Brewery
225 Fielding Street SE17 3HD (Southwark)
(Taproom at 233 Fielding Street SE17 3HJ)
orbitbeers.com
First sold beer: August 2014
Robert Middleton worked in occupational pensions until deciding to take a career break travelling round his native Scotland visiting breweries, resulting in a book, The Tea Leaf Paradox: Discovering Beer in the Land of Whisky, and a keen interest in brewing. With the help of Stuart Medcalf of Twickenham Fine Ales, he set up this 16 hl plant in a railway arch under the Thameslink Sutton branch, with branding that reflected his love of music and vinyl records.
Fermentation capacity was subsequently increased several times and the brewery expanded to occupy four arches. In July 2021 it took on two further arches on the other side of Fielding Street as a dedicated taproom. An enlarged brewhouse is planned for 2022.
The current head brewer is Paul Straget, formerly at now-defunct Mad Hatter in Liverpool.
Beers are in keg or bottled on the brewery’s own line. An initial focus on beers inspired by German and other European traditional styles has since broadened out, though the musical influence remains, with graphics based on amplifier controls used in the descriptions on the labels.
Updated 15 December 2021.
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