DRINK LIKE A LOCAL
The proud tradition of producing natural alcoholic beverages, good for home consumption but even better taken in your favourite tavern, inn or public house Words: Robin Glover
Pictured left: The Red Lion, East Chisenbury
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HE RENAISSANCE OF INTEREST in gin, and its vast variety of fascinating flavours, is well documented and the north Hampshire village of Whitchurch is home to the leader of this upsurge, Bombay Sapphire. Less well-known, but magnetic to all ‘ginnoisseurs’, are small-batch products from 137 at Newbury, Ramsbury at Aldbourne, (north of Marlborough) and the outstanding Bristol Dry Gin. Before the gin revolution came, the heroic, sometimes derided, stand taken by dedicated British beer-drinkers, in the late 20th century, against the major breweries’ policy of phasing out ‘real’ ale in favour of the sterile ‘keg’ imitation. The resounding success of this consumers’
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campaign has secured the survival of this uniquely British brew. Not only have the major manufacturers been obliged to maintain production but the increased demand has enabled independent breweries to grow and, with improved technology, low-volume micro-breweries to become commercially viable. You will find a warm welcome at most of these distilleries and breweries, such as the recently established West Berkshire Brewery, in Yattendon, a village to the north-east of Newbury, and world-famous Wadworth Brewery, founded in Devizes in 1852. If you’re lucky, you will have timed your arrival to catch the company’s horse-drawn drays delivering their wares to local hostelries in the town. English wines, too, are gaining
