Features / collaboration
Celebrating our European unity with beer and coffee
As the UK prepares to remain in the EU for a little longer, a Bristol brewery and coffee shop have both launched new projects to celebrate our Europeanness.
Moor Beer in St Philip’s are co-creators of Citizens of Everywhere, the biggest pan-European craft beer collaboration project ever undertaken.
The project brought together 12 craft breweries from across the UK with 12 craft breweries from 12 different European countries, with each brewing pair making a beer marking an EU achievement.
is needed now More than ever
Two Bristol breweries took part; Moor collaborating with Lambrate of Italy for a pale ale celebrating cross-cultural collaboration; and Lost & Grounded of St Anne’s collaborating with Mahrs of Germany for a märzen (a Bavarian lager) celebrating protection of the environment.
Justin Hawke from Moor Beer said: “The world, industry, and our social lives are so intertwined these days. We love working with other brewers, suppliers, customers, employees and friends from all over the EU and the rest of the world.
“The term ‘collaborate’ is getting used much more regularly these days. It’s key we don’t forget that. This project epitomises the concept by bringing together everyone in the supply chain, from the grower to the consumer, using beer as the social lubricant it has been for millennia. Long may it continue!”
Bristol breweries Moor and Lost & Grounded’s finished collaboration beers for the Citizens of Everywhere project
In Full Court Press, they are celebrating their Europeanness by serving a selection of coffees from roasters across the continent.
These include Belleville from France, The Barn from Germany, Third Floor Espresso from Ireland and Gardelli from Italy, with beans from a Swedish roaster also possibly on their way in the next couple of weeks.
“We could soon be crashing out of the EU so we wanted to get in these coffees while we still could,” Full Court Press manager Jonny Simpson told Bristol24/7.
A large part of what Full Court Press has done since opening on Broad Street in the Old City in 2013 is to buy the best coffee from the best roasters in UK and Europe in small quantities; but coffee roasted in Europe is likely to be much more difficult to buy if there is a no-deal Brexit.
“The coffee industry is so tight-knit and there is so much talent across Europe,” Jonny added. “It would be a real shame to not have access to that.
“We love using UK roasters but it’s always exciting to introduce people to roasters from further afield.”
Read more: Bristol named one of the best European cities to visit in 2019
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