Independent brewery with traditional and flavourful beers which represent all parts of the Midlands

The West Midlands has a long-standing tradition of brewing and beer making.

Breweries have been a part of the region for centuries, providing the welcoming aroma of hops and yeast in the air across the region and many different types of beer loved by thousands.

In the wake of the news of the planned closure of Banks's Brewery in Wolverhampton, the Express & Star wants to support our local breweries and show that there are still many out there producing quality beers to be enjoyed in pubs across the region.

As part of our Backing Our Breweries campaign, we are going to look at what different breweries do, how they grew and built up their reputation, what their products are, how they continue to run in what are difficult financial times and what makes them special.

The art of brewing can mean looking at different techniques from different areas and learning how other breweries make their beers the way they do and incorporating those ideas over time.

One brewery which has taken on the ideas and workings of different parts of the Midlands to produce a vast range of diverse beers is 52 Degrees Brewing in Brownhills.

The brewery is the amalgamation of three different breweries from across the region, starting with the Warwickshire Brewery from Coventry, then adding in the Grasshopper Brewery from the East Midlands and Backyard Brewery from Brownhills to create the 52 Degrees Brewing name in 2022.

With a name that pays tribute to the 52 Degrees Latitude that the brewery sits on, It has been able to draw on 30 years of brewing history from the Warwickshire Brewery, as well as the knowledge and enthusiasm of the team, to create beers that are natural and which have won a number of awards for quality and flavour.

Owner Malcolm Elliot said he had grown to love ales and cask beers in the 25 years since he moved to the UK from New Zealand, saying that the beers in New Zealand were very different to what he and his team were brewing in Brownhills.

He said: "I love beer and cask ale and, to be honest, the beer scene in New Zealand when I was growing up wasn't the best, but I have found it to be vastly different since moving here.

"We didn't have the concept of ales in New Zealand as what we called ales were effectively lagers, but through living in Germany in the Dusseldorf and Cologne areas and experiencing the Altbier and Colshbier, I've been able to enjoy the pleasures of European beers for 25 years.

"I'm a biochemist originally, so always had the interest and knowledge of yeast and fermentation and I worked through Europe in a number of different companies on the technical side, so when I had the opportunity to get into brewing, I took the opportunity because of my original background."

The brewery has taken on a philosophy of producing natural beers which have a hazy look and which do not use the additive of Isinglass, an animal protein which is added to a lot of beers, meaning that the beers produced are vegan and vegetarian-friendly drinks.

Additionally, 52 Degrees have benefitted from having three different breweries involved in the process, which has meant being able to produce classic English and European beers like Blonde Ales and Dark Mild from the Backyard Brewery, as well as American hoppy-styles from Grasshopper and traditional English ales from Warwickshire and the natural flavours of 52 Degrees.

Mr Elliot said the process meant that the beers were more natural because of the process of traditional barley water, yeast and hops, which meant that it would last longer in casks than other beers might and was like a health drink, saying that "A beer a day keeps the doctor away".

He said the brewery to him was all about providing the best possible product and making it something that appealed to everyone old and young.

He said: "We are conscious about focussing on a great end product and having a product which is accessible to everybody.

"Beer and ale has had this reputation of being an old man's drink, which I think is terribly unfair, but this is because it hasn't necessarily been accessible to people and this is what we like about our four brands that we have.

"We aren't a massive brewery, but we are really focussed on telling pubs and consumers what goes into our beer and how we come up with the names, and we're all about making beer accessible and creating something that everyone can enjoy.

"You might like bitter or hazy beers or classic continental recipes, so we want to make sure that we have a beer for everybody, whether you're old or young."

52 Degrees Brewing's most popular beers:

Lady Godiva 4.2% 

Golden Ale. An aromatic pale golden ale with honey & malt aromas with a biscuity flavour balanced by a rounded bitterness.

Cricket 4.8% 

US Pale. Citrus and Herbal flavours, resulting in a refreshing and light taste.