Andrew Catchpole visits Hogs Back Brewery in Surrey, England
As product development goes, Martin Zillwood Hunt’s philosophy takes some beating. “I start by taking an empty glass and imagine what I’d like in it,” he says. “This is how all our recipes have developed.” It’s no more than you’d expect from a self-taught brewer who began by home brewing small batch...
Spotlight
from Issue 12 published on 25/05/2007
The thirst for microbrewed beers in sunny Australia is growing and growing, none more so than for Little Creatures. Andrew Catchpole visited it
Good beer, shame about the name, what about calling it Dead Croc?” So quipped one Aussie wag upon his first taste of Little Creatures Pale Ale. For those readers who have yet to have the pleasure, it’s a great brew, packed with flavour, coming out of funky Freemantle in Western Australia.
It’s been...
Spotlight
from Issue 10 published on 26/01/2007
Andrew Catchpole talks to Bart Verhaeghe, one man on a crusade to bring more Belgian beer to Britain
Croydon, an area of London known for its binge-drinking culture and bouncerstudded bar strip, may seem an unlikely venue for a festival of rare and highly original artisanal Belgian beers. But beyond the boozing masses of the central streets is Beer Circus, one of those oasis of fine beer culture th...
Spotlight
from Issue 10 published on 26/01/2007
Andrew Catchpole visits the Boon Rawd brewery in Bangkok, birthplace of the successful Thai lager – Singha
Bangkok takes pride in the soubriquet of consistently hottest city in the world.
Walking the traffic-choked streets, as the mercury nudges 35ºC, with the afternoon humidity rising like a runaway sauna, it’s difficult to disagree.
This is one very steamy town indeed.
It’s the kind of place where e...
International Focus
from Issue 9 published on 22/11/2006
Kent was once the heartland of British hop production. Andrew Catchpole visits the Faversham Hop Festival to report on the future of this vital beer ingredient
There was a nice spot of irony at work as the 8.20 Spitfire Hop Pickers Steam Special chugged into life and pulled out of London Victoria on route for the September hop festival at Faversham in Kent.
A modern diesel employed to help push-start our 70-year-old Black Fives locomotive had broken down....
Spotlight
from Issue 8 published on 27/09/2006
Liverpool brewery Cains seemed to be going nowhere fast until two brothers turned it on its head. Andrew Catchpole reports
When two Asian brothers of Kentish origin bought the loss-making Cains brewery in Liverpool in 2002 more than a few eyebrows were raised.
With no experience of brewing, no local ties, a background in wholesale retailing and only a negligible grasp of Scouse footballing lore, there were dark mutteri...
Brewery Focus
from Issue 7 published on 28/07/2006
Andrew Catchpole looks at the beers and breweries of Greater London, Middlesex and Surrey
London’s best known contribution to the beer world is the treacle dark, burnt-bitter edged, thirst-slaking beauty that is porter.
This original London stout was possibly created by one Ralph Harwood of the Bell Brewhouse in Shoreditch in or around 1722 (a plaque still marks the spot). Whatever its ...
Regional Focus
from Issue 6 published on 18/05/2006
Andrew Catchpole looks at the brewers of Hampshire, Sussex and Kent
Evidence of brewing among the pastoral landscapes and rolling downs of South East England stretches back into the Middle Ages and beyond.
Even today a visit to Kent and parts of Sussex reveals a very visible reminder of England’s brewing history. The countryside is spiked with old oasthouses and, o...
Regional Focus
from Issue 4 published on 27/01/2006
The North-West of England is still a healthy area for quality beer. Andrew Catchpole picks out the best buys
Howls of protest greeted the closure of Boddington’s historic Strangeways Brewery last year and the later buy-outs of both Jennings and Burtonwood by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries further upset aficionados of real ale.
However, this spirited region still boasts a formidable roll call of indepe...
Regional Focus
from Issue 3 published on 12/01/2006
