On one of Garrett Oilver’s earlier visits to Thornbridge back in 2007 he was, well, nowhere to be seen. At this point, the brewery existed in the confines of the grounds of the ethereal Thornbridge Hall near Bakewell, Derbyshire.

As Alex Buchanan, the brewery’s marketing manager recollects, the team were meeting early to brew their first collaboration ‘Alliance’ alongside then Thornbridge brewer and latterly BrewDog co-founder Martin Dickie.

“We came in but Garrett was nowhere, I was baffled,” explains Buchanan. “But then, out of nowhere, there he was, armed with dozens of freshly- laid eggs laid by chickens from the nearby farm. He made us the most amazing salmon omelette and off we went for the day. That’s just how he is.”

It’s early November, and while Thornbridge Brewery, steered by head brewer Rob Lovatt, is now a far bigger and modern operation than it was back then, the infectious Oliver is back in town surveying his kingdom as if it’s a home from home for the illustrious brewmaster from New York.

Oliver is in town for a collaboration between Thornbridge and Brooklyn Brewery, where he has spent the last 21 years of his brewing career. The beer is currently known as ‘Project Serpent’, a 10% Belgian beer aged in Four Roses Bourbon casks and fermented with cider lees.