Features

Woodforde's Brewery in Norfolk has grown impressively to regional status and has won many awards for such brands as Wherry and Headcracker. It was in the forefront of bringing brewing back to the county following brewery closures at the hands of Watneys and Whitbread. Woodforde's has a new head brewer, Belinda Jennings, whio is busily developing new beers

Added: Tuesday, February 16th 2016

Annick De Splenter is a member of a Belgian brewing dynasty but she has carved a unique route with her Gruut beers that recall the medieval style of using "botanicals" rather than hops for flavour and bitterness. She has just moved to a new site in the centre of Ghent where beer lovers will be able to use her kit to design their own brews

Added: Sunday, January 31st 2016

Breandan Kearney, annointed Beer Writer of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers, is an Irishman who has settled in Ghent to write about Belgian beer and has quickly acquired a big following for his forthright views and tastings on his blog Belgian Smaak. He is seen picking up his award at the guild's annual dinner.

Added: Friday, January 29th 2016

David Grant, managing director of Moorhouse's of Burnley -- famous for Pendle Witches Brew -- says the town has fought back from the nightmare of riots in 2001 and now a real community spirit is aiding the brewery to build its sales. But the beer market is changing and the brewery has had to sell three of its six pubs. Grant is critical of Progressive Beer Duty that doesn't help a company of his size

Added: Monday, January 18th 2016

Charrington IPA, once a major brand in London, disappeared in the wake of the takeover frenzy of the late 20th century. But now master brewer Steve Wellington has brought the beer back at the William Worthington Brewery in Burton-on-Trent and restored it to its original strength. Steve is seen on the left with brewing colleagues Caroline Horrabin and Martin Hodson

Added: Wednesday, December 16th 2015

Pubs can be saved if owners have belief in them and are prepared to invest to attract customers. The Queen Charlotte in Windsor has had a £500,000 investment from Punch and Oak Taverns and offers a warm welcome, a great range of beer and imaginative food. In sharp contrast, Spirit's Baton pub in St Albans, unloved and unwanted by the pubco, is to be demolished, robbing its community of a local

Added: Monday, December 7th 2015

Edinburgh's Caledonian Brewery is celebrated for its award-winning Deuchars IPA but it's now expanding its range of beers thanks to the introduction of a small pilot plant called Wee George that, at a cost of £180,000, allows new beers to be trialled and, if successful, are moved to the main brewery. Wee George is run by Ross O'Hara, pictured, a graduate of the local Heriot-Watt University's school of brewing and distilling.

Added: Wednesday, December 2nd 2015

Elgood's elegant Georgian brewery in Wisbech was struggling in the age of micro-breweries and stiff competition from big regionals Adnams and Greene King. But thanks to managing director Belinda Sutton -- representing the fifth generation of the family -- Elgood's is in good shape with a host of new brands, including its own version of Belgian lambic, and a vigorous export policy

Added: Thursday, November 5th 2015

Brewers in Bristol are busily pushing back the boundaries of beer with Bristol Beer Factory winning awards for its Milk Stout while Moor is challenging tradition by producing unfined beer made without isinglass finings and where Justin Hawke is replacing glass with real ale in cans. Pictured are Sam Burrows (left) and Simon Bartlett at Bristol Beer Factory

Added: Friday, October 9th 2015

Alan Hinkes has scaled Mount Everest five times and is the only Brit to have climbed all 14 8,000 metre peaks in the Himalayas and Karakoram ranges. When he's not climbing, he enjoys good beer, real ale in particular. He recalls his early drinking, the beer deserts of Newcastle and Scotland in the 1980s, and some of his favourite brews at home and abroad. He's seen here (left) with ranger David Tyson on Great Gable, toasting the Cumbrian peak with a special beer

Added: Wednesday, October 7th 2015