Ian was our head brewer for three years and was instrumental in building our reputation for high quality organic craft beers.

The son of a wine maker Ian (Thorn) was helping craft fine beverages from an early age.

At university Australian lager couldn't be avoided, but on a pub crawl around Sydney Ian discovered Newcastle Brown. It tasted nothing like the typical, harsh, Australian lager, and on mentioning it to his mother, was told tales of proper English ales. The seed was now sown. How diverse could this beverage be, and how could he afford it on a student budget? The answer was simple, he started brewing them himself.

After three years into his degree Ian decided that drugs weren't for him, and switched from Pharmacy to B.Sc in Microbiology and Biochemistry - a new path with a calling for that sweet amber (or brown, black, mahogany gold, etc) liquid. This led to a work experience placement at the Toohey's Brewery, as well as the Malt Shovel Brewery, where he was encouraged to take his first level brewer's exam.

On leaving University Ian came to England seeking further brewery experience and got a job with Scottish and Newcastle as a brewery microbiologist at the Berkshire Brewery (Reading). Here he really cut his teeth and learnt many important aspects of the industry, however after a year and a half Ian could take the big corporate view of brewing no more, and joined the Stroud Brewery as our Head Brewer.

Whilst with us Ian completed Diploma Brewer, making Stroud one of the smallest breweries to have produced a brewer with this qualification. He is now implementing this knowledge crafting our award winning brews, and creating new seasonals to delight our loyal drinkers, and new comers alike. He is now also finishing his studies for his Diploma in Distilling (because he can).

Obviously Ian enjoys fine ale (and other world beer styles), fine Whisky, and brewing to the sound of extreme heavy metal, or Scottish folk music, as the mood takes him.