Beer Hour: Lauren Soderberg
A love of beer has led Lauren Soderberg to a career that has spanned more than 20 years talking about its merits while downing pints. Jessica Mason finds her to be as relatable as she is “unstoppable”.
Spending more than two decades working in hospitality will always serve you well when it comes to having a keen awareness of people. This is what Soderberg brings. She’s worked right in action within the sector whether that has been for hospitality groups, breweries or independents. Each time, her role has been to share insight and enthusiasm about beer. Right now, she’s the UK brand ambassador for Budweiser Budvar, waxing lyrical about the plus points of lager. And yes, there are worse jobs. Careers advisors never steer us to beer. But it does tend to find its people.
Here for the beer
“I started out in restaurants, then became ‘beer guru’ for New World Trading Co (NWTC),” says Soderberg. Looking back, it becomes clear that it was a time when beer was becoming cooler and NWTC, which had been set up in 2011 by Living Ventures co-founders Jeremy Roberts and the late Tim Bacon was flying high. NWTC’s most well-known brand back then was its bar concept known as The Botanist, easily identifiable by its vintage conservatory chic aesthetic. The team there also had sites like The Oast House in Manchester and The Trading House in London. The craft beer revolution was at its peak in Britain when Soderberg took on the ‘beer guru’ moniker and having a woman at the helm of beer knowledge was, well, it was inspiring and opened doors for people to reconsider beer, even if they’d never been a fan before.
Soderberg went on to manage the beer mecca that is Port Street Beer House in Manchester and, looking back, it becomes evident that roles she took on all shared one major thread of continuity – her skill for influencing people when it came to beer adoration shone through. Remembering this time, Soderberg explains that at the Port Street Beer House the position allowed her to “work on beer buying” and this meant that she bought the beer for Indy Man Beer Con. What was that like? Being at the beating heart of influencing beer fans into trying new things – “it was amazing” she admits.
After that, Soderberg moved across to a sales role for Deya, which is based in Cheltenham, before she took on the role of UK brand ambassador for Budweiser Budvar, a position she has held since the beginning of the year. She had already “worked closely with Budvar whilst in a previous job” and points out that she met Tracey Holloway, who is now her manager, “close to a decade ago”.
Quality pints
When it comes to what makes Soderberg tick beer-wise, she is certainly an avid supporter of quality. As well as being “a huge fan of cask beer” which is often her “go to in a bar if they have it”. Love of “a well-made, well-kept bitter is always a treat” she assures, but says that “if there is no cask then I will always go for a lager” a decision she says stands on the proviso that “it has to be quality”. Soderberg says that this is “one of the reasons I went for the job at Budvar. The Czech nation has such a strong, brewing heritage and Budvar really champions this. Being owned by the nation and not a corporation they can really focus on the ingredients and the time it takes to brew the beer”.
Were there any other reasons why Budvar became her choice and her focus on the beer front? “The liquid is impeccable,” she insists and also states how there is also that sense of right beer at the right time and in the right place. “Who doesn’t love a pint of smooth, golden lager, especially when the sun looks like it’s finally starting to show its face?”
These of the qualities that make Soderberg so relatable and easy to be around. As she describes beer, you can feel yourself nodding in agreement. As she describes life or work or herself you realise you are in the company of someone you feel like you already know. A friend, a kindred spirit, an adventurer who never takes herself too seriously.
Describing herself, she laughs and says that she’s “useless but unstoppable” like “a Sun Fish” and says that the thought of that fish swimming about nonchalantly in the ocean often keeps her feeling “motivated” – especially if she is actually “feeling a bit useless”. It’s an interesting take on life – to see every contribution as relevant and amusing and to ultimately also be able to recognise the mirth in life.
Despite this, Soderberg does however switch to more serious matters. “There are so many pressures facing the beer sector with costs rising across the board” and reels off “ingredients, staffing, tax, rates” and says “I think many businesses are still feeling the effects post-Covid. It’s really sad to see a lot of smaller craft breweries and pubs closing.” She laments: “I’ve already seen a number this year.”
The other factors shaping the sector that Soderberg is currently eyeing span the fact that younger demographics are changing the game. She observes that “Gen Z are drinking less and there is a huge rise in the popularity of alcohol free beers”. To tackle this, she assures that Budweiser Budvar currently has its 0.5% ABV beer but in April it will be releasing its 0.0% ABV lager. How is it? “It’s tasting great!” More good news for the moderators who don’t want to give up on decent brews.
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Authenticity
Soderberg also says that even though she knows “people are going out less, when they do go out, they are willing to spend more and are looking for an authentic, premium product”. This, she says, she finds reassuring because “for Budvar, I feel like we sit perfectly there as we have the heritage behind the brand and most importantly, the liquid to back it up”
What would she like to see more of within the trade? “I’d love to have more places serving the Czech pours”. But, understandably, she admits that she knows “it can be a struggle in the UK as it is just not what we are used to”.
She recalls a recent successful event in Sheffield, which was “all about the Czech pour and why we serve the beers like we do” and highlights how “it would be great to hold more events like that” to really assist the category, but also to show people something and delight them with the potential and the theatre of it all and adds: “Hopefully we can change people’s minds about foam.”
We mull the idea that drinkers’ preferences may change and Soderberg says that because “there’s a new generation of people coming into the beer industry now” she would “love to help them navigate that”. She admits: “It can be a hard industry to be in especially when there is lots of travel, events and beer involved and these things don’t always go well together” and laments: “It is still pretty male-dominated and it can seem very overwhelming at times” but adds: “The industry is changing.” Showing that even amid the struggles there are some silver linings.
Soderberg’s navigation of such trials and challenges within the sector have made her determined to retain her own sense of self and integrity. She ponders this for a moment and responds to state: “I just try to be myself as I feel that’s the only way you will achieve authenticity.”
She also adds: “I think it’s important to believe in the brand or company you are working for, otherwise it will make your job so much harder, and people will be able to tell.”
Loyalty
Plus, socialising and networking is another area where she excels. “It’s great to meet people from different markets, we’ve just had an ambassador huddle and I met our ambassadors from across Europe. It was great to see them and hear what they are doing and bounce ideas off each other,” she says. “I’ve made so many pals in the beer community since I started and I love seeing where they are and what they are doing, following along cheering their wins and helping if you can when things aren’t so rosy.” There’s a definite sense of loyalty and solidarity there.
You get the sense that Soderberg has learned a lot of lessons while working. How to achieve, how to give her all, but also how to survive in a sector where you always give everything you have to a job. “Burn out used to be a huge issue for me, mostly because I didn’t know when to say no to something as I was worried I’d be letting someone down,” she says. After this, she admits: “As I’ve gotten older I have learnt not to take so much on if I am struggling and most-importantly speak to someone about it. You can say ‘no’.”
Her biggest bugbears are “people serving beers with no foam or head” and notes how she has “always hated this” and insists that it is “not just since working for Budvar”. However, the things she loves are cities like Barcelona and she returns frequently – “it’s such a fun city” she says. Other than that, Soderberg can be found in the water. “I really enjoy swimming, it’s the one place where I can get in the water and my brain fully shuts off, I find it very relaxing,” she adds.
Soderberg recently got engaged and so is in the middle of planning a wedding, but career-wise, still has a few aspirations. “I would like to aim for global ambassador”. Rest assured, she’d be a powerhouse if the whole world was her oyster and it could only spell good things for beer. In life, she admits that she might be considered to be “loyal, loving and chaotic” and it is something that she would tend to agree with, but in truth she is less chaotic and more organised in her working life. “Work gets organised version of me” she muses, it is just her friends and family who “get the chaos”.
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