Wharfe Bank Brewery
Limited Edition Beer called CCC is WharfeBank Brewery's 300th brew
To celebrate our 300th brew we have brewed this limited edition / one off beer called 'CCC' (Roman Numerals for 300).
Only 30 casks are available from Monday 30th April. Orders can be placed NOW by calling the brewery or email info@wharfebankbrewery.co.uk
The beer is a premium, pale beer with a bitter finish. Brewed using the finest hops and although strong at 5.6% is highly drinkable - something to savour.
A WISPA about JDW Festival
JD Wetherspoons latest beer festival is just around the corner, and WharfeBank Brewery is pleased that WISPA (that's WharfeBank India Strong Pale Ale) is included.
It's all hands on deck at the brewery to ensure that sufficient supplies of WISPA are available to be distributed to Wetherspoon pubs across the land. All leave is cancelled, and hop trucks have been bring all the necessary supplies.
The festival runs from March 14th to April 1st in all JDW pubs. More details are on their web site.
See You in Huddersfield
It's "Meet the Brewer" time at the Cherry Tree in Huddersfield.
Tuesday 24th January is the date, and we'll be in the pub from about 7:30. The Cherry Tree is on John William Street right in the middle of town. We'll be talking about beer, explaining how beer is made and giving out samples of some of the latest WharfeBank brews.
And we'll have Craig White, former England and Yorkshire cricketer with us. He'd prefer to talk about beer, but could probably be persuaded to talk about cricket too.
Here's hoping to see some people there!
Northern Pubs at the Fleece
The new year brought a new beer blog to the local scene. "Northern Pubs" is written by Steve and Peter, and sets out to visit some of the best pubs in, you guessed it, the north. And we were honoured that the first pub they chose to visit what the Fleece in Otley.
And they quite liked it! Read what they said on their Blog.
Ales of the Riverbank: 1 of 12
WharfeBank Brewery this week released the first in a new series of special one-off brews. "Ales of the Riverbank" is the name for this new series: one beer will be brewed each month, named for a feature along the River Wharfe. The names start in Deepdale and end on the river just outside the brewery.
The first beer in the series in Hagg Gill, a 4.5% traditional strong Yorkshire Bitter. This is a one-off brew of just 40 nine gallon firkins, so orders need to be placed soon!
Future Ales of the Riverbank will give the brewing team at WharfeBank the chance to try some different classic beer styles. There's a sweet porter, a honey beer, a black IPA, and more.
Start collecting now!
Verbeia Reaches Leeds
Verbeia, the Roman goddess of the River Wharfe, has gone all metropolitan and has arrived in Leeds.
VPA will be available on the evening of 7th December in Mr Foley's Cask Ale House on the Headrow. Festivities start around 7:30pm when the WharfeBank team will be present to provide some samples and to talk about the development of the new beer.
All are welcome!
Verbeia Does Huddersfield
Verbeia arrived in Otley last week. Now it's time for a journey around Yorkshire!
First stop is the Star Inn, Albert Street in Huddersfield where VPA will be present and correct for the pub's Beer Festival.
The festival opens on the 23rd November, and the WharfeBank team will be there from about 6pm for a couple of hours and could probably be persuaded to arrange a sample or two for interested people ...
Verbeia Comes to the Festival
Verbeia is here! Or at least she will be come 12 noon today!
Because that it when the doors of Otley Beer Festival open, and beer fans from the town and further afield will head down to Otley Rugby Club to sample the festival's range of beers.
And one of the beers will be WharfeBank Brewery's new core ale. Verbeia Pale Ale (or VPA) is a 3.6% hoppy pale golden beer, and it will be making its debut today. The launch of VPA is at 1pm.
After the festival, VPA will be available in two of Otley's flagship real ale pubs. The Old Cock on Crossgate and WharfeBank Brewery's own pub, the Fleece on Westgate, have taken delivery of the first supplies. Festival-goers can look out for vouchers for 50p off a pint in either of these pubs!
And next week, Verbeia is off to do the rest of Yorkshire!
Verbeia is Nearly Here
There is a long history of settlement around the Wharfe, notably the Romans who set up camp in Ilkley. To the Romans, the local river had a goddess - and her name was Verbeia.
This week WharfeBank Brewery will launch its tribute to Verbeia. Verbeia Pale Ale (or VPA for short) is the latest addition to the Brewery's core range. VPA is a pale golden hoppy beer, and at 3.6% it's an ideal beer for quenching a thirst or for a session.
There is an ancient carving of Verbeia in All Saints Parish Church in Ilkley which, like the brewery, is on the banks of the Wharfe. There's lots more information about the goddess at the Verbeia Knol on Google.
Nightshade Time
The clocks have gone back, leaves are coming off the trees, so it must be autumn. So here's an autumn beer from WharfeBank - Nightshade!
Nightshade is a 4.9% chestnut brown winter warmer beer. Brewed using English hops, it's the perfect beer for drinking by the fireside as the nights start to draw in. It'll be available throughout November.
SIBA's Great Northern Beer Festival
This weekend see's the Great Northern Beer Festival, organised by SIBA, over in Manchester.
Some 250 cask beers will be available, along with 100 in bottles. And because of a mammoth glass-washing operation, all beers will be served in the proper northern way with a creamy head.
Full details are on SIBA's web site.
WharfeBank will be at the Festival on Thursday evening and most of the day Friday. Come and say hello if you spot us!
Spooky Special
Halloween is coming, so WharfeBank has the ideal beer for a spooky evening down at the pub.
Witch's Finger is a specially spooky 4.6% ABV dark brown beer. It's one brew only, and is available just around Halloween. A perfect beer for a night out with the ghosts and ghoulies!
Celtic Glory
Celtic Glory is back!
Celtic Glory is Wharfebank's take on a traditional Irish-style stout. It's 4.0%, looks black but it actually very dark ruby red. Last seen around St Patrick's Day in March, it's back by popular demand for an autumn outing.
People sometimes ask how the beer names are chosen. So they might be interested that the name of the River Wharfe is from a Celtic language, meaning winding or twisting.
This is a one brew of Celtic Glory until March next year. So when it's gone, it's gone!
Black Tom is Coming!
Next month's special beer from WharfeBank harks back to the Brewery's first brew, back in April last year.
That first brew was a 4.4% ABV dark mild, called Black Tom. Black Tom is a full-bodied traditional mild ale, with a distinctive fruity feel, overlaying a rich roast malt character of coffee and liquorice. English hops only are used, with a complex mix of different malts and just a dash of real treacle for a little bit of extra flavour.
Black Tom is named after Thomas Fairfax, a Parliamentary commander during the English Civil War. Faifax was born at Denton Hall, just up the road from the brewery, near Otley.
Like all the monthly specials, this is a limited edition. Once the brew has gone, it's gone!
Beer Festival Weekend
Beer Festival season is starting in these parts this weekend. And WharfeBank beer is off to two local events.
Keighley Beer Festival runs from Thursday evening to Saturday night at Victoria Hall on the edge of the City Centre. WharfeBank Brewery is pleased to be one of the sponsors of the event, and customers should find Carry Me Home and Black Tom on the bar.
Cononley Beer Festival is a a village event, running on Friday and Saturday. CamFell Flame was delivered there earlier in the week.
Best wishes for successfulk festivals to both of these!
WharfeBank Weekend at the Fleece
This weekend it's festival time at the Fleece. There's music, a special menu, and beer from the tent in the garden!
Music
Duncan Macfarlane - local legend - Rocks out on Saturday at 8pm.
Bruno Langley and his swing band - Sunday from 8pm - and he really is Tod Grimshaw!!
Curfew - SKA comes to the Fleece on Sunday at 9pm - Utter Madness!!!
Beer
Fox IPA, Tether Blond, and Guests in the Tent at 2.40 a pint. Bottles from Warcop and Heather Ales grace our Bottle Bar (including a cask and bottle conditioned lager, CASPA at 5.7%, well worth a slurp at 3.80 for 500ml).
Food
Friday seems a TRIO herb and spice kitched with something for meaties, fishies and veggies.
Saturday we have a steak and fish night - fixed price for a lot of auality Yorkshire produce.
Sunday we have a non-traditional lunchtime carvery.
Sunday night is Curry Night!! Rock the night away and fill up on a choice of mear, fish or veggie curries and side dishes.
Come join the fun!!!!!!!
Stately Beer
WharfeBank Brewery's latest special beer is here. It's a good one, and stocks are limited!
Harewood Gold is a premium export pale ale made with Maris Otter Pale Ale malt along with crystal make to give a subtle malty character. It has a fruity character and a delicate hop character from the English hops.
The pump clip shows Harewood House, which is situated a few miles from the brewery. The Earl and Countess have tasted the beer and pronounced it good. The beer itself was developed by the brewery team in collaboration with the staff at Harewood.
This is a limited run! Look for it from the middle of August.
Name Our Beer
The problem is, of course, the name. If it's to be available all year round it can't be called Summer Ale any more!
So, WharfeBank Brewery is running a competition in association with the WharfeDale Observer to give Summer Ale a new, all year round, name. Martin commented "I'm really keen that the new name will have strong local roots and local meaning. It made sense for us to enlist the help of great, local minds to find a great new name for our Summer Ale, not that it's not going to be just for summer any longer".
Details of the competition are on the Observer Web-site.
WISPA in IPA Festival
WharfeBank India Strong Pale Ale (known to its friends as WISPA) has been selected to be part of the Nicholson's IPA Festival. The festival runs from August 22nd to September 4th.
WISPA is now a well established part of the WharfeBank core range of beers, and is especially popular with drinkers who like their beer a little stronger and hoppier. It takes its place in the festival alongside IPAs from long-established family brewers like Fullers and Thwaites and a whole range of other brewers.
Full details of the festival are on the Nicolson's Web-site.
BBQ at the Fleece
It's BBQ time at the Fleece agauin this Saturday, 30th July.
The BBQ and Family Fun is in the riverside beer garden at The Fleece on Westgate in Otley.
There will be meat, fish and veggie food from 2.50. To keep the young 'uns occupied, there are loads of games for the kids, and of course there's the outside Cask Bar - be the first to try WharfeBank's new brew - Tykes Tipple. The first 60 pints will be only 2.20 .....
Summer Ale Going Fast
WharfeBank Brewery's latest Monthly Special, Summer Ale, has become the brewery's fastest seller yet. Summer Ale was brewed for the month of July, and two brews have sold out already, and it's only July 4th!
Summer Ale was a popular part of the WharfeBank portfolio last year, when it was brewed in the late summer. Last year's Ale was a 4.3% ABV golden beer, with loads of citrus flavours. Following customer feedback and requests for something a bit lighter for the hot summer days, the recipe was changed for 2011 to give a lower ABV - 3.6% - but still keeping the hop and malt flavours. This gives a beer that's great for slaking a summer thirst!
The first pubs to take Summer Ale reported very good sales, and many re-ordered quickly. The first two brews were sold almost before July had started. More is being brewed to keep up with demand.
Pubs who want to try the new Summer Ale are welcome to call the brewery on 0113 284 2392.
Brewing in Leeds
The imminent closure of Tetley's Brewery in Leeds has brought BBC Look North to the WharfeBank Brewery to see what we think about the future of brewing in Leeds. Look for us on the television on Friday 17th June!
Of course this is not really a time for celebration. Tetley's has been part of Leeds life since 1822, and its passing this week is sad news. In particular, our best wishes go to all those who are losing their jobs with the closure of the brewery.
We at WharfeBank in particular have strong links to Tetley's, with Ian Smith (former Head Brewer at the Tetley Leeds Brewery) as our Consultant Brewer, and Martyn Spencer (our current brewer) also being an ex-Tetley man. And the rest of us have been drinking Tetleys for as long as we can remember. We are now part of the brewing tradition of Leeds and we'll do our best to live up to it. As Joshua Tetley himself used to say - "Quality Pays".
Stumped for a Beer?
WharfeBank Brewery's latest monthly special is now available. Old Stumper is a new beer brewed for our own ex-cricketing MD. It's a full bodied strong ale with a golden colour, a chirpy character and a distinctive citrus bite from the Slovenian hop.
Look for it in all the best pubs now!
Festival Weekend
There are lots of Bank Holiday weekends coming up, and it's time for Beer Festivals at some of our local pubs and clubs. WharfeBank beers will be on the bar at quite a few ...
Look for our beers at:
- The Dales Festival of Food and Drink (Royal Wedding Weekend).
- Red Lion, Burley in Wharfedale (Easter Weekend).
- Three Horseshoes, Headingley (Royal Wedding Weekend).
- Leodiensian Club, Alwoodley (Royal Wedding Weekend).
- Kings Arms, Silsden (Royal Wedding Weekend).
- Station, Yeadon (May).
- Albert, Yeadon (Easter Weekend).
Good to luck to all with these events. Check with the venue for opening times and so on.
WharfeBank goes to the Abbey
The Abbey Inn, at Newlay on the banks of the River Aire, held a festival of Leeds breweries over the first weekend in April. WharfeBank Brewery was well represented with WISPA and new monthly special Aztec dark available, and these two turned out to be the two fastest selling beers of the weekend!
The Abbey has a long record of running festivals to support local charities and to promote local breweries. This time landlord Martin got hold of beers from all the breweries with LS post codes to showcase some of the finest beers brewed in the area.
WharfeBank provided WISPA - an India Pale Ale brewed on the banks of the Wharfe - to be drunk on the banks of the Aire. Along with this went the new monthly special, Aztec Dark, a new dark beer brewed with real chocolate. And both beers were very well received indeed!
WISPA is available all year round. Aztec Dark is available until the end of April.
Fleece Opening
WharfeBank Brewery is pleased to announce that its new flagship pub, the Fleece on Westgate in Otley, will open at 11am on Thursday 17th March.
The Fleece has benefited from a £400,000 refurbishment in partntership with Punch Taverns, which will turn the pub into one of the region's landmark pubs.
The work has developed the interior of the Fleece into three distinct areas. The traditional public bar remains, and is now complemented by a separate dining a area and an open plan bar. The garden has also been completely redeveloped and terraced. The River Wharfe runs along the bottom of the garden, and there are also fantastic views over the river and Wharfedale from inside the pub.
The Fleece will showcase WharfeBank's range of beers, along with regularly changing guest beers from across the country. There is also a real cider, and a fantastic range of lagers and other continental beers. An exciting range of locally sourced food will be available every day, including an excellent Sunday Roast.
The team at WharfeBank Brewery and the Fleece are looking forward to welcoming customers old and new to the Fleece.
The 100th Brew is Here!
WharfeBank Brewery's 100th Brew is now available!
The beer, known as C (the Roman numeral for 100) is a 5.6% light golden coloured beer, brewed with a special blend of hops. It's a strictly limited edition, with only 40 firkins (9 gallon barrels) being brewed.
C also stands for "Charity", because WharfeBank Brewery will be making a donation to the National Autistic Society for every pint sold.
C will be available across Yorkshire through the kind assistance of Market Town Taverns, who are taking C in all their Taverns, and who will also be matching the brewery's donation to the charity. C will also be available in a small number of carefully selected free houses in the region. The design work for the pump clip (seen right) was donated by the redwall design agency, and the pump clips themselves were manufactured and donated by Leawood Manufacturing.
C was designed and brewed by the WharfeBank team in their free time, with assistance from the local branch of CAMRA and also representatives of the National Austistic Society. The charity was chosen because Tony Jenkins, who works at the brewery, has a god-daughter, Aimee, who has Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism. Tony even persuaded Aimee to come along to the brewery to help out during the brewing! And now the beer is ready Tony has made it his mission to deliver it to every pub that takes it, and to get along later to try some!
C can be found in the first few weeks of March in the following Market Town Taverns:
- East of Arcadia, Meanwood, Leeds.
- Veritas, Leeds City Centre
- Arcadia, Headingley, Leeds.
- Symposium, Idle.
- Town Street Tavern, Horsforth.
- Coopers, Guiseley.
- Bar T'at, Ilkley.
- Narrow Boat, Skipton.
- Tithe Bar, Northallerton.
- Swan on the Stray, Harrogate.
- Old Bell, Harrogate.
- Mitre, Knaresborough.
- Brigantes, York.
- Muse, Wetherby.
And the list of free houses is:
- Old Cock, Otley.
- Swan, Bishopgate Street, York.
- Yeaton Cask, Huddersfield.
- Old Ship Inn, Brighouse.
- Fox and Goose, Hebden Bridge.
- Smithfield Hotel, Manchester.
- Star, Huddersfield.
The final casks of C will be available at Leeds Beer, Cider and Perry Festival in mid-March.
CamFell wins at the Fox
WharfeBank Brewery's CamFell Flame is an award winner again! CamFell recently won Beer of the Festival at the Beer Festival run by the at the Fox Inn, York.
CamFell was the brewery's first winner, with the Beer of the Festival award at the Leeds CAMRA Beer Festival in 2010. Now it's also been voted top beer by the customers of the Fox. The Fox's festival showcased a selection of beers from across Yorkshire, some on handpump and some from a temporary bar. The beers included a past Champion Beer of Britain, so this is indeed a scoop for CamFell Flame!
WharfeBank takes the Fleece
WharfeBank Brewery is pleased to announce a £400,000 scheme that will re-open and reinvigorate Otley's oldest pubs. A partnership with Punch Taverns will turn the Fleece on Westgate into one of the region's landmark pubs. Building work has already started, with plans in place to open the new Fleece in early March. The work will create three distinct areas inside the pub, including a traditional public bar and a separate dining area. In addition the beer garden will be cleared and replanted to create an outside drinking area that will stretch all the way down to the banks of the River Wharfe. There will even be facilities for local anglers to access the river from the garden. The Fleece will showcase WharfeBank's range of beers, and will also feature quality cask ales from other similar breweries across the country. There will be a selection of fine wines, continental lagers and beers, and an extensive selection of malt whiskies. Managing Director Martin Kellaway commented: "Our vision is to make The Fleece one of the region's finest pubs. I've often driven past thinking what a great pub it could be, and one that the whole community could be proud of. "Now we've got the chance to turn dreams into reality and we're really excited about this fantastic opportunity. "We've got some fantastic plans in place to make The Fleece a showcase of all that is good and great about Yorkshire in terms of food and drink. "We'll be offering all of WharfeBank's beers and giving customers a chance to have their say on our new brews, as well as offering beers from other like-minded brewers from the four corners of the UK. "The Fleece is a beautiful building surrounded by some stunning scenery so we've kept that in mind when thinking about the renovation. We want to work with the building whilst also adding a few modern touches here and there. "A key area for us is the beer garden which will be completely transformed. As long as I’ve known The Fleece the beer garden has never been used, so we are going to clear the area so customers have access to the river." Regular updates on the Fleece will be posted on this site, on Twitter and on Facebook.
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot!
WharfeBank Brewery's latest Monthly Special is now available.
February is time for Six Nations rugby, and rugby and beer do go together rather well. So the latest Special is something specially for the rugby fan who's had a few pints after the game. They'll probably need something to carry them home!
Carry Me Home is a strong golden IPA-style beer packed with fruit flavours and a distinctive citrus flavour from the Chinook late hop. This, along with a hefty dose of Chinook as a dry hop in the cask gives a strong hoppy, yet very drinkable beer.
George Launches His Porter
George, the WharfeBank Brewery dog, has been out and about to check on the brewery's new Monthly Special.
George went along to Arcadia in Headingley to make sure the customers were all trying Mad George Porter, WharfeBank's new 5.2% special. Arcadia is a well known dog-friendly pub, and George made lots of new friends, both canine and human.
"Mad" George is a traditional porter-style beer, almost black in colour to match George's shiny coat. It is pleasantly sweet, with a gentle hop bitterness. It's deceptively easy to drink.
Demand for George's beer has been such that the first brew sold out in a few days, with casks going all over Yorkshire and some even making it over the Pennines. George therefore instructed the WharfeBank brewing team to make more, and fresh supplies will be available soon.
George is also pleased that his beer will be on the bar at CAMRA's National Winter Ales Festival at the end of the month.
Happy New Year
2010 is over, 2011 is just around the corner.
The WharfeBank Team send Very Best Wishes for a happy and prosperous 2011 to all our customers, and to all those who have been enjoying drinking WharfeBank beer.
2011 starts with our new Monthly Special, Mad George Porter, just starting to get out to pubs. This is a fantastic 5.2% dark porter, named after the WharfeBank Brewery dog, George (who is a bit mad). The pump clip features George himself.
The official launch for Mad George will be next Thursday, January 6th, in Arcadia in Headingley. The event will feature a personal appearance by George, who has been invited along by Arcadia's band of canine regulars.
Cheers!
Christmas Opening Times
The team at WharfeBank send all our customers best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
We'll be here over the holiday period so get in touch if you need some beer!
While we're not around, orders can be left by calling 0113 284 2392 and leaving a message, or by emailing sales@wharfebankbrewery.co.uk. And as a bonus, every email order gets a free WharfeBank t-shirt as a thank you!
December 20th to 23rd
Business as usual
Christmas Eve
Deliveries till 12 noon.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Closed. Orders taken by email of leaving a phone message.
December 27th
Open for orders on the usual number, or by email. Urgent deliveries.
December 28th to 30th
Business as usual.
December 31st
Deliveries till 12 noon.
January 1st and 2nd
Closed. Orders taken by email or by leaving a phone message.
January 3rd
Open for orders on the usual number, or by email.
January 4th
Business as usual. Here's to 2011!
Time to Wassail with WassAle!
Traditionally, Wassail is a hot, spiced punch often associated with Christmas. The drink was originally a mulled ale, spiced with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
Now, the WharfeBank version is here - meet WassAle!
WassAle is the latest beer devised by the brewing team at WharfeBank. The idea was to try something traditional, but with a modern twist. Just how a good Christmas should be, in fact. Many test brews followed, as the team made sure they had the balance of spices just right. A Baby Burco boiler was pressed into service to make up very small sample brews. The tasters met, and samples were checked and rated. Eventually, they pronounced the final blend "just right".
WassAle is a 4.2% ABV mid-brown beer. It's spiced with real root ginger, along with nutmeg and cinnamon, in the proper traditional way. "Liquid Christmas Pudding" is the best description so far. It really is cracking stuff.
A proper Wassail is mulled, of course. Will we be heating up sone WassAle to see what it's like? You can bet we will!
WassAle is available NOW while stocks last.
Arc Inspirations take Tether
Four of Arc Inspirations popular bars have now got Tether Blond as a permanent fixture on their bars.
Tether can be found at Banyan in Harrogate, Napa in Roundhay, Kobe in Horsforth and will soon be at Zed in Chapel Allerton. These bars all have a reputation for excellent food and drink, and Tether is sure to go down well with their customers.
Details of all the bars can be found at www.arcinspirations.com/ .
W.I.S.P.A. has Arrived!
WharfeBank Brewery is about to release a brand new beer.
W.I.S.P.A. stands for WharfeBank India Special Pale Ale. It's a golden refreshing ale, coming in at 5.1% ABV. It's available from Wednesday 15th September, and will be being delivered to all the usual stockists.
Record Week at WharfeBank
WharfeBank brewery has had its best ever week, with over 9000 pints delivered into pubs in Yorkshire.
WharfeBank beers are now regular fixtures on the bars of many of the areas finest pubs. Pub-goers from Scarborough to Grassington and from Ripon to Wath-upon-Dearne (and many places in between) now have the opportunity to find out what makes WharfeBank's beers special.
Brewery Open Day
On Fri 16th July, we are having a brewery open day for trade members, customers and beer lovers!
We are brewing on the day, our latest special - Tykes Tipple.
Open from 12 - 3, with brewery tours, sampling, Bar B Q and even CamFell Flame flavoured ice cream.
Official opening by Greg Mulholland and Craig White at 2pm.
Post event beers also available at the fantastic Hunters Inn, Pool.
Local candidate to celebrate Election victory with local beer
The new MP for Leeds North West could be toasting success with a locally-brewed beer rather than a glass of Champagne, following an offer by WharfeBank Brewery, to provide beers for the General Election count tonight.
Liberal Democrat candidate Greg Mulholland accepted the offer from WharfeBank Brewery, as part of a national campaign by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA). Martin Kellaway, MD of WharfeBank Brewery, says, "It seems completely wrong for new MPs to be marking this very British occasion with sparkling wine shipped in from France, when there's an independent brewer on their doorstep. We produce wonderful craft beers from local, natural ingredients, using minimal food miles. We employ local people and make a valuable contribution to our local economy and community.
"And, at a time when pubs are closing at record levels, there's also evidence that pubs which serve a good pint of cask ale are less likely to fail than those that don't. We can't think of a better way for MPs to show their support for local beer and local pubs than by raising a glass of British beer at the start of their term in public office."
SIBA wrote to some 2,300 parliamentary candidates earlier this month, encouraging them to replace the traditional victory tipple of Champagne with a glass or two of beer brewed in their constituency. For more information on the campaign, visit www.siba.co.uk
Local Businessman to Open Brewery in Leeds
In the beautiful Wharfedale region plans are a-brewing! Local businessman Martin Kellaway is finalising the plans to open the WharfeBank Brewery which is set to start production in April.
Situated in a converted paper mill on the bank of the river Wharfe in Pool-in-Wharfedale, close to Otley, the 20-barrel brew plant will have a capacity of 100 barrels per week.
Since leaving the Caledonian Brewery, brewers of Deuchars IPA, former director Martin has set about creating his vision to build a handcrafted, premium cask brand along with a range that is not only innovative, but brands that demand a permanent place on the bar, as well as in the beer drinkers repertoire.
The brewery project has been funded through a rural development grant from Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency responsible for improving the economy of Yorkshire and Humber region and Martin's partnership with local businessman, Nigel Jowett.
"This project has always been a vision of mine, and after more than a year of hard graft and thanks to my partnership with Nigel Jowett, the help of Yorkshire Forward and our bank, Nat West, to see the brewery almost complete is just great," said Kellaway.
He continued, "We've got such a rich brewing heritage here in Yorkshire and we've tried to convey that. We want to offer the beer drinker everything that is good and great about beer with a slight modern twist, even pushing the boundaries in some cases. We've thought about every aspect of the beers from how they taste to down to the look of the pump clips and we're really happy with the results.
"We appointed Ian Smith, the recently retired Head Brewer of Tetley Cask, to brew our beers and with him on board, we believe that we've created some really special beers. He's got some amazing recipes up his sleeve and by using the very best hops and ingredients, it's reflected in the beer we're producing. Rather than retire completely, Ian really wants to show beer lovers what a great brewer he is!"
The beers are currently brewed at Kellaway's cask brew pub, the Fox and Newt in Leeds, alongside the Fox Beer Company own range of ales, and have been trialled on many an eager customer within the pub and at a number of Yorkshire beer festivals this winter.
The core range of WharfeBank Brewery is made up of three beers; Slingers Gold, Tether Blond and CamFell Flame.
Slingers Gold is a wonderful golden coloured very refreshing and yet full beer brewed with Maris Otter ale malt and crystal malt and hopped with Chinook, Cascade and Celeia hops. This combination of hops gives a complex floral aroma with pronounced citrus. At 3.9%abv, it's a great session beer and highly quaffable!
At 4.1%abv Tether Blond is pale, drinkable American style beer brewed with Maris Otter ale malt and a pinch of crystal malt and hopped with Cascade and Simcoe hops. The hops give the beer a resinous/citrus character with a very distinctive Passionfruit top note.
CamFell Flame this 4.4%abv beer is a ruby coloured full drinking premium ale brewed with Maris Otter ale malt, Crystal malt, Amber malt, Torrefied wheat and unusually Demerara sugar. Hopped with Pilgrim and Challenger English hops with Celeia aroma late hops - a complex beer bursting with flavour!
"As well as the core range, we've also developed a range of monthly guest and seasonal ales which will be available in May starting with a traditional premium dark mild, for the 'Mild Month of May' called Black Tom", said Martin. "We've tried to be a little bit different and create beers that are seen as an everyday treat and we're quietly confident that those who sample our beers will feel the same!"
New Brew CamFell Flame Picks up CAMRA Award
Just weeks ahead of the opening of the new WharfeBank Brewery in Pool-in-Wharfedale, new brew CamFell Flame has picked up the Leeds CAMRA, Beer of the Festival Award 2010, beating a number of champion ales who exhibited including; Champion Beer of Britain, Rudgate Ruby Dark Mild and Champion Winter Beer of Britain, Ellan 1872 Porter.
The three-day event held at Pudsey Civic Hall saw over 3,700 CAMRA and non CAMRA members, each with the opportunity to vote for their favourite beer, show their enthusiasm for the 4.4% premium ale.
Managing Director of WharfeBank Brewery, Martin Kellaway said "We could not have got off to a better start! Our Head Brewer, Ian Smith, is an amazing brewer and he has brought his talents to life in creating a great range of special beers for WharfeBank.
"Our passion is great craft beer and it is reassuring to know that beer drinkers love our brew - it proves that all the time we have spent in creating, testing and perfecting our beers has been worth the wait."
The new brewery goes into full production in week commencing 12th April and will produce three core ales: Slingers Gold, Tether Blond and the Award winning CamFell Flame. In addition, a range of monthly guest and seasonal ales will be available commencing in May with Black Tom, a traditional premium dark mild.
"With Ian at the helm we are confident that our range of beers will be a refreshing addition to any pub or bar's range of ales" said Martin"And with CamFell winning this award we are sure the demand for the beer will be strong". To ensure supply, orders can be placed directly on 07795 695 675.
Jobs created in new development at Pool-in-Wharfedale
FOR beer-lovers something very special is brewing in a converted paper mill on the banks of the River Wharfe.
WharfeBank Brewery, which will start production at Pool-in-Wharfedale in April, is the brainchild of local businessman Martin Kellaway and partner Nigel Jowett.
Mr Kellaway, a former director with the Caledonian Brewery (producers of Deuchars IPA), has been working towards opening WharfeBank for the past 12 months and can hardly wait to see how its three carefully handcrafted "core" beers go down with customers.
The brewery's 20 barrel brew plant will be able to produce up to 100 barrels a week. Four full-time and two part-time jobs have been created thanks to the £400,000 investment.
The project is being funded via a rural development grant from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward and the partnership with Mr Jowett.
Mr Kellaway said: "This project has always been a vision of mine, and after more than a year of hard graft and thanks to my partnership with Nigel Jowett, the help of Yorkshire Forward and our bank, Nat West, to see the brewery almost complete is just great.
"We've got such a rich brewing heritage here in Yorkshire and we've tried to convey that. We want to offer the beer drinker everything that is good and great about beer with a slight modern twist, even pushing the boundaries in some cases.
"We've thought about every aspect of the beers from how they taste down to the look of the pump clips and we're really happy with the results.
"We appointed Ian Smith, the recently retired head brewer of Tetley Cask, to brew our beers and with him on board, we believe that we've created some really special beers.
"He's got some amazing recipes up his sleeve and by using the very best hops and ingredients, it’s reflected in the beer we're producing. Rather than retire completely, Ian really wants to show beer lovers what a great brewer he is!"
The brewery's three flagship beers - Slingers Gold, Tether Blond and CamFell Flame - are currently brewed at Mr Kellaway's cask brew pub, the Fox and Newt in Leeds, alongside the Fox Beer Company's own range of ales.
They have already been enthusiastically "tested" on some of the pub's customers, and samples were also sold at several Yorkshire beer festivals over the winter.
But WharfeBank's plans don't stop there, and they have a variety of other ales up their sleeve too.
Mr Kellaway said: "As well as the core range, we've also developed a range of monthly guest and seasonal ales which will be available in May, starting with a traditional premium dark mild for the 'mild month of May', called Black Tom.
"We've tried to be a little bit different and create beers that are seen as an everyday treat and we're quietly confident that those who sample our beers will feel the same!"
Ex-Caledonian man to open brewery
Former Caledonian Brewing director Martin Kellaway and former Tetley head brewer Ian Smith have teamed up to open their own brewery.
CamFell: one of the ales at WharfeBank
Named the WharfeBank Brewery, it is a converted paper mill located in picturesque Wharfedale, north of Leeds.
Smith will brew three core beers - Slingers Gold (3.9% abv), Tether Blond (4.1%) and CamFell Flame (4.4%).
The beers are currently brewed at Kellaway's cask brew pub, the Fox and Newt in Leeds, alongside the Fox Beer Company range of ales.
The 20-barrel brew plant will have a capacity of 100 barrels a week. Production is expected to start in April.
"This project has always been a vision of mine and to see the brewery almost complete is just great," said Kellaway.
"With Ian on board, we believe that we've created some really special beers and he is itching to be hands-on and get back in the brew house."
A range of monthly guest and seasonal ales will be available in May starting with a traditional premium dark mild called Black Tom.
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