8 beer studies worth £82k approved by Worshipful Company of Brewers

03-Aug-2017 - Last updated on 04-Aug-2017 at 10:09 GMT

Supporting research: Eight studies have been approved for funding by the Worshipful Company of Brewers

Women's attitudes towards beer, and understanding the perception of ‘body’ are two of the studies which have been approved as part of this year’s distribution from the Brewer’s Research and Education fund (BREF).

At a court meeting of the Worshipful Company of Brewers last month, members approved eight projects out of 18 applications, worth £81,925 in total.

These included “Understanding the perception of ‘body’ in beer”, from the University of Nottingham; “A study into UK female attitudes towards beer, their drinking habits and their relationship with beer” from Dea Latis; and “British hops: genetic marker population material - maintenance of plant material” from Wye Hops.

For the first time, the fund also provided a scholarship for the MSc programme in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh to an alumnus of Dame Alice Owen’s School, in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.

Supporting projects

The fund was created out of the proceeds of the sale of the British Beer and Pub Association’s (BBPA) original headquarters in Portman Square, central London. The Worshipful Company of Brewers acts as trustee and administers the fund, with the BBPA providing the secretariat and publicity.

BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: “I’m delighted the fund is supporting these projects, which add to the many it has supported over the years.

“It is a great legacy from the Brewers’ Society and the Institute of Brewing, and I would encourage applicants to start planning a bid for next year.”

Michael O’Dwyer, clerk at the Worshipful Company of Brewers, added: “The company is very grateful to the members of the advisory committee who give their time and expertise to ensure that the BREF is able to support relevant, beneficial projects and is looking forward to seeing the outcomes of this year’s batch.”