Blog
We're Now a Certified B Corporation™
We're pleased to share that Nirvana Brewery is now a certified B Corporation™ - joining a global community of businesses held to rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. Founded in East London in 2016, our mission has always been to brew beer that creates real benefit for the people who drink it - supporting greater inclusivity and helping people make healthier choices through better alcohol-free options. That sense of purpose extends to how we run the business day to day, with a long-standing commitment to treating our employees, suppliers and stakeholders with fairness and respect. Founder Becky and Head Brewer James holding the Nirvana B Corp ™ plaque Becoming B Corp certified meant putting ourselves through an independent assessment of our impact - across the environment, our people, our suppliers, our customers and our community. The process challenged us to look closely at how we operate, recognise where we've made progress, and identify where there's further to go. Here's what that looks like in practice. Reducing our environmental impact The majority of our beers are now brewed with partners using sustainable brewing practices to reduce the carbon footprint of every can. That means sourcing ingredients, water and energy from as close as possible to the production site - most of our beers are primarily brewed using grains grown in the local vicinity of production, drawing on a local water source, with over 50% of our brewing powered by an onsite wind turbine. We've also switched to recyclable aluminium cans, reduced our packaging weight, and made recycling easier for our customers as part of a wider effort to reduce our footprint across production and distribution. Championing British ingredients We source from the UK wherever quality, availability and seasonality allow. It's how we support British growers, reduce the impact of transport, and build a more resilient supply chain. We hold our suppliers to the same standards we set for ourselves, extending that same scrutiny beyond our own walls. Supporting our people and communities Behind every can is our team, and we're committed to investing in their development, wellbeing and experience - including the introduction of enhanced parental leave this year. Beyond the brewery, our charitable giving supports causes that matter to us. This year, that's included a donation to the National Park City Foundation, which coordinates global efforts to make cities greener, healthier and wilder - starting with our home city, London. A milestone, not a finish line "Our new B Corp status is formalising much of how we have always done business, but it's also an official commitment to doing even more," says Paul Thomas Walsh, newly appointed CEO of Nirvana Brewery. "For us, brewing great alcohol-free beer and running an ethical business have always gone hand in hand - it's part of who we are, not a separate initiative. B Corp certification gives that identity an official stamp, and pushes us to keep raising the bar." B Corp certification requires recertification every three years, with the bar for qualifying scores rising over time. We'll keep challenging ourselves, keep looking for better ways to brew, and keep finding new ways to do right by the people and places behind every Nirvana beer.
Celebrating Oktoberfest in the UK
We LOVE beer here at Nirvana Brewery. Live and breathe the stuff, quite literally. But when it gets close to Oktoberfest, we get a little jig in our steps and start counting down the days.
Why 'Stoptober' when you can #STARTOBER with Nirvana
October is the most contradictory months for beer drinkers On one hand you have some of the large charities pushing the ‘Sober in October’ or ‘Stoptober’ message as a way of supporting a healthier lifestyle in the community and bolstering their coffers. We positively support building healthier communities. On the other hand, you have Oktoberfest appearing in the German and non-German bars all around, promoting the social benefits of drinking beer, in large stein glasses, dressing up and getting together with friends. At Nirvana Brewery we believe in being positive, so we are thinking differently and asking people to START something……start drinking our amazing beers. As a pioneer in the brewing of no / low beers we have spent years refining our product to taste great. We would always recommend getting together with friends, catching up, reminiscing, and drinking great alcohol-free beer – you can decide on whether dressing up is required…..😉 Our Helles lager is brewed to a traditional Bavarian recipe with Germanic Spring Barley and Noble hops, this gives amazing flavour, great nose, and fantastic mouthfeel – and that’s why it’s award winning! It is our Oktoberfest super brew. Switching to low / no alcohol beers will lower your calorie intake, reduce the amount of sugar you are consuming and allow you to enjoy the morning after as well as the night before. However, we believe that our beers taste great, and that’s enough reason to #STARTOBER with Nirvana. Nirvana Brewery Bringing Everyone Together.
I learned about Dry January two years before I participated...
So, I learned about Dry January two years before I participated... here's what kept me stuck for so long.
Why aren’t all beers vegan?
Why aren’t all beers vegan? That’s our canned reply to anyone asking why our beers are vegan. Both are good questions, but one has a really quick answer, one is a little more nuanced…
How much alcohol is in our beer?
Can I drive after drinking this? How much alcohol is in it? Is there any danger of getting drunk? How many pints is this equivalent to?
Nirvana Brewery: Made by hand
Taking inspiration from Keef’s seminal piece of storytelling, over the next 12 months we will bring you closer to our team, the brewery, and the people that support us in producing our beers....
How alcohol impacts your sleep.
None of us seem to get nearly enough sleep, but do you know how alcohol impacts that, and what you can do about it?
