Low and No, Let’s Go
After a long wait with many asking the question, January saw the release of our first ever low alcohol beers. Quite literally Out Of Nowhere (west coast pils) and Call Of The Void (nitro stout), these beers were both brewed at just 0.5% abv. Teaming up with the inimitable Mash Gang, we learned a lot in a short space of time and have loved the results. Our low alcohol beers have been so popular this year, we’ve decided to produce SOUNDWAVE 0.5 in time for January.
You heard it here first, ish. In other low & no news, we also produced SPARKLING HOPWATER for the first time. We’re loving Hopwater so much it’s hard to think about what life was like before it came along. The latest iteration, KRUSH, is possibly the best yet, and we’re going to be keeping these cans in stock as best we can throughout 2025 and beyond (or grab a pint at Siren RG1). You don’t just need to take our word for it, as Siren Sparkling Hopwater has now been covered by the likes of The Drinks Business, The Telegraph, Ferment and Men’s Health Magazine.
Commitment To Cask
It feels as though cask beer is in and out of fashion every 12 months or so. It’s quite a strange phenomenon considering this incredible product has actually stood the test of time for literally thousands of years (ish), and is still a massive part of how the world sees British beer. In 2024 we had over 20 beers available on cask.
A particular highlight for us has been our partnership with Fuller’s Pubs, showcasing beers like Liquid Mystique, True Story and Cali Pride throughout the year, culminating in a collaboration with Fuller’s Brewery themselves - Mythic Harmony. You can read more about that beer here, or try it in cans. For 2025, we’ll be unveiling a full year’s cask calendar - stay tuned.
11th Anniversary
Things always go up a gear in March, as we celebrate the anniversary of the brewery. This year was no exception, as our Reflections theme unveiled 3 beers that are all contenders for beer of the year in their own rights.
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Times Eleven, Black Mirror and Oats On… did us proud. We hosted a party at the brewery with a record number of people, thanks due of course to our neighbours on the estate, ever patient when we need to take over their entire car park for a weekend. Our anniversary was memorable for not only its numbers, but its vibe. Hopwater sampling was in full flow, alongside live ‘Guess The Hops’ tastings; another Q1 highlight. Number 12 news coming soon.
Heading To Reading
Shortly after the anniversary antics, we were finally able to announce our plans for Siren Reading - our flagship venue. This project had been in the works since 2021, but took a while to come to life as it all hinged on the game-changing new developments around Reading Train Station. We kicked things off with a crowdfunding campaign with some pretty generous rewards up for offer at the same time. Thanks to the support of our Siren community, and the good people of Reading, we smashed our £250,000 target, hitting £271,732 with 1,777 crowdfunders on board at the midnight cut off time.
Though it would have been nice to extend the campaign, as these things tend to go, we needed to get the crowdfunder closed so we could move our focus onto getting the venue ready for opening! And that we did. Opening our doors in May was a huge moment for the brewery. We’re incredibly proud of everything the team has achieved so far, and can’t wait to step it up another level in 2025. If you haven’t visited yet - get it on the list for next year.
Eclectic Events
As you probably know, we like to get out and about as much as possible at events around the country, and sometimes even further afield. 2024 was no exception, with an event every single week on average! It’s hard to pick favourites when we attend events of all shapes and sizes, from beer festivals and local community pop ups, to music festivals and everything in between. However, we would like to give a special shout out to the incredible team at Threshold Sports. Their Endure24 events have become favourites for our team, largely because of the impressive commitment from their punters to prop up the bar on a Friday night before embarking on a 24hr race the next morning. Endure24 crew - we don’t understand you - but we love you.
This year, our canning line manager at the time, JD, went back for his second solo run, amassing an incredible 120 miles in 24 hours. A superhuman effort. JD is now heading the operation down at Topsham Brewing so check them out if you’re on the Quay down in Exeter.
Soundwave, Soundwave, Soundwave
What can we say about Soundwave? Our Flagship IPA has been with us since 2013. It’s had some subtle shapeshifts during that time, moving ever so slightly with tastes of the time. What’s never changed is the hit of tropical aroma and piney, resinous bitterness. It’s fair to say that Lumina takes most of the limelight these days, being that little bit lighter in ABV.
However, Soundwave remains a very important beer for us which is still being enjoyed in big numbers. Our webshop customers alone have got through some 20,000 cans of it this year! We’ve been loving the special editions of Soundwave coming through. Soundwave Nectaron is almost sold out, but fear not, it will be hitting the shelves of Sainsbury’s in January. And did we mention 0.5?!
Stop, Collaborate and Listen
Collaborations would probably make our top ten list in any given year. It’s where we get to be the most creative, have the most fun and generally bring new perspectives and ideas into the brewery. In 2024 we brought back Project Barista for the first time since 2021. Teaming up with four independent roasters, this series always produces unique and interesting beers which challenge the perceptions of what coffee and beer can be.
It was great to hang out with the crew from Dok Brewery, in amongst a host of great collaborations with the likes of Fuller’s, Adnams, Indie Rabble, Mash Gang and Birrificio Italiano. Most recently, in a Siren first, we teamed up with a gold medal winning para athlete! Dan Pembroke’s Paris Gold is available now, and keep an eye out for it on TV over Christmas.
There’s Something In The Water
There absolutely was something in the water in August as we released a sci-fi red berry sour beer inspired by 20th Century Studios Alien: Romulus. Working alongside an iconic film franchise was not something we had on the bingo card for this year, but it was an incredible experience for us and brought a lot of fun to customers new and old, including some independent cinemas.
Seeing the Siren logo on the insanely big imax premiere screen will go down in our all time best moments. Almost 10,000 individually numbered cans were released and enjoyed, and we even hosted our own screening of the movie at Reading Biscuit Factory. This project was enjoyed by our entire team, but especially Founder Darron, who can now say he’s collaborated with his favourite ever movie franchise. Not bad!
Countdown to Christmas
It’s no secret that the end of the year is the busiest time for breweries and hospitality in general. For whatever reason, the festive build up seems to have been extra special this year. Perhaps it’s the roaring fire at our country pub, The George & Dragon, glowing in the freshly refurbished pub.
Maybe it’s the absolute buzz of a fully booked Siren RG1, or the congregation of our neighbouring businesses at this time of year in the Tap Yard.
Or it could be the awesome 1,000 Siren craft beer advent calendars that are proudly featuring in living rooms around the UK. One way or another, it feels like more people than ever will be drinking Siren this Christmas, and for that we’re eternally grateful.
Well done to anyone who found the hidden QR code, and even further well done to the one person who cracked the hidden task and has won themselves an Advent Calendar in 2025!
Caribbean Chocolate Cake
And on the subject of festive beers, that brings us nicely onto Caribbean Chocolate Cake. The series that kicks off Christmas and the cans that are often saved for Christmas Day, although more often tempt you to crack them open before the big day. We’d like to take this chance to say thank you for all your love for this year’s CCC. It’s been universally great feedback this year and we’re very proud of the beers. We’d love to hear where you’d like to see the series goes next. Community feedback inspired most of this year’s changes and special additions, so please get your thoughts into us. (LINK EMAIL). In the meantime, the very last of the Christmas special Death By is available here.
And lastly...
As always, we look back on a massive year of beers... how many of these have you ticked off?!
That’s us, all that’s left to do is to wish you all some excellent festivities.
