It’s beer garden season 🍺: Craft Beer at Wylde Sky Brewing
by Rose Gnanapragasam
Wylde Sky Brewing, is a small batch brewery based in Cambridgeshire that is on a mission to make beer-drinking an experience centred on the discovery of new flavours from all corners of the globe.
I spoke to Chris, one of the co-founders to find out how a small industrial warehouse was transformed into a vibrant hub in the local community. Taking the plunge back in 2019, their ‘spirited small batch brewing’ is just one of many local breweries that are opening across the UK for people on the hunt for beers that are made with quality, flavour, and character.
The Wylde Sky’s beginnings were simple, says Chris, it was “from a pure love of beer”. The craft beer industry which has boomed in Britain in recent years has shown that beer is more than just the alcohol. For the Wylde Sky, it’s a creative process — one that takes basic ingredients and turns them into something delicious. By experimenting with new flavours and concepts, craft breweries are becoming a new norm for people to meet with friends and enjoy a unique pint.
In 2019, after leaving their jobs as a lawyer, IT specialist and banker respectively, the three founders of Wylde Skye turned a kitchen hobby into a professional business and would now call themselves full-time brewers. All pitching in, they began as a 10-barrel brewery producing 1700 litres of beer at a time, whilst hoping that people would come along to experience their new venture.
Having set up in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Cambridgeshire, Chris reflected on how none of them knew how successful the brewery would be. Now he is happy to report that “we find ourselves a focus of the community”. The local inspirations for the Wylde Sky can be felt in every aspect of the business from its products, collaborations with local street food vendors to its branding. The name Wylde Sky is a nod towards the local region of East Anglia. Connotations of its expansive areas of land and skies, intend to suggest a feeling of adventure, action and movement.
But Wylde Sky combine their love for home with a certain sense of wanderlust. “We wanted to shake things up and do things our own way” and “through an exploration of flavour and beer styles from all around the world” the brewery certainly stands out. Each of their unique beers is accompanied by a design that depicts scenes of different places and the magic in them.
For all their own time and effort, the brewery feels none of the success would have been possible without the local community. Since lockdown, supporting what is in your local areas has become increasingly important to people and has people’s focus ensuring that their community continues to exist. The brewery has certainly felt this and by “creating a happy place for people to enjoy good beer, food and music”, Chris hopes this will only continue.
According to Chris “the Wylde Sky has been well supported by the local community” and this is reflected in the products they sell aside from their beers. From local gins to the coffee they add to their stout beers, their products are largely sourced “from just over the hill”. The brewery certainly has a strong sustainability and environmentally friendly agenda that they maintain by giving the by-product of their brewing process to local farmers to feed cattle, and if they’re lucky get a few burgers and steaks in return for their good deed.
As the Wylde Sky continues to grow it seems that they have the good problem “that they can’t seem to make beer fast enough” and find themselves on the cusp of expansion. In the future, they hope to host festivals, more events and to expand into other facilities, taking what they currently do and amplifying it for many more to enjoy.
Wylde Sky Brewery can certainly be categorised as an artisanal and focussed craft that doesn’t cut corners. Their mission according to Chris is to create a taproom that is “both a creative process and lifestyle”. With their desire to create beers that are more than just a drink, the Wylde Sky hopes to provide a craft beer experience that truly let the good times roll!
To find Wylde Sky Brewery and more of the best independent beers, bars and breweries in Cambridge, check out my Bimble placelist at the link below!
All images courtesy of Wylde Sky.
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