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Nirvana Beer Foccacia
This is the perfect recipe for a lazy Saturday, when you want to have something delicious for your supper. You can stretch this recipe out on a non-stick tray until its about 1 centimetre think and then top with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese for a focaccia pizza! Also try red onion marmalade, brie and bacon to match perfectly with the Traditional Pale Ale in the recipe! This dough is really versatile so let your imagination run wild. This recipe makes 2 Loaf tins, or 1 large tin. It freezes very well. Ingredients 500 grams strong flour 30ml olive oil (plus 15ml extra to oil the tins) 1 bottle of Nirvana Traditional Ale, at room temperature (Any other Nirvana Ale or Lager will work) 20 grams yeast (dried is fine) 30 grams semolina 8 grams salt Method 1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Ensure the windows are closed in the kitchen. You want to make the room as warm as possible so it helps the dough prove, or expand, developing flavour and texture. 2. Add the yeast, oil and beer to a bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast. Don't worry if the oil is sitting on top of the liquid. 3. Mix the flour, semolina and salt together in a mixing bowl. 4. Add the wet mix and turn on the mixer, or kneed by hand, until the dough is smooth and all the ingredients are incorporated. Continue to knead for 7-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. 5. Cover the bowl with a cloth and place in a warm place to prove until double in size. 6. Brush the baking tins with the oil and decant the dough into the tins, without knocking out any of the air. 7. Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil and use your fingers to make dimples, again, trying to keep in as much air as possible. 8. Allow to prove in a warm area for 40 mins. 9. Bake at 220 degrees for 25-30 mins until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack too cool before serving. 10. Enjoy, with a nice cold Nirvana beer, some cheeses and charcuterie!
NEW BEER LAUNCH: ELDERFLOWER LAGER
The summer weather hasn’t quite made an appearance but that doesn’t mean the summer drinks can’t, so we’re here to bring you a little sip of sunshine in a bottle; say hello to our new alcohol-free Elderflower Lager! We’ve teamed up with our pals and AF superstars Wise Bartender to bring you this delicious limited-edition beer - when Tom at Wise Bartender came to us saying that he wanted to put elderflower in a beer, we practically bit his hand off to give this one a go! So what does it taste like? We created a classic lager base, and fermented it low and slow just like a good lager should be. With biscuit notes and hints of sweetness from the malts perfectly balanced with floral hints from the elderflower, it’s cool, crisp and refreshing. Thirst quenching and deliciously moreish, this beer is the perfect companion for your summer BBQs, lazy afternoon, heck even weekday mornings...you get the idea Coming in at 0.5% ABV, this is one summer banger you’re not gonna want to miss. Grab yourself a case before it’s gone for good - available now on our webshop while stocks last with free delivery over £35. BUY ELDERFLOWER LAGER
What Are The Benefits Of Alcohol-Free Beer
What are the benefits of alcohol free beer? Drinking culture in the UK has, for a very long time, revolved around the presence of alcohol. Whether it's at home, in a friend's house or the pub. But how much of this social culture is genuinely reliant on the consumption of alcohol itself? For many people, the answer would be -‘Entirely, of course!’. However, there are lots of benefits to socialising besides drinking beer and that go unnoticed due to the over-powering idea that getting drunk is the reason we enjoy going to the pub. After doing a bit of research, we found quite a few reasons for you to switch to alcohol free beer. Some may be surprised to hear! Cut down not out. Some studies have shown that drinking (in moderation) could actually be beneficial to our health by helping to prevent heart diseases, but often the negative effects of alcohol outweigh the positives. Alcohol free is better for you overall. Scientists in Germany found non-alcoholic beer slowed down blood coagulation and platelet activation to strengthen the blood flow. Studies also found an increase of antioxidants in the blood, plus, an enrichment of vitamin B6 from nonalcoholic beer can even protect the heart and helps to soften the chemical effect linked to Cardiovascular disease. Drinking non alcoholic beer can be stress relieving. Low alcohol beers are a mineral-rich, electrolytic beverage that bears a similar particle concentration to blood. This allows the particles to be taken in and absorbed much faster than other beverages, meaning the effects are felt much quicker. As well as this, potassium is a common mineral found in beer that is known for balancing adrenaline, making you feel calmer and less stressed. Alcohol-Free Beers Help your muscles recover post training. The electrolytes in beer help reduces muscle shaking and rehydrate the body after exercise. And, on top of this, the bitter substance found in hops has an all-round soothing effect on the body! Although it has trace amounts of alcohol, drinking alcohol free beer after physical activity can aid recovery, compared to other sports drinks, as well as other great health effects, such as protecting the immune system. In recent years, various sports people have being realising the other benefits of replacing the isotonic drinks with their higher calories and artificial sweeteners. This has proven so popular that breweries have been established to cater for this market such as Athletic Brewing Company. So next time you finish a run, ditch the soft drink or the light beers, vote for better recovery and better sleep post workout! Non Alcohol Beers can have a sedative effect leading to better sleep. This study found that, when tested on healthy female nurses, the hops in non-alcoholic beer had a sedative effect on their bodies, allowing them to have a more restful night’s sleep. Not only lower alcohol content, but fewer calories! For those watching their diet, drinking an alcohol-free beer can be an excellent way to reduce not only calorie intake, but your alcohol intake too. Typically, an alcoholic beer falls between 180 and 250 kcal per pint, whereas alcohol-free beers are often as low as 50-80 calories per 330ml bottle. Hop-forward beers, like our Hoppy Pale Ale, tend to be the lightest of the lot. Alcohol-Free beers support a healthy lifestyle. For those of us looking to lead a healthy lifestyle, switching for one of your normal full strength beer is a great way to drink less alcohol, have the same feelings but avoid those empty calories. Watch out for alcohol-free beers with added lactose, as this tends to send the calories creeping up and isn’t suitable for a vegan diet. At Nirvana, all of our beers are vegan with no added lactose, so it is a great way to try nonalcoholic craft beer with all the benefits of non alcoholic drinking too. So if you are looking for new non alcoholic beers or low alcohol or a non alcoholic drink. Trick your brain with low alcohol drinks. Did you know, your body associates the smell and flavour of ordinary beer, which leads to the brain releasing dopamine; the same feel good chemical you get when you drink consume alcohol. Research has found that drinking non alcoholic beer gives you the same feelings of a full strength beer. Alcohol free beers are suitable during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Pregnancy usually signals the end of your favourite tipple for at least 9 months and beyond if you’re breast-feeling. But with a huge selection of alcohol-free options now available, expectant mothers have many excellent substitutes when wanting to go out and enjoy themselves. Not only that, but some scientists believe it to be beneficial to you! The folic acid found in beer helps to stimulate the production of milk during breast-feeding. As always though, consult your doctor if you have any queries or concerns about alcohol-free beer during pregnancy. Alcohol Free beers can have the same flavour as the original. Our Bavarian Helles Lager (which has the same brewing process as the classic Helles wheat lager without the alcohol (Try the finished product here) is chock-full of folic acids, and rich in vitamins and minerals, with even less calories and greater nutritional benefits than light beer or beer with more alcohol. Because we are true to the production style, the flavour is nearly the same. Non alcoholic beer rehydrates you. It’s well known that not drinking enough water can leave us feeling weak, light-headed and tired. You know that feeling when you’re sitting at your desk and brain fog sets in - you struggle to concentrate and feel the onset of a headache. While alcoholic drinks certainly feel thirst-quenching, the alcohol inside actually dehydrates you more. An alcohol-free beer however gives you that much-needed rehydration while still feeling like a treat. Add to that, the electrolytes in alcohol-free beer help you to absorb the water more effectively - that’s right, non-alcoholic beer is actually an isotonic option. Nonalcoholic beer kills the hangover. While we’re on the subject of hydration, a problem that the majority of human beings find when they get drunk, is the horrendous after effects that arise the morning after affecting you physical health as well as your mental health. This is because of dehydration caused by alcoholic intake, the lack of core salts, vitamins and minerals in the body, and is usually dependent on how inebriated you are when you fall asleep! The moreish quality of regular beer, however, tends to make you want another and another and thus the blood-alcohol levels continue to rise until peaking around the time you decide to sleep. But could simply switching to alcohol-free beer towards the end of an evening eradicate this problem entirely? Worth a try we think! Why not try alcohol free beer? It settles that urge we all have to drink more alcohol while, at the same time, hydrating you with electrolytes, replenishing lost vitamins and minerals and easing you softly out of that drunken state. Give it a go! Drinking non alcoholic beers has other health benefits! Lots of us like to drink alcohol, but some times that is not an option. Perhaps you are the designated driver, or maybe you are trying to achieve reduced anxiety or reduce inflammation or perhaps you are just generally trying to lower your alcohol consumption. When you harness the benefits of non alcoholic beer, remember you also get the benefit of reduced calories and alcohol consumption. Non alcoholic beer, have you tried it? So, are you ready to leave your regular beers in the fridge, not sacrifice taste and reach for a healthier option? Try our non alcoholic beers we’ve got a fantastic range, from classic Bavarian beers to flavoured IPAs and lagers, check out our store here.
5 Beer And Food Pairings
In case you don’t live in London and haven’t seen the posters, it’s National Vegetarian Week! Run by the Vegetarian Society from 14 – 20 May, National Vegetarian Week seeks to get people trying out a vegetarian diet for a week, or just generally celebrate all of the delicious veggie options out there. As a vegan alcohol-free beer, we wanted to share some of our favourite recipes that go great with our bestseller - an ice cold Bavarian Helles Lager. Or, with our lager cooked right in. KASHMIRI PANEER MASALA Vegan Beer Battered Fish and Chips, Courtesy of ‘The Cook and Him’ Kicking off our list with an oldie but a goodie, we’re all familiar with sipping on a cool, refreshing beer alongside our favourite spicy dish. The great thing about Indian food is that the huge variety of spices and flavours make vegetarian curries anything but dull. We’ve chosen this Kashmiri paneer masala from The Telegraph. It requires a few unusual ingredients, but the amazing rich and spicy flavour is worth making the effort to source them. ‘FISH’ AND CHIPS Next up is a recipe featuring the beer baked in, from lovely site The Cook and Him. They’re bringing us a tasty vegan alternative for the classic British fish & chips. As the author of the recipe, Sam, says, before devising this she thought there’d never be something to replace the taste of salty fish, but this will satisfy all of your cravings. MARGHERITA PIZZA Taking a leaf out of Italy’s book for this classic pairing, we’d suggest enjoying a homemade pizza with a Nirvana lager; the salty pizza brings out the best of the well-balanced malt and hops. Although mixing up your own dough might be more time-consuming than calling your local takeaway, the effort that goes into it is well worth the difference in taste. We love this recipe from Gino D’Campo. Buon Appetito! UN-CHICKEN SATAY Another cuisine that we’ve always found to complement a good lager is Thai. Although Chicken Satay is a hugely popular one, it’s also famously not vegetarian (what gave it away?). Luckily, we’ve found this tasty veggie (and vegan) friendly alternative over on Vegan Recipe Club, which uses either tofu or seitan in place of meat. PECAN PIE One to satisfy your sweet tooth whilst enjoying a crisp lager, Steady Drinker, recommends pairing Nirvana Lager with a pecan pie. BBC Good Food have got us covered as usual with this delicious all-American recipe. As an added bonus, they use a ready-made pastry here, saving your tired hands after all of that pizza dough kneading. If this list doesn’t whet your whistle, you can check out loads of great veggie recipes on the National Vegetarian Week website. We’re confident that you’ll quench your thirst for a meat-free meal! Fancy picking up a case of Bavarian Helles Lager and giving it a try?
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: THE WOMEN BEHIND THE BEER
This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women behind the scenes at Nirvana Brewery. Most of you know our Co-founder Becky, beer lover and businesswoman extraordinaire, but there’s more people behind the beer who make up the Nirvana family and it seemed only right to shine a light on them today. Sue, our business powerhouse Sue Meet the unsung hero behind the Nirvana story, Sue Kean. Mother to founder Becky, she is the woman who made our brewery possible. While husband Jim might have the passion for alcohol-free beer, Sue is the main investor who helped bring the vision to life. A highly successful career woman, she raised 6 children while smashing the glass ceiling to reach a C-level position in the insurance and investment industry, which she still works in today. She is a testament to what women can achieve in the business world, and a big inspiration to us all! Michelle, our accounting star Michelle Michelle first walked through our brewery doors in answer to our advert looking for someone local to take on our accounts and was an instant hit with the team. With her kind and helpful nature, Michelle is always bringing a smile to the faces of the brewery team and her skills at keeping the cashflow going and the books balanced are unparalleled. Michelle has turned her hand to many industries, and after a short career break raising her two beautiful children, she hit the ground running in her beer career when she joined the team in 2019. Rachel, our marketing buff Rachel Introducing our Head of Marketing, Rachel. Rachel started her marketing journey over 13 years ago in the technology world, and moved into the bubbly world of drinks after joining Nirvana in 2018. She is organised and strong minded, with a creative flair for writing. She’s a fountain of ideas: most of what you see from Nirvana comes from her, plus a lot of what you don't see. We owe her a lot of gratitude. Cheers Rachel! While we love brewing a great tasting beer without the alcohol, it’s not the only thing that goes into running a brewery. We’re grateful to all of the women who have helped us along our journey, and also want to give a shout out to the other women who made a huge impact on Nirvana before moving on to other things – Jayro, our content queen and social media extraordinaire as well as sometime photography model, who is now pursuing her love of classical music and working with children. Vim, our business planning and number-crunching whizz and all-round lovely lady who moved on to an exciting new management role, and Lizzie, big sister to Becky and partner to Drew, who is our resident brewhouse yogi and is always available to lend a hand, from being a smiling face at events to getting stuck in with packing boxes. Thank you ladies! Join us in raising a toast to women in beer, whether they’re getting stuck in the mash tun or helping the business run from behind their keyboard. Cheers! 2019 Nirvana team photo with our friends Vim & Jayro - back when we were allowed to hug! Lizzie, our resident yogi BUY NIRVANA BEERS
VALENTINE’S DAY ALCOHOL-FREE BEER & FOOD PAIRING MENU
Beer isn’t necessarily the first thing that you think of when you’re considering food pairing – you’d instinctively go for a fine wine, or perhaps even a cocktail. But did you know that alcohol can numb the taste receptors in the mouth? When we’re talking alcohol free drinks, what they’re missing in booze can really add to the taste sensation, as it helps complex flavour profiles come through which pair beautifully with food; so we’re here to tell you why alcohol-free beer and food might just be the pairing you never knew you needed. And with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we’ve put together a delicious menu with pairing for a cosy night in. We know that the standard takeaway and a lager might not quite cut it for a special night, so if you’re after something a little extra than your usual night in, you’ve come to the right place. Treat yourself, your partner, your housemate or your whole family over a beer. We’ve dropped in options for meat-lovers, vegetarians, and vegans alike, so everyone can be included. Starter - Fig & goat’s cheese with a honey dressing, paired with Bavarian Helles Lager The classic approach when considering pairings is to look for something that either complements your food, or cuts through it – for example, the way that bitterness in a drink can cut through the sweetness in food. For the starter, we’re kicking off the menu with a complementary pairing in the form of baked fig and goats’ cheese with a honey dressing, matched with our Bavarian Helles Lager. The Hallertau hops in the lager give a delicious nectar finish to this beer which suits the honey dressing perfectly, whilst the sweetness of the dish brings out the hop bitterness in the beer. You could serve this starter on a bed of rocket, adding a peppery bitterness to the overall flavour, or a babyleaf salad. For a vegan alternative, we recommend figs with cashew cream cheese like the one in this delicious recipe from Ceri Jones, a brilliant London based chef. The honey mentioned in this recipe could be easily omitted or swapped with a dash of maple syrup. Main Course - Grilled steak and dauphinoise potatoes (or vegan burger) paired with Organic Pale Ale Moving on to the main course, we’re opting for a ‘cut-through’ approach to pairing and suggesting our Organic Pale Ale with your favourite cut of steak, grilled and served with dauphinoise potatoes. The malts which give this pale ale its characteristic toffee notes pair beautifully with the meat, while the gentle bitterness of the hops add a pleasant and enjoyable contrast which cuts perfectly through the creaminess of the potatoes. Serve with green beans on the side, cooked but still retaining a crunchy bite to counteract the textures of the rest of the dish. For the veggies or vegans amongst you, serve steak-cut salted chips with a vegan aioli and this delicious grilled portobello burger that we spotted on the Peta website. The spicy flavours complement this hoppy beer perfectly, giving you a refreshing bitterness with each sip without exacerbating the heat. Dessert - Tiramisù with Dark & Rich Stout For dessert, we’d pair with a slightly more indulgent beer – our Dark & Rich Stout. While a traditional alcoholic stout can be so heavy it feels like a meal in its own right, our alcohol-free version is much lighter, opening up a world of pairing options. The dark malts we use in the beer bring out rich flavours of chocolate and coffee, with notes of vanilla, pairing perfectly with an indulgent tiramisù. Now while you might want to skip the boozy marsala wine or dark rum in the traditional Italian mamma’s recipe if you’re going alcohol free (sorry mamma), there’s a host of brilliant rum alternatives available, as well as simply adding a flavouring of your choice which doesn’t contain alcohol. Otherwise, just load up on the coffee! Here’s a traditional recipe with options for removing the alcohol. We spotted lots of excellent vegan recipes for tiramisù, but our favourite was this from Vegan on Board which is low-fuss, easy to follow and thoughtfully considered to emulate the texture and flavours of a classic tiramisù. The dessert tiramisù takes its name from the Italian for ‘pick me up’, and we’re sure that you’re going to want to pick up this delicious pairing menu over and over again. Are you going to give our pairing menu a go? Let us know in the comments! Or head right to our online shop to pick up your mixed case to set off your pairing evening. BUY NIRVANA BEERS
IS NIRVANA *REALLY* THE UK’S ONLY ALCOHOL-FREE BREWERY?
Let’s start with the short answer. Yes! Almost 5 years into our journey, we’re still the only alcohol-free beer brand with our very own brewery. If you’re satisfied, feel free to head on and browse our other blog posts. For the long answer, read on… Here at Nirvana, we’re the UK’s only physical brewery dedicated to alcohol-free beer. By ‘physical’, we mean that we have our own premises where we only brew Nirvana beers. In 2016, we took an empty industrial unit, and we worked hard to create our brewery just the way we wanted it; from tanks to mash tun, to our mezzanine office and tap room, we created a brewery from scratch to craft our very own Nirvana. Back then, many people said opening a brewery solely dedicated to alcohol-free beer couldn’t be done - no-one was focussing on alcohol-free beer, let alone building their own brewery! But here we are, coming up to 5 years later and still brewing beer we love so that anyone can feel included, no matter what they're drinking. Why did we want to build a brewery if no one else was? Because we’re committed to producing alcohol-free beers on our terms. We like to go our own way, and for us that meant pursuing the dream of our very own brewery, ensuring that we have full control over our recipes, our production processes and timescales, and the flexibility to tweak, create new brews and more. We wanted to change the game in no-alcohol beer, and that meant having a space where we could experiment, learn, and perfect the craft in our own space. But aren’t there other breweries dedicated to alcohol-free beer? While there are other brands dedicated to alcohol-free beer, no-one else brewing only under 0.5% currently has their own brewery. Other brands use existing alcoholic breweries to create their beers for them (known as a contract brew), re-label an existing alcohol-free product with their branding (white label) or, less commonly, they may have their own brewing team who use other breweries facilities to brew their beer (gypsy brewing). When the Nirvana team, including Co-founder Becky and her family, were setting out to pursue our dream of creating a range of craft alcohol-free beers, we quickly realised that by white-labelling or contract brewing, it often means that the brand doesn’t actually own the recipe for the beer – the brewery do. Our Taproom We realised that if at some point in the future we decided to brew beer elsewhere or build a brewery, the recipes would have to be recreated from scratch! This was a problem for us, as we wanted to make sure we owned our recipes and had the flexibility to adapt, improve and change as we saw fit. Why do other brands call themselves a brewery if they don’t have one? Well, some would argue that if you make beer in any capacity, you are a brewery. But it doesn’t necessarily mean you *have* a brewery. Does having your own brewery matter? No! We’re not here to criticise how other people make their beers – it’s not important to us. We’re proud to be at the forefront of the alcohol-free beer community watching it grow and seeing new styles and tastes appearing. We simply took a chance on going our own way when there was no market and no alcohol-free options, because we wanted to create a world where there was. It took the early innovators like Nirvana Brewery to demonstrate that there really *is* a market for craft alcohol-free beer! That attitude of going our own way has brought us to where we are today. And choosing to go your own way? Well, that's what we like to call Nirvana. We can’t invite you inside just yet, but you can watch a virtual brewery tour on our YouTube channel. Or, if you’re ready to try our beers for yourself, head to our online shop. Beer Yoga at the brewery! BUY NIRVANA BEERS
NIRVANA'S CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
2020 has been a strange year, that’s for sure, and lots of us won’t be spending the festive season celebrating in the same way as usual. But gifting is not cancelled, so we can show that special someone that we care by dropping a gift at their door! It just so happens that we’ve got some exciting new gifting products just in time for the festive season. Hint – they all involve beer. And they’re all vegan, so suitable for the plant-based person in your life. If your recipient is in our local area of E10 or E17 postcodes, you can also use code LOCAL17 for free delivery! The taster gift – 3 bottle beer gift pack. New for the festive season this year are our 3 bottle gift packs, perfect to give someone a little taster if they’re just dipping their toes in the water of alcohol-free beer. They’ll get a bottle of each of our 3 bestselling beers – Bavarian Helles Lager, Hoppy Pale Ale and Classic IPA, all tastefully packaged in our limited-edition gift packs. The boxes are sent with an outer protective layer, keeping the box itself in perfect condition for wrapping up and putting under the tree. The person who knows what they like – 12 pack. Need a gift for someone who knows exactly what they want? Grab a 12 case of any individual beer style and ship it straight to their door. Choose from any of our 6 regular beer styles, whether they’re a hophead in search of the beer packed with Mosaic hops (Hoppy Pale Ale) a fan of English bitters or mellow hops (Organic Pale Ale) or something else – get them 12 (or 24 if you’re feeling extra generous) of their favourite beers. Our 12 and 24 boxes are tastefully branded but don’t give too much of a hint about what’s inside – and we’ll never include anything like payment information or pricing in our boxes so you can safely send it straight to your mate’s door. The one who wants it all. Know someone who’d love to try a bit of everything in our range of alcohol-free beers? Our mixed cases will do the trick. Each 12 or 24 beer mixed case contains an equal number of all of our beers (including specials where they’re available) and is sure to help the avid beer-seeker wet their whistle this Christmas. The gluten-free gift. Someone in your life needs to avoid gluten in their diet? Our alcohol-free Dark & Rich Stout is packed full of dark roasted malts with hints of chocolate and vanilla aromas, and is under 20ppm gluten, making it safe for those who need to be gluten-free. Find it in either 12 or 24 cases as above. The one who loves brewery swag. Got the one mate who loves a brewery t-shirt and rocks a different one everyday? Throw in one of our classic Nirvana red or black t-shirts with your beer order, or grab one of our new-style navy blue t-shirts for the person who wants to shout it loud “Proudly Low Alc”. We’ve also got the perfect tote bag for the eco-conscious shopper to wear with pride (and stuff full of beers, we hope). The “I’ve got no idea what they want” or “last-minute panic buy” Let someone you love choose their own Nirvana this year – our gift e-card can be emailed to you, or directly to the recipient, and includes a code to use on our website. Gift e-cards can be used as partial or full payment on any order – so if you don’t know their favourite style of beer, let them pick it out themselves by sending them a Nirvana Brewery gift card. Oooor maybe you just left it a little late for a gift (hey, we’re not judging – we’re known to be Christmas Eve shoppers!) then panic not – our gift cards are emailed over straight away. There’s no expiry date and you can choose from values of between a tenner and £100. Last order date for Christmas delivery on physical products is 20th December, before our elves head off for their Christmas break. Gift cards are digital so can be ordered anytime. Are you ready to give the gift of Nirvana beer this Christmas? BUY NIRVANA BEERS
LOCKDOWN SELF-CARE TIPS FROM THE NIRVANA TEAM.
So here we are a few days into lockdown 2.0. While it does feel pretty different to the first one, it’s still a tough time for so many reasons, which means that it’s more important than ever to find little joys in every day and practice self-care to get through this strange time. At our weekly meeting, the Nirvana team were chatting about what we’re doing to keep ourselves busy and joyful this month and we decided to share these with our lovely customers, hoping that we’d be able to give you a little bit of inspiration. Becky – Co-founder Becky has been inspired to use this time to slow down and spend lockdown mastering the art of something that you’re probably already doing…pottering. “Or discovering I should say...I don’t expect to be a master straight away!” Becky noted. After reading an article about pottering which describes it as “unplanned, slightly unnecessary activity from which you derive tiny bursts of pleasure”, rather than fill her days with endless plans and stressing about to do lists, Becky was encouraged to slow down and spend some time mindfully enjoying the small things around her. Considering our non-stop and always-connected lifestyles, it might feel a bit unnatural not to make plans, or you might feel that you’re just cooped up in the house. But by slowing down and enjoying the little things, you might find that there’s more pleasure in pottering than you realised. This simple notion of just doing little bits and bobs without any goal or expectation can set you up for a calmer, more productive life in other ways. Rachel – Marketing What Rachel loves about living in London is that around every corner, there’s a historic building, an interesting bit of architecture or a beautiful green space that she never knew before, so she loves to get out urban exploring. While the city can sometimes feel hectic, she finds joy in uncovering new places. That’s why she makes sure that every evening, she shuts down her laptop and spends what would have been her commute time heading out on foot to explore. “The thing about working from home is that you miss something to break up the day, which is why I make sure to get outside for a change of scenery between ‘working time’ and ‘time at home.’” Rachel recommends just picking an area or maybe a rough landmark that you’d like to see and wander serendipitously. Or, when the urban chaos of London feels a bit too much, Rachel heads to some of her favourite green open spaces to remind her of the countryside that she grew up in. While we can’t leave London right now, Rachel recommends a few walking routes which offer relatively unbroken greenery – the Dollis Valley Greenwalk, a 10 mile walk in north London, or the London Loop which circles the whole city. Jaakko - Brewer Another outdoor seeker, Jaakko loves to get out on his bike for an afternoon of cycling. He snapped this at the weekend on a cycle to Waltham Cross which he recommends as a great area to head to just outside the city which isn’t too crowded. Connor – Sales During the last lockdown, Connor spent a lot of time on outdoor pursuits and this time is no different! As well as enjoying long walks and seeking as much countryside and greenery as can be found in and around London, Connor enjoys kayaking. He recommends the Medway in Kent as a calm and gentle area, with some good places to get in and out, or for more experienced kayakers, a village called Wargrave with the fast-flowing St Patrick's stream. Working in a brewery means that Connor is pretty passionate about a good beer, so he’s spending time indoors having a go at a bit of home brewing after he picked up a small kit during the last lockdown. He has also decided to pick up the tin whistle again after playing it as a kid growing up in Ireland. His girlfriend just doesn’t know it yet… Michelle – Accounts Getting outdoors seems to be a bit of a theme for the Nirvana team, as Michelle has been enjoying lots of forest walks with her young children. It’s a great opportunity to get fresh air and to teach the children about the different plants and wildlife, so she recommends grabbing your wellies and heading to the beautiful Epping Forest. Drew – Co-founder Drew didn’t manage to let us know self-care tips, so we can only assume he is switching his phone off and having a technology detox! 😉 It’s clear that the great outdoors has an amazing calming effect on us, as does slowing down and remembering to enjoy the moment. It’s also important to acknowledge the negative effects that alcohol can have on our mood, so choosing an alcohol-free beer when you fancy a cold one is a brilliant act of self-care, meaning you’ll get the satisfaction of a cold beer without the negative effects of the booze. Check out our blog post 6 surprising benefits to drinking alcohol free beer for more unexpected perks! Or if you’d like to give our award-winning alcohol-free beers a try this lockdown, head over to our webshop. SHOP NIRVANA BEERS
Women In Beer - Becky Kean
Interview With Becky Kean, Co-Founder Of Nirvana Brewery For International Women’s Day we interviewed Becky Kean, the Director and Co Founder of Nirvana Brewery to find out what makes beer a great industry to be in, regardless of gender. BEER OF CHOICE? Becky Kean, Co-founder of Nirvana Brewery “It might sound a bit boring, but I do like a lager. I do like dark roast beers too, like a stout or porter, but there’s nothing like a lager, a good well made lager.” WHAT DREW YOU TO THE BEER MARKET? “I kind of stumbled into the beer market because my dad couldn’t drink alcoholic beer, so it was mostly for him that we started in the market, but I was already quite a big beer fan myself. I first started liking beer in Thailand when I was handed a can of Chang (Thai beer); the moment was just perfect for it, and ever since then I carried on drinking beer. Then, I started to get into craft beer whilst I was in San Diego, I went to a craft brewery and was fascinated by the brewery tour, seeing all the barrels and trying all the different types of beer and it bought it all to life, I could see the art of it. Shortly after that I started FitBeer along with my brother Joe, and very quickly after that we set up Nirvana Brewery with another business partner. They’ve both moved on to other things now, but I can’t imagine my life without beer! My brother-in-law Drew came on board to co-run Nirvana with me, so we’ve stayed committed to being a family business.” WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A WOMAN IN A MALE DOMINATED INDUSTRY? “There are fewer role models to look up to and compare to and model your behaviour on, it’s a bit more difficult when your looking up to men in the industry, but I’m sure that will change. I think the generation before us of women were the ones who ‘fought the battle’ as it were, and now it’s a lot easier to be a woman in beer. I’ve met some incredible women in the beer industry, there’s Jaega Wise who came to our brewery and Jane Peyton who we see at beer festivals and events, and that’s one of the upsides, that you bond with the women that you do meet. Another upside is there’s a shorter queue for the toilets! My team is a very even male-female split - we’re actually exactly 50/50, and I think that’s also fairly reflective of our customer base. I’m really pleased to see more women that ever enjoying beer!” WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE? “Loads of little things have happened along our journey and I feel quite proud to say that we contributed to igniting the alcohol-free movement. FitBeer was one of the first new brands on the scene and Nirvana followed shortly after that. The fact that Nirvana was the first female owned alcohol-free beer brand, and is still the only dedicated alcohol-free brand with its own brewery are two things that I’m hugely proud of.” IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO SAY TO OTHER WOMEN THAT WANT TO GET STARTED IN THE BEER GAME? “Just forget about any stereotypes, beer isn’t male or female, it’s a just a bloody good drink! And surround yourself with good people, it’s a team effort and everything we’ve achieved has been a team effort.” IF YOU WERE A BEER, WHAT BEER WOULD YOU BE? “Belgian Blond - Because I’ve got blond hair and low bitterness!” FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR RANGE OF ALCOHOL-FREE BEERS
