Apex Brewing Co. may be the new kid on the block, but this craft brewery is off to a racing start. Just how did founder Alex Ferris go from a 20 litre stockpot on her tiny kitchen table, to a craft brewery complete with taproom in the middle of the rolling Dorset hills? How did she become synonymous with quality British brewing, and just what is the racing connection? In this interview we raise a glass to head brewer and chief petrolhead, Alex!

Alex, how on earth did you become a craft brewer, and can you tell us a bit about your journey from newbie brewer to founder of Dorset’s newest craft brewery?

Of course! It all started with a bad pint. We were at one of our locals back in 2011, when the landlord served us 3 litres of beer infused with chlorine. When we complained he announced:

‘It’s not our beer, it must be your jug!’

There was nothing wrong with my jugs, but he still poured it down the sink with no apology, refund or means to rectify the obvious problem. When a publican denies all responsibility for serving beer contaminated with line cleaner, what are you supposed to do? Anyone? Well, if you want something done, you do it yourself. And that’s the exact moment that I started home-brewing.

Wow, no-one likes a bad beer! That was an incentive indeed. But why craft beer though, have you always been a beer drinker?

My father used to brew with the Boots kits back in the '70s and '80s with his work mates, and this was my earliest introduction to beer and brewing. I have been drinking beer for quite some time now, mostly ale, because lager, unless on a hot day, has too much diacetyl for my taste (this is not a recognised lager fault).

I guess when you decided to start home-brewing, you must have started with an ale then, right?

Well not all lagers are the same, fortunately, but I did decide to start with an ale. But which one?! We’d been drinking Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, a classic pale ale, down our local and loved it. We’d also been sampling some of the best beer I’d ever tasted from Moor Beer. We were lucky to meet and make friends with their head craft brewer, and he gave me his starter home-brew kit from California, whence he came, and then I was off!

So you had your kit, how did you choose your first recipe?

There is something fizzy about starting with a blank piece of paper, the internet and a whole host of recipes, but I thought I’d play safe and purchased a Timothy Taylor’s Landlord kit from a local home-brew store (sadly no longer trading). The Timothy Taylor brewery, however, is still going strong. This was my very first ‘recipe’.

And how was your first foray into brewing? As a newbie what set-up did you have, how much space was available, and how did it go?

Well, I started brewing in the spring of 2011 with a couple of glass carboys, placed on our sitting room window sills. By that summer the weather was so warm they started frothing over, then after a few days all bubbling stopped. I needed to research why! Being self-taught was fun but frustrating. I learnt the hard way that some brews just need to be ditched before trying again, using a different method.

Temperature controlled fermentation was the next step, so we bought a second-hand glass-fronted commercial fridge with space for 4 fermenters. Husband Steve created a control for the fermenters: if the temperature rose too high then the fridge fan would start. We  eventually donated this to our local pub (not that one!) when we upgraded to SS Brewtech fermenters and a Steve-special fermentation control box.

These two fermenters were temperature controlled: if too hot via internal water coils, and too cold – the jacket heat pads would be switched on. By 2013 we had a nano brewery, still using a 20L stock pot on our stove at home, until 2014 when the 20L Braumeister arrived. From there I just continued to grow whilst trying out new recipes.

Alex's original fermentation fridge - how things have changed!

So, you're a passionate brewer on the one hand, but there’s a clear connection between Apex Brewing Co. and racing! You guys are obviously petrolheads and love your motors. What’s the history there?

We are petrolheads and have in the past been firm followers of F1, even before Steve and I met. I've been to Silverstone to watch F1 and also attended a single seater racing course there.

Later Steve and I went to get our Association of Racing Driver Schools racing licences and had great fun. We learnt in a Toyota GT86 with the same instructor who races touring cars with Martin Brundle, my hero.

I have had 3 Minis in succession and worked on them myself, changing brake pads and even dismantling an engine and reseating valves. I sprayed an ex-police car ‘Betty Blue’ with cans of spray paint - as a poor student! The result worked - all rust was removed but it was a matt colour! Not the best, but Minis are renowned for rust on the sills, by the battery and around headlights.

We watch car porn nightly:  Harry's Garage, Jonny Smith's Late Break Show - Barn Finds, Ed China's Workshop Diaries and Iain Tyrell's Classic Workshop. We have plans to have a workshop on the farm eventually so we can tinker.

Wow, that’s quite the journey from start-up to where you are now, building your very own brewery. It sounds like it really has been quite the ride!

One of our recent track days at Thruxton - a bit of an upgrade from my original Betty Blue Mini!