing their 2023 editions and others adopting the new ones for this year.

As we look forward to 2025, we’re getting ready to celebrate Thornbridge’s twentieth anniversary, a milestone we’re incredibly excited for.