News

Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire -- famous as the birthplace of Graham Greene -- lost its last brewery 100 years ago. But now seven enthusiasts, including brewer Scott Carter (pictured), have brought brewing back to the town in smart premises alongside the Grand Union Canal

Added: Tuesday, May 13th 2014

St Austell brewery has launched a Belgian-style sour fruit beer made with the addition of cherries. The fruit was picked last summer at an orchard in the Tamar Valley and was then crushed by foot, including the feet of head brewer Roger Ryman.

Added: Saturday, May 10th 2014

CAMRA's Greater London Region has appealed to mayor Boris Johnson to include greater protection for the capital's pubs in his Plan for London. The campaign wants to stop pubs being turned into supermarkets or betting shops and will hold an open seminar at the end of May

Added: Friday, May 9th 2014

High Street drinks retailer Oddbins has launched its own range of beers brewed by Compass, a craft brewery in Oxfordshire. The range includes a German-style Kolsch beer brewed with smoked malt. Oddbins also wants to appoint a Beer Taster who will advise on more beers for the group to stock -- the job is unpaid but Oddbins promises plenty of free beer!

Added: Thursday, May 8th 2014

Sales of craft beer in Portland, Oregon, have overtaken those from industry giants AB InBev and MillerCoors. Craft beer now enjoys a 45.8% market share compared to the giants' 40.6%. It's the first American city to record a leading market share for independent brewers

Added: Tuesday, May 6th 2014

The Campaign for Real Ale's annual conference called for action against giant pubcos to be stepped up and criticised the slowness of Business Secretary Vince Cable to publish his proposals that will tackle the tactics of Enterprise and Punch. National chairman Colin Valentine (pictured) stressed the importance of the scrapping of the beer duty escalator and two cuts in duty.

Added: Monday, April 28th 2014

Hogs Back Brewery near Farnham in Surrey is planting its own hop field, restoring the old country link between brewing and hop growing. The main variety will be Farnham White Bine, the predecessor of the Kent Golding. An English version of Cascade will also be grown. The picture shows Hogs Back managing director Rupert Thompson in green with Bill Biddell of Hampton Estates, which grows Fuggles for the brewery, with members of the Hogs Back team

Added: Monday, April 21st 2014

Brewery veteran Dick Burge has put his mashing boots back on to rescue the ailing Growler Brewery in Essex. The former Nethergate Brewery had gone into administration but Burge has stepped in to re-open it and may revert to its original name

Added: Wednesday, April 16th 2014

Phil Evans was a radical artist who drew hard-hitting cartoons for Socialist Worker but later worked with Roger Protz on three books about beer and pubs and also did sketches for the Good Beer Guide. He has died aged 68

Added: Wednesday, April 16th 2014

Beer drinkers can be attracted to certain brands if they like the colours of the labels. An experiment at the Edinburgh Science Festival with Barney's Beer, a local micro-brewery, found that tasters preferred one of two beers from Barney's -- even though the beer in both bottles was identical. The tasters even identified different malt and hop notes in the beer they preferred. Pictured: Andrew Barnett of Barney's Brewery.

Added: Saturday, April 12th 2014