W ith a name like Tippler you're almost duty bound to produce an alcoholic beverage.
So it seems only right that Simon Tippler should become a brewer but he's not only that; he's the man behind the first brewery in Chelmsford in almost 40 years.
Grays, the last brewer in the city, moved out in 1974, the year Simon was born, but now the smell of hops and barley will be wafting across the city again.
Simon has brought the great brewing tradition back to Chelmsford with Round Tower Brewery, a brand new business that stirred into action last week.
go! was lucky enough to witness the first commercial beer being brewed in Chelmsford in four decades as Simon created Tippler's Gold, which will be available to drink at Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival from February 20-23.
"I like beer and I also like a project," says Simon. "I always make my own chutneys and jams and grow my own veg, so a few years ago I thought I'd have a crack at making beer."
Simon started off with homebrewing, using brewing kits in his garden shed. From here he would create 25 litres of beer at a time and got to know the noble art of brewing, trying out different recipes.
After three years of researching, experimenting and homebrewing, Simon felt it was time to step up and move into commerical brewing.
"I thought I'd just have a go, how hard can it be?"
That have-a-go, DIY attitude along with an enthusiasm for brewing has stood Simon in good stead as he took over an industrial unit in Chelmsford at the end of last year and started putting together his own commercial brewing kit.
"I made everything because I can't afford to buy it from a manufacturer. It's taken a bit of work and planning but I grew up in a practical family. We were always tinkering with cars so I wasn't daunted by this.
"Essentially, all I've done here is scale up what I was doing at home."
If you're familiar with brewing you'll know about the stages the brew goes through in four large vats, from hot liquor tin to mash tun, boiler and fermenter.
Creating a beer involves getting the right balance of malted barley and hops for the required beer style and flavour.
Simon says it took six weeks to kit the brewery out but he got really excited about things when it finally started smelling like a brewery.
After doing a few test beers, Simon got the thumbs up from HM Revenue and Customs to start brewing commercially at the turn of the new year.
His first brew is a golden, hoppy ale which will be available at the Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival alongside a stout. So in less than a month you'll be able to drink Round Tower Brewery ales, not just from festival, but on tap in pubs and in bottles from farm shops and delicatessens.
"I'm very lucky to be the first person to be brewing again in Chelmsford," says Simon.
"I'm like a little kid at Christmas. Who doesn't want to run their own brewery? I'm really excited. It'll be a lot of hard work but I'm not afraid of that. I'm looking forward to it."
Chris 'Podge' Pollard, chair of Chelmsford and Mid-Essex CAMRA, was on hand to witness Chelmsford's first brew since the 1970s.
"We're very pleased to welcome brewing back to Chelmsford for the first time in 40 years," said Chris.
"Now we're a city it seems fitting that we should have our own brewery.
"We'll do what we can to help and support Round Tower. We'll aim to get licencees to stock the beer, we'll feature it at our events and it'll be launched at our winter beer festival.
"There's a huge demand for good beer in Chelmsford. Niche and artisan brewing has really grown in recent years so it's great to see that happening in Chelmsford now," Chris added.
Round Tower Brewery will launch their beers at the Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival which takes place at King Edward VI Grammar School, Broomfield Road, from February 20-23.
