Christian Aldridge
My Background: I have been working with Oxford beer week as a committee member as well as the main sponsor of Oxford beer week through the agency I work for H Merrins and B Filmer (NFU Mutual Witney and Oxford agency). My role at work as a Senior Sales Executive as a food and drink specialist in the Brewing industry which has fast become a passion inside outside of work.
My Beer of Choice: The beer which got me into craft beer beyond the mainstream supermarket beers was Deya Brewing’s Steady Rolling man which is still immense to this day. It is great to see the growth in independent breweries across the country producing such a high standard of beer across so many different styles. My favourite style of beer has to be a sessionable pale ale but I really like to have a variety of beer styles including Stouts, Porters, Triple IPA’S Double IPA’S, Lager, Saison, Sours and Gose. With so many styles and breweries to choose from the choice is endless and we are very lucky to have the quality of breweries we have available in the UK.
Why I joined the Cheltenham Beer Week committee: The existing committee members for Cheltenham beer week stepped down in 2020 and I was asked if I wanted to take the step up to taking on Cheltenham beer week which I jumped at the chance. Working together with Rosie Ferner Owner of Favourite Beers and Jake Salter sales manager for the cotswold brewing company as fellow committee members will ensure we push forward the success which previous Cheltenham beer weeks have achieved. Working with the fantastic array of breweries we have to offer in Gloucestershire and venues is very exciting and we cannot wait to working in partnership this year and for many years to come. I am excited to attending the brew day for the collaboration brew and it will be great to see a different style of beer being brewed each year at a different brewery within Gloucestershire. Culminating with the beer being seen in venues across Gloucestershire in Cask, Keg and Can form.
Jill MacKenzie
My Background: Quite simply, I’m a craft beer enthusiast! From the early days of being an occasional beer drinker at Postlip to an eye-opening trip to Michigan in 2002. I saw what seemed to be the beginning of the craft beer revolution including brewery tap rooms. It’s been amazing to see this replicated in the UK and to have access to great tasting & fresh beers both at venues and festivals. I made an early investment in Brewdog over a decade ago and have since invested in a further 4 breweries. My role on the committee is finance, invoicing and any general admin queries so please contact me if you need anything.
Beer of Choice: I don’t favour a particular style, as you can see from my photo (!), but the brew needs to pack in a lot of flavour. My top-rated brewers are Hoppin Frog, Dogfish Head, Russian River, Overtone, Moersleutel and of course, Deya.
Why have I joined the committee: I was delighted to be asked to join the committee, as I attend many national beer events and was keen to be involved in establishing something similar in my local area. Cheltenham & Gloucester have such an array of venues, breweries and small businesses that deserve more attention. We aim to introduce these traders to each other, so they can interact and growth their businesses whilst supporting their neighbours; all year round not just at beer week. We also hope to grow and enhance Cheltenham & Gloucester Beer Week year by year.
Darren Macdonald
My Background: I have been drinking craft beer for many years and was an early investor in the Brewdog Equity for Punks scheme. Since, further investments in a few more have kept my interest in the sector. A regular in Favourite Beers, Planet Caravan, Brewdog and The Pelican, I enjoy the local beer scene as much as I can. I was delighted to be asked to get involved in beer week by Christian and look forward to helping out where I can. My day job involves installing, configuring and maintaining digital signage systems in a variety of companies including some of the leading betting companies in the UK and Ireland.
Beer of Choice: I enjoy a wide variety of beers from sours through IPAs to powerful Imperial Stouts. Locally, I am a big fan of Deya’s Stouts which are always on point (as with all their beers) but I am always on the lookout for a Hoppin’ Frog, one of America’s finest breweries. Keep an eye out for my Hoppin’ Frog baseball cap during beer week.
Why have I joined the committee: I have always taken part in beer week events, some of which have been fabulous experiences. I was keen to be involved when asked and hope that my experience can lead to a better event for all. It always takes a few to make sure that these events come together and with the rest of the committee I hope that all have a fabulous event.
Tom Gee
My Background: Having moved out of London in 2007 with a background in bars, restaurants and events since university. We purchased the award winning Red Lion Inn, Cricklade in 2008 and created Hop Kettle Brewing Company in 2012. Since then the brewery has expanded
considerably from a 4BBL brewery in the back of the pub to a 2 brewery and 4 tap room business supplying cask, keg and bottled beers throughout the country but with emphasis on our local area.
My Beer of Choice: Being involved in a brewery business means it is impossible to answer this with one beer. Our extremely talented brew team creates such a wide range of beers in both cask and keg format that no matter what I feel like drinking that day we will likely have it available from Non-Alcoholic to Breakfast Stout. If I had to pick one beer for a desert island then it would be a pint of session pale around 4% and served on cask.
Why I joined: Simply to help grow the already successful Beer Week in any way that I might be able to and as a result help as many small businesses as possible to benefit from the exposure by being part of this fantastic event