Our Story

Big Hug Brewing came together in 2014 and was founded by three friends – Matt, Dan and Chris. We use the word brewing rather than brewery because we don’t own one - we are Hobo brewers but more on that below. The idea though was seeded in early 2012 with a random chance meeting at a wedding between Dan and Henry. Henry was about to attend the then only brew and distillation course in the UK at Heriot Watt - one of the world’s leading universities for pioneering research informed by the needs of business and industry. And craft beer was about to boom.

Dan and Henry kept in touch and in December 2012, Dan received some of Henrys home brews in the post for Christmas…..and they were better than the beers he was serving in his tied pub.

Matt and Dan met whilst both working at bacardi in 2005 and Dan went on to join and then partner Chris at his events/marketing agency, Elastic. Together the pair launched Craft Beer Rising in February 2013 (now BREWLDN) the first craft beer festival of its kind and the aim was simple - to help take craft beer to the masses and showcase the rapidly flourishing craft beer scene in the UK.

Having worked on and built other peoples brands for them for almost 10 years it was a logical progression given the success of the first craft beer rising and the growth of craft beer in the UK that we would launch our own brand. In December 2013 after 7 years at a soft drinks start up business and 11 years in the drinks trade, Matt quit his job, remortgaged his flat, moved to London and started putting the wheels in motion.

We came together with a passion to create the beers that we want to drink but to also be a part of the movement to help drive craft beer forward. To take great, flavoursome beer to the masses - beers that are full of flavour, using the finest ingredients and creating a brand and range of beers that are accessible yet individual.

We hope to be a stepping stone and an introduction to the category for many but to also be experimental - create beers that are individual, unusual and innovational but always with the finest of ingredients and quality at the heart of everything that we do.