Cambridge Brewing Co

Cambridge Brewing Co’s flagship beer, Flower Child IPA (presented in the UK for the first time at the request of J D Wetherspoon) is hopped and dry hopped with a precise blend of six hops:
Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe.

It’s big, bright and floral, with hop notes of citrus peel, tropical fruit and fresh pine. This American-style IPA stands head and shoulders above its hoppy brethren, blending pale and aromatic barley malts to balance the palate, without interfering with any herbal reverie. Cambridge’s goal is to capture, in the glass, the true essence of American hop character.

Will Meyers has travelled to Hook Norton Brewery (Oxfordshire) to brew this golden-amber beer for us. It is full of US hop character, with zesty fruit notes, balanced by a crisp, dry malt palate, leading to soft spice and pine notes on the finish.

The brewery
Established in 1989 by Phil ‘Brewdaddy’ Bannatyne in a refurbished 19th-century mill, Cambridge Brewing Company was one of the first 100 microbreweries in the US. Located near the campuses
of Harvard University and MIT, Cambridge has (since its inception) combined tradition and innovation. The first brewery to brew and introduce Belgian-style beer to North America, it has maintained a reputation as one of the country’s most forward-thinking breweries and has been awarded over a dozen medals at the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup and the Great British Beer Festival.


Meet the brewer
Will Meyers has enjoyed a 30-year career at Cambridge Brewing Co, beginning as an enthusiastic home brewer, crafting cask-conditioned bitters and porters. Will says that it was his volunteering experience at the nascent US microbreweries which gave him insight into working at larger scale. With a passion for authentic re-creations of traditional beer styles, he also crafts unique, adventuresome beers – some referencing ancient brews of the world, while others break new ground in the art of brewing.

His focus on experimentation and the development, in 1998, of Cambridge’s Barrel Cellar placed him at the forefront of America’s artisanal brewers.
Will was awarded, in 2017, the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing by the Brewers Association, recognising his creativity, excellence in brewing and willingness to share his knowledge across the community. He is an ardent fan of a perfect, hand-pulled pint in a classic pub.