The Blue Monkey Brewery are a small and relatively new  microbrewery originally based in Ilkeston but whom have now moved to newer and larger premises in Giltbrook, Eastwood.

They have already wowed the brewery community by winning no less than 3  medals in the 2009 SIBA awards for:

Overall Champion of the Competition with “Blue Monkey – Guerrilla” (Gold)
Porters, Strong Milds, Old Ales & Stouts with “Blue Monkey – Guerrilla” (Gold)
Strong Bitters  (5.1 – 5.5%) with “Ape Ale, Strong Ale” (Bronze)

I was fortunate enough to get an insight into how Blue Monkey came about and a bit about them from John @ Blue Monkey

1) When did you first start brewing?

What kind of brewing was it? Was it a kit? How did it go?

When did you switch to mashing and what made you switch over? How did that turn out?

I started brewing about three years ago in my kitchen.  I did all grain right from the start, as the point for me was to learn the full process and to try to make better beer then I was buying elsewhere.  I don’t think you can do that with kits.

2) What made you pack up the IT business for brewing?

I was just bored of sitting at a desk all day doing something that didn’t particularly interest me.  I found myself sitting at my desk at work daydreaming about my next brew rather than working, which led me to wonder whether I’d be better of brewing for a living!

What was the biggest challenge of starting up Blue Monkey?

Getting the funding together, and taking the big step of quitting a good job to do it.  After that step, everything else falls into place simply because you have no choice.

3) How did your family react when you told them you were opening a brewery?

I think they thought it was just another ‘scheme of the week’ until I actually quit my job.  Then they thought i was nuts!

4) How have you coped with the recession, increases and other misfortunes of the economy?

We’ve had no problems at all.  I started the business right at the start of the current recession, so it’s all I’ve known.

5) How are you finding the new premises?

Brilliant.  We were so cramped in the old place, so it’s great to get some breathing space!

6) Any tips on novice brewers hoping to move into the world of microbrewing and replicate your success?

Brew great beers and get the branding right, and you’ll be OK.  It’s surprising how many start-ups don’t seem to get this.  Also, it’s not as cheap as you think it is to set up a brewery- I’ve had a lot of people come to visit me who want to get a brewery up and running, and they all have totally unrealistic budgets!

7) How do you view other similar sized microbreweries? As competition? Or allys against the evil forces of huge commercial breweries?

A bit of both, really.  It’s a very friendly industry, and whilst other small breweries are very much our competitors we also help each other out.

8 ) Whats the farthest afield one of your beers has travelled?

I know a few have gone to Norway, but thats about it.  We dont do bottling yet, so we are limited to how far a cask can travel.

Keep your eyes (and Bananas) peeled for more news on the Blue Monkey Brewery here on Nottsbrew!

For more info on Blue Monkey you can goto their website here Blue Monkey