Stacey Ayeh's guest appearances

Stacey Ayeh

Good Beer Hunting

Rhythm & Brews

FilmBusters

Natalya Watson

John Keeling

Emma Inch

Pete Brown

Andy Parker

Chris Baker

Stan Hieronymus

Michael Tonsmeire

Mitch Steele

Ray Daniels

Ron Pattinson

Tomme Arthur

Chris Lohring

Dave Infante

Chris Leonard

OwlTail

Luke and Andrew sit down with Stacey Ayeh, head brewer at Rock Leopard Brewing Co to talk about industry gatekeeping, hair metal and how to look around once in a while to make sure not everyone around you looks exactly like you.Beers include:Rock Leopard Brewing Co - Paper Scissors  (NEIPA) paired with Arlo Parks - CarolineRock Leopard Brewing Co - Are We Human or Are We Chancer? (IPA) paired with Cinderella - Coming Home and Miriam Makeba - Pata PataRock Leopard Brewing Co - How Are You Now (DIPA) paired with  SAULT - WildfiresNotes: Pellicle Mixtape with StaceyTheme tune is I Can Hew by Mawkin, from their album The Ties That Bind

Luke and Andrew sit down with Stacey Ayeh, head brewer at Rock Leopard Brewing Co to talk about industry gatekeeping, hair metal and how to look around once in a while to make sure not everyone around you looks exactly like you.Beers include:<ol><li>Rock Leopard Brewing Co - Paper Scissors  (NEIPA) paired with Arlo Parks - Caroline</li><li>Rock Leopard Brewing Co - Are We Human or Are We Chancer? (IPA) paired with Cinderella - Coming Home and Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata</li><li>Rock Leopard Brewing Co - How Are You Now (DIPA) paired with  SAULT - Wildfires</li></ol>Notes: <a href="https://www.pelliclemag.com/home/2019/10/29/pellicle-mixtape-volume-15-stacey-ayeh-rock-leopard" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pellicle Mixtape with Stacey</a>Theme tune is I Can Hew by Mawkin, from their album The Ties That Bind

Rock Leopard Brewing Co with Stacey Ayeh

While Rock Leopard is relatively new to the scene, Ayeh is not. He’s worked in the alcohol industry since 2002, when on a trip to Sweden he discovered Kopparberg cider. Seeing its potential he persuaded the company to let him be the UK agent, launching a brand that went on national prominence. Sadly larger distributors saw its potential too, and without an exclusivity agreement Ayeh was forced aside. That was the first of several setbacks that have come to plague Ayeh, but never define him. After frustrating experiences at controversial start-ups like London Fields Brewery and Magic Spells, he finally struck out on his own, determined to have complete control over his career. He founded Rock Leopard back in 2017 but spent years learning to brew himself, refining his recipes and getting feedback from the industry. Unfortunately, many retailers were resistant to buying his first few commercial contract-brewed beers and Ayeh suspects it had little to do with the liquid. In this episode we talk through his early career before exploring the possible ageism and racism that made opening Rock Leopard so hard, and how cornering Paul Jones of Cloudwater Brew Co at a tap takeover changed everything for the brewery. We also look at how Ayeh’s experiences have led him to add a strong equal rights campaign element to his brand, something he admits to being much more passionate about than the excellent beers he now produces.

While Rock Leopard is relatively new to the scene, Ayeh is not. He’s worked in the alcohol industry since 2002, when on a trip to Sweden he discovered Kopparberg cider. Seeing its potential he persuaded the company to let him be the UK agent, launching a brand that went on national prominence. Sadly larger distributors saw its potential too, and without an exclusivity agreement Ayeh was forced aside. That was the first of several setbacks that have come to plague Ayeh, but never define him. After frustrating experiences at controversial start-ups like London Fields Brewery and Magic Spells, he finally struck out on his own, determined to have complete control over his career. He founded Rock Leopard back in 2017 but spent years learning to brew himself, refining his recipes and getting feedback from the industry. Unfortunately, many retailers were resistant to buying his first few commercial contract-brewed beers and Ayeh suspects it had little to do with the liquid. In this episode we talk through his early career before exploring the possible ageism and racism that made opening Rock Leopard so hard, and how cornering Paul Jones of Cloudwater Brew Co at a tap takeover changed everything for the brewery. We also look at how Ayeh’s experiences have led him to add a strong equal rights campaign element to his brand, something he admits to being much more passionate about than the excellent beers he now produces.

EP-301 Stacey Ayeh, founder of Rock Leopard Brewing