Swiggin in Wiggin : September 2012 - Wigan

Our last outstanding tasks from the busy spring
quarter was to award the two winning certificates
from our very own Wigan Beer Festival where we
invite attendees to vote in two categories, light
beer of the festival and dark beer of the festival.
The two clear winners were Thornbridge Brewery
in the light category for Brother Rabbit a 4.0%
golden ale, and closer to home Prospect’s Nutty
Slack 3.9% in the dark category.
Thornbridge branded beers were first brewed in
early 2005 with the establishment of a 10 barrel
brewery in the grounds of Thornbridge Hall.
However, to meet demand and an increase in
product range, a new 30-barrel state-of-the-art
brewery and bottling line was opened at Bakewell
in September 2009. Since that time the brewery
have won over 200 awards and now have a growing
collection of pubs.
Brother Rabbit is described as being hopped with
three classic American hops: Cascade, Chinook and
Centennial. Gold in colour with tropical fruits and
orange sherbet dominating the aroma. Medium
body with a clean firm bitterness to balance – a
great thirst quenching beer.
Having made contact with Thornbridge,
arrangements were made to make the presentation
Beers of Wigan Beer Festival Awards
22
at the brewery’s latest pub, the Bath Hotel in
Sheffield. A party of volunteers made the trip over
the Pennines to meet with Thornbridge’s Marketing
Manager, Alex Buchanan and to present the award.
Hidden just off West Street on the corner of
Convent Walk and Victoria Street, the Bath Hotel
is a CAMRA heritage listed pub and is one of
Sheffield’s best kept secrets. The pub features 3
Thornbridge hand-pulled beers and 3 guests beers
and is a Grade II listed pub dating back to 1867. It
is situated on the sharp angle of the streets with
a triangular shaped bar with fixed seating and a
hatch servery.
The main counter serves a bar on the opposite side
which also appears to retain its original seating.
The counter front is unusual in that it is faced with
orangey-brown tiles.
We were made most welcome by Alex and the
Bath’s team. So much so that we barely had time to
see much of the Steel City’s other excellent pubs
and a planned visit to Kelham Island was cancelled
- meaning a repeat visit to the city is a must!
On our way back to the railway station we did
visit the nearby Devonshire Cat, a landmark in
the vibrant Devonshire quarter, The Lord Nelson,
a real locals pub and the Rutland Arms, another