Our beer
Alex Arkell: We brew beer to go in cask, keg and bottles. Available all year, we brew four different cask beers and four different keg beers. These draft beers range from a creamy, chocolatey stout to classic best bitters, all the way to a light, refreshing lager. On top of these, we also brew monthly seasonal brews, for which we like to get a bit more experimental (for example, tomorrow I’m brewing a spiced pumpkin ale). Then we also have a selection of bottled beers available for people who fancy drinking at home.

Who makes it?
I’m the sixth generation of my family to brew beer here, on exactly the same site. We still use our Victorian, steam tower brewhouse to brew all our beers, and stick, where possible, to the hands-on principles with which John Arkell built the brewery in 1843. So there are very few computers making our beer, just brewers with passion and years of experience.

Our beers
Original, 4% ABV cask, 4.5% bottle, bitter
Gold, 4.7% ABV (bottle), 4.4% ABV (keg), golden ale
Rare Breed, 4.2% ABV (bottle), 3.8% ABV (keg), pale ale
Goram, 5% ABV (bottle), 5% ABV (keg), IPA
Bohemia, 4.7% ABV (bottle), 4.7% ABV (keg), pilsner
Blonde, 4.5% ABV (bottle), 4.5% ABV (keg), blond ale

Who makes it?
In 1978, Butcombe Brewing Co. began. At that time no one was risking it all starting a traditional brewery, making simple, premium, easy-drinking ale. To do so was an act of defiance. Or madness. But, 39 years later, by staying true to our beliefs – and with a lot of hard graft – it looks like owning a resolutely traditional brewing company isn’t such a crazy idea after all. By going against the grain, to work intimately with it, we made our own statement with every pint. And what was true then is just as important today.

How is it made?
We use the finest Maris Otter malt, the purest Mendip spring water and English hops in our Original beer. All our beer is made at our brewery in the heart of The Mendips in Wrington.

The best ways to enjoy it?
Our beer is available in cask in a huge array of bars, pubs, hotels and eateries across the South West, or you can enjoy a bottle of our finest tipple anywhere that takes your fancy as we’re also available across a host of retailers too. Butcombe Original is the perfect companion to tender red meat, lending a peppery character to full meat flavours. It’s the best friend of stews and warming winter pies and is always welcome at a summer BBQ.

What’s special about your beer?
Think of us as a warm handshake of hello, a seat at the family table. A cheer for the win and a ‘cheers’ to the team. You’ll find us in the company of good friends and the icebreaker for strangers. There’s no pretence, no airs and graces, just a good honest pint made with talent and pride. Never a challenge but happy to surprise, whatever we brew you know that’s our best work in your glass. We’re a badge of great taste and a friendship for life. And, like any enduring friendship, you’ll always be happy you chose to spend time with Butcombe. A pint you can believe in. Truth in every taste.

 

Our Beer
Cotleigh Tawny, 3.8% ABV (500ml £2.30), session bitter
Cotleigh IPA, 4.% ABV (500ml £2.35), India pale ale
Cotleigh Golden Seahawk, 4.2 ABV (500ml £2.35), premium beer
Cotleigh Barn Owl, 4.5% ABV (500ml £2.40), premium ale

Who makes it?
Produced in Wiveliscombe, a historic brew town since 1807, when it was home to the once-famous Hancock Brewery. Cotleigh was established in 1979 by Ted Bishop and John Aries in the Cotleigh stables in the Cotleigh Farm House in Washfield, near Tiverton. Immediate success forced the move to Wiveliscombe with its source of clean air and pure water from the Clatworthy dam. Aries was only in his mid-twenties when he set about creating an immaculate, purpose-built brewery.

How is it made?
Cotleigh prides itself on being 'craft', using only the finest hops, both local and international, avoiding the plague of hop oils and pellets.  Beer is not released from the brewery until it has reached perfect condition with secondary fermentation in the cask.

How does it taste? 
Our beers are noted as being malty! We also have an established reputation for quality and consistency with all profits reinvested back into the brewery.

The best ways to enjoy it?
There is a beer for that! We have a range of eight bottled beers. Contact us for permanent and seasonal beers such as Snowy and Red Nose Reinbeer. We will also give you advice related to food matching.

What’s special about your beer?
We use only the finest local and international ingredients. Our brewery is fully SALSA accredited. Ask your other brewers what accreditations they have, if any! The first beer was Tawny and the first barrel was sold in June 1979 to The Masons Arms in Knowstone. It has been a permanent fixture there ever since.
 

Our beer
Jail Ale, 4.8% ABV, available in cask and 500ml bottles
Legend, 4.4% ABV,  available in cask and 500ml bottles
Dartmoor IPA, 4% ABV, available in cask only
Dartmoor Best, 3.7% ABV, available in cask only

Who makes it?
We are situated in Princetown, in the heart of the Dartmoor National Park and surrounded by breathtaking countryside. Being 1465ft above sea level makes us the highest brewery in the British Isles. The brewery was started in 1994 and soon outgrew its original home so, in 2006, the brewery moved to its current location, occupying the site of the old Princetown railway station. It is from here that the brewery continues to brew its flagship beer Jail Ale and portfolio brands. We have exciting expansion plans for the brewery and its brands over the next couple of years.

How is it made?
We love brewing great beer here in the heart of Dartmoor, and throughout the brewery, there is a passion and pride in every beer we brew. We love great beer and are delighted to become a corporate member of Cask Marque, an organisation that loves the same things as we do and shares in our beliefs that we are responsible for the beer from grain to glass. We plan to use our membership to jointly invest in our customer's outlets to make sure that every pint of Dartmoor Brewery produced beer is as good as it was when it left the brewery and that the end consumer can sample the pride and passion that lives here in every pint of beer we brew.

How does it taste? 
Jail is our original beer, first brewed in 1994. It quickly achieved fame and many top awards with its full-bodied, deep golden appearance and well-rounded flavour and a rich, moreish aftertaste. Undoubtedly one of the best premium ales in the country.
Legend launched in 2010 as a modern-style beer based on traditional brewing technics. The beer quickly built its own legend across and far beyond its moorland heartland. It’s a balanced beer with a crisp malt fruit finish.
IPA was created alongside Jail as a highly drinkable light golden ale. It has a unique blend of English hops which create a superb spicy apple and citrus fruit flavour.
In 2015 we introduced the new kid on the block. Dartmoor Best is an easy drinking, hand-crafted amber style beer, made using the same Dartmoor water and Dartmoor malted barley plus our core range of English hop varieties and some new exclusive hops.

The best ways to enjoy it?
Enjoyed in pubs and clubs and the larger national supermarket chains.

What’s special about your beer?
We love brewing great beer here at Dartmoor and throughout the brewery there lies a passion and pride in every beer we brew. We love great beer and are delighted to share that with our customers. 

 

Our beer
500ml bottled ales based on the well-known, popular high-quality cask brands.
Flack’s Double Drop, 3.7% ABV
Flack Catcher, 4.4% ABV
Hedge Hop, 4.9% ABV
Romsey Gold, 4.5% ABV 
Black Jack Porter, 4.6% ABV

Who makes it?
Nigel Welsh, Ann Stantiford and Terry Baker, who in 2010, after the demise of Strong’s Brewery, wanted to keep beer production alive in a town where brewing was an integral part of its history.  

How is it made? 
All of Flack’s ale is brewed using the traditional double drop method on site in Romsey.

How does it taste? 
Locally grown, floor malted Maris Otter barley, English hops and English-grown new world Chinook and Cascade give each beer its own distinct flavour and personality with provenance at its core.

The best ways to enjoy it?
Slightly chilled. Try pairing Romsey Gold with salmon and cream cheese canapés, Hedge Hop with a hearty roast, Black Jack Porter with a chocolate pudding or Flack’s Double Drop with a cheese board.

What’s special about your beer?
The traditional double drop method of brewing allows for a ‘drop’ to a further vessel to continue the fermentation process, leading to a fundamentally better tasting, more refined beer. Our beer has great drinkability, ranging from traditional ales to the more complex styles of the true IPA or the rich winter porters. Flack Manor ales are versatile and moreish. 

 

Our beer
Starboard!, 4% ABV, 500ml bottles, golden session ale
Fuggle-Dee-Dum, 4.8% ABV, tawny red premium ale, in bottle and cask
Wight Squirrel, 4.3% ABV, russet full flavour best bitter in cask
Ale of Wight, 4.0% ABV, (3.7% in cask), citrus blond ale in bottle and cask

Seasonal Ales
Inspiration, 5% ABV, pale session ale, cask
Duck’s Folly, 5.20% ABV, strong ale in bottles and cask
Winter Warmer, 5.20% ABV, ruby black beer in cask

Speciality ales
Quarr Abbey Ale, 6.50% ABV, Benedictine style ale in bottles

Who makes it?
Anthony Goddard started the brewery at Barnsley Farm, near Ryde on the Isle of Wight, in 1993. Having been comprehensively “stuffed” by Lloyd’s (the insurance market), Anthony and his wife Alix had to sell up their home and vineyard business at Barton Manor in Whippingham on the Isle of Wight. They relocated in 1991 to a caravan at the then-derelict Barnsley Farm where they began renovations. Feeling unemployable in a more conventional role, the next idea was to start a new business – and having developed a taste for making alcohol, brewing seemed a logical step.
Rather bravely, Jonathan Stancill – the Head Brewer of what was then Burt’s – decided to join the new Goddards Brewery using its 15 barrel brew-length plant. The first brew was racked off that Spring, just in time for the tourist season. Today the brewery is still family-run and remains at Barnsley Farm.

How is it made?
One of the stand-out features of Goddards is its use of locally sourced ingredients. These days most of the barley is grown on the Isle of Wight and brewed using a local water source. Although it’s been many years since the Island has grown hops commercially, some beers are hopped using those grown specially at the Ventnor Botanic Garden. Quarr Abbey Ale even incorporates sweet gale and coriander grown and hand-picked in the gardens of the Abbey. If you like to know where your beer comes from then, Goddards is for you.

How does it taste? 
Our range of classic real ales or as the kids like to call them ‘craft beers’. All have been tried, tested and tweaked over a number of years to deliver a satisfying pint. There’s great range from dark and strong to light and fruity. We like to delight our customers with seasonal beers that perfectly reflect the time of the year. From winter warmers to summer ales, we trust that you’ll find a beer to suit. From time-to-time, we love to brew something a little different. In the past, we have brewery beer that uses Isle of Wight grown hops (which are a bit of a rarity) as well as limited edition flavours to celebrate special events.

What’s special about your beer?
Our enthusiasm to use local flavours and ingredients gives Goddards' beer a distinctive character and unrivalled provenance. The fact that we use Isle of Wight-grown barley is possibly unique as most barley is aggregated and it's not possible to know where it comes from. Our customers have always really appreciated the attention to detail and care that our head brewer Nigel takes to ensure each pint of Goddards is delivered at a consistently high standard. 

 

Our beers
Many beers which are packaged in cask, keg and  500ml bottles.  All beer is unfined, unfiltered and unpasteurised

Take it Easy, 2.5% ABV, low strength hoppy pale
Thoroughbred, 3.7% ABV, session IPA
Freedom Hiker, 3.7% ABV, amber session bitter
Tropical Thunder, 3.7% ABV, amber session bitter
Toujours, 4% ABV, saison
Vienna Session Lager, 4.2% ABV, cold-fermented lager
Caribbean Cocktail, 4.5% ABV, tropical wheat beer
Brad’s Coffee Stout, 4.5% ABV, stout with freshly roasted coffee
Pale and Bitter, 5% ABV, American pale ale
Halcyon Daze, 5% ABV, wheat beer with coriander
IPA, 5.3% ABV, American IPA
Nettle IPA, 5.3% ABV, American IPA with nettles
Dorset GIPA, 5.4% ABV, American IPA with ginger
Dark and Bitter, 5.8% ABV, black IPA
The Favourite, 6.6% ABV, porter
Starstruck, 6.6% ABV, porter with star anise
Double IPA, 7.3% ABV, high strength IPA
Elderbeery Stout, 7.3% ABV, strong stout with elderberries
(RRP for bottles between £2.90 and £3.50 depending on the strength of the beer)

Who makes it?
Jon Hosking, head brewer, and Amanda Edwards, sales director, set up the ten barrel plant in 2013. Passionate about making good beers and being experimental with the ingredients and production methods, they have created beers that are enjoyed both locally and nationally.  Head of production is brewster and forager Emma Turner who is forever trying additions of hedgerow plants to the products such as nettles and elderberries.

How is it made?
All brewed with spring water on site at the Gyle 59 brewery in Marshwood Vale where the counties of Devon, Dorset and Somerset meet. The lack of three-phase electricity means the hot liquor tank is heated by an industrial log burner and the boil is managed by two propane burners that kick out 75 KWs each. Hops are used from around the globe and chosen for their flavour profile depending on the style of beer being made. “It’s all about the sensory experience,“ says Jon, who insists that all beer is unfined. “We spend a lot of time, energy and money to put flavour into our beers, why would I want to remove any of it by using isinglass (a fish product)”?

How does it taste? 
All our beers are created with one thing in mind – flavour. We are lucky enough to have a unique supply of spring water which we are using to good effect allowing the many different qualities of our ingredients to shine through.

The best ways to enjoy it?
From cask at around 15 – 17°c from a hostelry that knows how to look after live beer. Kegged beer should be served colder at around 6 – 8°c.  Bottles can be served ambient or chilled in the fridge depending on your preference and the weather conditions, however, Vienna Session Lager should be chilled for best results.

What’s special about your beer?
Hazy crazy artisan beers – we want you to notice what you are drinking.

 

Our beer
Devon Amber, 3.8% ABV 500ml
Shingle Bay, 4.2% ABV, 500ml
Salcombe Gold 4.2% ABV, 330ml
Seahorse 4.4% ABV, 500ml
Lifesaver 4.8% ABV, 500ml

Seasonal Ales
Stormwatch 4.3% ABV, draught only
Equinox 4.0% ABV, draught only
Reindeer Fuel 4.9% ABV, draught only

Who makes it?
Tom Maderios heads up our brewery team. He has over 35 years of brewing experience, previously worked at Twickenham Fine Ales and has won numerous SIBA and CAMRA awards.  He is supported by Chris Lang, who joined as a trainee brewer 18 months ago and has since completed his IPD in brewing. Our final member of the team is Sam Beaman who joined us in September fresh from completing his Master’s in brewing at Nottingham. Previously, he had been a member of the brew team at Otter.

How is it made?
The beer is brewed in our brand new and unique 20 BBL brewhouse which is built on the site of a decommissioned water reservoir overlooking the Salcombe Estuary. We utilise the natural ambient temperature of the underground facility for cask storage and conditioning and we intend to install solar heating to make the brewery as energy efficient as possible. We have just commissioned our own water supply, extracting Devonian water from 215ft below the brewhouse and all our malt is from the UK and supplied by Tuckers Maltings. 

How does it taste? 
All our beers are brewed using a great range of interesting hops and a good balance of malt. The combinations of ABVs and flavours in the range will suit the tastes of all lovers of craft beer. 

The best ways to enjoy it?
Our beers taste great whether they are served chilled or ambient.  The styles of beer we produce always work well with food, for example – Salcombe Gold is a good match for seafood dishes. Ultimately though, we leave this to our customers to choose as the diverse tastes of our beer can be enjoyed in many ways. 

What’s special about your beer?
We brew a high-quality range of handcrafted ales and premium bottle beers that suit all lovers of craft beer. From our classic bitter Devon Amber to our light and fruity Shingle Bay, all our beers delight our customers. As we are in a unique position of using the underground, decommissioned water reservoir as well as solar heating, our brewery is as energy efficient as possible. 

 

Our beers
BOB, 4% ABV, classic amber ale
Falling Star, 4.2% ABV, premium golden ale
Cotswold Way, 4.2% ABV,  premium chestnut ale
Station Porter, 6.1% ABV, premium ebony ale

Seasonal
Sundowner, 3.8% ABV,  refreshing harvest ale
Try Time, 3.8% ABV,  golden full-bodied ale
Wessex Witchcraft, 4.6% ABV, magic ruby ale
A Tall Christmas Tale, 4.5% ABV, warming russet ale
Shanakee Stout, 5% ABV,  rich ruby stout

Who makes it?
Wickwar Wessex Brewery is a traditional independent brewery owned by industry veterans Mike Watts, ex-chief executive of Morland Brewery PLC, and Mike Flavin and Ian Frost, who were directors of Avebury Taverns – a 750-strong tenanted pub estate, before its successful sale to Punch Taverns in 2005. The three gentlemen had retired but soon heard about an opportunity with a brewery, nestled in a tiny village called Wickwar. The rest is history. Wickwar Wessex Brewery now produces over 2 million pints of ale a year, alongside running their ever-expanding managed retail estate. The company’s founders are driven by their unrivalled passion for producing premium, handcrafted ale, but also developing a team of talented and passionate employees. The business is built on these key values.

How is it made?
Our Brewery is located in the tiny village of Wickwar, nestled in the Cotswolds. All our ales are crafted by hand, by just three brewers, who tend to the brewery seven days a week – our ales are like their baby! Every morning we begin the process of brewing with a spring in our step and commence each brew by mashing in with our local Cotswold water. We hand pick only the finest raw ingredients to complement our unique strain of yeast that has remained the same since we started brewing, to produce the well-balanced flavours that characterise the beer we’re famous for. With years of dedication to our craft and a brotherhood of brewers who pass down their knowledge through the generations, keeping our secrets and developing the recipes first written on parchment or whispered in hushed reverence, we create contemporary beers with a wealth of tradition. 

How does it taste? 
Ingredients for our ales include the pillars of pure Cotswold water and our own unique strains of yeast. When it comes to hops; our connoisseur’s session ale Bob uses Challenger and Fuggles to produce a well-balanced hoppy palate and Falling Star has a carefully chosen blend of Cascade, Willamette and Mittlefruh hops. Cotswold Way and Station Porter both feature three malts to provide flavour.

The best ways to enjoy it?
Our ales are best served at the correct temperature, in good company, over a tall tale or two!

What’s special about your beer?
Our ale is a true artisan product, crafted by hand by our three brewers. We use traditional methods, to produce a quality, premium ale product, every time.