Still very much a family affair (North-West of England)

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 independent family brewers plus a growing number of excellent microbreweries all dedicated to keeping the craft of brewing caskconditioned beer alive and well.

Boddington’s cask is now being brewed at Hydes that, along with Holts and J.W. Lees, forms one third of the Manchester triumvirate of family-run independents, all with brewing tradition stretching well back into the 1800s.

Burnley’s 200-year-old Thwaites has returned to form with cricketing hero Freddie Flintoff heading its campaign for Lancaster Bomber Ale and Frederic Robinson’s Brewery in Cheshire is also trumpeting its renewed focus on caskconditioned ales. And on Merseyside one of the biggest stories has been the revival of the fabulous Cains brewery in Liverpool by the teetotal Dusanj brothers.

Mild, once the traditional drink of the region, is also experiencing a revival as both larger independents and smaller microbreweries feel the benefits of a Campaign for Real Alebacked campaign to promote the style.

Meanwhile, led by early success stories such as Phoenix, dozens of microbrewers such as Ramsbottom, Pictish, Bazens and Boggarts have sprung up in the last decade or two, often offering a mix of traditional bitters, mi.....

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By Andrew Catchpole

Section : Regional Focus

Page number : 30