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Four years after establishing Braslou Bière, a British microbrewery in the heart of French wine country, Covid hits and Tommy and Rose Barnes are forced to make the agonising decision to return to England. Landing in a cramped cottage in scenic Padstow, their animals are rehomed, and their children confused. Tommy mourns the loss of his old life. After winning and losing several jobs, not least at the legendary St Austell Brewery, He realises that it is he who is the problem not the work. With that insight, and the kindness of friends, and a rival brewer he sets about launching Braslou Bière in Cornwall. Yes, there are disasters aplenty, but with his new self-knowledge and energy, life begins to look up. He launches Surfer Beer to celebrate. Told with biting wit and poignant reflection, this is a story of escape and exile, of finding freedom and losing it again, and of how the places we leave behind often haunt us more than we expect. It’s a deeply human tale about identity, home, and the weight of nostalgia—laced with beer, animals, and a truly indestructible dog.
Four years after establishing Braslou Bière, a British microbrewery in the heart of French wine country, Covid hits and Tommy and Rose Barnes are forced to make the agonising decision to return to England. Landing in a cramped cottage in scenic Padstow, their animals are rehomed, and their children confused. Tommy mourns the loss of his old life. After winning and losing several jobs, not least at the legendary St Austell Brewery, He realises that it is he who is the problem not the work. With that insight, and the kindness of friends, and a rival brewer he sets about launching Braslou Bière in Cornwall. Yes, there are disasters aplenty, but with his new self-knowledge and energy, life begins to look up. He launches Surfer Beer to celebrate. Told with biting wit and poignant reflection, this is a story of escape and exile, of finding freedom and losing it again, and of how the places we leave behind often haunt us more than we expect. It’s a deeply human tale about identity, home, and the weight of nostalgia—laced with beer, animals, and a truly indestructible dog.