At JW Lees, we believe that investing in people is just as important as brewing great beer. Our Brewing Team is made up of passionate individuals, and one of them, Kyle Grimshaw, is about to see his brewing journey reach an exciting milestone. His very own beer, Born to Brew, will be pouring in JD Wetherspoon pubs this autumn as part of the 2025 Beer Festival.

Kyle joined JW Lees in 2023 as part of our Production Team. But it didn’t take long before he became more interested in the brewing process. With a background working in pubs and a genuine love of beer, he knew he wanted to dive deeper. By 2024, he had enrolled in the Level 4 Brewer Apprenticeship with the Institute of Apprenticeship and Technical Education, a course he’s on track to complete in 2025.

Since then, Kyle has been hands-on in countless brews in The Boilerhouse, our small-batch 10-barrel microbrewery where limited editions come to life. One of his proudest moments so far is getting involved in brewing Phoenix Glow, a white chocolate stout that quickly became a favourite in 2024, and no surprise there since JW Lees Stout his a go-to pint.

We can’t wait to see Born to Brew roll out across Wetherspoons this autumn and share Kyle’s hard work with everyone. This is just the beginning, with his passion and creativity, we’re sure that Kyle has plenty more recipes up his sleeve and we can’t wait to raise a pint of what comes next!