no. 061 | Pomona Island
As part of our 5 year anniversary, we’re continuing to revisit some of our favourite breweries from years gone by. Pomona Island are proof that consistency, not reinvention, is what keeps a brewery moving forward.
It’s been a couple of years since we last checked in on Pomona Island (batch no. 030 and now 061) and the headline is a simple one: things have gone from strength to strength.
Sales are up, production has grown, and two new venues have opened in Manchester. But ask the team what they’re proudest of and it isn’t any of that — it’s the beer itself. “Improving beer quality never ends, you never complete it,” they tell us. “New processes, bits of equipment and products are improving all the time. Each year should be your best for quality if you’re paying attention.” Drinkers often look back through rose-tinted glasses, they add, but the beer coming out of Salford right now is better than it’s ever been.
That restlessness extends to how they think about the category itself. “What is possible is always changing, along with trends and tastes,” the team say of their evolving idea of what makes a “great” beer, a shift that’s been shaped as much by the city around them as by anything happening inside the brewery. Manchester’s craft scene has matured alongside Pomona, and they reckon they’ve played their part in that. “It’s less niche now and caters more for everyone,” they explain. “There’s so many different venues that all have their take on the types of craft beer they want to specialise in.”
Market forces still call the shots on the brew deck too, with low-ABV beers and alcohol-free options having a real moment, though mid-weight beers and DIPAs remain very much part of the furniture, as you’ll see from our latest selections.
Community has kept pace with all of it. Their pubs have become genuine second homes for all sorts of regulars, from sword dancers meeting on a Monday, singing groups finding their spot and, somewhat unexpectedly, a very large table at their pub North Westward Ho that turns out to be perfect for board games. “Craft beer is a broad church,” as the team put it and it shows.
Growth hasn’t come without friction. Now in their eighth year, Pomona say demand and distribution keep getting easier as they become better known. Loyal drinkers who always rated the beer are being joined by more and more new ones, rewarded by consistency. But scaling has taught them where the real risk lies. “The hardest part is taking your eye off the ball,” they admit. “When you have to plan new projects it’s easy to let the day-to-day slip, but having quality staff and looking after them helps with that.”
Right now, a lot of that focus is going into a brand new venue, alongside some big barrel-aged releases they’re readying for winter. Further down the line, a move to a bigger production facility is on the cards — though they’re in no rush to get there. “We’re biding our time with that.”
Looking back at the two years since their first batch showcase, the team keep it simple: “Just onwards and upwards really, without ever taking anything for granted. First and foremost we want to make quality beer and get it into people’s hands, so we appreciate batch getting the beers to the good people of Jersey.”
And if you find yourself in Manchester, they’d love to see you — North Westward Ho and The Gas Lamp in the city centre, or The Creameries in Chorlton, south Manchester.