Features

Sofoklis Panagiotu founded Septem Brewery at the height of the Greek financial crisis but he has survived and now runs the biggest craft brewery in the country. He produces both draught and bottled beers and exports to 13 countries. He grows his own hops and used them to make a wet hop beer this autumn with Cascade and Chinook varieties. There are now some 45 small craft breweries in Greece but they face stiff competition from Heineken and Carlsberg who account for around 85% of beer sales

Added: Friday, October 19th 2018

New England IPA is yet another variant of a style that shows no signs of slowing down world wide. Versions from the East Coast of the US are less aggressively hopped than beers from the West Coast that can have as much as 100 units of bitterness. And it was the IPA from the Harpoon Brewery in Boston that helped kick-start the IPA revolution in the 1990s. NEIPAs as they are known are now being brewed with enthusiasm as far away as Australia

Added: Tuesday, October 2nd 2018

So much attention is paid to hops these days that many drinkers ignore the vital role played by barley and other grains in making beer. Hops are the salt and pepper of beer-making but it needs malt, with its essential sugars, that enables beer to be made and to balance the bitterness of hops with rich biscuit notes with chocolate and fruit from darker grain

Added: Thursday, August 30th 2018

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