It’s been an adventure for a drummer-turned-brewer
Rhys with a pint of Killer Kiwi in the Beer Riff taproom(Image: Richard Youle )
After spending his 20s touring Europe and America with a band, Rhys Pillai found himself overseas once more, this time on a quest to select hops for a beer. He journeyed to farms in the northern region of New Zealand’s South Island, in search of a unique ingredient for a new craft beer he was developing for Beer Riff Brewing, Swansea.
“We work very closely with New Zealand hop growers,” he explained. “Each farm cultivates about 10 different varieties. Through a collective, they all contribute various ‘lots’. We had a rough idea of the flavour profile we wanted and were searching for something that truly stood out.”
The process of finding that distinctive element involved rubbing and sniffing the hops, and what Rhys selected became part of the recipe for Killer Kiwi, a pale ale which he launched this year. It is currently the best-selling beer at Beer Riff Brewing.
The Swansea Marina-based business operates a first-floor tap room offering around 15 beers, half of which are Rhys’ creations, with the rest sourced from around the globe.
In layman’s terms, Beer Riff Brewing is an independent brewery primarily producing craft beer, which is carbonated and either canned or stored in kegs, as opposed to real ale which is kept in casks. The tap room serves up pale ales and IPAs, described by Rhys as having “bigger punchier and punchier flavours” – a nod to the hops – along with stouts, “sours”, and lagers. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here
Rhys in the ground-floor ‘brew house’ at Beer Riff(Image: Richard Youle )
SIBA explained that these independent enterprises were crafting “interesting, highly flavoursome” beers, which sparked a surge of new UK brewers in the 2000s. The industry grappled with defining what craft beer meant for the UK market, given that cask beer – served from casks, as the name suggests – was in many ways the original craft beer.
However, the new generation of hoppy carbonated brews served from kegs and cans didn’t quite align with this concept.
The situation became even more complex, SIBA noted, when global breweries began acquiring some of the rising independent ones. Despite this, SIBA affirmed that the demand for independent beer remained unquestionable.
“The issue is getting access to market and ensuring genuine independent beer is being sold,” stated a spokesperson.
At Beer Riff Brewing, Rhys combines malted barley, oats and wheat with water on brew day. Sugar is extracted during this “mash stage”.
The brew is then boiled down for an hour, with hops added to infuse flavour and bitterness.
“Then it goes into the fermenter, with yeast, for roughly a week,” explained Rhys. “Then you add a load more hops for flavour. It’s left for two days, then we condition and carbonate it.”
He clarified that conditioning a beer involves reducing the temperature and allowing the flavours to meld.
Science, art, and keeping the equipment clean(Image: Helen Anne Smith )
Rhys highlighted that some people believe beer simply “appears”, but he pointed out that traditional German lagers could take up to two months before they’re ready to serve. While the ingredients and process may seem standard, the end product from independent brewers can be quite unique.
“Blending them right is the magic,” Rhys declared. He likened it to “science and art” – a creative, experimental aspect of the process that craft beer enthusiasts find appealing.
Most of Beer Riff Brewing’s barley is sourced from the UK, while the hops are primarily imported from America and New Zealand. Rhys noted that these hops are very specific to their region and climate, and growing them elsewhere wouldn’t yield the same flavour.
“New (hop) varieties, similar to American ones, are coming to the UK,” he said.
Beer Riff, Swansea Marina(Image: Richard Youle)
Rhys, a Sketty resident, attended Bishop Gore School and studied sound engineering at Gower College Swansea before spending years touring abroad with his “DIY” punk band, The Arteries, where he played the drums.
Following that escapade, he took on various roles including operating his own skateboard business, and it was through this venture that another journey commenced, courtesy of The Pilot pub in Mumbles. “We asked The Pilot to make a beer for our Christmas party, it went down an absolute storm,” said Rhys.
Whilst he had experimented with home-brewing, within months he had been recruited by Richard and Jo Bennett, who produce The Pilot’s cask beer and manage the establishment. There was much to absorb.
“I was with Richard for two years, and would say all my brewing knowledge comes from cask beer,” he said.
Rhys, Richard and Jo subsequently obtained what became the Beer Riff Brewing site off Trawler Road – previously a ground floor fishing store with a restaurant upstairs – and invested a year preparing the building. It launched in 2018 with the trio as joint proprietors, though The Pilot continues as a real ale establishment whilst craft beer serves as the marina operation’s distinctive feature.
“Craft beer was niche when we started,” said Rhys. “It was becoming very popular. What we were trying to do was have our own beers as well as the best beers from across the world. Our beer had to compare to that. We found a customer base, although the first year was pretty difficult.”
The business has weathered the Covid pandemic, the energy price crisis, the doubling of malted barley costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and escalating shipping expenses. “These costs have only started dropping now,” he said.
There’s more to a pint of beer than you might imagine (Image: Helen Anne Smith )
Beer Riff Brewing has nine full and part-time employees on its books, with the tap room welcoming visitors seven days a week. The venue serves pizzas and boasts a beer garden, though live music isn’t on offer.
A weekly quiz takes place with all profits donated to local charitable causes.
“People come here for the beer – we want them to have a nice, relaxing time,” explained Rhys, who is father to a five year old daughter. His duties include attending beer festivals, conducting research, connecting with fellow brewers and constantly developing fresh recipes.
Approximately 60% of the brewery’s output is sold on the premises, whilst the remaining 40% goes to wholesalers and online customers.
Prior to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget on November 26, when questioned about expanding the business, Rhys commented: “If there was the right opportunity, then potentially. Hospitality is going through a hard time at the moment. Pubs are closing. There needs to be changes in how the Government supports hospitality before we’d make any drastic changes.”
Mentor and business partner Richard revealed that Rhys’ father was a frequent visitor to The Pilot, with Rhys occasionally accompanying him. “My wife (Jo) saw potential in him, and I needed a bit of help,” Richard explained.
“He did cellar and bar work and brewing. I could leave him brewing, no problem at all.”
Richard praised Rhys’ achievements, noting he has become an expert in New Zealand hops, “lapping up” fresh concepts and methods on YouTube, whilst possessing natural networking abilities. In addition to co-managing The Pilot with Jo, Richard also does deliveries for Beer Riff Brewing and transports Rhys’s spent grain to a farm in Kittle, Gower, while Jo handles some of the administrative tasks.
“Rhys brews better than me now,” Richard proudly stated.
Beer Riff brewer Rhys Pillai (Image: Richard Youle )
According to industry group SIBA, as of March 2025, there were 1,641 independent breweries in the UK, encompassing both keg and cask brewers. However, their beer only constituted 6% of total beer volumes.
This figure typically escalates to 30%, based on market research, when “genuine independent beers” are sold alongside what it referred to as “global beer”.
In 2024, SIBA initiated a campaign named Indie Beer, aiming to help consumers distinguish between beers from independent breweries and those acquired by global brands.
The non-profit organisation highlighted that market access, taxation, and escalating labour costs posed challenges. “The combination of these factors means that whilst demand is high for independent beer profitability is a huge challenge, and we are still seeing far too many quality independent breweries close across the UK,” a SIBA spokesperson commented.
These factors are beyond the control of Beer Riff Brewing. Rhys’s work schedule is dictated by the activities in the ground floor “brew house”.
The 38 year old shared: “If I need to come in at the weekend to take hops out, I will do that.”
Witnessing punters returning time and again to savour his ales brought him great pleasure. “I do a lot of reading, and other brewers are really helpful although everyone has got their secrets,” he said.
