Following an immense site visit with our new supervisors to Bristol Beer Factory, we spoke to Head of Sales, Tom Clermont about what it is that makes this fantastic Bristol brewery so damn good.
Name: Tom Clermont
Pets: Grew up with a cheeky, bouncy Jack Russell called Roo but none at the minute
Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about what you do
I am lucky enough to work for a brewery that, rightfully, has a special place in the local beer scene as well as a significant national reputation. Keeping and enhancing that reputation requires an immense amount of effort and technical expertise and care from a team of 15 people who value balanced beer, consistency, pubs, making people’s day, producing something of epic quality, and who are fiercely independent.
Choosing and fostering relationships with the best independent pubs and bars; driving the development of 25-30 new beers per year; deciding what types of beers we brew, how should we be talking about them and who we should be selling them to and for much; all in the name of furthering our reputation as a small but significant brewery making some of the best beer in the UK: that’s my job.
How long have you been doing this job?
I have been working for breweries for 10 years. BBF first appeared on my radar when re-popularizing a dormant style in 2006 with Milk Stout and being part of the first wave of UK breweries brewing quality US-hopped IPAs and pales in the late 2000s along with the likes of Dark Star, Oakham, Thornbridge, Roosters. By 2016, I was commuting out of Bristol for work but coming back to Bristol and drinking mostly BBF beer and I was offered the opportunity to join in early 2017. One of the best decisions I’ve made.
Tell us a bit more about your product, are there any you’ve developed yourself?
BBF make quality consistent balanced beer. We are most interested in balance and only brewing styles where we feel we can contribute a world-class version. We showcase our independent spirit in our branding and our beers. We have an incredible brewing team led by Tristan Hembrow. He leads on the technical side whilst forming part of a small team of us who lead on the ideas, the potential styles, hop combinations, names etc for all upcoming beers.
It feels nice having a small hand in watching something go from an idea around a pub table to a beer being consumed on that pub table a few months later.
What’s the best thing that has ever happened whilst you’ve been working in this industry?
I feel like proper quality lagers are coming back into focus as a desirable thing rather than something to be looked down on. We had to get through the IPA monomania to get here but it feels like we’ve arrived.
Tell us the worst thing about working in this business
I’m a glass half full kind of person so you’re asking the wrong man really. If I had to find something I would say the tendency in prominent corners of the industry for style over substance, branding over quality, boldness over balance. There’s a lot of noise which makes life exciting and frustrating in equal measure as a consumer but actually makes me feel proud professionally of what we produce.
Did you do a job before this one?
I used to sell chainsaws, flamethrowers and sit-on mowers! Good fun
What’s the funniest thing which has ever happened to you on a work day?
We were recently ‘offered’ the ‘opportunity’ to have Nigel Farage lend his considerable ‘credibility’ to the business with a recorded endorsement.
I think everyone got a kick out of my reply.
Do you have any hobbies?
Pubs, pub interiors, cask beer, sparklers..!
Behavioural economics, equality diversity and inclusion, games and game theory, fantasy sports, poker, crypto art, ping pong!
If you work with other people, what do you do to gel together as a team? OR If you work on your own, what is it that inspires you each day?
Beers in the pub is really where the best conversations happen full stop in my view, and so it stands to reason that’s a major bonding thing here. But so is making each other coffees with Rorschach test / bad latte art
Have you got any final words of wisdom to someone thinking of starting up in this industry?
Brewing is still a people-skills industry. Because every industry is. If you’re in hospitality and looking to escape people, think again.
Have you got any products on your website you might like to highlight or any offers to entice them your way?
We do sell beer in cans and online. And it looks and tastes great. But we are mainly pub people. Our reason to exist is to inspire people to get out there and drink fresh, exciting, sessionable beers in epic pubs and bars. So, go to the Grapes and drink our beer on draught!…
Then go on our website or your local independent can shop and get some for the fridge at home
