Oxford Brewery

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Title

Oxford Brewery

Subject

Science, technology and the environment

Description

Its not just about food! Oxford Brewery are doing great things too. We asked them to tell us about their sustainable practices.

https://oxfordbrewery.co.uk/

Why did you decide to make 'local' such a prominent part of your business model?


"Our Oxford heritage has always been a crucial part of our identity, the beers we make, and the people that work here. The City of Oxford has a rich history of beer and brewing, and the beers we make are created with this legacy in mind. Moreover, It’s our local customers who shaped the brewery from the very beginning into what it has become today. Throughout the pandemic, we saw the extent to which local communities pull together to support local businesses. It was an incredible reminder of the local community we had around us, and that this is something we are very conscious to nurture as we continue to grow."

What are the keys things that do you as a business to try to make sure you have a positive impact on the world and the environment?

"We recycle waste products from the brewing process to use as feed for livestock. The brewers give these used ingredients from the brew to local farmers who can use this has a nutrient-dense feed for their animals. We also have local people collect this for fertiliser for their plant beds and to the local allotment society.

We are also delighted to announce that we are now retaining much of our spent grain from the brewing process i.e. barley, oats, rye etc. This product, known as spent grain is then dehydrated and milled to produce high quality barley flour which is naturally extremely rich in fibre and cholesterol-lowering beta-glucan and loses fewer nutrients during processing than wheat. This will be available in our brewery shop over the coming weeks.

We now naturally carbonate our keg beers which obviates the requirement to purchase CO2 and force carbonate these beers. This has dramatically reduced our requirement for bottled gases . Furthermore, we have adapted all our beers to be vegetarian and vegan friendly. Typically, many traditional and cask ales use isinglass (or fish swim bladders) to clear the beer. We saw this as an unnecessary use of animal products and a process which makes our beer undrinkable to the many people that are adapting their lifestyle to be more sustainably conscious. It makes no difference to the taste of the beer and is a small effort to continually take steps to be more sustainable in our brewing practices. However, it is an ongoing process and as we grow, we continue to think of ways to become more sustainable. We are fortunate to have built our brewery up with these things in mind and create a foundation for good environmental practice."

How do you think we can encourage people to buy local products?

"We like to stock local products alongside our own in the brewery shop. We feel this gives a platform to introduce customers to what’s on offer in Oxford and support other businesses we know and love. We also like to focus on being stocked in pubs/bars/bottle shops in the local Oxford area. This helps our name get out there so people realise they can buy our beer locally to drink at home too."

Back to Local Food Exhibition

Date

2021

Contributor

Oxford Brewery

Publisher

Museum of Oxford

Creator

Tina Eyre

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