If you own a brewery, where did you source your brewhouse from? It might have come from one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers in the industry. Or perhaps it was a piece of loved, second-hand kit that needed a new home.
You were unlikely, however, to have been chased around the streets of Vienna by an angry auctioneer looking for their money. But that’s exactly what happened, through no fault of his own, to Reece Hugill. And thankfully the whole saga would result in the creation of one of the UK’s finest breweries.
In an industry often seduced by the pressure of relentless expansion, multi-site taprooms, and national supermarket listings, Reece Hugill has chosen a radically different path.
As the founder behind Donzoko Brewing Company, he has built something that craft beer frequently preaches but rarely delivers: a fierce, uncompromising sense of place.
In this episode of The Brewers Journal Podcast, we sit down with Reece to trace the winding, highly entertaining, and deeply passionate story of Donzoko.
It is a journey that began when a Newcastle University chemistry student realised that brewing lager in a friend’s school kitchen during a study abroad year was far more soul-fulfilling than a life in the lab.
After brewing stints in Edinburgh and navigating the uncertainties of the pandemic, Reece reached a critical turning point. Taking direct inspiration from the rustic Kellers and village brewpubs of Franconia, he brought Donzoko back to its emotional home in Newcastle upon Tyne, establishing a 10-hectolitre brewpub and taproom just around the corner from where his first beers were poured.
Reece also shares his candid thoughts on why beer culture suffers when every brand is available everywhere, why true passion trumps rigid textbook numbers, and why creating a hyper-local hub for his community is the ultimate reward.
