Speaker 2 (00:00.194)
Hello everyone and welcome to My Local Marketer podcast. I'm Maria and I'm speaking today with Becky Nalon who is taproom supervisor at Double Barrel Brewery. Becky, thanks for coming on. How are you? Very well, thank you. Well, obviously here today with you at Double Barrel. So yeah, I'm sure many people are very jealous by that.

I'm good thank you how are you?

Speaker 1 (00:20.558)
It has been a busy day. So yes, a bank holiday weekend. It's the perfect time to come down. So yeah.

I didn't expect you to be that busy when I came.

Yeah, it's a popular place. People love it. I think it's just a lovely place to be.

For our listeners, could you please give a brief introduction to yourself and how you ended up at Double Barrel?

So I am Becky. I've been at Double Barrelled for three years in October. I basically applied for the job because I was jealous of a friend who had a job in a brewery up in Leeds and I thought that looks like the most fun place to work. I love beer, I love being social and it's just a wonderful place that celebrates community and it just felt like a good fit for me and obviously now I've been here nearly three years it must be quite a good one. So yeah, it's great.

Speaker 2 (01:08.512)
It's a lovely team. Now, what does your role actually include?

So as taproom supervisor, I get wonderful privileges like being a key holder, opening up, managing our lovely team, a double barreled behind the bar, running events and just making sure things run smoothly. And it's been a dream.

Is it everything that you dreamed when you compare it, like you said, with your friend at least? Is it everything that you thought it would be?

Yes it is actually. I think I was enamoured by the brewing process. When I first started here, I just sort of saw it as like this magical witch's brew. Things would be put in a big vessel and then suddenly beer would be made and that's sort of my understanding of how beer worked. But being here and learning the process and sort of seeing the stages that it takes and watching the magic that happens with these recipes and how it works is just such a privilege and to be pouring some of Reading's favourite beer

is a real joy. People come in and tell me how much they love Parker and how much they love Ding. So I love being able to sort of broaden their horizons and show them the new specials that we've made, introduce them to new beer styles and different areas of beer that they might not have ventured into before. So yeah, it's a really lovely job and I love working here and I love my team and it's been a really great experience for me.

Speaker 2 (02:26.358)
I love that you do that. So it's not just giving them a beer that they want. It's open. Like I said, it's teaching them, I guess. It's showing them what else they could enjoy as well.

Yeah, it's definitely, it's quite fun when someone comes up to the bar and they're like, just another Parker and I'll be like, so what is it about Parker that you like? And then being able to push their boundaries a little bit more and saying, well, actually, this beer has similar hops, it's got similar flavor profiles, and just being able to say, why don't you see what you think of this one? And it might just mean that they find something new that they enjoy. The only thing with specials is that people will come back and go, I tried this beer four months ago and I'll go, I'm really sorry.

It's not there anymore, but we've got this one that you can try and it's just it's an ever evolving and ever-changing set of kegs and it's just a wonderful learning process between both the customer and I coming in and trying the new specials and learning from the brewers why they taste the way they do and being able to pass on that knowledge I just feel like is is real great part of my job. Yeah, what's

learning process like when you first start. So obviously you go to a regular bar or something, you've got Red Bull and vodka and all the regulars. But here, obviously, because it's independent, what do you have to learn when you come here? Is there like a big textbook or is it just you've got to try them all and see what you think?

I mean there is a bit, there's a, you know, a hardship in having to try them all. But, so yeah, you try them all and you learn. So we've got a little book behind the bar now, which is Brewers Notes, Marketing Notes, and then any extra information from Mt. R. Head Brewer. And we get to read through that, learn from what we've got in the book, and then take on your own experience of the beer as well. There are some beers that have slightly more berry flavoured hops or some beers that have slightly more...

Speaker 1 (04:13.898)
citrus flavours and I think when you first start it can all be quite overwhelming. There's 10 taps behind the bar and then there's guest cans and then there's other cans that we've brewed and it can be quite daunting but I think once you get into the swing of it and once you've tasted a few beers and once you've done it for a little while you start to realise what those flavours are and you go I recognise that from this beer or this has got citra hops which is very similar to parka and your learning grows just from being behind the bar and

pouring stuff and tasting it. Like I said, it's a hardship, but someone's gotta do it.

It sounds like, shall I say, a more accessible version because you hear about sommeliers just doing the wine tasting. It seems quite, shall we say, upper class in the way, you know, how it's described on TV and things like this. It seems like a really accessible way.

Yeah, I mean, I've had customers that come in and they're like, right, can I try this, this, this, this and this? And I'm like, yes, of course. And we're to talk about what you're getting from each and why you think, or, you know, I'll ask if someone comes in and they're a bit daunted by the menu, I'll just sort of say, well, what do you usually go for? And then sort of work backwards from there. Sometimes we'll just get someone come in and go, I just want Car Scale. And we're like, well, that's not, unfortunately, we're not the place for that. But if they prefer

a dark beer, we've got Whippet for that. So there's, you know, we've got ways to work with what people are expecting from a bar, but influencing and expanding horizons effectively when it comes to the world of beer, which is lovely.

Speaker 2 (05:45.528)
This is an ever learning process, but there must have been about a good six months or so before you got familiar with the general specials.

Definitely. I think it's a really big part of the ethos as the Tap Room to be familiar with what we're serving. So even if we've got Tap Room team members, their preference isn't beer. They will always try it and sort of experience it. It did take a while and when I came in I was an IPA only drinker and that was my standard. But again, my own horizons have been expanded by the process of being here. It's taken its time but...

since we put more processes in behind the bar, made it more accessible for us as staff members as well, and making sure that we've got that connection with the brewers. So we have first pour Thursdays, where the brewers come to the tap room and we pour out a third for everyone that's come down to listen to what the brewers' notes are and what their expectations of the beer are. And just making sure there's a symbiotic relationship between the two. We've worked hard to get

the taproom to where it is. And I think we've, we've done a really good job of it and making that process connected across the teams has been really great as well.

think this is a really important note because as you say, a lot's gone into making sure the internal processes are there and the communications there. So the taproom staff know what the brewer wants to know, they've got the marketing notes and everything. Every department's connected and you're all on the same page. And that is not easy. That is hard to do.

Speaker 1 (07:09.068)
Yeah, we are quite a small team here still, like there's just over 20 team members in total, but it's so important for us all to have fingers in all pies, effectively. So Cassie and I also work with the warehouse team on some days that we're not in as taproom staff, and then I've been working with the marketing team a bit as well. Everyone is here to help each other. Where we're a small team and a small company, making sure that we're making the strides to become bigger and better is really important for us.

And we just, all want to see it succeed. We all want to see it do well. And our product speaks for us very well. You know, Parker's award-winning for a reason.

And absolutely having the processes in place will help you expand because you've got that solid foundation. Now, obviously you are taproom supervisor, but I know you're also a bit of a photographer, aren't you?

Yeah, I first started studying at Reading College and then I went to Leeds, to Leeds Arts University as it's now known, and I have been a gig and events photographer for about 15 years now. So coming into hospitality work was not the dream I had as a teenager, but actually working here it's been a really great symbiotic relationship between those two things. I photographed a lot of the events that happened, so we've got wrestling and comedy and all sorts of other things that happen.

And the fact I'm here and I can bring my camera and also sort of flex that muscle has been really great as well. Recently, our regular photographer has been on bereavement leave, so I've been able to sort of step in and fill that mantle and take the latest photos of our latest release boards, which was a real privilege and an honour and very exciting. I also got to do any of the taproom promotional stuff. So we've recently released beer cocktails. So the photography and the marketing behind that has been Cassie and I. But with my photography work, which is

Speaker 1 (08:58.254)
crazy really. But it's been a really big privilege to be trusted to do that as well because it's not what I was hired to do. So obviously I'm hoping that my work is speaking for itself.

That is a very valuable skill you've learned and that is something you can use throughout anything I think as you go forward. And you were saying before about reading is actually quite good for the art scene.

Yeah, Reading, it's growing. think when I was younger, I did a lot of travelling for gigs. I did a lot of going outside of Reading to London, even Basingstoke with their venues and slightly further afield. But now Purple Turtle has got a really thriving music scene with basically gigs on every single night. And it's really exciting to see Reading pushing in that direction as well. And also as taproom supervisor now, I get a say in helping

organised events here. I think we are really keen, Cassie and I as a team, to push the arts space in this part of Reading as well. Making space for comedy, we want to do some exhibitions, so photography exhibitions and history exhibitions and pushing the boat out of what we are known for here at Double Barrelled as well. We've got the space so why not use it for things that are going to impact Reading's culture in a brilliant way.

I'll have to talk to you more about the events and all the other activities later. As well as obviously being the taproom supervisor and helping out with the photography, you also help out with the tours don't you?

Speaker 1 (10:28.288)
Yeah, so on a Saturday afternoon you can book on and come and join us to learn all about the brewing process. So basically we sit you down. It's usually up to a group of 12. You can book it as a whole big group of 12 or you can book yourself in and we'll just sit, taste beer, talk about what you're tasting, where the flavours are coming from, why you're getting certain flavours and explore the history of beer in Reading. Explore the history of beer as a whole process and why beer was, you know, even a thing.

and explain why Mike and Lucy are owners chose Reading as their space and really talk about the history of Double Barreled as well. It's a new venture for me, but I'm really enjoying it and, you know, flexing my slightly comedic muscles, hopefully, as well. I love making people laugh and making jokes about beer is kind of second nature to me now. So it's been great and they are really good fun.

What type of audiences, visitors do you get to Double Barrel?

We've obviously got the world of craft beer lovers that come down here. Like I said, Parker is award-winning for many reasons. Our beer is recognized nationally as being great and they are very loyal to us. We also have a set of regulars that are just local. We're not quite a pub, but we're also not a bar. So we're in that lovely middle ground of it being a community family space in the daytime and then an events and a lovely place to relax.

We hit the market quite well in terms of balancing out between the two. We also, we've got lots of people with dogs that come down here, which is a highlight for me. We're really trans and LGBTQ inclusive, and that's really important to us as well. And we just want everyone to come down and experience what we have to offer. And that isn't just beer now. We also have a range of spirits and soft drinks that everyone can come in and just feel.

Speaker 1 (12:26.38)
welcome in our space and that's a really big part of our ethos and mission as well.

as before that having the beers in Waitress now that's opened you up to a different audience as well as the events. So I like how these marketing activities are drawing different people in. Could you say a little bit more about that?

Yeah, of course. So last year we launched into the world of supermarkets, which has been incredible for us. We are now in Waitrose, John Lewis and Tesco and that has actually expanded our horizons. We're in Waitrose nationwide. So we've had people travel to come and see us. A couple of weeks ago, we had someone say, we had Parker at Christmas just as a one-off and we loved it so much that we decided that we were going to come and visit you. So they spent the day down here and they just had a really lovely time and they were just like, you know,

We wouldn't expect to find you on an industrial site in Reading. And they came from London. And I think that's a really big thing as well. People are travelling from London to us, whereas people of Reading are so used to travelling to London for stuff. Now, people from London are visiting us? Great. We want more of that. And I think Reading has a lot more to offer than some people sometimes expect as well. So yeah, we've got lots of great craft beer breweries around here. So a lot of people sort of...

trail around all of them as well so it's a destination for craft beer now and then they find the purple turtle at the end of the evening.

Speaker 2 (13:48.162)
I've commuted into London, I know me and going into London, but I never really thought that the flow could go the other way too. So I think that's a very good point to mention that if obviously the London crowd, yeah, they can easily get to us as well.

Yeah, it's now a yin and yang situation. think the Elizabeth line has made that even more accessible for people and just having that connection of, oh, actually, yeah, we've got queer brewing. There's a load of great breweries in London, but we have beers that make us stand out enough for people to travel. And I think that's such a benefit and a positive for Reading as well. And you get to see the history of Reading, you get to go down to the Abbey Ruins, you get to see the Forbury Gardens, all of this great history that

It's not London, but it's still valuable and it's still worth the commute.

People like different, isn't it? Sometimes if they live in London, then that's nothing new for them. They want to go somewhere different. Has there been any challenges that you've faced in last three years since you started?

Yeah, the roster of beers is quite something, and especially my first start as someone would come in and go, have you still got this beer? And I'd look, we've got all of our beer lenses, which are the clips that go on pumps traditionally, on the wall in the bar, and I'd sort of look up the list and go, I think that was about three years ago, but I'll see if there's a recipe that's similar or a beer that tastes similar, and I'd have to ask a lot of questions. We're not a bar that is often rammed. We're busy, but...

Speaker 1 (15:13.4)
We're not rushed off our feet all the time, but that means that we get to spend a lot more time with our customers. We get to tailor stuff to them. And I think that's really important for beer, for tasting things and appreciating the art that it is. I think in terms of difficulties, to go a bit more personal, a couple of years ago, I lost my mum and that was really tough for me. Obviously losing a parent is tough for anyone, but being a small business and being with such a close knit.

community of team members, the support that I faced was incredible. The support I had was just out of this world really, you know, I think in other jobs that I've had previously that might have, you know, the time that had to take off would have been quite difficult, but it was not a burden to this place. And I think it, it made me feel like a really treasured part of the team. And that's been really like quintessential to how much I love the bones of this place. Like they've.

They've supported me through stuff, so therefore I'm gonna be here to help out with that as well.

that's something I've noticed from Cassie as well, the fact that it's not just a job you go there, you go, it is a well integrated team. You all get on, it's a lovely place to work. And that really makes a difference. The business looks after the staff and then you look after the customers.

Yeah, yeah. Matt, our brewer, made a really fair point the other week. He was sort of like, as brewers, we want you to be happy with the product that we're making because you are the guys that see everyone day to day. It was really nice to hear from him that he has us in his considerations as well. And it's being able to work with them. And he's always said, if you've got ideas, bring them to us. So our warehouse manager, Chip, was the inspiration behind the latest sour that we have. He was like, I've had this cake.

Speaker 1 (17:01.004)
and I think it would be the perfect sour, and then it was made. We really have an influence on each other and it's really nice to see. And it's also nice to know that if you go to the top of the chain, they're gonna respond to you. They know who we are, we know who they are. And that's been a real privilege as well. And Mike and Lucy are fantastic in the way that they're managing and running things and growing the business in a way that works for everyone basically.

Is there anything you'd like to leave our listeners with?

Come and try our beer! Come down! And I think also we are doing our best to make beer accessible. As a Tap Room team we have launched these new cocktails which everyone's been pretty positive about them. I think they are the perfect way for non-beer drinkers to sort of dip their toes into that world. So we've got something slightly spicy and something slightly sweet and it's just a way of opening the market and saying that actually it is accessible and you don't have to be like...

an old man that drinks beer in an old man pub. Like I said, we're really inclusive. We want everyone to be here, be celebrated and be included when they are here. And that's really important for us. And just come and join us. Come to our events. Come and see what we've got going on.

Well, having the events and everything that you do to double-barrel is certainly drawing in the right people. So honestly, Becky, thank you so much. Again, I really enjoyed talking to you and I've learned a lot. So,

Speaker 1 (18:25.528)
Yeah, thank you for having me.