Journey of a Lifetime: Bangers and Cash 2023

This year, Heist Brew Co is gearing up for their second Bangers and Cash event, supporting Sheffield's Roundabout charity, which assists young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The event was organised by local artist Matt Cockayne, whose artwork you might remember from our previous venue!

Back in 2018, we joined other teams in a thrilling venture across Europe, travelling from Sheffield to Monaco in a banger worth no more than £600. We collaborated with local artist Trik09, who painted the car and accompanied us on our journey from Sheffield to the south of France, via Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Italy.

Throughout the drive, we faced multiple challenges, though our biggest challenge was the car itself! Generously donated by Belgrave Motors in Sheffield, our Jaguar X-Type looked impressive but had a persistent issue - the turbo kept cutting in and out, causing some incredibly slow stretches in the journey.

We began our adventure at Meadowhall, amidst a massive send-off. All the cars, painted by their partnered artists, were photographed before we set off one by one towards the Eurotunnel. Day one involved an eight-hour drive to Brussels, where a hotel was booked.

Naturally, we spent the evening sampling the local beer and food before getting a good night's sleep. On day two, we headed to Lucerne, passing through Luxembourg and Strasbourg. In Strasbourg, we stumbled upon a surprise beer festival - a delightful find! We continued on to Lucerne and spent the night at an exclusive rooftop bar, where, despite the pricey drinks, we enjoyed laughs with the entire convoy.

Day three took us to Milan via the coveted St. Gotthard Pass, one of the best driving roads in the world. By this time, our turbo had almost given up, making the ascent to the top arduous in our heavy 2-litre diesel car. We were so slow that we not only frustrated hundreds of supercar drivers but were also outpaced by a Robin Reliant from our convoy. Fortunately, the mechanics on the trip figured out the problem and saved us! The descent was spectacular, and we eagerly continued to Milan.

From Milan, we reached our final destination, Monaco, a haven for exclusive supercars and millionaires. Our convoy's arrival at Casino Square turned more heads than any other vehicle. We made it, and it felt fantastic! We concluded the day with a celebratory party in Nice, knowing that between all the teams, over £100,000 was raised for the charity, enabling them to support young people in Sheffield.

This year, after a few delays due to COVID, we're going again! We're looking for more sponsors to help us raise as much money as possible for the charity. As before, we're accepting corporate and individual sponsors. Want your name or your business's logo on the car? No problem! Prefer to donate to a fantastic charity? Our GoFundMe page is linked below!

Thank you for your ongoing support. Let's make 2023 a monumental year for fundraising and help Roundabout in their quest to eradicate youth homelessness!

2022: A year in review

Wrapping up 2022, it was a challenging year for the industry with various factors affecting small brewers and independent venues. At Heist Brew Co, we reflect on the year that was.

2022 marked the first full year of operation at our Neepsend brewery and taproom in Sheffield, and after two years of struggle due to the pandemic, we were optimistic for a strong rebound. Despite the lingering impacts of the pandemic and the inflation caused by the illegal invasion of Ukraine, we remained positive and focused on our mission.

Our business model involves selling on-site as well as distributing nationwide and into Europe. This provides a permanent outlet for our beers, enabling us to maintain complete control over quality assurance and to receive face-to-face feedback from our customers. Despite the need for increased capacity, we held off on expanding our brew kit, knowing that the industry would see casualties from the restrictions. Instead, we added fermentation space to the current setup and brewed more frequently to meet the demand.

In the summer of 2022, we invested in a canning line to reach a new market segment. The investment not only saved us money but allowed us to can more of our beers and reach areas where we were previously unable to establish a presence.

The year also saw a change in our brewing team, with founding brewer Rachel moving on to Buxton Brewery and Luke joining us from Verdant, bringing new skills and expertise to the table. Our bar manager, Danny, was promoted to a sales role, which resulted in a 300% increase in off-site sales in just a few months. We have exciting plans for 2023 and are aiming for another 100% growth in the brewing arm of the business, while considering the cost of new equipment to reach our full potential.

We’ve been all over the country and into Europe too, festivals hosted in Sheffield, Leeds, London, Derby, Nottingham, Sofia (Bulgaria), Budapest (Hungary), Caminha Artbeerfest (Portugal) and more, working alongside other brewers that we look up to and feeling that we are holding our own in a crowded marketplace with innovative and creative beers that excite. 2023 is even bigger with European festivals already lined up, as well as two in the USA early 2023; watch this space!