Vault City co-founder Steven Smith-Hay claimed customer demand for new flavours has reached record levels eight years after the business – that is also famed for its sour beers – was launched.
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The business is on track for its biggest year yet in terms of fruit beer production, with volumes projected to rise by 38% compared to 2023. Volumes were already up by 21% between 2023 and 2025 – increasing from 11,900 to 14,424 hectolitres.
And as it continuously intensifies the flavour and overall quality of its beers, Vault City’s use of fruit is also expected to rise by 40% since 2023 by the end of the year – which had risen by 36% between 2023 and 2025, from 150 to 204 tonnes.
Although a trend-setter in the off trade via its canned production, the on-trade is “really important” because it acts as both a sales channel and a way for people to discover Vault City.
Smith-Hay told The Morning Advertiser: “While the off-trade has helped us reach more consumers than ever before, bars and pubs remain great spots for discovery, whether that’s from the fridge or on draught.
“We’re continuing to grow our on-trade business, with revenue and distribution both increasing year on year, despite the challenging market. We regularly work with 1,000 to 1,500 pubs and bars across the UK, and while we don’t occupy permanent lines in the same way as many other traditional or craft breweries, our rotating programme of new releases means we’re constantly giving venues something fresh to offer, allowing us to have a bigger footprint in this space.”
Three new flavours every fortnight
Indeed, the brewery is releasing at least three new flavours every fortnight. Recent launches have included its mango, mandarin and passion fruit-flavoured Tropical Sour, TDH Hard Lemonade, and its 999g/L, which includes 999 grams of fruit per litre of beer – the legal maximum before it would be considered a cider.
“Around 20% of our production is packaged in keg. We don’t currently release cask beer but it could be something we consider in the future,” Smith-Hay said. “While we have a lot of seasonal core beers that are perfect for pub draught lines, some of what we brew is meant more for dedicated craft beer bars, which may be more used to dealing with thicker, fruited beers and high ABVs.
“Wider on-trade listings might not allow us to sell 1/3 or 1/2 pints for some of these stronger beers, so we have a good blend of keg and can to allow both options.”
He admitted getting listings in pubs and bars is “highly competitive” because many permanent draught lines are tied into brewery or pub company contracts.
Smith-Hay explained: “Our model and release schedule are built around frequent limited releases rather than relying on permanent taps. This can help win guest spots and Vault City can often play that ‘discovery beer’ role when available in fridges too.”
Fruit beer continues to be one of the strongest growth areas within craft beer he added, and doesn’t see that momentum slowing anytime soon. “Consumers are increasingly looking for flavour-led beers that offer something different. Fruit is an accessible way to bring new drinkers into craft beer. Using high volumes of real fruit is something that’s been intrinsic to Vault City since day one and we’ve been able to organically grow a community of people around that fact, without necessarily tapping into trends.
More consumers open to category
“Brewing fruited sour beer gives us a clear position within the market that fewer breweries occupy at the same scale. While more breweries are experimenting with fruit, very few have made it the foundation of everything they do. That focus has allowed us to carve out our own space and continue growing.
“Our sour style might have some overlap with some other breweries [that are producing fruit beers] but we generally take a different approach and occupy different spaces.
“We’re focused on modern, heavily fruited sour beers made with large quantities of real fruit, often inspired by desserts, cocktails and nostalgic flavours. While there may be some overlap in consumers, we see ourselves as offering a very different drinking experience.
“Ultimately though, successful fruit beer brands mean more consumers are open to exploring the category – and that’s good news for everyone producing great fruit-forward beer.”
Earlier this year, Vault City reported it was on track to reach £10m turnover for the first time by the end of 2027 and, as of last week, it is the fourth most checked-in brewery in the world on Untappd.
Last year, Vault City sold 3.3m cans of beer – the vast majority of which were fruit beers. Smith-Hay said the business has been reinvesting back into the brewery to strengthen how it operates and to set itself up for the long term.
He said: “We want to be known not just for sour beers but for flavour more broadly. It’s an exciting time for Vault City as we edge closer to a decade in business, and we’re committed to exploring new ideas while staying true to what brought us here in the first place.”
