After years of working in the IT industry, and often working away from home, Andrew Dunkin could see his role was coming to an end. Combining a desire to spend more time at home for family reasons with a desire to get out of IT but still run his own business, Andrew decided to follow his passion for real ale.
Andrew and wife Maggie used their kitchen (and, indeed – patio) to do test brewing for about eight months and armed with some potential recipes, opened a new brewery in Colwick.
Setting the business up was fraught with problems – getting planning permission, effluent permission from Severn Trent, organising builders and finance along with lead times like 9 months for installation of the brewing equipment and three months for the casks made it a logistical headache. However, it all came together eventually and the installation and first brew went ahead on the 4th May 2010.Flipside Brewery's first two beers, Sterling Pale and Flipping Best were seen for the first time at the Newark Beer Festival at the end of May 2010. We then held a launch event at the Cross Keys on Byard Lane which was attended by CAMRA members and some local publicans.
Since then we have brought out two more beers – Copper Penny and Dusty Penny. We have received excellent feedback on all the beers and they are proving to be very popular with the discerning drinker.
We’ve had a great time since opening the brewery. Everybody that we talk to is so enthusiastic: the suppliers, the publicans, the other brewers and CAMRA are so pleased and fall over themselves to help you, it's amazing, We've never known an industry like it, everybody is so helpful and friendly.
Maggie, who works full-time as a computer trainer and their son Luke help out on brew days and with racking up. Luke is very keen and can be bribed to clean out the mash tun and copper.
