23 minute read
Brewery News The latest from our Brewing Members around the UK
Long Man Brewery claims six awards at the World Beer Awards 2022
Long Man Brewery, based in Litlington, East Sussex, has won six major honours at this year’s World Beer Awards, including the ‘World’s Best Beer’ for its Old Man premium bitter for the second time.
Three beers from the Long Man range have won a combined six awards in the Taste category, which featured over 500 of the finest beers and ales from across the globe. The Old Man premium bitter (4.3% ABV) won World’s Best Dark Mild Beer 2022, and was Gold Winner (UK) and Country Winner (UK), Dark Beer. The Long Blonde ale (4.1% - 3.8% ABV) won was a Gold Winner (UK) and Country Winner (UK), English Style Pale Ale. While the Long Man Helles Lager (4.6% ABV) was a Bronze Winner (UK), Lager Helles/Münchner. The World Beer Awards, which returned this year following a two-year pause due to the pandemic, was judged by a leading panel of industry experts. There were several stages of blind tasting before the judges crowned the winning beers. Duncan Ellis, Co-Founder of Long Man Brewery, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that our Old Man premium bitter has been crowned the World’s Best Beer for a second time. Achieving six awards at this year’s World Beer Awards is an incredible feat, and I’m immensely proud. These accolades are the well-earned recognition our brewers deserve for all the hard work and attention to detail they put into crafting our naturally excellent beer.” Adrian Tierney-Jones, Chair of the World Beer Awards, said, “Once again, the winners in the World Beer Awards show an exciting snapshot of some of the best beers being brewed across the globe today. Naturally, I would like to congratulate the winners, but I would also like to thank the many judges who have applied themselves to their tasks with diligence and great professionalism.” This latest batch of awards takes Long Man Brewery’s total to almost 50 since it started brewing from its converted flint barn in the heart of the South Downs National Park in 2012.
To find out more visit www.longmanbrewery.com
Salcombe Brewery Co launches new chocolate stout
Salcombe Brewery has launched Maya (4.5% ABV), a brand new chocolate stout.
The stout is available both on tap in pubs and in 330ml cans from retail outlets including the brewery shop and website. Head Brewer Sam Beaman said: “We are very excited about this latest addition to our small batch range. For the ancient Maya people, the cacao bean was sacred. They were obsessed with its rich, chocolate taste and believed it was a gift from the gods. This was our inspiration for our new stout which we have infused with organic cacao nibs to add depth and complexity.” Maya was created by adding cacao nibs during the brewing process. The caramel and coffee notes from the malt blend perfectly with the rich chocolate flavour from the cacao nibs, resulting in a smooth chocolate stout. It is a dark, warming beer ideal for these colder autumn nights. It pairs well with braised or spiced meats and rich autumnal stews, but is equally enjoyable on its own.
Find out more at www.salcombebrewery.com
Salcombe Brewery Co announces new listings with St Austell and Heavitree
Salcombe Brewery is delighted to announce that its kegged Pale Ale has been listed with the Heavitree Brewery estate and St Austell Brewery’s freetrade accounts. In addition, it has secured regional slots for its cask range with St Austell.
Jordan Mace, Salcombe Brewery’s Managing Director, said: “This year we have seen fantastic growth with another huge summer season. Securing these new listings is the icing on the cake, giving us the chance to work with big names in the industry and increase our presence in pubs across the South West. We have worked hard as a team to deliver award-winning, high quality products that appeal to pub-goers and these new listings are testament to that hard work.” Joe Dixon, Key Account Manager for Salcombe Brewery Co, added: “We have a very close relationship with Heavitree Brewery, who have been stocking our cask ale since 2015. It is fantastic that our work with them has now led to our first keg listing in their estate and with St Austell Brewery’s freetrade accounts.”
Hepworth's opens new taproom at Pulborough brewery
Hepworth & Company has opened a new taproom at its state-of-the-art brewery in Pulborough for visitors to enjoy its full range of award-winning beers alongside street food and regular live entertainment.
The taproom will be open Monday to Wednesday 10.00am-5.30pm and Thursday to Saturday 10.00am-8.00pm serving snacks, coffees and Hepworth’s award-winning beers including low alcohol brews. Hot food will be provided Thursday and Friday nights by a roster of ‘pop ups' with a focus on quality, and local ingredients, such as Rudgwick-based Italy on Wheels. Bands are being lined up to play on Friday nights, with a focus on local performers. Brewery founder and chairman Andy Hepworth said: "We're delighted to have a taproom where we can serve a pint and a bite to our guests. We expect it to evolve into a versatile space: a café bar serving coffees - or one of our alcoholfree beers - to morning visitors, through to a buzzing live music venue on Friday evenings.” At the same time, Hepworth's has also launched a competition for students from the Chichester College Group challenging them to create a ‘next generation' taproom and brewery shop, to open within the next 12 months. Andy Hepworth added: "We're also excited about the design plans, which will take the taproom and shop up to the next level. It's great to be working with the Chichester College Group and helping to nurture creativity and design in young people at the start of their career. We can't wait to see their ideas and work with the winner on turning them into a reality." The launch of the taproom is the latest in an ongoing programme of investment by Hepworth's at the purpose-built brewery, which they opened in 2016. Earlier this summer they installed a new canning line, which is now operational and producing 3,000 cans per hour, currently Hepworth's Charger and Crazy Horse beers, though they will also be providing canning for other brewers. Hepworth's is continuously working on new environmental measures, with a CO2 reclaim project set to be installed this winter. Already one of the most sustainable breweries in the UK, Hepworth's aims to reach 85% carbon neutral by 2025.
Find out more at www.hepworthbrewery.co.uk
Andy Hepworth, founder and Chairman of Hepworth & Company with Tap Room & Events Manager Matt Tobin
Rooster’s cock-a-hoop after launching IPA in Swedish stores
Harrogate-based brewery, Rooster’s Brewing Co, has secured a contract with Sweden’s Systembolaget which has seen the launch of Strength In Numbers, the brewery’s West Coast IPA, into the government-owned chain of stores.
Strength In Numbers successfully passed various stages of selection, including a final round of blind tasting to secure a limited release of the beer. Working closely with Great Brands, Rooster’s import and distribution partner in Sweden, 32,000 440ml cans of the 7% IPA was shipped to Stockholm ahead of its launch on September 23rd. The beer was also pouring alongside a number of Rooster’s other beers in partnership with Great Brands at the 2022 Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival in September. A Rooster’s tap takeover took place following the opening session of the festival at The Oliver Twist, one of Stockholm’s leading craft beer bars. Tom Fozard, Rooster’s Commercial Director, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to secure a listing with Systembolaget for Strength In Numbers and doubly so that we’ve been able to achieve it by forming the working relationship we have with Great Brands over the past couple of years. I’d also like to give a shout out to Andreas, Rooster’s Export Consultant, who’s come in and helped Rooster’s to achieve a long-held ambition for the business. Cheers!”
Find out more at www.roosters.co.uk
Bluestone Brewing Company releases Masta Blasta
Bluestone Brewing Company has released the next beer in its 2022 can range. Masta Blasta is a heavily-hopped, soft and juicy Double IPA with a label inspired by Stevie Wonder and Keith Haring.
Emily Hutchinson, Bluestone’s Marketing Manager, said: "Our designer, Nathan, is a creative guru! He's always coming up with new ideas and interesting concepts for new beer releases. There is a backstory to each and every beer that we've made so far." Nathan explains: "The idea is taking the Celtic word for strong flavour, ‘Blasta’, and sticking Masta in front of it, because it made me think of Stevie Wonder’s Masterblaster - which got me thinking of New York and ghetto blasters…and then onto Keith Haring whose style is not dissimilar to our patterns. I’ve had his style in mind for a while and this seemed the perfect beer to do it on."
Find out more at www.bluestonebrewing.co.uk
Yorkshire Wolds farmer and entrepreneur wins Yorkshire Food Hero award
The team at a Yorkshire Wolds brewery and Yorkshire's first whisky distillery are celebrating after their founder won a local food and drink award.
Tom Mellor, who co-founded Wold Top Brewery with his late wife Gill, and launched Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery with friend David Thompson, was named the Yorkshire Food Hero 2022 at the 18th Deliciously Yorkshire Taste Awards in November. Sponsored by Mason's Gin, the inaugural Judy Bell Yorkshire Food Hero award was presented to Mr Mellor by Mrs Bell's daughters at an awards ceremony that was held at the Pavilions in Harrogate. Nominated by their peers and decided on by the panel of Taste Award judges, the Food Hero award has been renamed in honour of the late Judy Bell MBE, the original Yorkshire Food Hero, and seeks to shine a light on someone who has championed the Yorkshire food and drink industry far and wide. The judges said: "This year's recipient is a stalwart of the industry in the county, founding and running not one, but two multi-awardwinning businesses and producing products enjoyed throughout the country and indeed around the world. "Inspiring, innovative, and forward-thinking, Tom Mellor and his team have diversified and expanded, keeping up with trends and indeed setting new ones for many years from their base in East Yorkshire. "Tom is a popular winner, building successful businesses alongside being a great ambassador of Yorkshire food and drink. A true Yorkshire Food Hero and a very worthy winner of this year's award." Tom Mellor said: "It's a real honour to be presented with this award. Judy did an amazing job of championing Yorkshire food and drink and was always a great support to me, Gill and our family as we grew our businesses." Wold Top was founded in 2003 and is located on the Mellor family farm at Hunmanby Grange near Filey.
Find out more at www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk
Powderkeg adopts Forest Film labels as part of sustainability S USTAINABILIT Y drive IN BREWING
As part of a drive to become a more sustainable business, Powderkeg brewery has switched all of its can labels to Forest Film, a bio-plastic developed in Northern Europe. Made from cellulose from trees, the film is a by-product of the paper industry. As well as being made from renewable resources, its production uses much less energy and water than standard polypropylene can labels.
Using paper on chilled canned products is not feasible due to condensation, which causes labels to wrinkle and tear, so before Forest Film appeared as an option there was no choice but to use fossil fuelbased plastic when labelling drinks. Powderkeg’s co-owner Jess Magill said: “We’re delighted to have made the switch to Forest Film. The print quality is great, so there’s no compromise on performance. It is more expensive, but I think as a responsible business you have to make decisions based on more factors than just profit. Hopefully as these fossil fuel plastic alternatives get more popular, the price will come down. “Sustainability is a journey and this is another step in the right direction. We have minimised our plastic use, use recyclable and biodegradable packaging for our mail order service, and clean and re-use supposedly ‘single-use’ items like keg caps. We also repurpose cardboard boxes that we receive for our own deliveries and have switched to a paper-free office.” The brewery also believes that supporting local is a big part of sustainability, and endeavours to source as many goods and services as possible from Devon or the South West. “The more local businesses can support each other, the better our local economy gets,” said co-owner John Magill. “Where possible, stop putting money in the pockets of multinational corporations, and look at the quality and value available on your doorstep. Customers respond well to it, you usually get much better service and develop good business relationships. It’s a win-win.”
Find out more at www.powderkegbeer.co.uk
Hogs Back Hop Harvest celebrated by 3,000 people
Hogs Back Brewery in Tongham, near Farnham, staged its annual Hop Harvest celebrations on the last weekend in September, with a music festival-style event on the Saturday and a more family-friendly TEA Party on the Sunday. This year a record 3,000 people attended over the two days.
The brewery opened its gates from Saturday afternoon, welcoming guests to enjoy a range of Hogs Back beers, including Green TEA - a variation of the brewer's flagship Tongham TEA, brewed with fresh or ‘green' hops straight from their hop garden. Bands entertained the crowds all afternoon and evening from a stage in the brewery courtyard, culminating in a storming performance from Queen tribute Majesty. On Sunday, live music continued to play from bands including popular Bloomfield Avenue, while the Kids Zone offered child-friendly amusement including farm animals, bouncy castle, face painting, Fred the Shed magic show and dray rides round the hop garden. Children and adults took part in a hat decorating competition, using freshly cut hop bines to create eye-catching headwear. Rupert Thompson, Hogs Back MD, said: "Our Hop Harvest parties have always involved the local community and we were delighted that so many people joined us to celebrate this year's harvest. And as we're the only regional brewer in the UK to have our own hop garden, it is a uniquely Hogs Back celebration. "Hop farming is an important part of Farnham's history and we're happy to have brought it back to the area with our hop garden. We know it's meant a lot to local people who were involved in hop farming in their youth or remember stories about it. We're grateful for their support, particularly the 50 Hogs Back Hopper volunteers who helped us bring in the harvest. It's hard physical work over a few weeks and they certainly earned themselves a few pints!" He added: "We're delighted with the quality of the hops this year, which will add wonderful, distinctive flavour to many of our beers. The size of this harvest was half that of last year's bumper crop: hops need water to thrive, so this summer's drought had an impact. However, we're still delighted to be growing hops just yards from the brewery, helping to reduce our food miles and achieve our goal of being an ever more sustainable brewer: on average the hops we harvest here provide more than 50% of our brewing needs for the year." Hogs Back harvested three hop varieties this year: Fuggles, used in Tongham TEA; English Cascade, used in its Hogstar lager and Surrey Nirvana Session IPA; and Farnham White Bine, a traditional local variety that the brewer saved from near-extinction by planting in its hop garden in 2014.
Find out more at www.hogsback.co.uk
Derby Brewing Company opens new site, The Pointing Dogs
The Pointing Dogs, a fresh new drinking establishment for all in the centre of Matlock, has become the latest addition to the pub estate of Derby Brewing Company.
The food menu at the site features contemporary pub food with a modern twist, perfect for relaxed dining. New Head Chef Nicolas Porter heads up the team at The Pointing Dogs, bringing with him over 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. Drinks wise, as you would expect from a Derby Brewing Company venue, there are a range of craft beers, premium ales, artisan spirits, cocktails, world wines and ciders. Opening day in October saw the turning on of the original Smiths clock in the venue, which hadn’t worked for over years 20 years. Derby Brewing was founded in 2004 by Trevor Harris and brews a wide range of beers with many regional and national awards to its name. The brewery also owns six other sites, Derby Brewing Tap House, The Clubhouse Premium Sports Bar and The Greyhound, all in Derby, The hole in the wall in Mickleover, The Middle Bell in Barton-Under-Needwood and The Pig in Lichfield.
For more got to www.derbybrewing.co.uk
Renegade Brewery: new beginnings for local brewery
West Berkshire Brewery has revealed its rebrand as Renegade Brewery.
The launch of Renegade comes with more than just a name-change for the formerly known WBB. Creator of local favourite 'Good Old Boy', Renegade Brewery delves into the craft beer market with a fresh new range, whilst still honouring its 'good old' classics. The rebrand comes after Yattendon Group acquired the brewery in December 2021, appointing Ian Rogers, founder of Wychwood Brewery and the iconic Hobgoblin brand, as its new Managing Director. Ian said: “Renegade Brewery represented by our new ouroboros serpent logo is the embodiment of eternal cyclic renewal and rebirth and represents the perfect metaphor for my connection and appointment to the company. The old West Berkshire Brewery was great at producing exceptional cask ale and premium bottled ales. Beer today is at the vanguard of popular culture and is now more popular than ever with all its amazing complex styles. Renegade will celebrate its roots in traditional ale but will also be at the forefront of Craft beer and over the next 12 months will introduce new beers that burst with aroma and flavour.” Four new beers are being added to the Renegade line-up: • Queensbury Jack, IPA 6.2% • Queensbury Jack, Session IPA 4.8% ABV • Renegade Master, Lager 5.1% ABV • Brewski, Peach Lager 4.1% ABV These new beers will join classics such as Good Old Boy and Renegade Lager as well as a new calendar of limited-edition, one-off brews.
Find out more at www.renegadebrewery.co.uk
Unity Brewing Co reopens Cloud Wine
Southampton’s Unity Brewing Co has relaunched the Cloud Wine off licence as Unity Bottleshop & Tasting Room.
The move brings to life the Unity team’s vision for a bottle shop and tasting room where everyone is welcome to buy and try some of the best craft beer, artisan spirits, natural wines and no/low-alcohol drinks from the UK and beyond. “We’ve kept on all the Cloud Wine team and aim to build an even stronger craft beer offering in and around Bedford Place and the Cultural Quarter,” says Unity’s founder Jimmy Hatherley. “As costs for businesses and households alike just keep going up, we’re incredibly lucky to have so much support from the Unity community. We’re confident that demand for our awesome product line up - and intimate tasting room experience - will provide an appealing and exciting new place to buy interesting drinks for the people of Southampton, alongside our popular brewery taproom in Northam.” This year also marks an important anniversary for the Cloud Wine site, which sees it celebrate 100 years of being an off licence, first opened in 1912 by local resident Miss White for the ‘retail of beer’ specifically. Jimmy even spent a couple of years working at Cloud Wine himself in the mid ‘00’s.
Find out more at www.unitybrewingco.com
Steve Grimes from 90’s band The Farm launches Groovy Grain
Steve Grimes, a member of the 90’s band The Farm, and brewing partner Chris Hughes have turned their homebrewing passion into a new nano brewery enterprise with the launch of Groovy Grain.
Steve said: “We had been brewing beer for ourselves since lockdown. We very much enjoy craft beer and decided to find out how to make it. We loved doing it so much we thought we must have a name for our nano brewery. One of our hit records was called Groovy Train so we came up with Groovy Grain - perfect!” Following the brewery’s launch, Groovy Grain pale ale was a big hit with famous 80’s acts at the ‘Let’s Rock Liverpool’ festival. The band, whose hits Groovy Train and All Together Now were top 10 smashes in 1990, were invited to play at the festival at Wavertree Playing Fields in Liverpool, their home town. Groovy Grain made the beer specially for the gig and called it ‘Festival Ale’. The Let’s Rock production team very kindly let them place their beer at the entrance to the artists area where it refreshed classic acts including Chesney Hawkes, Scritti Politti and Nick Hayward of Haircut 100.
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Abbeydale Brewery invests in largest brewkit update since 2009
Sheffield based Abbeydale Brewery has recently invested in the commissioning and installation of a new brew kettle, working closely with suppliers SSV to
complete the project. The move is the brewery’s largest upgrade since 2009, and the new kettle has doubled the site’s wort boiling capacity to 6000l. It features an external wort boiler and wort chiller, a built-in whirlpool and a much more in-depth display and control panel. As well as providing the brewery with greater flexibility in terms of beer flavour and production for the brew team to experiment with, the upgrade also forms part of Abbeydale’s commitment to working towards ever more environmentally friendly processes. A vapour condensing unit recovers energy, enabling it to capture the heat from the steam used for boiling and recycle water at 95 degrees back to the hot liquor tank, ready for use in the next brew. Water used to chill wort is also able to be reused. Finally, it is anticipated that the new kettle will lead to improved yields and efficiencies throughout the brewing process. Abbeydale Brewery’s Sales Director Dan Baxter said: “After a challenging few years, we’re really excited to be in a position to make this substantial investment in our kit and commitment to the future of the brewery. The extra capacity will enable us to continue producing our long-standing range of traditional ales to the highest quality, as well as further expanding our capabilities for experimentation and innovation. We can’t wait to put the new kettle through its paces!”
Find out more at www.abbeydalebrewery.co.uk
Titanic Brewery celebrates serving 10 million pints of its flagship beer
Staffordshire brewery Titanic was full of cheer as it celebrated having brewed and served over 10 million pints of its flagship beer, Plum Porter (4.9% ABV).
First brewed by the team at Titanic in 2011, the original intention had been to create the rich and fruity beer as a one-off seasonal special, but its popularity quickly took hold and it wasn’t long before Plum Porter became part of Titanic’s core range, where it has remained ever since. Head Brewer Will Bott puts the success of the beer down to its easy-drinking nature. “We regularly hear from customers who love our Plum Porter, but don’t ordinarily like dark beers. We wanted to create something that really delivers on rich and fruity plum notes, but is also well-rounded and easy to enjoy all year round,” he said. A firm favourite at beer festivals across the country, Titanic Plum Porter has picked up a number of awards over the years, including gold in the Speciality Beer category at CAMRA’s 2015 Champion Beer of Britain awards. “We really didn’t expect Plum Porter to be as successful as it is, we’re often brewing it twice a week to keep up with demand,” Will continued. “It’s not often that you come across a brewery which has a stout or porter as its most popular product, but we really are delighted that beer drinkers enjoy it so much!” The milestone celebrations also coincided with the annual release of Titanic’s now-traditional winter beer. Plum Porter Grand Reserve (6.5% ABV) is a richer and stronger version of the original that’s matured for 21 days. Available in bottles, cask and keg, it has quickly become a firm favourite by the fireside. “Despite originally being a seasonal beer, we can’t imagine our core range without Plum Porter,” said Will. “As well as the Grand Reserve, it’s gone on to inspire other beers in our range including our Cherry Porter.”
Find out more at www.titanicbrewery.co.uk
Powder Monkey brews Mary Rose beer for 40th anniversary of raising the ship
Powder Monkey Brewery, based in a historic gun powder store in Gosport, Hampshire, has brewed a special beer for the Mary Rose.
The beer has been launched in the year of the 40th Anniversary of the raising of this historic warship and is available at the Mary Rose Museum, throughout the Historic Dockyard and online via the Powder Monkey shop. Powder Monkey supported the divers’ celebration dinner to mark the anniversary and the team was privileged to be invited on a unique boat trip to the site of the wreck where roses were scattered in honour of those that died. Mary Rose beer was available for tasting on the trip and even enjoyed by Henry V111 himself! Andy Burdon, Powder Monkey CEO, said: “It has been a pleasure developing the Mary Rose Beer in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the raising. It has been a great opportunity for our Head Brewer Mark Hamblin to turn inspiration into innovation, creating a pale ale symbolic of life on board the Mary Rose during the 16th century and supporting the important conservation project that the Mary Rose Trust continues to deliver.” Mary Rose (4.2% ABV) was inspired by visits to the Mary Rose Museum, and is a light and sessionable pale ale that acts as a modern interpretation of the lighter beers that would have been drunk on board the ship – but packed with plenty more flavour (although we can’t recommend drinking a gallon a day!). A blend of hops lend an intriguing aroma profile with a hit of cracked black pepper combining with fresh citrus fruit and some herbal notes. A clean malt profile with a prominent but rounded bitterness make for a truly refreshing and drinkable beer.
