WHILE most 26-year-olds drink beer, Alex Arkell is spending all his time developing it.

Alex has been appointed head brewer at Arkells Brewery – making him the youngest person to undertake such a role in the entire country.

This is a proud moment for the brewery as Alex is the first family member to take on the role for generations.

But just because he’s family doesn’t mean his appointment was a shoo-in.

Chairman James Arkell, Alex’s father, made it clear from the start that Alex needed to complete a rigorous apprenticeship.

Following university, Alex took on the tenancy of The Rusty Bicycle in Oxford, running it for a year.

He said: “This was invaluable experience – customers don’t pull any punches if the beer isn’t to their liking, and landlords must deal with issues there and then.

“There’s no better way to learn about customer satisfaction.”

After a six-month internship with fellow family brewery, Fullers in London, Alex attended the World Brewing Academy in Chicago and Munich where he finally achieved his Master Brewer qualification last year.

For the last six months Alex has been working alongside Arkell’s former Head Brewer, Don Bracher, who retired earlier this month after 20 years.

“I’ve learned from the best,” said Alex, who will maintain the traditional values of the family brewery.

“We will continue to brew consistent core real ales, while producing a variety of new, seasonal varied beers to meet the demand of modern beer drinkers.”

Alex says his favourite tipple is English ales. He said: “Of these I think a great mild can often be the most satisfying.

“However my taste definitely varies depending on my mood and the weather, a cool Pilsner on a hot summer's day is perfect.”

He is taking his responsibilities for customer satisfaction deadly seriously and will be embarking on a series of Meet The Brewer evenings at Arkell’s pubs across the south and west.

More details about the Meet The Brewer events and participating pubs will be on the Arkell’s website and facebook page.

Brewery chairman James Arkell is delighted that a second son has come into the business.

He said: “My eldest son George has been here for over a decade and is now a director. Having Alex on board too is wonderful. We’ve worked him hard the last two years to make sure he’s the right man for the job – and I can’t think of anyone better to introduce our beers to the next generation of real ale drinkers.”