Burning Sky

Before he started Burning Sky, Mark Tranter was already part of Sussex brewing folklore. As head brewer at Dark Star, he invented Hop Head in a cellar and helped build one of the region's most admired breweries. In 2013, he sold his Dark Star shares and used every penny to build something new, on his own terms.

The result is a farmhouse brewery tucked into refurbished agricultural buildings in Firle, a small village in the South Downs. It's a deliberately quiet setting for a brewery with serious ambitions. Burning Sky became the first modern British brewery to install large oak vats for ageing beers, and the first to add a coolship for spontaneous fermentation in the tradition of Belgian lambic brewing. Tranter was named Brewer of the Year by the Guild of British Beer Writers in 2014.

The core range is built on two pillars: punchy, hop-forward pale ales and IPAs in the American tradition, alongside complex barrel-aged and wild-fermented ales that take months or years to mature. It is an unusual combination, and Burning Sky pulls both off. Their barrel programme in particular has earned a devoted following among enthusiasts who seek out farmhouse and mixed-fermentation styles.

On the alcohol-free side, Low Life is their 0.5% IPA, brewed with Maris Otter, Munich and Chateau Aroma malts and hopped with Chinook, Citra and Nelson Sauvin. It is hop-dipped and finished with Hop Kief, which gives it more aromatic intensity than most low-alcohol IPAs manage. It reads as a genuine attempt to bring craft brewing seriousness to the format rather than a box-ticking exercise.

All Burning Sky beers are vegan-suitable and packaged in fully recyclable materials. Products are available through specialist online retailers and independent bottle shops across the UK.

The Collection