In early 2014 Red Cat Brewing opened shop with the sole aim of creating imaginative, stunning craft beer. They also wanted to challenge themselves with different beer styles + processes, learn as much as they could, and innovate. With numerous awards across the huge range, their beers are up there with the best. That’s the message. Plus the fact that they don’t do boring.

When Iain left The Flowerpots Brewery in 2011 for a much needed physical rest, brewing was still unfinished business. Soon after this Andy was looking to expand his interests from running The Fulflood pub & pub brewing to larger scale brewing (he’d enjoyed the time when his father set up and ran Itchen Valley Brewery). After several meetings in the pub, as you do, the partnership was formed. 2013 saw the company set-up, planning and fund raising with brewery building access in Dec 2013. The first brews were March 2014.

Specials are where they really stretch their imagination, creating exceptional beers across styles such as Session Pales, modern IPAs, Witbier, Sours, Sasion, Porter, and Stout. Their growing reputation for highest quality innovation is ensured with outside the box recipes like lemon infused Kairos, Huehuetenango coffee cream stout and multi-grain Blue Monday prohibition beer with honey. Regulars such as session pale Prowler and amber Scratch are in huge demand, along with the multi award winning Mr M’s Porter and the strong golden Tomcat. They don’t do boring.

You don’t need special kit to make great beer. Red Cat brewery equipment is a traditional English mash set up, made to their own specification by Malrex in Burton on Trent. Even then they break the rules and introduce some weird shit – but if they gave you the details they’d have to kill you. No cats are harmed in the making of their beers.