history
How it all started for us. As with all the best things, it started out of necessity. A need to communicate accurately with a relatively small number of active beer consumers dispersed over large areas; in 1998.
When? yes, 1998. Operating a public house, in the middle of nowhere has it’s travails, especially at a time of a need. The need stemmed from being let down by the industry consumer group and still a need to access and communicate beer with customers; letting them know what was on tap, what was happening and other little snippets of news. The cloud “the barrier” that was created by said industry group, combined with the evolution of email both the ease of access and the numbers of people utilising such tools gave us the silver lining of an early version of what is now email marketing newsletters.
At this same time, and intertwined, during a late period in an undergraduate degree took off to California to complete. This immersion in the tech hub of San Francisco left a resounding impression of “can do”, with a vocabulary and language of the World Wide Web drummed into him over a very intense year of study. After the year in San Francisco returning to the contrasting pace of life: calm of the Romney Marsh and the chaos of Madchester hubub provided places for observation and interaction with high fliers within their industry scope, but importantly close conversations with diverse sections of society.
The World Wide Web was still a few years from full speed at university – search engines such as Altavista were more used than the now ubiquitous Google; often prompting trips accross the road to the tech centric UMIST. The so called browser wars were much like some distant battle, save for the frontline being the west coast of America. Over the following years, his frequent returns to the “bay area” – have kept him up to speed with many of the early and prominent websites, the likes of Facebook, Myspace and subsequently Twitter, Tumblr and Friend Feed. Being in ground zero for many of the tech evolutions of the recent decade has left him with a solid platform of knowledge of many of the new opportunities that technology can offer the beer and brewing industry.
But, why beer?
Growing up in a pub, studies and life within Hospitality, Wine and Spirits, but a taste for the fantastic possibilities that malt and hops can present was more than enough to make the choice to invest time, effort and what monies student life can provide to understand beer. Living with beer all through his formative years, surrounded by it so much we are sure at some point he was immersed in it. He’s oft’ heard to remark that he minored in his chosen undergraduate subject and majored in beer. The access to great Cask Ale within the pub of his early drinking years, the new-wave brewing on show in California (and Oregon) and trips around Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic with his father, all in the name of research, provided insight and knowledge of flavour that books and imported beers couldn’t give. Opportunities to brew were taken with both hands, early forays into brewing at a now defunct brewpub whilst being a student where brewing was a matter of drinkability on a scale of “should you, could you, can you again”; but this was of a value not measured in pounds or pieces of paper, or even letters behind ones name. The subsequent relationships born of years in the family public house gave access to brewers, opportunity to communicate and even graft with them, along side them, and for them. The knowledge gleaned whilst out of a class room over the academic years has been adjunct with many hours studying beer history, brewing science, ingredient science as well as lots of brewing on a full mash system installed in a space that in most normal houses would be called a garage. All this combined with many miles travelling around lesser known brewing nations, as well as returning to Belgium, the US regularly has helped bring this knowledge together, and has given opportunity to spend time, brew with and research further with some of the worlds finest brewers. See the blog reference to this, below:
Phil Lowry is an alien from the Planet Beer. He can’t be human. This guy is beer personified. He serves the stuff, drinks the stuff, brews and buys and sells the stuff. Publican-turned-retailer, qualified lecturer, beer sommelier, keen brewer, writer and photographer… makes you sick, eh? At Beer Exposed, he was literally showing the scars of his exploits from where his latest brew had exploded in his face whilst in production. Does he stop? Nah, he’s behind the Beermerchants.com (at beerexposed) bar, pouring and talking and – every now and then – magicking up a bottle of something special. Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast, Struise Black Albert, aged Liefmans… Phil’s homebrew… Phil travels widely for his beer, meets the makers and shakers, and – in a world of fat tickers and braying wannabe’s – can talk the talk and walk the walk without sounding arrogant. The beermerchants stand was the place to be, outstanding beers and a great mix of beer faces old and new. Phil’s enthusiasm was contagious and generosity legendary. link here
He’s a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers.
He’s had the somewhat meritorious accolade of having a beer named after him. “Phil’s Wild Mild” brewed by GABF Gold Medal winning brewer Steve Altamari at the Valley Brewery, entered the top 50 beers in the world list on Ratebeer in the summer of 2008. Few people have this honour. He’s still flattered by this.
Since 1994
He has developed a skills portfolio in both beer and social media and communications – more than backed up with post graduate study in Communications, Education and Social Media.
He also maintains a successful career in Special Education, a passion that he discovered whilst undertaking post graduate study in education, with the early intention of delivering business study programmes at post high school college level. The talents realised in Education and communicating with those of diverse levels of abilities has given an extension and contrast to life in beer. Over the last few years he’s successful given many of his students a voice, using blogging tools, social media and email.
His skills have combined to bring a number of companies and products to the fore. From early years within the family enterprise through to now sharing his talents and ever reducing time to great brewers, beer retailers and educational activities.
