Whenever we have some news from the brewery or any of our pubs, we’ll be sure to post it here. Look out for lots of stories coming up, reporting on events and anything else we think might be of interest to you!
The sun shone and the beer flowed at the 2nd annual Firkin 5 Fun Run on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who took part and everyone who helped out. The results are in and can be found below Barry from Oxon Races took some great photos once again. Some at 0.58M, some at 4.64M and the […]
Read moreThe rumours are true. Looking for a beer style that would compliment their existing award winning range of both cask and keg beers, some would say Hook Norton Brewery have broken with tradition and brewed their first lager. Trial #1. Brewed in their pilot plant using a special lager yeast, this first trial batch (hence […]
Read moreHook Norton Brewery is a central part of the local community, by supporting and involvement in such things as local charities, sports teams, brass band and fire service. This all started in 1895 with the establishment of the first Parish Council on which sat Brewery Company Secretary George Groves, Head Brewer Alban Clarke and John […]
Read moreIn the Brewery Malt store there is a key board hanging up and people on a Tour will often ask, what are the keys for? Well, the answer is they are part of the Inland Revenue act of 1880. Although this Act came in 137 years ago, and has been superseded by later Acts, there […]
Read moreAt a Tour Guides meeting the other day we were discussing how many tours some Guides had undertaken. It appears at least two of them (Malcolm and Chris) had each done over a thousand. This got me thinking, given we have a Tower Brewery I wonder how high they could have climbed during these […]
Read moreA story goes that in the 1930′s a vagrant called at the back door of the Sun Pub. “I have no money”, he said to the Landlord, and continued “but if I can come up with a poem mentioning all the Hook Norton pubs will you give me a free drink?” “O.K., you have a […]
Read moreWhen taking groups on a tour of the Brewery and we reach the Malt store, I refer to our obtaining Malted Barley Grist from our Grist Mill. When hearing this people will often say ‘Surely the saying is Grist to the mill, not from the Mill?’ Actually, both sayings are correct. In a flour mill, […]
Read moreHaving been a Hook Norton Brewery Tour guide for a number of years I had seen many brews in process but I now see things from a different perspective. This is because I recently had the pleasure of actually helping ‘hands-on’ to brew a Beer that was being brewed especially for a project I was […]
Read moreOver the years the buildings of Hook Norton Brewery have been used for a number of things other than Brew related. It started with World War Two and soldiers being billeted in the Stables, and then with the threat of invasion the Malt House was earmarked as a food store. In later years the local […]
Read moreWhen considering Hop growing areas in the UK we naturally think of Kent, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and maybe South Oxfordshire but not North of the county. What made me study this subject was the reference on an old 1800′s map of Banbury (above) to there being a ‘Hop garden’ showing on Salt Way. Here’s what […]
Read moreBrewers Spent Hops. Last month we looked at Brewers Grains and their use when the Brewery had finished with them, this month we look at spent Hops. Hops are the flowers the hop plant, they are used primarily as a flavouring and stability agent in beer to which they impart bitter, zesty, or citric flavours. […]
Read moreBrewers Grains. Regular visitors to Hook Norton Brewery will be aware of the Farm trailer parked at the base of the Brewery tower which is there to collect the spent grist from the brew mashing process. The grain is dispensed from the mash tun into the trailer via a tube in the centre of the […]
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