Roger brings a little touch of magic

BREWER Roger Ryman has just had his excellent beer recognised by a prestigious national award, but he's no prima donna.

As head brewer at St Austell Brewery, Roger and his team are celebrating the fact that the brewery has just been awarded the title of Regional Brewer of the Year.

But awards aside, down-to-earth Roger firmly believes that beer's primary purpose is a social one.

"I think there's a danger sometimes of getting too focused on good beer and ignoring what people enjoy," he explained. "Beer is primarily a social lubricant and the best beer is the one that's drunk by people in the pub, they have a really good time, chat with their mates and go home feeling they've had a great night out!

"That's what brewing beer is all about – producing the social lubricant that people will enjoy."

Roger studied agriculture at Newcastle University and became a brewer by chance after getting a job on the bottling line at Newcastle's famous Tyne brewery, which produced Newcastle Brown Ale.

"I loved it," he laughed. "I thought, 'yes, this is the job for Rog'."

He joined St Austell Brewery as head brewer in 1999 and invented its much-celebrated landmark beer Tribute from a recipe he had created while still an apprentice. So what qualities does a master of beer look for in the perfect pint?

"I suppose from a technical point of view I look for a beer that's exceptionally clean, no sign of any off-flavours, easy drinking and no lingering after-taste. A beer that's your friend."

"I never quite enjoy beer the way normal people do," he said, adding that he indulges in the odd pint of Belgian ale when at home. "Other people drink beer and relax, whereas I'm always analysing and thinking about it, but that's where you get your ideas from. Unless you try things out, you don't get the inspiration to create new beers."

Art and science

A combination of art and science is how Roger believes the best beer is brewed – "a lot of technical expertise and a healthy dollop of magic".

"I don't think a pure scientist would make a successful brewer and equally I don't think a pure artisan would make one either," he said.

"You need the artistic appreciation and skill to interpret the flavour of beer and understand how you can put the raw ingredients together to make a product.

"But equally you need the science and discipline to do that consistently every time in a commercial brewery.

"Brewing beer commercially is very different to brewing beer at home, because it's not just good beer – it's consistent beer of the quality and style that people expect time and time again."

St Austell Brewery is one of the few remaining family breweries in the UK.

For Roger, this has meant a tight-knit, highly-skilled team and a convivial atmosphere at work.

"It's a team effort. It's about people and I can't run this brewery on my own.

"It's about having the right team around me and hopefully I can perform well and brew great beer.

"I sometimes say that our recruitment policy is friends and family.

"We've got a number of families – husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, who've been working for the company for generations.

"The company really values that and family firms really are different – it makes the brewery a very comfortable place to be."

Roger is clearly the man to know in the pub – but he says that his job does have a downside.

"When people hear you're a brewer, they expect lots of pints bought for them.

"No… I suppose inevitably when people ask what you do for a living and you say you're a brewer, it immediately engages them – they're interested.

"But it means you can never go to a pub quietly."