Q&A with Lakedown Brewing Co. co-founder Jamie Daltrey

Beer Insider sits down with Jamie Daltrey, co-founder of Lakedown Brewing Co., to ask him about his brewery & beers along with a bit of music and his dad.

1. Why launch yet another brewery and more beers onto the market?

Our family farm is at the heart of the brewery’s story, and it sits in the historical hop garden of England, East Sussex; there is a strong heritage there. In the summer of 2020, my brothers-in-law and I were having a beer by the lakes at Lakedown, and we all agreed it was a perfect time and place for a beer. We had a vision to create a local brewery that brought people together, celebrated the East Sussex countryside and made for easy, social drinking.

Inspired, we decided to make our own beers using the finest quality ingredients and create an equally brilliant place to drink them in. We have a strong belief that the enjoyment of a beer is just as much about family, friends and surroundings as the good stuff in the glass. In the ever-evolving world of craft beer, we aim to create delicious, honest brews to go back to time and again.

2. ‘Beers brewed for everyone and super sessionable’ – is that to differentiate from the craft pack? Why this stance?

We wanted to create beers that we like and that can be enjoyed by everyone, consistently – most of our range is vegan and gluten free. We’ve had feedback from key players in the drinks industry, that have said they ‘couldn’t taste any ego’ in our beers, and we loved that. Craft beer can be a cluttered category with so much noise, but we are on a mission to make local, artisan beer more accessible. That means easy-drinking, super fresh and sessionable beers.

3. Where do you sell the product – what’s the plan?  Are you going to target retail (e.g. supermarkets)?

The Lakedown Brewing Co. website (https://lakedownbrewing.com/) is our main consumer sales platform. We have a monthly subscription service where consumers can sign up for three, six or 12 months to receive 12 beers each month. It’s really great value for money and we actually offer a discount depending on the length of the subscription.

We are stocked in our beautiful Taproom at Lakedown, which is in the heart of the Wealden Valley, as well as other local pubs, bars and bottle shops in Sussex. We are really ingrained in our local community, but also have big ambitions to expand into London and other areas of the UK this summer. The end goal would be mainstream supermarkets, but for now, we’re focused on expanding the line and introducing even more great beers and ales.

4. What capacity/volume is being done at present? What could it grow to?

At our current location, we have a 10-barrel brew kit with 2 x 2,000 litre and 3 x 4,000 litre fermenters – but we are nearing full capacity. We are actually looking into expanding next year, which we’re really pleased about. It’s great that we are growing so rapidly.

5. ‘Being at the heart of the community’ – how is that going to happen?

Our family has owned Lakedown since the 1970s and so has been at the heart of the East Sussex community for decades. Lakedown Trout fishery was built by my father [Roger Daltrey of The Who], as a peaceful oasis to escape the mania of touring – and I grew up here.

The fishery draws members of the community down to the area; our rural Taproom is really the heart and soul though. It’s surrounded by the high wealds rolling hills, woodland and four spring-fed lakes. Here we have a regular quiz night and host an array of local food truck collaborations and events for locals and beyond.

We are also always wanting to give back to our local community and are supporters of the Fat Tuesday Music Club in Hastings. The Club provides free creative music sessions for 12-18 year olds in the Hastings area at the Contemporary Music School, St Leonards. Aligning with our music background, these creative sessions help kids learn about playing new music, songwriting and performing – something that we’re super passionate about as a family.

6. What’s Roger’s involvement (apart from it being his farm of course)?

Roger built the lakes, and this was my home with my father throughout my childhood, but the day-to-day and running of the business is conducted by myself and my brothers-in-law, Des Murphy and Christopher Rule. Roger is incredibly supportive of the business and enjoys a fresh brew at the Taproom, especially since he has not been able to tour with the band through the pandemic. This has also seen him become our Taproom handyman as he loves to get involved with any fixes that need doing.

7. Are there any music cues/connections with the brewery e.g. designs, flavours, Taproom vibe, planned music events, collaboration beers with musicians/bands?

We have a few exciting things in the pipeline, but for now with Lakedown, we aim to capture the feel-good factor in every sip. If you look at the label and packaging closely, the brand design celebrates the flora, fauna and nature at Lakedown, as well as referencing our family’s music heritage. Music plays a big part in all our lives, and we incorporate it in any way we can – including the concept. We want to see people back at gigs or festivals, sipping a Lakedown brew and enjoying music, the way it should be.

Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider