Nick Gibb visited Lister's, a small micro brewery in Ford Lane, Arundel, where 100,000 litres of beer are brewed a year. Lister's supply about 100 pubs, including the Maypole Inn in Yapton and the Black Horse in Binsted as well as CAMRA’s Pub of the Year, “The Cricketers Arms” in St Helens, Merseyside.
Lister’s was established four years ago by a young man, Phil Waite with a loan of £10,000. The brewery now has an annual turnover of £200,000 with plans to expand to keep up with demand.
Lister’s is named after Phil’s dog, Lister. They donate 5p of every pint of their Best Bitter and Tail Wagger beers to dog charities. They have eight different beers - Best Bitter; Golden Ale; Special Ale; Limehouse Porter; IPA; American Pale Ale; Westmorland Dark Mild; and Tail Wagger.
Nick Gibb said: “Lister’s is fast becoming a local brewing success story. From small premises in rural Ford Lane, they already supply 100 pubs nationwide. As more and more people value locally produced goods and produce, we can only expect increasing numbers of local pubs to start serving one or more of Lister’s eight beers.
“It was wonderful to visit yet another locally established small business. I wish Phil and his team every success in brewing and delivering a popular high quality real ale.”
Photo: Nick Gibb with Phil Waite at Lister’s Brewery