Black Kite Brewing

Black Kite Brewing logo

Time to introduce ourselves... We are Black Kite Brewing, a group of six friends who have bought a café and microbrewery from a friend who relocated. Our café is open 8am - 2pm every week-day with our experienced chef and fully-trained barista serving a range of freshly cooked meals, pastries, cakes, and drinks while we work behind the scenes getting ready to start brewing.

Whether you’re out for a walk at nearby Stodmarsh Nature Reserve, visiting one of the many businesses on Lakesview Industrial Park, paddling on the Stour with our friends Canoe Wild, camping at Nethergong just along the road or catching the bus (there’s a bus stop two minutes away on Island Road), pop in, say hello and see what we have to offer.

About

Black Kite Brewing logo

Black Kite Brewery was born from friendship - a group of like-minded friends, who met through beer at local micropubs and share a passion for beer and brewing.

Richard - head brewer - studied in France at Strasbourg University for a degree in viticulture and worked there for 6 years. Using his knowledge from wine making he applied that to making British style beer which he really missed in the land of Bière de Garde (which is a great beer in its own right) and his passion for small batch brewing of great beer was born.

Anna - organiser extraordinaire - developed a love of good beer while at university and since then has organised numerous beer festivals. Her main role is completing paperwork and keeping everyone else in line.

Sam - beer newcomer after discovering sours, wheats and saisons over a gin and tonic. Her main role is brand identity and vision, social media, mucking in and enjoying market research!

Jo - support worker - has experience of working in the food business and enjoys most types of beer, particularly at beer and music festivals. Jo is resourceful, handy with a spray can (you can see some of her handiwork at the cafe!) and is brilliant at keeping us all supplied with tea, coffee and biscuits as we tackle our ever-growing to-do list.

Bob - engineer - has plenty of experience running a business and exudes enthusiasm. He loves a copper ale and is looking forward to sampling all the new recipes which we are developing. With a flair for the practical and technical side of things, he keeps the building ship-shape.

Jim - webmaster and general handyman - loves running, walking, camping, and travelling the world, mostly because of the opportunities it gives him to try new beers! He’s been keen for a while to try his hand at brewing and is looking forward to learning as he goes.

Our aim is clear - to brew quality beers using quality local ingredients where possible, drawing on traditional methods to produce cask conditioned and small pack beers. We will have a core range of beer with exciting small batch special beers and guest collaborations from time to time.

Why the name?

Black Kites are rarely seen in the UK but are special visitors to the nearby Stodmarsh Nature Reserve. Their striking image inspires us as we take our first flight into a business adventure together.

Where's the beer?!

Watch this space, it's coming soon (not as soon as we'd like, but it won't be too much longer), see our FAQ page for details of what's happening.