Tell us a bit about your brewery. We are a small microbrewery in the Isle of Axholme (a river island in North Lincolnshire). We started up in 2012 after I was made redundant following the closure of Thorne Brewery and I decided I wanted to be my own boss. I do the brewing and driving and my wife Jules does the being nice to customers bit. How long have you been brewing for? One year at Axholme, preceded by three years at Thorne, in turn preceded by five years at…
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Red Hot Poker is a seasonal ale brewed by the Tatton brewery located in Knutsford, Cheshire and we tried it at the Pied Bull Hotel in Chester over Christmas time 2012. If there is ever a beer that could be called a “Christmas” beer it’s this one. The pint pours a lovely ruby colour and weighs in at a fairly hefty 6% ABV so it’s a brew that deserves your utmost respect. I’ve tried brews from Tatton before such as the excellent Lazy Haze and in the past I’ve been…
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What are hops and how are they used in brewing ale? Hops are in many ways the equivalent to real ale that grapes are to wine. They are grown on vines in many areas of the world and can reach up to 20ft in height. They were originally cultivated in China and are part of the Humulus lupulus hop species. Although originating in China, hops were not used in the brewing process until approximately AD 900 and oddly the first written account of brewing using hops was reportedly made by…
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Axe Edge from the Buxton brewery is one of the flagship beers that they currently produce (along with Wild Boar) and is a strong double IPA at 6.8% ABV. It is available on cask or in bottles (our review is of the bottle conditioned variety) and it takes a not too subtle inspiration from some of the big hoppy American IPA’s that are thankfully hitting our shores from the West coast US. It is very heavily hopped, using Amarillo, Citra and Nelson Sauvin but there is also an element of…
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Ale lovers will raise a glass to Britain’s national drink when pubs around the country celebrate Cask Ale Week, from Friday 28 September to Sunday 7 October. With this year’s theme of “try before you buy”, the beer quality organisation Cask Marque is encouraging everyone to visit at least 12 of their local real ale pubs during the Week to toast Britain’s brewers – as well as to qualify for an exclusive, limited edition Cask Ale Week Tshirt. Using the ‘World’s Biggest Ale Trail’ feature on the free CaskFinder app,…
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With London 2012 well underway, it appears Olympic fever has not only hit the nation but the real ale industry too. In celebration of this great sporting event, and waving the flag for Team GB, brewers up and down the country have jumped on the bandwagon and launched their very own Olympic-themed ales. From these, ale accreditor Cask Marque has chosen its top 10 gold medalists, all Ale-ympic golds to get you in the sporting mood. Adnams – ‘Flame Runner’ (3.9%) Greene King – ‘Personal Best’ (4.3%) Butcombe – ‘Going…
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