Beer News
Oddbins new store hails 'golden age of craft brewing' with 300 beers on offer
Oddbins has launched a beer-only store in Blackheath, south London, that will stock 300 craft beers, mainly drawn from Britain. Ayo Akintola, managing director of the Oddbins' chain, says Britain is enjoying a "golden ale" of craft brewing and sales of beer in his stores have risen by 37% over the past 12 months. Four of the beers on sale are Oddbins' onw-label brands, produced by leading British brewers
Added: Tuesday, March 10th 2015
Indie brewers launch election battle cry
SIBA -- the Society of Independent Brewers -- which represents 800 local and craft brewers, has launched an election manifesto with an appeal to parliamentary candidates to back local breweries and community pubs and to lobby the government to maintain and extend Small Breweries' Relief that enables independent producers to pay lower rates of excise duty than national and global giants. Pictured: Mike Benner, SIBA managing director
Added: Monday, March 9th 2015
Makeover for IPA in Greene King bid for younger drinkers as cask sales surge
Greene King is responding to surging sales for cask beer with a major makeover for its flagship IPA, with new pump clips and labels that stress the history of the Suffolk brewery.The brewer has used CAMRA research showing that real ale appeals to 18 to 24 year-olds by giving its beer youthful appeal. It's also improving cellar skills for landlords with a new online training programme called Beer Genius
Added: Monday, March 9th 2015
New BrewDog IPA is 'on doctor's orders'
"A Restorative Beverage for Invalids and Convalescents", based on 19th-century IPAs, has been launched by Scottish independent BrewDog to replicate the strong and powerfully hopped beers of that time. The inspiration has been the 19th-century pharmacologist Dr Jonathan Pereira who praised the medicinal qualities of the pale ales of his day
Added: Wednesday, March 4th 2015
Osborne urged to go for duty hat trick
As a new report shows that an additional 1,000 pubs would have closed and the price of a pint would be 16p more if the government hadn't scrapped the Beer Duty Escalator and cut duty in the past two Budgets, the Campaign for Real Ale is urging Chancellor George Osborne to go for a hat trick of duty cuts in the March Budget.. CAMRA Chief Executive Tim Page (pictured) says pubs need support as they encourage responsible drinking
Added: Monday, February 23rd 2015
Say 'Happy Birthday' to a great barley
Maris Otter, the barley variety favoured by craft brewers, celebrates 50 years in 2015 since it was first grown in Norfolk. It's in great demand even though big farmers and maltsters attempted to phase it out in order to grow more profitable "high yielding" barley. At Crisp's in Norfolk the malt is still produced by the time-honoured "floor malting" method
Added: Thursday, February 12th 2015
Yorkshire Porter triumphs again
It's a hat trick of victories for Elland 1872 Porter, which has triumphed at the CAMRA National Winter Ales Festival in Derby. Judged against a range of old ales, stouts, strong mild and barley wines, the porter -- based on an authentic Victorian recipe -- was judged Champion Winter Beer of Britain by a panel of expert judges. Dickie Bird of Elland Brewery is seen accepting the award from festival organiser Gillian Hough
Added: Wednesday, February 11th 2015
Brewers' price hike will kill more pubs
Beer price increases could put as much as 12p on the price of a pint as Carlsberg. Heineken and Molson Coors jack up their wholesale prices. Their justification -- that "manufacturing costs" force them to raise prices -- doesn't hold water as the price of both malt and fuel are in free-fall.
Added: Tuesday, February 10th 2015
Burton Ale hits the comeback trail
Burton Bridge Brewery is bringing Draught Burton Ale back to its home town when a batch is brewed on 4 March. The beer was axed by Carlsberg in January but now Bruce Wilkinson and Geoff Mumford -- who first brewed DBA at Ind Coope in the 1970s -- will launch the beer at the Burton beer festival on 26 March
Added: Friday, February 6th 2015








'Woodies' take centre stage in Leeds
The Duck and Drake pub in Leeds offers a range of beers from local breweries served from wooden casks or "woodies". One event was held in association with the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood. In nearby Castleford, the Junction pub is the pacesetter, offering a rolling range of beers served from oak casks.
Added: Friday, February 20th 2015