no. 057 | Weekend Project
Weekend Project is a brewery built around the excitement of discovery. For batch no. 057, founder James Roberts talks travel, creativity, and making beer worth sharing.
Weekend Project Brew Co relaunched in August 2024, built around the idea of creating modern beer inspired by travel, culture, food and experiences outside of beer itself. The goal was to build a brewery that felt fresh, creative and approachable — something that reflected the kind of beers they genuinely love drinking on weekends away, in taprooms, bars and breweries around the world.
The brewery is owned by James Roberts, with brand and creative direction led by himself and Brand Manager Will France. It’s a collaborative project, with brewing, branding and storytelling all carrying equal importance. “Weekend Project” reflects exactly what the brewery is about — the excitement of creating something enjoyable, creative and worth sharing. Weekends are when people explore, travel, socialise and switch off from routine, and the brewery was built to embody that same feeling of discovery and escapism.
Like a lot of people in craft beer, the journey started with discovering that beer could be far more expressive than what was traditionally on supermarket shelves. Travelling and visiting breweries, taprooms and bars opened their eyes to how creative the industry could be — not just in flavour, but in branding, hospitality and community. “There wasn’t necessarily one single a-ha beer,” Roberts reflects, “but more a collection of experiences that showed us beer could tell stories and create memorable moments in the same way food, music or design can.”
Weekend Project is part of the wider Brewing Collective that also encompasses Shindigger and Mobberley — three different brands, each focused in different areas of the sector. The team of nearly twenty remains hands-on across every part of the brewery, from recipe development and production through to branding, content and customer experience.
The creative side is hugely important to them. Branding and artwork are seen as an extension of the beer itself — part of the overall experience rather than just packaging. The identity feels playful and modern, a love letter to outdoor culture, heavily inspired by travel, the outdoors and music. Every release is designed to engage people’s own memories and experiences — from the Summit Series, named after popular peaks across the UK, to beers rooted in places the team have visited around the world.
The UK craft beer scene, with its openness and willingness to collaborate, has been an important part of that story. Weekend Project namechecks several previous batches, including Dookit and Simple Things, as breweries doing brilliant work beyond the obvious names. Right now the focus is on building recognition for the brand while staying true to what makes Weekend Project distinctive — growing sustainably, getting into the right venues, and continuing to refine both the liquid and the creative. Long term, the aim is simple: to become a brewery people associate with quality, creativity and consistency. Even the boldest beers are designed to keep you coming back for another sip, not just to make an impression on first taste.