It has been several months since we published our last POURTRAITS, but I can guarantee you that the wait has been worth it. The eight post in this series that fascinates us so much here in C R A F T E D has a main protagonist who, in my point of view, in recent years has played (and continues to play) an essential role in our craft beer scene. I'm talking about Robin Barden, Head Brewer at Edge Brewing.

I have always said it: my history with Edge stems from a long time ago. I still remember when back in 2013 my wife told me about a new brewery in Poblenou, "like the ones we have visited in the US." Since then, and although it may seem like it was yesterday, many liters have fermented in the Poblenou brewery.

I don’t think I am wrong if I say that a large part of the local fans who have been marveled by the craft culture for years now, have learned and grown alongside Edge. And Robin has always been there, from day one.

With a PhD in Tourism Management & Marketing from the University of Bradford, and after years working as a teacher, campaigner for responsible tourism, and translator in different countries, Robin decided to settle down in Barcelona in 2004. He is now the production manager at Edge Brewing, a brewery he has been working with since the day it started brewing in Barcelona, six and a half years ago.

As Robin says, his roles at Edge have been numerous: brand ambassador, sensory/tasting manager, event coordinator, community manager, administration, licensing and compliance, sales department support, assistant brewer, etc. That is why I think that just like Ladislao Kubala has his bronze statue by Camp Nou, one day they will have to make one of Robin at the Edge brewing facilities at C / Llull.

If there is something I would like to highlight about Robin it is his modesty, his temperance and the tremendous generosity he transmits when he talks about his team, the craft beer industry and the people who make up the craft beer community. We are lucky to have Robin take part in this article, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Thank you so much Robin!

Ø: Robin, considering your country of origin, and the history that links beer and the UK together, the first question is obvious: what were your first beer experiences like, and what influence do you think the British "pub culture” has had later in your life, and with the fascination with the world of craft beer?

Robin: I guess I first started working with beer before I began drinking it. In my early teens my Aunt and Uncle became publicans at a pub in the next village: the Black Horse in Maulden, which sadly no longer exists.

Among other jobs, I used to “bottle up” - a phrasal verb meaning to restock the shelves with bottled beer - and I would pour the occasional pint. I’ll never forget the smell of the cellar. But I was never allowed to go near the casks or the lines, where my uncle would carefully “cellar” the cask beer until it was in best condition to serve. 

From my Dad I learnt to appreciate that different places could have different beers based on their proximity to (or ownership by) different small or regional breweries. Among friends we would also talk about the reputations different pubs in town would have for serving beer in good condition (or not!).

I later worked in pubs in Bradford, in the north of England. Living in West Yorkshire I got a taste for the beers of Timothy Taylor’s and Theakston’s. As students we would also get the train across to Leeds just to go to The Whitelocks for beers. Great times! I guess looking back good beer was an integral part of my social life. It enabled me to relax, fuelling a lot of humour and great times among friends.

When it comes to “craft beer”, however, I really feel that I am “from Barcelona” because craft beer “happened” while I was living here. Years ago I stumbled upon La Cerveteca shortly after it opened, lured in by the hand pumps (beer engines) and the Fuller’s beer towels. I would regularly drink Brewdog’s Trashy Blonde and Punk IPA there. But would also enjoy some locally brewed beer there too. I clearly remember my first Dougall’s 942. Anyway, all this got me curious about the people and projects behind the small breweries here.

Some of them were brewing beer styles familiar from “back home”, others were styles I quite frankly had little idea about at the time. I realised there was a world of beer styles to learn about and taste; much more than was my experience as a “bitter drinker” back in the UK. I guess that’s when I started to get hooked. 

Ø: You came to Barcelona in 2004, but before that you were working in Tokyo as a professor at Temple University Japan and Waseda University International. Can you describe what the beer scene you found in Japan was like back then?

Robin: I was only in Tokyo for two years. I’m sure some grassroots of Japanese craft beer were emerging then, but it wasn’t something I came across. I don’t think I was conscious of craft beer at all at the time. Beer flowed during my “Japan days”, but it tended to be from one of the “Big Four” Japanese breweries, and was essentially all one and the same beer style. Like my time in Australia before Japan, I missed the beer from “home”. 

Ø: Let’s jump to the end of 2013, the year when the Edge Brewing landed in Barcelona. To put ourselves in context, it might be worth highlighting that this was when Biercab first opened its doors, and just a year earlier, the first edition of the Barcelona Beer Festival was held.

What do you remember from those times, being part of the Edge Brewing story practically from day one, and what has changed the most, both for good and for bad, in our craft beer scene and in the industry in general?

Robin: I remember thinking: this is great, there is hope, I can imagine myself staying in Barcelona now! I began going to other new places that were opening up, or that had already been open for years without me knowing - places like HomoSibaris, 2d2spuma, Cerveceria Jazz and La Resistencia. Socialising at these places reminded me of good aspects of pub culture back in the UK - people from different backgrounds enjoying their beer, and striking up conversation with other punters besides the people you had arranged to go out with that evening. That was important to me. 

On festivals, I missed the first BBF because of the long queues (and went back to La Cerveteca to enjoy the beer there) so my first beer festival here was Fes-t-hi in Vilanoa i la Geltru. It was great how easy it was to meet and chat to the brewers about their beer.  Local craft beer festivals have grown in stature, as well as diversity. 

Clearly, a lot has changed since those days: craft beer/cervesa artesana is much more widely available, lots of people know what an IPA is, and there are so many more nano and micro-breweries. There are new beer styles since then too, and a Spanish macro-brewed IPA!

In Edge’s early days it was a real pleasure to see people grapple with new flavours and new beer styles. We were so careful with the acidity of our Apassionada Passion Fruit Sour to begin with, and we simply labelled it a Fruit Ale, just in case people were put off by the word sour? It’s been incredible to see how drinkers adopt new styles and flavours so quickly. 

La Calavera deciding to focus on mixed fermentation and barrel souring, dropping the typical range of IPA-amber-porter-blonde-etc was a key moment. When small craft breweries begin to specialise in what they love or do best, I think that’s great for beer lovers, helping to ensure both range and quality.  

The tour that the Catalan Tourist Board was able to put on to visiting, international beer journalists back in 2018 was also a key moment, I think. It demonstrated what a diverse and promising beer scene we have here.  

It’s also great to to have craft beer covering more neighbourhoods in the city - I can walk out of the brewery and stay in the Poblenou neighbourhood to enjoy great locally brewed craft beer. As things progress, I really look forward to visiting towns inland to drink beer brewed locally to those towns too. I would like to see local craft beer supported more, not just in bars, but also in ways similar to how the local wine industry is supported. Why not?

From the point of view of a working brewery, there has been a lot of development. Support businesses for breweries have greatly improved - initiatives like Agronet and Molina for Brewers, for example. 

Perhaps the biggest change for me, however, has been that our brewing expertise has grown collectively. I guess you could say that as a community we are increasingly professional. 

Back at Edge, I was once asked whether all the personnel changes have been a problem for us. On the contrary, every previous brewer at Edge has contributed positively to what we do in the brewery today. Three of the guys on our team today - all local guys - had worked at other local breweries before joining Edge Brewing, so they brought previously gained expertise with them. I think this would have been tough to achieve six years ago. 

Ø: Your roles and responsibilities within Edge have been diverse, and those of us who know you and have followed Edge from the beginning, know that if there is one person in the world who has veins with beer made in Poblenou running in them, it’s you. Now you are the Head Brewer of the brewery, but your background before starting to work at Edge had nothing to do with brewing.

What has been the process from which a university teacher, expert in marketing and tourism and with a PhD (the highest academic qualification in the British system) from the University of Bradford, has ended up becoming the person in charge of production of a brewery that distributes its beers to more than 20 countries around the world?

Robin: Six years ago I would not have anticipated nor wanted to be in this role at Edge. It’s bloody hard work! As you mentioned, I have no formal brewing education. Before Edge Brewing was established, my “training” in beer and brewing amounted to a combination of Steve’s Beer Academy, a good friend’s sophisticated home brewing system, a few books (including Poesia Liquida, of course!), a Beer Ambassador course back in the UK, and lengthy “conversations” on beer flavour with Guillem Laporta and crew.

This wasn’t a bad grounding, by any means, but it didn’t prepare me for “real” brewing. If anything prepared me for that, it was everything I had picked up working with the previous head brewers at Edge. I spent long hours and late nights working with Sean McLin as Assistant Brewer. I added more know-how working alongside Riley Finnigan. Elliott Konig came on as General Manager at the same time, and this allowed me to be in the brewery full-time.

And to this day I still draw on snippets of knowledge I picked up from founder head brewer, Alan Sheppard. When Riley left Edge, I simply had to step up to the plate. Or fly by the seat of my pants! It was daunting but I had pretty much done anything the project had asked of me by that point. So I thought, why not? If I get stuck, I’ll call a friend, another brewer! Bear in mind I have only been in the role since November 2018. I am very conscious that there is still a lot to learn.

Ø: Although there are quite a few people who still tend to identify the brand with the story of two Americans who came to Barcelona to set up a brewery, I think that in recent years Edge has evolved into a project that, in my opinion, in addition to having an international prestige, represents the values ​​of community and proximity like no other.

Can you tell us what still remains of that Edge Brewing from the end of 2013, how it has evolved, and how do you see the present and the future of the brewery?

Robin: I think what remains of the original Edge Brewing is the idea of exploring. Craft beer is partly about exploring flavour in beer. We continue to ask beer lovers to come explore the brewery, our beer, as well as the Beer City Barcelona scene. And in brewing, we continue to explore possibilities with our ingredients.

Of course US craft beer is part of our DNA - Edge’s founders were American, all the previous head brewers were American, our brewhouse and some of our other brewery equipment is American, we continue to use predominantly American hops, and we certainly pay close interest to what some of the top US craft breweries brew. But isn’t a lot of that true of so many craft breweries, including here in Barcelona or Catalunya? American craft breweries also continue to be influenced by European brewing traditions. It’s all derivate and innovative.

However, I think the identification with American craft beer is no longer relevant for us as a brand. If Edge Brewing should be tagged at all, then it should be tagged “Barcelona”. The project was conceived in Barcelona, established here, and through all the “growing pains” we continue to brew here, after more than six years.

We have taken our beers to some of the top craft beer festivals in Europe, and to Wakefest and to Cigar City’s Hunahpuh Day in the US, and in doing so we have not only represented Edge, but also the city, as well as Catalunya and Spain. I am proud that we have hung in there.  As a team, we hail from different places: from Barceloneta, Berga and Badalona, to Miami, the UK, Valencia and the Ukraine. Yes, bits and pieces of us are from elsewhere, but after over six years, most of our story is now about here.

It’s a very tricky time to comment on the future, right now. But I think we have the best team yet at Edge, and some great people in the industry continue to support us locally, so we have to back ourselves to get through this difficult period and come out stronger and wiser.

In the future I would like us to brew beers with more local character. I would like to use more local hops, but we need a lot of them! One of the beers we most look forward to brewing this year is Vitis Picapoll, a Catalan Grape Ale we have been working on with Oller del Mas for two seasons now. We have the base recipe. It’s been going down very well, both with our customers and with Oller del Mas’s customers. But the challenge is to improve on it again this year.

Ø: Together with Garage Beer Co., you are the co-organizers of the Mash festival, or what is also the dream come true for everyone who loves craft beer, and where you have managed to gather some of the best breweries in the world for two days in Barcelona (THANK YOU!). Don't you have the feeling, after the success of the first three editions, that the interest of international brewers to come to Barcelona has exploded?

Robin: After three editions, I think it safe to say that MASH is now clearly established on the European craft beer festival circuit. I am a big fan of many of the city and region’s beer festivals. Each one is different, and makes a contribution to an increasingly vibrant beer scene.

What sets MASH apart is that it is as a beer festival organised by two Barcelona breweries. I think both Garage and Edge Brewing have learnt from some of the amazing beer festivals we have been invited to over the years. As organisers, it’s important to us that visiting brewery people enjoy the festival and the city’s beer scene while they are here. And part of MASH is about doing that, as well as ensuring that beers are brought in as fresh as possible.

I think brewers have had a great time in the first few years, and word is getting around that MASH is a great festival to be at, incuding among some of the most lauded US craft brewers.

I am not directly involved in its organisation, so I comment somewhat independently - I have liked the way that participation by local breweries has rotated in the three years so that more of them get the chance to serve their beers and get to know some the visiting breweries. I know for a fact that this has led to some of our fellow local breweries getting greater international exposure, having been “discovered” at MASH. Last year’s line up was amazing, so all credit to the organisers. Finger’s crossed we emerge from this health crisis so MASH 2020 can go ahead, along with some of the other great festivals on the calendar.

Ø: Let's talk about collaborations. Fans of craft beer love collaborations, as somehow they represent a spirit of cooperation between brewers that attests to the character of the industry, and is also a unique opportunity to exchange tips and learn new techniques. For many, however, it is nothing more than a marketing strategy that seeks to generate a kind of constant FOMO (fear of missing out) feeling in the consumer, so that they buy impulsively before the “limited edition” batches run out. 

What is your opinion about beer collaborations, and what weight do you think they should have within the portfolio that a beer company offers to its clients and consumers?

Robin: I can only comment on my personal experience and our approach to collaborations at Edge. All of our collaborations have been based on some kind of connection (usually made at a festival) or admiration for another brewery, and most often both. Knocking a recipe together back and forth via email with a brewer whose beers you rate highly is a pretty cool thing to have on your to-do list. 

For away collaborations, it’s true that it is nice to get out of your own brewery, and to spend time at someone else’s brewery in jeans and trainer. Yes, it’s true that most of the work is done by the host brewer or his/her team. So as a visitor you spend most of your day tasting their beer. Great! That’s what it’s all about, right?  But I also want to learn something.  

Whether a collaboration I have travelled for, or hosting a visiting brewer, I have learnt something from each and every one of them. In fact, I have collab notebook!

It’s not just beer recipes, though. There are so many aspects to being an independent brewery. And sharing notes on other facets of the business with another independent brewery in a similar situation can be very helpful.

In terms of the beer drinker, I think the positive thing wanting to buy and try collaboration brews, is that it gives us brewers a chance to try new things - it actually pushes us to keep inventing and reinventing. 

However, I think this becomes negative when this is the only thing a beer fan is looking for. Over the course of a year, I have probably put as much thought and effort into core beers like our HOPTIMISTA West Coast IPA, ZIGGY Session IPA and APASSIONADA Passion Fruit Berliner Weisse, as I have into collaboration brews, and we have done a lot of them in the last 12 months. 

Ø: If you had to choose one of each: What would be your favorite style of beer to brew, and what would be your favorite to drink?

Robin: A favourite beer style to brew would be anything hoppy, because there are so many different eventualities to have in mind, from the type and quantity of hops, different hop combinations, new hops, old hops, where, when and how to use them, and how they will interact with the water profile, yeast and malts, both during the process and in terms of flavour in the glass. 

My favourite beer to drink has no style - it is one I don’t have to think too hard about - it just slips down, almost unnoticed, until, at the bottom of the glass, another one is required, just to check I enjoyed it that much the first time around.

Ø: During all these years working in the industry, traveling to fairs and festivals, surely you have had the opportunity to meet many brewers and different personalities in the sector. Who is the person who has most inspired you and / or from whom you have learned the most not only in terms of brewing, but at all levels?

Robin: It’s impossible to name just one person. There are so many great characters. Locally, Steve Huxley, Albert Barrachina and Guillem Laporta have all been inspiring for me personally, mostly because of the way they transmit knowledge - they are immersed, and have a certain exactitude when it comes appreciating a beer.

Like many of us, I think we are very lucky to have Carlos and Montse, their Masia Agullons, and Mediona as part of our scene. I could go on name dropping, but there are more than a dozen brewers on the local scene who I would jump on the phone to for advice in a minute, and many more who I think are making delicious beer. I think many of the small one-man or one-woman breweries are heroic. 

Ø: Last question: if you had to recommend an Edge Brewing beer to someone who has never tried a craft beer, which one would it be, and why? What if you had to recommend one to a true beer geek?

Robin: I would probably recommend ZIGGY. I still think that of the four main ingredients, it’s the hop that provides the discovery moment for the uninitiated. My French mother-in-law is in her mid-seventies. Of all the beers I took up to her house to taste recently, it was the IPAs with the stripped back malt character and big aroma hop additions that she like the most. So, ZIGGY it would be: restrained bitterness, tropical and citrus fruit character, and decent drinkability so they want a second one. 

For the beer geek, personally, I would like the thinking, open-minded beer geek to try any of our core beers, because they are an ongoing project. I would like to hear his or her comments, based on their experience of tasting good beer across a range of good breweries over the years.

A less selfish recommendation, would be for them to get hold of some SPLITS IPA.  This uses an experimental hop, HBC692 from Yakima Chief that we were asked to play with by Agronet. We were going to release it, almost too fresh, at the Barcelona Beer Festival this year. Then the lockdown for Coronavirus happened.  We’ve kept it in the fermentation tank for now, so very few people have tasted it.

Teaser: this hop is amazing. It’s like sweet, juicy grapefruit, but has so much else going on besides - we are still struggling to describe some of the wonderful characteristics of this hop.  One way or the other, I’m hoping we can get it to beer lovers very soon. Look out for SPLITS soon!