#153: Hells Raiser - Camden Town Brewery's Jasper Cuppaidge - a podcast by Alex Chisnall

"I met Steve Hindy and he was the owner of Brooklyn Brewery. The first time I'm at a brewery. I thought "This is cool, they're making a lager, but it's not boring and it's beautifully packaged." I came back and said that's what I want to do. So I then built a brewery in the basement of the pub out of clapped out this and that. We went from brewing one day a week to brewing seven days a week. I was never going to be the best publican in the world. 

It was like an idea that just started snowballing, and rolling, and it felt right and it felt good.

Even though it was a massive gamble.

I've had dark days, but I've never thought of failure. I've never thought about the repercussion of things. I've learnt a lot from mistakes though. We've made plenty of them."

Welcome to Episode #153 with Camden Town Brewery founder, Jasper Cuppaidge. Famous for their Hells lager, they shook up the beer industry nearly ten years ago in 2010, and very much heralded the start of the UK's beer revolution.

I had an absolutely awesome day at the Camden Town Brewery, meeting Jasper, given a tour of the brewery in a bright orange smurfsuit and wellies, before finishing off by pulling my own beers from behind their bar. And the legends at Camden's even followed up by sending me a case of Stawberry Hells lager. An all-round great experience, they clearly already worked out the way to my heart.

Thanks to Hazel Russel for her review of the show, and a reminder that I'm running a contest throughout August to pick two lucky winners to join us at this year's Entrepreneur Summit on October 17th I Bournemouth. Just go to Apple Podcasts, click 'Write a review', screenshot and email alex@screwitjustdoit.org with your screenshot. Full details of this year's line-up, with two confirmed speakers still to be announced are here & on Eventbrite.

As I said, an amazing day out at Camden's Brewery, meeting Jasper Cuppaidge, a laid-back Aussie who missed his flight back to Oz in the 90's to remain in London collection glasses in a pub. Ten years later he bought a Hampstead pub and reopened it as The Horseshoe. He brewed his first batch of beer here as a birthday present for his mother. The beer proved successful with the pub's customers and he began to sell it.

Jasper began to pursue a full-time business brewing lager and by spring 2010 Camden Town Brewery officially started brewing after renting five victorian rail arches underneath Kentish Town Station in London.

Jasper & I talk about:

• Exit strategies & the sale to AB Inbev for £85 Million
• Risk Taking - Failure & Opportunity
• Experiences - Creating & Adding to them
• Innovation & Inspiration - Vertical Gardens & Strawberry Hells

And that's exactly where we pick up the conversation..

Let's StartUp!

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