Hampshire
Triple fff Brewery
Hampshire
We are Triple fff Brewery, producing some of the nation's best beer in the heart of Hampshire. Triple fff launched in 1997 by Graham Trott, a woodworker by trade who was a keen home brewer. Graham is the man behind the decorated bestseller Moondance and Supreme Champion Beer of Britain, Alton's Pride.
Why Triple fff, you ask? Triple fff in music stands for fortissimo and means [very very!] loud. You'll see with the names of our beer we are music lovers and like to give a subtle and not so subtle nod to some of our favourites.
Latest Updates
08/05/26: fff-estivals and 'you had one job...' Read More
What's up?
Our busiest ever week in every single sense. That is good - but exhausting. I suspect the gang might be dozing off in their beers at the FoFFF festival [friends of triple fff] this weekend... which is, you guessed it... a sell-out.
On festivals, I should have known this week would be crazy as I got a call from the awesome bods at Farnham BeerX on Saturday late-afternoon asking for help with bright beer. They were running low as folks had drunk so much in the afternoon;
I would normally have been there myself but was nursing a category 3 hang-over [rating the same as the hurricane one / goes up to 5 which is "catastrophic damage"] having been out two nights in a row - saw it was sold out and thought I would sit this one out. Lucky because it meant I was totally sober, could drive and get them some more casks. Everyone a winner!;
Anyway hope you had a great week of trade this past week too. For an end of month week it feels like it has been very strong.
What's on?
Lady Eleanor is being packaged tomorrow! Can be shipped next week.
Apache Rose Peacock has also been flying - I would guess likely only one more week of supply on that - reviews on Untappd very positive
Brightside
I know kegs are hard for most to take from independents, but this is a right little crowd pleaser...;
What's about?
Got a letter from HMRC today saying we owed £1,730 arrears on VAT - coincidentally it arrived about an hour after our fabulous book keeper- Tish - had been on the phone with them. Turns out we did owe a tiny bit on the VAT - £1.48 - (they were only 99.91% out on their maths/accounting) to be exact because tough cash-flow meant a payment delay... I appreciate thus far this is about as interesting as the headline of "dog bites man"...
BUT that ain't the story;
The Revenue also had a much larger bill for us than was conceivable on beer duty. Paying beer duty is a pain as it is. Sure it is a lot of money (more than ingredients AND they charge VAT on top of it), but it is also something you have to pay with a different reference every month and one that you can only do on a desktop. Very 1990s and very clunky, no consideration for end users;
Turns out that although we send PAYE, Beer Duty, VAT etc., to completely different accounts with completely different references at their insistence, all staffed with completely different departments who can not easily communicate with each other, that they are completely unable to accurately allocate payments. This is like me trying to send you money but it ending up in Jack's dog Franklin's fan club account. Literally. This at a time with an all-time high tax burden on businesses.
They had invited us to pay a couple of fines for their inaccuracies, which I have declined and invited them to cancel as will be cheaper than paying the invoice for Tish's valuable time spent uncovering their incompetencies.
Lessons here: 1) you can't trust HMRC to do a competent job - so if you sense something is wrong, trust your sense - it is likely better than their account segregation; 2) if you don't have a great book-keeper or find sometimes this stuff is overwhelming then worth thinking about getting some help on specific issues.
Hoping you have an awesome long weekend, folks drink loads of beer and we can be your first call for a reload early next week! Office is open on Monday.
Xen
P.S.... got this from a friend of mine who lives in the Cayman Islands. The awesome eye-witness will make you smile especially if you look at the photo of the incident itself. I guess it was a quiet news day there... and I am in no way insinuating the eye-witness is in any way like any of the staff at Triple fff in their slight leaning towards possibly a slight exaggeration. Nope, nobody springs to mind on our team here at all. Definitely not. Not at all. No one.
Have a great weekend. X
On festivals, I should have known this week would be crazy as I got a call from the awesome bods at Farnham BeerX on Saturday late-afternoon asking for help with bright beer. They were running low as folks had drunk so much in the afternoon;
I would normally have been there myself but was nursing a category 3 hang-over [rating the same as the hurricane one / goes up to 5 which is "catastrophic damage"] having been out two nights in a row - saw it was sold out and thought I would sit this one out. Lucky because it meant I was totally sober, could drive and get them some more casks. Everyone a winner!;
Anyway hope you had a great week of trade this past week too. For an end of month week it feels like it has been very strong.
What's on?
Lady Eleanor is being packaged tomorrow! Can be shipped next week.
Apache Rose Peacock has also been flying - I would guess likely only one more week of supply on that - reviews on Untappd very positive
Brightside
I know kegs are hard for most to take from independents, but this is a right little crowd pleaser...;
What's about?
Got a letter from HMRC today saying we owed £1,730 arrears on VAT - coincidentally it arrived about an hour after our fabulous book keeper- Tish - had been on the phone with them. Turns out we did owe a tiny bit on the VAT - £1.48 - (they were only 99.91% out on their maths/accounting) to be exact because tough cash-flow meant a payment delay... I appreciate thus far this is about as interesting as the headline of "dog bites man"...
BUT that ain't the story;
The Revenue also had a much larger bill for us than was conceivable on beer duty. Paying beer duty is a pain as it is. Sure it is a lot of money (more than ingredients AND they charge VAT on top of it), but it is also something you have to pay with a different reference every month and one that you can only do on a desktop. Very 1990s and very clunky, no consideration for end users;
Turns out that although we send PAYE, Beer Duty, VAT etc., to completely different accounts with completely different references at their insistence, all staffed with completely different departments who can not easily communicate with each other, that they are completely unable to accurately allocate payments. This is like me trying to send you money but it ending up in Jack's dog Franklin's fan club account. Literally. This at a time with an all-time high tax burden on businesses.
They had invited us to pay a couple of fines for their inaccuracies, which I have declined and invited them to cancel as will be cheaper than paying the invoice for Tish's valuable time spent uncovering their incompetencies.
Lessons here: 1) you can't trust HMRC to do a competent job - so if you sense something is wrong, trust your sense - it is likely better than their account segregation; 2) if you don't have a great book-keeper or find sometimes this stuff is overwhelming then worth thinking about getting some help on specific issues.
Hoping you have an awesome long weekend, folks drink loads of beer and we can be your first call for a reload early next week! Office is open on Monday.
Xen
P.S.... got this from a friend of mine who lives in the Cayman Islands. The awesome eye-witness will make you smile especially if you look at the photo of the incident itself. I guess it was a quiet news day there... and I am in no way insinuating the eye-witness is in any way like any of the staff at Triple fff in their slight leaning towards possibly a slight exaggeration. Nope, nobody springs to mind on our team here at all. Definitely not. Not at all. No one.
Have a great weekend. X
20/04/26: F What? Friends of fff Read More
What's Up? I had a week out last week, so a lot of this week has been playing catch up. Graham wasn't around last week either, we had a man off ill the week before and of course with Easter it was a short week and a busy one - everyone working their tails off. The conclusion? - we're a touch behind on our brew schedule and have empty vessels which should be full! The flip side of this is of course a really good thing as means our beer is being very well received and folks are drinking a lot of it!
On that subject this data just shows what folks have been drinking and is a bit skewed by a couple of things (I didn't include Comfortably Numb (3.5x the amount of Moondance as is highly dependent on a dedicated order) and also yes, we ran out of Lady Eleanor even faster than predicted so the numbers for that are understated. Will be brewing it again very soon, maybe as early as the week after next. Definitely my favourite beer of the year by miles. These numbers also don't include kegs etc... but all the same they tell a really interesting story of what is working in trade these past few weeks and the transition to warmer weather.
What's On? OK... just quickly on this one - my first take on the Apache Rose Peacock (if you read back my emails) was that it was well made but not for me. Younger folks loved it. I quite liked it but it would have been last choice for me out of our existing beers. For me it had too much by way of blackcurrant notes. However... two weeks in cask, and there is still a nudge towards ribena, but the finish is dry and nutty. It is shaping up nicely and selling fast (thank goodness we made a fair bit of it). Of all our beers on at the moment not yet a top 3 for me (Pride, Black Velvet, Moondance this week!) - but moved to mid-pack. This week's sales of it suggest that others are loving it though - yesterday it was around 50% of our deliveries!
If you want to be truly different - we have a wide selection (but limited stock) of beer from Milton Brewery in Cambridge - we love working with these guys - they make terrific beer and their customers love ours (esp Moondance!) and many of ours love theirs. Try some?
What's About? You know when new parents are so excited about having a kid they don't think on the initials order?... you know... Samuel Andrew David BLOKE, that type of thing... We might have done the same with our little May Bank Holiday Beer Festival we are doing celebrating local INDEPENDENT breweries... Friends of FFF. Or the F-OFFF festival! Doh'! A few things here: It is Bank holiday 2nd May If you want to come let me know and we will give you free tickets - mind you they are only a fiver and include the first drink - but free for you! We have Surrey Hills, Flacks, Queen Inn, Maverick, Steamtown, Ten Tun Tap, Flower Pots, Bowmans, Langham, Alfred's and Tilford all bringing some beer These guys are good people, make good beer (different to ours) and are NOT our competition. 85% of the market is tied to the big 4 or 5 companies strangling landlords and making for the most part pretty shoddy beer (IMO) If you want some of the stickers to add to pump clips to show that in our beer you are supporting Indie Beer, let me know - every study been done so far has shown this to be broadly helpful to sales and quality perception
On this subject of supporting our local friends - the excellent Mark from Tilford Brewery was pushed out of his premises a few weeks back and has found sanctuary with us for the moment - working with us and brewing on our 5bbl kit to keep Tildford's brand and beers going. Different style beer to us, but in terms of a person to be around here, he's the same as the best in that he shares the values of the folks we value most integrity, commitment and creativity. He even asked us if he could tell folks he was brewing here... the joke is that the answer doesn't sound like it should - the "FoFFF" - which means "yes" as he is a Friend of Triple fff!
Wish you a cracking weekend and hope we can bring you some beer next week.
Xen
P.S. Good to hear the government saying "don't panic" on fuel - though that usually brings about folks panicked as anything... shows how much we trust the numpties in Westminster! Anyway, make your own calls on that viz a viz fuel - but one thing that might be worth just making sure you are high on your supplier's list for CO2 supplies as with previous energy crises there have occasionally been shortages. Just a friendly call might pay dividends if the middle eastern madness persists.
Go well and be an FoFFF!
On that subject this data just shows what folks have been drinking and is a bit skewed by a couple of things (I didn't include Comfortably Numb (3.5x the amount of Moondance as is highly dependent on a dedicated order) and also yes, we ran out of Lady Eleanor even faster than predicted so the numbers for that are understated. Will be brewing it again very soon, maybe as early as the week after next. Definitely my favourite beer of the year by miles. These numbers also don't include kegs etc... but all the same they tell a really interesting story of what is working in trade these past few weeks and the transition to warmer weather.
What's On? OK... just quickly on this one - my first take on the Apache Rose Peacock (if you read back my emails) was that it was well made but not for me. Younger folks loved it. I quite liked it but it would have been last choice for me out of our existing beers. For me it had too much by way of blackcurrant notes. However... two weeks in cask, and there is still a nudge towards ribena, but the finish is dry and nutty. It is shaping up nicely and selling fast (thank goodness we made a fair bit of it). Of all our beers on at the moment not yet a top 3 for me (Pride, Black Velvet, Moondance this week!) - but moved to mid-pack. This week's sales of it suggest that others are loving it though - yesterday it was around 50% of our deliveries!
If you want to be truly different - we have a wide selection (but limited stock) of beer from Milton Brewery in Cambridge - we love working with these guys - they make terrific beer and their customers love ours (esp Moondance!) and many of ours love theirs. Try some?
What's About? You know when new parents are so excited about having a kid they don't think on the initials order?... you know... Samuel Andrew David BLOKE, that type of thing... We might have done the same with our little May Bank Holiday Beer Festival we are doing celebrating local INDEPENDENT breweries... Friends of FFF. Or the F-OFFF festival! Doh'! A few things here: It is Bank holiday 2nd May If you want to come let me know and we will give you free tickets - mind you they are only a fiver and include the first drink - but free for you! We have Surrey Hills, Flacks, Queen Inn, Maverick, Steamtown, Ten Tun Tap, Flower Pots, Bowmans, Langham, Alfred's and Tilford all bringing some beer These guys are good people, make good beer (different to ours) and are NOT our competition. 85% of the market is tied to the big 4 or 5 companies strangling landlords and making for the most part pretty shoddy beer (IMO) If you want some of the stickers to add to pump clips to show that in our beer you are supporting Indie Beer, let me know - every study been done so far has shown this to be broadly helpful to sales and quality perception
On this subject of supporting our local friends - the excellent Mark from Tilford Brewery was pushed out of his premises a few weeks back and has found sanctuary with us for the moment - working with us and brewing on our 5bbl kit to keep Tildford's brand and beers going. Different style beer to us, but in terms of a person to be around here, he's the same as the best in that he shares the values of the folks we value most integrity, commitment and creativity. He even asked us if he could tell folks he was brewing here... the joke is that the answer doesn't sound like it should - the "FoFFF" - which means "yes" as he is a Friend of Triple fff!
Wish you a cracking weekend and hope we can bring you some beer next week.
Xen
P.S. Good to hear the government saying "don't panic" on fuel - though that usually brings about folks panicked as anything... shows how much we trust the numpties in Westminster! Anyway, make your own calls on that viz a viz fuel - but one thing that might be worth just making sure you are high on your supplier's list for CO2 supplies as with previous energy crises there have occasionally been shortages. Just a friendly call might pay dividends if the middle eastern madness persists.
Go well and be an FoFFF!
31/03/26: What's the Hot Fuss about? and a road trip... Read More
What's up? A busy week playing catchup after being out all last week - mostly at BeerX in Liverpool, but otherwise very busy on the brewery side of things. Pretty much every tank is full and almost finished fermenting is Apache Rose Peacock - (American Amber Ale 4.2%) a brew we haven't done since 2016. Looking back at the brew sheets (Graham was away for a period then) the crew then didn't exactly show consistency in the recipe - but this one should be back to the original... Out in maybe 2 weeks time, just as Lady Eleanor likely runs out. Otherwise tanks are brim full of Moondance, Alton's Pride, Sundown, Comfortably Numb, Satisfaction and Jagged Little Pilsner!
We've also chosen a name for the new lager. Introducing Brightside - with a nod to the Killers - promising to be a lovely drop. Not as hoppy or as strong as JLP with a really good sweet/dry balance - have only tasted it from tank and not carbonated - this one to be out in a week or so.
What's on?
As per my last email nearly out of Old Dray and Lady Eleanor is moving fast. I had a pint of it in our Taproom last night... then err another 2 bottles (just arrived in so someone needed to test the quality of the bottler's work) when I got home. For my palate it is insanely moreish. I think it is even better than last year's version (obviously a new season of hops and malt, but also it is the stuff you brew most regularly you get most consistency on [obvious when you think about it but we're a busy brewery so we don't always get enough drthinking time]).
What's about? Last week's wanderings.
Monday: I was in Isle of Man for a board meeting on an investment entity wherein they sold pretty much everything apart from Gold and a company founded by legendary investor Warren Buffet - Berkshire Hathaway - the logic being the world has gone nuts and if there is a meltdown then these guys will be best placed. Still - what a rubbish few weeks in geopolitics.
Wednes-Thursday - Liverpool - the city truly is different to any other in the UK - certainly more languages heard on the street than even London. Anyway I was at BeerX - a really excellent event - the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) who organise it have kicked butt and kicked on - Chief Exec Andy Slee runs a really tight ship. In addition to the crucial catching up with suppliers lots of other good intel. Will share it over the coming weeks... but in terms of key snippets, the SIBA Indie Beer Campaign really does have legs.
As an aide memoire this was launched because of all the B-S pedalled by the Global's trying to make it sound like their beers are actually independent. Neck Oil is the poster child for this wrong though you could also choose Hophead or as per a previous email look at Greene King's new pump clips. It's like they're embarrassed by the corporate brand? What is interesting is that folks thought this was about craft beer to kick off, not necessarily more traditional folks like us... but that has changed and incorporates all beer.
Anyway the point is the market research from SIBA shows that customers [yep, they're important right?!] associate Independents as being run by real people to the tune of around 67% of respondents... the other three attributes most commonly selected? Trustworthy.💥 Handmade.💥High quality. 💥... yep - some pretty compelling selling points right there!
We're getting some Indie Beer pump clip add ons next week - will get them out to you then with orders. The data is good. Your supporting Indie Beer folks [like us - thank you!] is good for you too... IndieBeer_Secondary Logo_Bordered_Black_AW_OL.png Next week I will share some of the stuff from the head of the Brewer's Association (head of the US Independent's Trade organisation) - which is super interesting as the US usually seen as a few years ahead of the UK in beer trends so potentially a road map for the coming years...
In the meantime what can we bring you next week so as you are properly stocked for Easter?
I reckon the weather looks bright but a bit crisp... so if it were me I would be stocked on the crowd pleasers of Moondance, Alton's Pride, and true to my words above I would 100% have a Lady Eleanor on too... what can we tempt YOU with?
Have a lovely weekend,
Proudly Independently yours,
Xen
P.S.
I guess this labels me as a man of a certain age but RIP Chuck Norris...
Chuck Norris didn't actually die, death just built up the courage to ask him for an autograph...
Superman wears Chuck Norris pyjamas
Chuck Norris once kicked a horse in the mouth - it's descendants are forever known as giraffes.
P.P.S. Yes I did sneak in an Anfield visit in Liverpool... nice to see a win even if Galatasaray were woeful! Saw a glimpse of the old Salah too... wonderful evening with my cousins.
We've also chosen a name for the new lager. Introducing Brightside - with a nod to the Killers - promising to be a lovely drop. Not as hoppy or as strong as JLP with a really good sweet/dry balance - have only tasted it from tank and not carbonated - this one to be out in a week or so.
What's on?
As per my last email nearly out of Old Dray and Lady Eleanor is moving fast. I had a pint of it in our Taproom last night... then err another 2 bottles (just arrived in so someone needed to test the quality of the bottler's work) when I got home. For my palate it is insanely moreish. I think it is even better than last year's version (obviously a new season of hops and malt, but also it is the stuff you brew most regularly you get most consistency on [obvious when you think about it but we're a busy brewery so we don't always get enough drthinking time]).
What's about? Last week's wanderings.
Monday: I was in Isle of Man for a board meeting on an investment entity wherein they sold pretty much everything apart from Gold and a company founded by legendary investor Warren Buffet - Berkshire Hathaway - the logic being the world has gone nuts and if there is a meltdown then these guys will be best placed. Still - what a rubbish few weeks in geopolitics.
Wednes-Thursday - Liverpool - the city truly is different to any other in the UK - certainly more languages heard on the street than even London. Anyway I was at BeerX - a really excellent event - the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) who organise it have kicked butt and kicked on - Chief Exec Andy Slee runs a really tight ship. In addition to the crucial catching up with suppliers lots of other good intel. Will share it over the coming weeks... but in terms of key snippets, the SIBA Indie Beer Campaign really does have legs.
As an aide memoire this was launched because of all the B-S pedalled by the Global's trying to make it sound like their beers are actually independent. Neck Oil is the poster child for this wrong though you could also choose Hophead or as per a previous email look at Greene King's new pump clips. It's like they're embarrassed by the corporate brand? What is interesting is that folks thought this was about craft beer to kick off, not necessarily more traditional folks like us... but that has changed and incorporates all beer.
Anyway the point is the market research from SIBA shows that customers [yep, they're important right?!] associate Independents as being run by real people to the tune of around 67% of respondents... the other three attributes most commonly selected? Trustworthy.💥 Handmade.💥High quality. 💥... yep - some pretty compelling selling points right there!
We're getting some Indie Beer pump clip add ons next week - will get them out to you then with orders. The data is good. Your supporting Indie Beer folks [like us - thank you!] is good for you too... IndieBeer_Secondary Logo_Bordered_Black_AW_OL.png Next week I will share some of the stuff from the head of the Brewer's Association (head of the US Independent's Trade organisation) - which is super interesting as the US usually seen as a few years ahead of the UK in beer trends so potentially a road map for the coming years...
In the meantime what can we bring you next week so as you are properly stocked for Easter?
I reckon the weather looks bright but a bit crisp... so if it were me I would be stocked on the crowd pleasers of Moondance, Alton's Pride, and true to my words above I would 100% have a Lady Eleanor on too... what can we tempt YOU with?
Have a lovely weekend,
Proudly Independently yours,
Xen
P.S.
I guess this labels me as a man of a certain age but RIP Chuck Norris...
Chuck Norris didn't actually die, death just built up the courage to ask him for an autograph...
Superman wears Chuck Norris pyjamas
Chuck Norris once kicked a horse in the mouth - it's descendants are forever known as giraffes.
P.P.S. Yes I did sneak in an Anfield visit in Liverpool... nice to see a win even if Galatasaray were woeful! Saw a glimpse of the old Salah too... wonderful evening with my cousins.
11/03/26: What's Trending? Read More
What's up? A bit of an odd week. Started slowish then picked up and picked up through the week - the sun definitely helped most. Along with the smells and sights of spring [crocuses (already over), daffys, hawthorn and even magnolia) and the green growth of renewal one of the things I like most is it means we're brewing Lady Eleanor! Not ready for a couple of weeks mind you but one to keep an eye out for. It went crazy fast last year, and supply won't be helped that much by our bottling a bunch of it (yep, they sold fast too) - we won't be short of it, don't get me wrong - but do suggest you get some in a couple of weeks.
Aside from that probably our busiest Thurs in the Taproom in donkey's years last night... Signs of spring? Really hope so!
Speaking of the Taproom - I just checked our sales mix over the past month. [90%+ by value and volume is Triple fff Beer in there]. Historic things we have seen include Sundown wrestling with Moondance for top slot (still the case in growler refills) or Pride occasionally going for a real run... But the tale of the tape here is very different. Jagged Little Pilsner is our second best seller. We sell quite a few kegs to trade but in our trade business it is only a very small proportion.
What I get from this data is that our drinkers are telling you "you should be taking some". Happy to give some bottle samples in advance - just ask. It is good. Unlike Hawkstone made by Tennant's in Glasgow, it is also made locally - here in fact - just sayin...
What's On?
Yeah you can get some Satisfaction... but as predicted Winter Sunset pretty much gone- we have literally 2 reserved for the Tap Room so if desperate then can have one otherwise back in December! Numb will be back by the end of the week too.
What's About?
A short observation this week - about next week.
The historic data from previous years suggests that next week is the best week in 1Q. Here is hoping. Makes sense I guess with MOTHER'S DAY coming up... and Spring springing.
Hope we can bring you some beer! Time to try some JLP [Jagged Little Pilsner]?! (yes!)
Have a great weekend, and enjoy the Rugby!
Xen
P.S.
Still not named our new lager. Ideas???
P.P.S.
Not to belittle the human impact hitting the folks war zones who least deserve it - just to enjoy a little gallows humour... very British!
Aside from that probably our busiest Thurs in the Taproom in donkey's years last night... Signs of spring? Really hope so!
Speaking of the Taproom - I just checked our sales mix over the past month. [90%+ by value and volume is Triple fff Beer in there]. Historic things we have seen include Sundown wrestling with Moondance for top slot (still the case in growler refills) or Pride occasionally going for a real run... But the tale of the tape here is very different. Jagged Little Pilsner is our second best seller. We sell quite a few kegs to trade but in our trade business it is only a very small proportion.
What I get from this data is that our drinkers are telling you "you should be taking some". Happy to give some bottle samples in advance - just ask. It is good. Unlike Hawkstone made by Tennant's in Glasgow, it is also made locally - here in fact - just sayin...
What's On?
Yeah you can get some Satisfaction... but as predicted Winter Sunset pretty much gone- we have literally 2 reserved for the Tap Room so if desperate then can have one otherwise back in December! Numb will be back by the end of the week too.
What's About?
A short observation this week - about next week.
The historic data from previous years suggests that next week is the best week in 1Q. Here is hoping. Makes sense I guess with MOTHER'S DAY coming up... and Spring springing.
Hope we can bring you some beer! Time to try some JLP [Jagged Little Pilsner]?! (yes!)
Have a great weekend, and enjoy the Rugby!
Xen
P.S.
Still not named our new lager. Ideas???
P.P.S.
Not to belittle the human impact hitting the folks war zones who least deserve it - just to enjoy a little gallows humour... very British!