A SIMPLE idea born from one man’s passion for beer is winning fans across the county.
The Berkshire Beer Box is a monthly real ale delivery service.
The contents vary each month to showcase a range of styles, from traditional India Pale Ales and Stouts, to modern Sours. They come from breweries across the county.
And it has just celebrated its first anniversary.
Jymi Plumer, the Ascot man behind Berkshire Beer Box, was a regular beer review blogger in his spare time.
Finding himself out of work during the first lockdown, Jymi started curating selections of beer for friends as something to keep him busy.
“I soon realised all the really good beers I was selecting came from Berkshire,” he says.
“The idea grew from there.”
He began approaching breweries around the county to ask about getting involved in his monthly curated box business. Among the first to say yes were Crafty Cats, Hurst, and Elusive Brewing, Wokingham.
Beers from Reading’s Phantom Brewing, Tilehurst’s Double-Barrelled, Finchampstead’s Siren and Bond Brews of Wokingham also regularly feature.
“They were all welcoming and helpful regarding the process I’d need to go through to get myself set up,” he adds.
He was helped by Peter Feakes, a friend and professional web designer and branding consultant, to build a website and social media presence. Peter also finalised the Berkshire Stag logo.
Before the first box went on sale, more than 100 people had registered interest.
The busiest month saw selection boxes delivered to 120 homes across the county.
Each box is assembled and packaged at Jymi’s home, which initially presented some challenges.
“I had to find space for 1,000 flat packed boxes as well as all the beers,” Jymi says.
His wife, daughter and mum have all been involved with the box assembling and packing process since the beginning.
“My daughter is really good at making up boxes now, and my mum sticks all the stickers on,” he explains.
Jymi then delivers the boxes to his customers during the last weekend of the month.
The business has changed since he returned to work. A subscription service was introduced earlier this year which means that box numbers are strictly limited.
But Jymi has no intention of stopping.
“I 100% enjoy it, it’s a hobby which has gone crazy,” he says.
“I would like to work out a way of including smaller breweries in the boxes.”
For more information, visit: www.berkshirebeerbox.co.uk
