Pints West 92, Winter 2011 - Bristol & District CAMRA

PINTS WEST
Bristol Beer Factory ‘Best Drinks Producer’
The Bristol Beer Factory has
won ‘Best Drinks Producer’
in Radio 4’s prestigious BBC
Food & Farming Awards.
The short-listed entrants were decided on
votes from the public and the winners by an
expert panel of judges chaired by chef and
restauranteur, Richard Corrigan, who said about
the winners, “They are working hard to save
some of our greatest craft skills and artisanal
traditions and reflect where Britain is today and
give us optimism for our future.” The judges
liked the fact that the Bristol Beer Factory is at
the heart of the community in Southville and
Ashton and central to the regeneration of the
area. They also loved the brewery’s ‘Twelve
Stouts of Christmas’ idea of a dozen beers specially
created to celebrate the festive season.
Bristol Beer Factory Managing Director,
Simon Bartlett, had previously said, “Wow, we
are blown away to have made the finals at this
years Food & Farming Awards. It is fantastic
that people have nominated us for such an
award, and great justification in what we are
trying to achieve at the Beer Factory.”
Upon receiving the news that they had actually
won, George Ferguson, founder of the Bristol Beer Factory, said,
“We see this as an accolade for Bristol and the craft beer industry as a
whole and feel very lucky to be representing independent brewers up
and down the country who put so much care and attention into producing
high-quality craft beers.”
On the topic of the ‘Twelve Stouts of Christmas’, a year of trials,
experiments and patience has come to an end. Tasting, blending and
The winning team
arguing over different brews has led to a point where they have a
truly unique case of twelve different bottle-conditioned stouts. These
were launched at a brewery open day on 26th November and are now
available from the brewery or online. There are only 150 cases of the
‘Twelve Stouts of Christmas’ available, although there are a small
number of some beers that will be sold individually.
Head Brewer, Chris Kay, said, “I have enjoyed the challenges
this project has thrown up and I’m particularly happy with how the
Raspberry Stout has turned out; the 25kg of raspberries that were used
in making this beer have
given it an incredible
aroma. I’ll definitely
be having a bottle on
Christmas Day.”
Simon Bartlett added,
“We think the ‘Twelve
Stouts’ case will make a
fantastic Christmas present
– what more could a beer
lover want this year?”
The Bristol Beer Factory
brews a wide and diverse
range of Craft Beers.
Beers available from
www.bristolbeerfactory.co.uk
- The Brewery Shop, North St
- The Brewery, Durnford St
or from our outlets at the
- Tobacco Factory
- Grain Barge
- Barley Mow
Bristol Vintage 2011 is a beer they have created to celebrate the
1,000th brew in the brewery. Simon Bartlett, along with brewers Chris
Kay and Brett Ellis, have carefully selected five malts and four of their
favourite hop varieties to make a full-flavoured, strong, dark ale. After
fermentation the beer was aged on some fresh English oak to add another
layer of complexity to it. An extra special brew day was required
to produce the desired amount of beer, Simon starting the brew day off
at 1am, and Chris finishing the day at gone 9pm. Three mashes were
required to produce the 6,000 pints wanted. Hops were selected from
England, Germany, New Zealand and the US, all bringing something
different to the beer, and leading to a distinctive hop presence that complements
the malts and balances the beer.
The Bristol Beer Factory Christmas beer Bristletoe is now available
again in both cask and bottle-conditioned form. It has been spiced with
ginger, coriander and orange peel, and is a lower alcohol (4.3%) alternative
to many Christmas beers.
Their new Beer Shop & Café should now have opened on North
Street (next to Mark’s Bread). Bristol Beer Factory bottled and draught
beers will be available Monday to Saturday, along with other products
made on site.
There is also the online shop at www.bristolbeerfactory.co.uk.
Richard Brooks
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