’Tis the season for snacks, and while mince pies and mulled wine get their moment in the spotlight, there’s a whole world of beer accompaniments waiting for discovery. From salted nuts to cured meats, pickles to roasted roots, the history of beer and snacking is long, varied, and surprisingly refined. Across centuries, drinkers have paired a pint with something to nibble – both to bring out flavours and to steady the stomach for another round. In the UK, bar snacks evolved alongside the pub itself: peanuts, crisps, pickled eggs, sausage rolls, that memorable Scotch egg ‘substantial lunch’, a classic Ploughman’s – and many more considered choices. At Apex, we’re exploring what that pairing can mean on our own hill.
Patson Hill Farm, our home, is more than just a brewery site. It’s a working farm, and the ingredients for many of our planned beer snacks have been nurtured quite literally under your nose when you visit. Red Devon cattle graze the pastures, rare-breed Mangalitza pigs roam the paddocks, guinea fowl and chickens peck happily, and in our polytunnel, seasonal vegetables flourish. Our Tap Yard (our name for the taproom) opening in 2026, will bring this together – a place where you can sip beer flights while tasting produce from the farm, crafted and cared for by the people who grow it.
One of the highlights this year has been working with local, award-winning cured meat legend David Richards, previously of Capreolus, to create a premium line of British charcuterie using our Mangalitza pigs. These Hungarian heritage pigs have thick, curly coats and sweet, well-marbled fat – perfect for rich, flavour-packed charcuterie. Under David’s guidance, we’ve produced Dorset Coppa, guanciale, pancetta, and air-dried loin – each cut showcasing the depth of flavour possible from slow-matured, carefully tended pigs. A few of these items are available from the farm in the run-up to Christmas, or you can taste some of the guanciale at The Green, where our friend Sasha has been putting it to delicious use.
Charcuterie and beer are a natural pairing. The fattiness of the meat meets the carbonation of a pale ale or the bitterness of a well-hopped IPA, cutting through the richness and letting flavours dance across the palate. Darker beers, like stouts or porters, complement air-dried loins or Coppa with their toasty, roasted notes. And it isn’t just charcuterie: roasted nuts, pickled vegetables, and cheeses – cubed on the bar like Belgian pubs have done for centuries– can elevate a pint in ways that feel festive, thoughtful, and local.
The Tap Yard will be more than a place to drink. It’s a chance to tell the story of Patson Hill Farm. Every flight, every nibble, carries the history and care of the land: pigs fed on forage grown on the farm, vegetables nurtured under glass, heritage breeds allowed to mature slowly. We want visitors to taste the difference that comes from passion, attention, and locality.
Community is at the heart of it. Working with David has been a masterclass in knowledge sharing. Watching him guide our charcuterie production, passing on decades of expertise while respecting the provenance of our pigs, mirrors the philosophy we bring to brewing: care, craft, and connection. The flavour isn’t just on the tongue – it’s in the story, in the soil, in the hands that produced it.
Beer and snacks have been side by side in British life for centuries. From medieval alehouses, where pickled vegetables and salted meats were served with barrels of home-brewed ale, to Victorian pub counters laden with nuts, pickles, and pork scratchings, a bite alongside a pint has always mattered. Even today, a pint finds its perfect companion in something simple and well made. This December, whether you’re putting together a festive table or just enjoying a quiet pint, take a moment to savour the story behind what’s on your plate and in your glass. Heritage breeds, seasonal vegetables, and carefully prepared snacks all carry a sense of place, season, and care. From a well-matured Dorset Coppa to cubed cheeses on the bar, as you’d see in Belgian pubs, each bite is part of that story.
Raise a pint. Taste the farm. Celebrate the season.
