George Stagg, co-founder with Charlie Wood of Crossover Blendery, outlines the path to becoming a spontaneous beer producer in Hitchin, UK. As a blender he focuses on being true to the craft of lambic style beers, with big nods to cider and wine in methods and flavour. They founded the blendery in 2018.
Operations are located at Lannock Manor Farm in rural North Hertfordshire, north of London. With four seasons of beer stored in oak barrels, Stagg says the two founders have learned a lot “but still have a long way to go” in acquiring the craft of “letting the beer do its thing”.
The duo source their ingredients from local farmers and producers. The wort comes from Elgood’s Brewery, one of the UK’s oldest breweries. The brewer, located in Cambridgshire, has two 4000 litre coolships, which the two use to innoculate the wort. They then drive the wort the next morning for an hour and half and put it into barrels.
“We are getting better at blending,” Stagg said. “We are getting more competent with using the fruit, getting the most out of the fruit with our fruit beers, so I feel like we’re very early in our journey. We are nearly four years in and we have a long way to go, but that’s exciting.”
Photos from BxlBeerFest 2023 where we met and interviewed Stagg.
