Brewery Process & Beers
Although the brewing process is almost exactly the same as when the equipment was installed in 1860 all of the plant has been replaced over the years. We are now equipped with a very flexible traditional English brewery utilising three different sized mash tuns and two coppers capable of brewing anything between 15 to 500 barrels per day. Best quality English malt is purchased on an annual contract basis from various UK maltings. All beer colour is derived from blends of coloured malts and no caramel is used in any of our products. English hops are forward contracted up to four years ahead and harvested from the Midlands and Kent. Lager hops are forward contracted from Slovenian hop gardens. We are one of the few UK breweries still using whole cone hops which are separated from the wort with a hop back.
Fermenting
Where appropriate we have made the most of high technology control systems in critical areas. For example the temperatures of every fermenting vessel are monitored and if necessary corrected every 0.8 seconds. The system is accessible by brewing staff from their homes via modem link. All ales are top fermented in enclosed square fermenters with chilled water jackets. Individual fermenter working capacities range from 10 barrels to 250 barrels and all beers spend a Sabbath in vessel. We are very careful that our ale yeast strain which has been handed down over the years is maintained in top condition in chilled, mixed tanks to maintain viability.
Lager is bottom fermented at a low temperature using multiple temperature continental profiles and cold conditioned in cylindro-conical vessels ranging from 160 to 240 barrels capacity. All lager is cold conditioned at a maximum of 2 degrees Centigrade for a minimum of two weeks prior to diatomaceous earth filtration and keg packaging.
Settling
Natural sedimentation is used at all stages and cask beers are allowed to settle for a minimum of 18 hours prior to packaging.
Packaging
We are the only remaining brewery packaging hogsheads. For the un-initiated a hogshead hold 54 gallons (432 pints) and weighs approx. 6 cwt or 290 kg full. Cask sizes range from 9 gallons (firkin), 18 gallons (kilderkin), 22 gallons (no name), 36 gallons (barrel), 54 gallons (hogshead) and kegs from 11 to 22 gallons.
Product Range
Traditional Mild and Bitter are packaged in cask along with a new range of seasonal beers, commencing with Baton Bitter and Baton Gold which will be released to trade early June 2002. The Baton range will be brewed with best quality Maris Otter malt and hopped with Styrian Goldings. The beers will be Pale in colour and have a refreshing palate complemented by a floral hop aroma form late copper hopping and Styrian dry hop in cask.
Crystal and Diamond lager are available in keg.
The bottled beer range includes Sixex, Pale Ale and Brown Stout with Bitter and Holtenbrau lager available in 500 ml cans.
Product Quality
We are fully equipped to be self-sufficient in the analysis of all analytical parameters. No beer progresses to the next stage before full analysis. Minimum blending of beer occurs during the process so each brew will carry its own unique character within strict analytical boundaries.