Features

In 1978, when Roger Protz published his first book on beer, Pulling a Fast One, the industry was dominated by the Big Six national brewers who closed many smaller breweries and charged high prices for their ales and lagers. 40 years later, global brewers have replaced the nationals and their beers are still shockingly over-priced

Added: Friday, August 24th 2018

Hook Norton Brewery is a magical place centred on a classic Victorian tower brewery. It has a steam engine, oak-lined brewing vessels and horse-drawn drays. But it's not living in the past. Managing director James Clarke has dramatically increased the range of beers and has turned the site into a major tourist attraction with a visitor centre, restaurant and a pilot brewery where beer lovers can make their own brews.

Added: Thursday, July 19th 2018

Delegates attending the annual conference of More Than a Pub, staged by the Plunkett Foundation, heard of campaigns throughout the country to save cherished local pubs as a result of dedicated work by action groups. The centrepiece of the conference was a case study of the Gardeners Arms in Sheffield (pictured) that was saved from closure and is now acting as a vital community hub and is also the tap house for the Sheffield Brewery

Added: Tuesday, July 17th 2018

East Lancs Railway is a restored steam line brought back from the dead following the Beeching Axe. It has two superb bars at Rawtenstall and Bury stations serving a fine range of beers from local breweries plus top quality true lagers. Visitors will also find saison, sour and even a Bavarian-style Dampfbier. When the line reopened in the 1980s it received a visit from the Flying Scotsman (pictured)

Added: Sunday, July 8th 2018

Shepherd Neame may be Britain's oldest brewery, dating from 1698, but it's not resting on its history. Chief executive Jonathan Neame says the future for beer is about flavour and quality and he responds to modern consumer demands with beers with good hop aroma whether in cask, keg or bottle. The brewery is also expanding its pub estate with new outlets planned for London

Added: Tuesday, July 3rd 2018

Eden River Brew in Penrith has joined forces with design students at Cumbria University to fashion a new range of beers with vibrant coloured cans. The range includes two IPAs -- one of them sour -- a fruit wheat beer and a Belgian-style farmhouse saison.

Added: Sunday, June 10th 2018

Norwich is linked to Rouen in France and David Holliday at Norfolk Brewhouse was keen to brew a beer that commemorated the association. He found that Northmaen brewery on a farm near Rouen in Normandy grows its own grain and was also keen to stress the Vikings' link between the two regions. The result is Amitie IPA, launched during City of Ale in Norwich. Pictured: Dominique Camus at Northmaen with Bruce Ash from Norfolk Brewhouse

Added: Monday, May 28th 2018

Adnams Brewery in Suffolk is famous for its cask ales -- but times are changing. Chairman Jonathan Adnams (pictured),in a frank interview, says only a tiny proportion of his production goes to his own pubs and in the free trade there's a growing demand for keg beer -- and sales of keg will overtake cask by 2019.

Added: Wednesday, May 16th 2018

A new brewery museum in Izmir traces the history -- sometimes turbulent -- of brewing in Turkey. The first commercial breweries didn't open until the last years of the Ottoman empire. Under the Turkish Republic there were periods of state ownership. The museum shows how the first breweries -- such as Bomonti in Constantinople (pictured) -- moved from ale to lager brewing. Today, the biggest brewery, Efes, is planning its own small museum in Izmir.

Added: Sunday, May 13th 2018

Turkey saw its first ever beer festival in Izmir in May. There are now seven craft breweries in the country and a vigorous home-brewing scene as well. For decades the country has been dominated by one large brewery, Efes, but now the impact of the world-wide craft revolution is being felt. Pictured, the hall in Izmir where Brewstival was staged

Added: Saturday, May 12th 2018