COUNTY NEWS: Duo launch beer to sympathise with frustrated commuters

A Sussex brewery has launched a new beer to sympathise with frustrated train passengers.
Andy, 40 (left) and Craig, 41, set up the small brewery in Burgess Hill in 2014Andy, 40 (left) and Craig, 41, set up the small brewery in Burgess Hill in 2014
Andy, 40 (left) and Craig, 41, set up the small brewery in Burgess Hill in 2014

The new beer, Southern Pale, launched by The Kiln Brewery in Burgess Hill, aims to ‘overcome the pain of the lack of trains’.

Owners, Andy Swaisland, 40 and Craig Wilson, 41, from Burgess Hill, came up with the tongue-and-cheek idea after battling train strikes and delays frequently themselves.

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“We are always coming up with new beers and as Southern Rail is a big topic in the news – so we thought we would bring out a fun beer linked to the trains,” Andy said.

The pale ale aims to 'overcome the pain of the lack of trains'The pale ale aims to 'overcome the pain of the lack of trains'
The pale ale aims to 'overcome the pain of the lack of trains'

He added: “It is a nice refreshing beer and we hope people can enjoy it at the end of a stressful day.”

Andy, who’s day job is in architecture, commutes to London once or twice a week, but Craig, a city banker, still faces the unpredictability of the trains five days a week to get to the bustling city.

The pale ale has already been a huge hit and is being sold in a number of pubs, in Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Worthing.

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The duo also took the beer to a Christmas market in Brighton earlier this month – which sold out ‘very quickly’, Andy said.

The beer is already being sold in a number of pubsThe beer is already being sold in a number of pubs
The beer is already being sold in a number of pubs

The craft beer is also being stocked up in a number of off licences.

The news of the fun and fruity ale has been shared across social media sites, including Twitter, where it has reached thousands of hits, including a retweet from famous comedian, Russell Kane.

Andy said he has been ‘amazed’ by the reaction from the public.

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He said: “The idea came from a play on words, so it is great to see how many hits we have had since announcing the beer – we might re-name it in the future, but the whole time that the trains are bad, we will continute to sell Southern Pale!”

The pair set up the small brewery in Burgess Hill in 2014 and run it in conjunction with their full time jobs.

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