Brewery brings back pride to Norfolk beer

There’s a mash tun at Woodforde’s Brewery in Norfolk that came from an old laundry. It’s now used to make short-run brews while smart, modern kit produces 20,000 barrels a year. But the ancient vessel has iconic status in the brewery at Woodbastwick, a short drive from Norwich, as it’s a classic example of the way in which many micros started life.

Woodforde’s enjoys regional, not micro, status today. It has been in operation for more than 30 years and it played a leading role in restoring a proud tradition to a county where brewing was snuffed out in the 1960s and 70s. The London giants Watneys and Whitbread bought and closed major breweries in Great Yarmouth and Norwich as they went on the rampage, stuffing pubs with keg beer and lager.

Ray Ashworth is now retired but he’s a hero of brewing in eastern England. A keen home-brewer, he launched Woodforde’s in 1981 on a wing, a prayer and second-hand kit, including that laundry vessel. He had a turbulent time at first. His first two breweries were severally damaged by fires and he moved for a third time to former farm buildings in Woodbastwick where he passed on a thriving small company to his successors Mike Betts and Dennis Nudd.

In 2008 they installed a brand-new brewhouse built by Briggs and have added new fermenting vessels since then to keep pace with demand. Part of the land surrounding the brewery is being cleared to make room for additional vessels that will allow the brewery to keep pace with the insatiable demand for both draught and packaged beers.

Managing director Rupert Farquharson (below with head brewer Belinda Jennings) says there are 40 breweries now operating in Norfolk. Competition is fierce and Woodforde’s can’t afford to sit back and expect its main brands to dominate bars in local pubs. Wherry Best Bitter accounts for 70% of production and other long-standing beers such as Nelson’s Revenge and Headcracker barley wine are still popular.

But he has to feed the great appetite for seasonal and special beers. Bure Gold, named after a local river, is a recent addition that meets the demand for golden ales with a citrus hit from American hops, while Tap & Go refreshed supporters of the oval ball game during the Rugby World Cup. Norfolk Champion celebrated Woodforde’s being named Brewer of the Year by the Good Pub Guide and also helped the celebrations in 2015 that marked 50 years since the local Maris Otter malting barley was first grown.

To help drive the business forward and ensure that each brew is in tip-top condition, Farquharson has recruited a new head brewer, Belinda Jennings from Adnams. She’s a trained master brewer with 18 years’ experience, seven of them at Adnams. She is meticulous about beer quality and was as keen for me to see the laboratory wherever batch of beer is checked and analysed as she was to show me the impressive brewhouse.

“We’re installing a yeast propagation unit so we can control all aspects of brewing,” she says. “We even check our lorries to make sure there are no infections in them.”

Rupert Farquharson, with a wealth of experience of beer retailing at Adnams, Bass and Guinness, says quality is critical to success. “The market is more diverse and drinkers are looking for more flavour. We’ve been quite conservative but we’re putting resources into new beers that are dynamic for us.”

The point was underscored by a special beer brewed for a festival in Norwich in the autumn to mark Maris Otter’s 50^th birthday. It was bottle-conditioned version of Headcracker called Redcracker with the addition of raspberries in the Belgian fashion.   

Woodforde’s publishes an ail trail leaflet that points drinkers to all the pubs in East Anglia that stock its beers. Farquharson says the brewery is the “oldest and biggest” in the region but it will only keep its crown through innovation. That desire to keep ahead of the pack can be seen in the hop store with varieties from North America, Europe and New Zealand as well as this country that will help deliver the flavours drinkers crave.

Direct delivery has grown as Farquharson has cut back on selling to such big pubcos as Enterprise and Punch. Packaged beer is on a upward curve with special brands brewed for Marks & Spencer and Waitrose while the impressive brewery shop offers draught beer boxes for the take-home trade.

Woodforde’s brewery tap, the Fur & Feather (below) is also a showcase for the beers. It’s based in two converted farm cottages where chef Pete Chapman has developed menus that match beer with food. The restaurant has 200 covers for lunch, 150 in the evening. A marquee in the garden is used for special events where local food producers can present their produce alongside the beers.

These events can attract up to 2,000 people over a weekend, proving there’s a thirst for good food and drink in Norfolk – and it’s a thirst Woodforde’s is determined to carry on quenching.

*First published in Publican’s Morning Advertiser, 4 February 2016.