A Lancashire Collaboration: Hop to Juniper and Back
When two Lancashire producers, both born from garages and grit, come together to create something new, you know it’s going to be special. Hop To Juniper And Back is the latest creation to emerge from Fairham Gin and Chain House Brewing Co., a bold, bright and brilliantly local collaboration that bridges the worlds of gin and beer through one shared obsession: flavour.
The partnership brings together Fairham Gin’s award-winning distillers, Ellis McKeown and Liam Stemson, with Ryan Hayes, founder and brewer behind Chain House Brewing Co., to create a spirit that captures the character of both their crafts. The result? A 45% Citra Hazy Gin that celebrates the art of distillation and the science of fermentation, a true meeting of minds and methods.
From Outhouse to Distillery, From Garage to Taproom
Both Fairham Gin and Chain House Brewing Co. share remarkably similar stories of humble beginnings, born from curiosity, creativity and a deep respect for process.
Fairham Gin began in March 2020, when Ellis and Liam converted an unused outhouse attached to their home on Fairham Avenue in Penwortham into a tiny distilling room. From those early days experimenting with botanicals and vapour infusion came a range of natural, authentic gins that have since earned multiple national and international awards. Every bottle remains a testament to the duo’s commitment to quality, authenticity and flavour-first craftsmanship.
Chain House Brewing Co.’s story began three years earlier, in 2017, when Ryan started homebrewing on a stove-top setup after watching a few YouTube videos. His first batches were shared with friends, neighbours and local pubs, and before long, the hobby turned into a thriving small-batch brewery named after his street, Chain House Lane. Now operating from a dedicated unit and taproom in Preston, Chain House now has a loyal local following built on a love for inventive, flavour-forward brews.
A Meeting of Craft, Curiosity and Citrus
Their new creation, Hop To Juniper And Back, is a celebration of both journeys. Distilled in Lancashire, the gin takes the explosive Citra hop, known for its vivid notes of lime, grapefruit and mango, and reimagines it through Fairham Gin’s meticulous London Dry, 100% vapour-infused method. Combined with juniper, coriander seed, citrus peels, kumquat, cardamom and pink peppercorn, the result is a smooth, aromatic gin that delivers a citrusy hop punch while staying true to its juniper-forward roots.
“We wanted to make something that really reflected both of our worlds,” says Ellis McKeown of Fairham Gin. “Citra hops are famous for their huge flavour and aroma in beer, so we were curious to see how they’d behave in the still. The result surprised us, those bright, tropical and zesty notes integrated beautifully with the citrus and spice botanicals we love working with.”
For Ryan, it was an opportunity to see a familiar ingredient through a completely new lens.
“Citra is one of those hops that never fails to shine,” says Ryan Hayes. “In beer, it brings those big hits of lime, grapefruit and mango, but in gin, it does something different. The hop oils interact with the botanicals, adding bright, zesty top notes without overpowering the juniper. It’s a fun crossover of the two worlds.”
Designed from the Ground Up
The creativity behind Hop To Juniper And Back didn’t stop at the gin itself. Every part of this release, from the name to the label, has been crafted in-house, with the same care and imagination that goes into each batch distilled.
The name, dreamed up by Liam, puts a playful twist on the familiar phrase “love you to the moon and back”. It captures both the spirit’s space-inspired design and the story behind its ingredients: hop to juniper and back.
That theme was then brought to life by Ellis, who designed the label artwork himself. The design takes inspiration from the bold, creative world of craft beer can art, blending cosmic adventure with distilling detail. The three collaborators are depicted as astronauts floating through a galaxy of hops and a striking juniper planet, an imaginative nod to the gin’s name and the partnership behind it.
“We wanted the design to feel as creative and characterful as the gin itself,” says Ellis. “Everything was done in-house, and with Ryan’s input, we created something that reflects both of our brands. It’s a piece of art as much as it is a label.”
The finished bottle perfectly embodies what Fairham Gin and Chain House Brewing Co. stand for, small-batch quality, originality and passion poured into every detail. This is one collaboration that looks just as good on the outside as it tastes on the inside.
A Celebration of Lancashire Craftsmanship
Hop To Juniper And Back is more than a drink; it’s a story of shared beginnings, creative experimentation and the pursuit of flavour. From the first pour, it delivers everything you’d expect from a Fairham Gin: crisp, balanced and refreshingly complex, with that unmistakable local character. This is a vibrant, hop-infused London Dry Gin marrying Citra’s citrus and tropical fruit notes with juniper, kumquat and cardamom. Smooth, aromatic and refreshingly bold, a true celebration of Lancashire craft.
Available in 70cl bottles at 45% ABV, this limited-edition release is a must-try for both gin lovers and beer enthusiasts alike, a true testament to what happens when two passionate local producers come together to blur the boundaries of their craft.
You can find the gin pouring at Ryan's Preston-based Taproom, here. Or you can buy online via our shop here, with free delivery UK-wide delivery on orders over £30.