Dave and Ben Sweeney, Bank Top Brewery
What’s your favourite hop?
David: Cascade
Ben: Amarillo®
What’s your favourite beer?
David: Bank Top – Pavilion Pale Ale and Phoenix – White Monk
Ben: Bank Top – Bad to the Bone and Thornbridge – Jaipur
Favourite food & beer pairing
David: Beef Wellington & Bank Top Port O’Call
Ben: Curry & Cobra 😊
Favourite beer destination
David: Australia earlier this year, some great hop utilisation in their beers
Ben: I don’t travel much, so will have to say Bank Top Tap
Favourite pub
David: Totally biased but Bank Top Tap and/or Bank Top Ale House
Ben: Bank Top Tap
What’s the one item in the brewery you couldn’t live without?
David: Fork Lift Truck
Ben: Much thought went into this answer, from kettle & toaster to clock before realising we would be completely lost without the fork lift truck!
Favourite song/album/artist/music to play during a brew day
David: No music is played in the brewery
Ben: No music is played in the brewery
If you weren’t in the brewing industry, what would you be doing?
David: Most likely still in the papermaking industry
Ben: Possibly something in economics
Biggest inspiration in brewing
David: Rob Hill at Swannay Brewery
Ben: At this point I have to say my dad really!
What got you into brewing?
David: Redundancy from paper industry
Ben: I started working at the brewery during weekends & school holidays, then decided to stick with brewing as a career when I finished college
Favourite beer festival?
David: A little one we organise Dunscar Golf Club each year
Ben: Haven’t been to many, but Dunscar Golf Club is a good one
Favourite interest outside of brewing?
David: Numismatics (coin collecting)
Ben: Drumming
What’s the last beer you brewed?
David: Herkules White Walker a 6.5% named after one of the local shire horses fed on our spent grain
Ben: I’m currently brewing Pavilion Pale Ale
Fuggles or Goldings?
David: Goldings
Ben: Goldings
What’s next for Bank Top Brewery ?
David: We’ll be looking to grow the Estates side at some point by adding a fourth pub to the portfolio.
Maybe look into introducing kegging to our production line. Continue experimenting with new hops
