The brewery was founded by Dave Seymour and Tom Hutchings on 1 December 2012, and has quickly established itself as one of the major players on the London brewing scene, with regular events at its taproom in Bermondsey.
On Friday (1 December), the brewery opened its doors to friends, industry figures and members of the public to celebrate five years of brewing.
Punters were given the chance to try five new beers produced especially for the occasion, including the brewery’s first ever canned beer – a double dry-hopped pale ale (DDH Pale).
'Close knit family'
The other birthday beers included a double IPA, a coffee porter, a session IPA and a farmhouse witbeer, while food was provided by street food burger chain Bleecker.
Speaking after the event, Brew By Numbers media and events manager Chris Hall said: “It’s a real pleasure for us to be able to celebrate this milestone of five years not just as a brewery, but as a participant in the beer culture of London that has evolved and grown so much in that time.
“Thanks to the work and vision of people who came before us, like our friends at The Kernel, Brew By Numbers was able to launch to an informed and excited audience of beer lovers in 2012. Since then, we’ve been proud to be part of the closely knit family of breweries operating in Bermondsey, who continue to form a network of support and friendship.
“Our fifth Anniversary DDH Pale Ale is the 258th unique beer we’ve released, and it has been amazing to share that achievement with our friends and many loyal regular customers of ours."
Thirst for knowledge
On the secret of the brewery’s success over the past five years, Hall added: “Our strengths have always been our ability to be flexible, adapting to changes in trends and tastes, and our transparency with drinkers about the beers we have made.
“What’s really brought us this far though, is that same commitment to learning and thirst for knowledge that drove Tom and Dave in the early days, brewing in a basement. We have since learned that with experimentation must come consistency, to build trust with consumers (to keep trying every new recipe we brew!) but also because every single beer we make deserves to be the best beer it can be.
“Understanding that duty of care to the beer and the experience of the drinker is what has motivated us to install cold storage, a better tasting room, and will continue to inform our decision making in the future.”
Earlier this year, the brewery hosted the UK’s first beer festival dedicated to celebrating coffee beers, organised by US beer website Good Beer Hunting.