brandon_mwm, Author at Triple Point Brewing

From Beer Garden to glass: How we grow our Sheffield hops

Posted on 13 May 202521 April 2026 by brandon_mwm

Whether you’re local to Sheffield, living nearby in South Yorkshire, or just scouting for your next weekend away, there’s always one big item on the agenda. Finding a spot to enjoy proper beer in a proper beer garden! But what is that perfect beer garden? We think we’ve got that answered! WELCOME TO THE HOP JUNGLE It all started during Covid, when we were only allowed to operate service outside. Our beer garden suddenly became the most important element of our business. So, we started building our dream beer garden with al fresco drinking in mind – all-year-round. Come rain or shine, it’s a great place to be. But in the summer is when it really comes alive. Every summer our beer garden turns into a giant greenhouse-like hop jungle as we grow our Sheffield homegrown hops. We don’t know what kind of hops they are exactly – but they taste great! And come September, we harvest them, throw them into the hop back and shortly after that, they land in your glass for late-autumn brew!

GREEN . HOPPY . WILD In the peak summer months, our hops go wild – and we mean feral wild! They shoot up super quickly – up to several inches a day! Climbing onto anything they can find in the direction of the sweet summer sun. Poles, plant pots, furniture… You name it, nowhere’s safe! So, as you can imagine, we have to spend a fair bit of time keeping them under control. So, we train the hops. How? Well first, let’s go back a bit. SO, WHAT ARE HOPS? Hops are dried cone-shaped flowers produced from the (female) Humulus Lupulus hop plant – part of the wider Cannabaceae plant family. They’re green, pretty rough around the edges, and the leaves are arranged opposite each other in lobes. Inside the hop cone is the fruiting part of the plant, technically known as the lupulin gland. The lupulin gland is like a sticky yellow dust. This is the good stuff. Lupulin glands contain all the active ingredients – packed with essential oils and alpha acids that are key to flavour, aroma, and bitterness in beer. That’s what’s important, right? There are hundreds of hop varieties out there. And each hop has distinctive flavours and aromas. Whether that’s pine, citrus or tropical fruit, it all comes from those essential oils. WHY GROW OUR OWN HOPS? When we first opened and started doing up the beer garden, we knew straight away we wanted to put some homegrown hops into a brew. It felt authentic. But then, when we got into the swing of things, we realised how aesthetically pleasing they really were, and then before we knew it, growing ‘a few’ hops quickly turned into growing a full-on hop garden! And this is where our hop training efforts really started coming into play.

LET THE TWINING BEGIN First up. The art of twining! Twining is the process of attaching the hop bines (the climbing stems of the hop plant) to trellises or string. This provides support and helps the hops grow tall and healthy. Twining typically happens in the spring, when the hops shoots are only just coming through. Lucky for us, the infrastructure for twining is already in place. As our beer garden roof is made up of scaffold poles that are perfect for training hops. All we’ve got to do is string up the lines! We like to use a thick and rough-textured string made of the natural fibre Sisal, to give the hops something to grip onto. Then we wrap the hops in a clockwise direction, vertically up the string facing towards the sun. When all this is set up, and providing it’s sunny, the hops will race up! SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST At the start, we have to be ruthless. We discard most of the hop bines (yes, we feel mean, but it has to be done!), keeping only a few of the healthiest looking ones to train up the string. The healthier the bines, the more hops we get. And the better the beer. So, this is an important step when growing hops! From here on, we check in on them at least once a week. Because once they start growing, it’s like wildfire – they can grow a good couple of inches a day, if not more… it’s mad!

A MIDSUMMER BEER GARDEN DREAM By mid-summer the hops are in their element. Lusciously green. Full of life. Just looking at them gives you a little dopamine boost and provides the best vibes to all of us enjoying a pint in the sun! THE UNRELIABLE BRITISH SUMMER Oh, the infamous British weather. How unpredictable it can be. And this is NOT good when it comes to growing hops. Hops ideally need around 10-12 hours of sunlight for a 120 day-long growing season. This consistency can be tough to achieve – especially in the North of England! Because both extreme heat and lack thereof, can seriously reduce hop yield and quality. Too hot? The hops get stressed. Too shaded? They can’t grow. Last year our hop harvest was… disappointing to say the least. We had a good start! But then the sun retired for the end of summer. So, our hop yield wasn’t great. IT’S HARVEST TIME Come September, we roll up our sleeves and crack on with the fun of harvesting. We usually invite some of our locals down to help us harvest and brew the beer. It’s become a bit of a tradition here and is always a lot of fun! The whole process can take almost a day. And once picked, the fresh hops head straight to the brewhouse for our annual fresh hop beer. Then, we slap on our winter roof, celebrate Oktoberfest, and wait for the fun to begin again next year.

CHECK OUT OUR HOP GARDEN THIS SUMMER Our beer garden is open in Sheffield all year-round! Why not book a table and check it out for yourself? All our beer is brewed on-site. With some of our core beers pouring directly from tank to tap. You really can’t get much fresher than that. Either join us in the Summer to see our hops in full swing. Or join us in late Autumn/early Winter, to enjoy the hops in a fresh hop brew. Otherwise, keep an eye on our web shop for our 2025 fresh hop beer! We’d love to see ya!

Astral: 4.2% Nitro Stout: Your New Go-To During The Guinness Shortage

Posted on 17 December 20248 April 2025 by brandon_mwm

ASTRAL: 4.2% NITRO STOUT: YOUR NEW GO-TO DURING THE GUINNESS SHORTAGE

With news about the Guinness shortage causing havoc across the UK, stout lovers are understandably… freaking out? Fear not, we’ve got you covered with our all-star stout alternative – ASTRAL.

BLACK AS NIGHT, WITH A HEAD FULL OF STARS.

That’s right, Astral, our silky smooth, rich, and satisfyingly nitro-charged stout, is as black as night with a head full of stars. Here’s everything you need to know:

A sessionable 4.2% – a very popular strength for the style…
Packed with 10 grains for a refined finish.
Creamy and silky smooth.
Rich, and uber drinkable.
Admiral and jester hops.

BREWED TO IMPRESS.

Astral is just over a year old now. And the fans were already going wild.

As per popular request, we recently developed the recipe to include nitrogen, for an even smoother velvety pour and creamy head.

Silky and balanced. With subtle notes of coffee and chocolate throughout.

The best part? Astral is brewed right here in Sheffield. Using the delicious Sheffield water.

So, while the Guinness taps might run dry, it’s flowing straight from tank to tap at our place!

Currently only available on draught. At ours, and many pubs and stockists across the country.

TRADE WITH US

In the trade and looking to stock a new stout? Get in touch with us!

We deliver weekly to Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds, York and surrounding areas.

But you can also buy from us on Sellar.

Local or not, we’ll find a way to deliver Astral to you in time for Big Friday and the festive weekend!

Cheers!

#TheBeerComesFirst

The difference between Cask and Keg Beer: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on 21 August 202425 July 2025 by brandon_mwm

There’s no denying pubs and bars are heaving with variety. Cold crisp lagers, juicy pale ales, quenching sours – they’ve got the lot. No wonder choosing a beer can be so overwhelming! So, you cut to the chase and just ask for a beer… but then the barman asks if you want a keg or cask beer… what?! In this blog we’ll fill you in on the differences between cask and keg beer. And how we brew the two styles here at Triple Point Brewery.

WHAT’S THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CASK AND KEG?

From storage and conditioning processes to overall beer flavour – cask and keg are NOT the same! Here’s why;

CASK VS KEG

WHAT IS A CASK?

Once upon a time ALL beer was dispensed from casks (even lagers!), that was before the invention of kegs in the early 20th century. A cask is a hollow cylindrical barrel that curves and bulges at the centre, tapering at the ends. It’s designed for a natural secondary fermentation process… Traditionally, cask barrels were made by forming wooden staves together into a circle and securing them with metal hoops (think Donkey Kong style). However, modern casks are usually made from stainless steel or aluminium – for better durability and maintenance. Sizes of cask barrels vary. The largest being a hogshead (54 gallons), the most common being the firkin (9 gallons), and the smallest being the pin (4.5 gallons).

WHAT IS A KEG?

A keg is a more modern construction. Made from a durable stainless steel (like the modern cask). However, a keg is adapted to withstand the higher pressure that comes with increased carbonation. Like cask, keg barrels come in various sizes. The largest being a 100 Litre keg and the smallest being a mini keg (5L) though 50L and 30L are more common sizes.

CASK BEER

WHAT IS CASK BEER?

Typically, cask beer is unpasteurised, unfiltered, and naturally carbonated. Standing out with its distinct flavour profiles, brightness, clarity, and natural characteristics. It’s considered by some connoisseurs to be beer in its purest form.

CONDITIONING CASK BEER

At Triple Point, we aim to put beer into cask within two weeks of brewing. It fills the cask through a shive in the top of the barrel and starts out quite flat, with little carbonation. Unlike kegged beer, a cask barrel doesn’t have any added pressure in it, so it’s the brewers’ job to magic up some natural carbonation. At Triple Point, we rely on CASK CONDITIONING. A method allowing the yeast to undergo a second fermentation process. While nothing else is added to the beer in cask, the art of Cellarmanship really comes into play here. The period of conditioning, and environmental factors like cellar temperatures and hygiene, can make a huge impact on the final product. Being a Cellarman is a highly skilled job, and the art of cask conditioning is complex.

STORING AND POURING CASK BEER:

The storage and dispensing of cask beer can vary between breweries. In some (more traditional) cases, cask barrels are stored lying flat on their sides and poured directly from a tap. At Triple Point we store our casks standing upright. Cask beer is usually dispensed with a hand pull, a long hand-operated beer engine (first developed in Barnsley in 1797) which extracts beer directly from the cask into your glass, while retaining its natural carbonation. An untapped cask will store anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. But, once the cask is tapped, the beer should be consumed in around 3 days. Otherwise, it will become oxidised and spoil. One of the most distinguishing features of a cask beer is the way the bar person pours it. In Yorkshire we like it firmly pulled through a ‘sparkler’ which jets the beer through fine holes to create a thick, creamy head, making for a smooth drinking experience.

KEG BEER

WHAT IS KEG BEER?

Unlike cask beer, keg beer can be filtered and pasteurised before being sealed in the keg. This process removes the yeast and other hazes. Halting fermentation and creating a longer-lasting product that retains its flavour and clarity for longer. At Triple Point, we do things differently. We pride ourselves on being an unfiltered brewery, so we never filter or pasteurise our beers. Instead, we add finings to remove yeast. And, for our

brighter beers like Helles and Gold, remove hazes. This is all part of the natural conditioning process. We follow a traditional German technique called ‘spunding’. Sealing the tank so pressure builds up and starts the carbonation process. It can take up to six weeks for beer to enter the keg.

CONDITIONING KEG BEER

Beer destined for kegs is ‘brewery conditioned’. That means we get it just right, for gas level and clarity before it is filled into the kegs. Kegs are pressurised with gas (either carbon dioxide or a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen) as the last stage of the cleaning and sterilisation process before filling, to maintain carbonation and assist in dispensing the beer.

STORING AND POURING KEG BEER

Keg beer is served using a draft system which includes a gas cylinder, pressure regulator, and tap. Unlike cask beer which is typically dispensed from the top of the cask, keg beer is pushed by compressed gas pressure from the bottom of the keg up through the spear to the top along through the draft lines and into your glass. This allows for consistent carbonation and a nice steady pour.

Can you make vegan and gluten-free cask beer?

Yep, you can absolutely make vegan and gluten-free cask beer. Although it’s still relatively uncommon in the brewing industry.

At Triple Point, we ONLY brew gluten-free beers. And, wherever possible, we make them vegan too. Here’s how…

GLUTEN-FREE BEER:

We use Clarex, an enzyme that breaks down gluten proteins, making our cask and keg beers safe for those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease.

VEGAN BEER:

Some of our cask beers are vegan and some are not. Our non-vegan beers tend to be our brighter cask. As we need to use Isinglass (traditionally derived from fish swim bladders) to provide the clarity and brightness our customers want. For our hazy cask beers, we don’t use Isinglass or synthetic fining alternatives.

Cheers to all: The rise of Gluten-Free Beer in the UK

Posted on 19 April 202425 July 2025 by brandon_mwm

Ahhh, coeliacs and craft beer lovers rejoice! No more reluctantly choosing wine or cider over a satisfying pint because of dietary restrictions! You CAN still enjoy your favourite craft beer in gluten-free form. In the UK, nearly 1% of the population are affected by coeliac disease, and about 8.5 million people follow a gluten-free diet. So, it’s clear to see why there’s a rise in demand for gluten-free options across the market. Of course, as a nation of beer lovers, gluten-free beer is pretty sought after. But, up until recent years, options have been limited. Not to worry, though. With UKs gluten-free market expected to rise by 8.7% by 2030 (Reed.com), the craft breweries are evolving to keep up with growing demand. And, craft beer is becoming readily available on the market, with more and more breweries experimenting with different styles of gluten-free beer. IS BEER GLUTEN-FREE? No, typically not. Conventional beer is made from malt, yeast, and hops – often using wheat too. It’s the (malted) barley and wheat that contain all the gluten. Meaning a seemingly harmless pint of beer is pretty much rammed with the stuff. Posing a risk to people suffering from gluten-intolerance or sensitivity. Many breweries offer at least one gluten-free beer now. However, at Triple Point, we believe that beer should be for all who want to drink it. And we want everyone to enjoy a lager, stout, or ale – irrespective of gluten-intolerance. Which is why, for five years now, we’ve proudly specialised in the production of gluten-free beer (and vegan – but more on that another time). It doesn’t matter about the beer style or the ABV. If we brew a beer that isn’t independently certified gluten-free, we simply won’t sell it. HOW DO WE MAKE GLUTEN-FREE BEER? Over and above traditional brewing methods, we use an enzyme called Brewers Clarex during the brewing process. This enzyme breaks down gluten proteins into smaller, non-harmful components. But you can’t taste the difference, as Clarex has no effect on the look or flavour of the beer at all. We rigorously test every batch of beer to ensure it meets the strict standards for gluten-free labelling. We send it off to our pals at Murphey and Son who confirm our beer has less than 20ppm gluten. Only when this has been confirmed will we put our beer on the market. At Triple Point Brewing, we experiment with most styles of beer and aim for only the highest quality throughout. WINNER OF ‘WORLD’S BEST GLUTEN-FREE BEER’ In line with our motto, THE BEER always COMES FIRST. We never sacrifice flavour or quality when brewing our gluten-free beer. And our commitment to the quality of our gluten-free beer has paid off! We’ve gone on to win countless awards across Yorkshire and beyond. In 2022, our TRIVERGENCE DIPA brought home the title of ‘WORLD’S BEST GLUTEN-FREE BEER in the WORLD BEER AWARDS. And in 2023, our TINTO won ENGLAND GOLD SPECIALTY BEER GLUTEN-FREE. Find out more about how we make our beer gluten-free (and vegan) here. Or check out our range of gluten-free lagers, ales, sours, and stouts here. Cheers! #TheBeerComesFirst