‘Moreish’ Wye Valley Brewery Wins at the BBC Food and Farming Awards!

At a star studded awards ceremony taking place at the BBC Good Food Show, Birmingham NEC, Wye Valley Brewery, has been awarded the inaugural Best Drinks Producer award at the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2010. This was the first year a Drinks Producer category had been included in the awards and it received a flood of entries but it was cask beer that took centre stage as Wye Valley Brewery was recognised as Best Drinks Producer from all types of drink producers nominated from across the country.

The BBC Food and Farming Awards have been described as ‘the Oscars’ of the food world. The awards ceremony was presented by Sheila Dillon, from the Radio 4 Food Programme. Chefs Raymond Blanc and former Blur member turned cheese maker Alex James also made guest appearances. However the real star of the show were the fantastic food and drink celebrated at the event and the passionate producers behind them.

Vernon Amor, Wye Valley Brewery Managing Director accepted the award from Oz Clarke. Vernon commented ‘We are really thrilled to receive this prestigious award. Our brewery is a traditional family business and this year we celebrate our 25th anniversary. Receiving this award in recognition of all our hard work and care producing great beers for real ale lovers in our region is definitely the highlight of a great year!’

The judges were impressed by Wye Valley Brewery’s commitment to selecting local Herefordshire hops, their dedication to quality through traditional production methods, plus their support of pubs and links with the local community. Showing that cask ale is every bit as complex in flavour as fine wine, the judges commented that you could taste the local terroir in Wye Valley beers and also praised their ‘moreishness!’

The awards programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 9am on November 26th. For more information about the BBC Food and Farming Awards, see www.bbc.co.uk/foodawards.

Looking forward to some festive cheer...

Our cask special Christmas brew is named ‘Christmas Whiskers’ in honour of the charity beard our drayman Andy Jones grew to raise money for St Michael's Hospice this time last year. The pump clip features Andy sporting his charity whiskers and a rather festive red suit and hat. This 4.5% ABV beer is a copper coloured best bitter. Full bodied and satisfying with a spicy blackcurrant finish, it is perfect to be enjoyed with all your favourite Christmas pies and puddings. Roll on December - we can't wait to tuck in!

New Venue Proved Great Success for 2010 Birmingham Beer Festival

The new venue for this year's Birmingham Beer Festival proved a fantastic success and was well received by all the visitors. 206 ales and 40 ciders sold through almost down to the last pint and the festival managed to raise an impressive surplus in excess of £1,500 for CAMRA's ongoing campaigning work supporting community pubs and promoting real ale. Approximately 70% of visitors through the doors were non-CAMRA members so this is a great event to bring real ale to the attention of a wider audience. The Wye Valley Team had a great time at our popular bar. The event organisers promise to be back at 2nd City next year and for years to come and we'll certainly be there too!

Best Drinks Producer award for Wye Valley Brewery!

Wye Valley Brewery scooped best Drink Producer at the Flavours of Herefordshire Awards 2011. Our Herefordshire roots remain extremely important to us, so we were thrilled to receive this award in our 25th Aniversary year! It added an extra celebratory vibe to our presence at the Flavours of Herefordshire Food Festival and we were able to raise a glass with plenty of our loyal followers over the course of the weekend.

Salutation Inn at Ham - CAMRA South West Pub of the Year!

Congratulations to the Salutation Inn at Ham for being named CAMRA South West Pub of the Year. Despite being publicans for only 3 years, Don and Sue have clearly got the knack of what it takes to run a great pub. This cosy country pub is dedicated to offering a regularly refreshed selection of local real ales - in which Wye Valley Brewery's HPA and our monthly special cask beers are regularly featured. The Salutation Inn now goes on to the 'Super regional' stages of the CAMRA Pub of Year and we wish them the very best of luck!

Raise a glass with us at the Birmingham Beer Festival

As a main sponsor, Wye Valley Brewery are providing the festival glasses for the Birmingham Beer Festival 2010 so come and raise a glass or 2 with us in Brum Thursday 28th to Saturday 30th October.

With a new venue this year, at Second City Suite, 100 Sherlock Street (just 5 minutes walk from Birmingham New Street station) the event promises to be bigger and better than ever before with over 200 real ales. So plenty of choice and variety for real ale lovers but don't miss the Wye Valley Brewery Bar where you can enjoy all-time favourites HPA and Butty Bach plus our Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout and her sensational seasonal offerings - Autumn Delight and Big Bang!

Both our favourite Julies will be behind the bar pulling pints and dispensing Wye Valley wisdom. We look forward to seeing you there.

See the festival website for more information about tickets, the venue, bands etc see the festival website www.birminghambeerfestival.co.uk

Wye Valley Brewery Selected for Finals of BBC Food and Farming Awards

Wye Valley Brewery has been named a finalist in the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards 2010 - ‘the Oscars of the food world’ - in the new Best Drinks Producer category.



The BBC team from Radio 4’s Food Programme was looking for inspirational drinks producers bringing new ideas to the market whilst keeping old traditions alive. As a traditional family owned brewery, dedicated to producing the finest quality cask ales yet none the less passionate about exciting new recipes and ingredients, Wye Valley Brewery impressed the judges and has been selected as just one of 3 national finalists in its category.



2010 is our brewery's 25th anniversary year and to celebrate we realised our dream of a truly local beer using both our local Herefordshire hops plus, uniquely, Herefordshire Barley through a special project with a local farmer. This very special brew of Imperial Stout was launched in bottles as a limited edition from as part of the Dorothy Goodbody range.



Vernon Amor, MD comments ‘We are really thrilled to make it to the final of this prestigious award. At Wye Valley Brewery we’re dedicated to brewing the finest beers using top quality ingredients form local growers. These awards are a fantastic platform to help spread the word about our real ales and the passion and care that goes into them.’



The judges will be visiting the brewery in Stoke Lacy shortly to find out more about the brewery, their links to the local community and what makes the finished product so special.



The awards themselves will be announced on 24th November at an awards ceremony on November 24th at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham. The event, hosted by Sheila Dillon, presenter of The Food Programme, will feature chefs Raymond Blanc and Mark Hix and former Blur member turned cheese maker, Alex James. The awards programme will be broadcast on Radio 4 at 9am on November 26th.

For more information about the BBC Food and Farming Awards, see www.bbc.co.uk/foodawards.

Ludlow Food Festival 2010

We have just returned from another great weekend at Ludlow Food Festival. We sold out of HPA and Butty Bach on Saturday, and had to bring in extra beer to get us through Sunday!

The Real Ale Trail, sponsored by Wye Valley Brewery was as popular as ever. Thank you to everyone who visited us and told us how much they love our beer!

We look forward to Abergavenny Food Festival this weekend, and hope the weather is kind to us... if you are in the area, do come and see us!

Gearing up for Ludlow Food Festival 2010

Wye Valley Brewery is preparing to spend the weekend at the fantastic Ludlow Food Festival! It takes place from Friday 10th September to Sunday 12th September at Ludlow Castle.

There are plenty of events to get involved in, from the Real Ale Trail, sponsored by Wye Valley Brewery, to the famous Ludlow Sausage Trail.

For more information visit www.foodfestival.co.uk

Come along and visit the Wye Valley Brewery bar for a pint of your favourite beer!

Real Ale & Real Music Racenight

Last night, brewery staff and customers enjoyed Hereford's first Real Ale & Real Music Racenight! The event, which took place at Hereford Racecourse, marked 25 years of Wye Valley Brewery. Our charity partner Riding for the Disabled Hereford were also present, along with our special Wye Valley Brewery Mini, which attracted much attention!

Berkeley Jenner Festival

On Saturday Wye Valley Brewery customer, The Salutation at Ham, had a storming day at the Berkeley Jenner Festival. The festival was held in the Market Square in Berkeley and one of their best selling beers was our HPA!

Real Ale & Real Music Racenight - supported by Wye Valley Brewery

3 weeks today Wye Valley Brewery will be celebrating 25 years of brewing quality beer. The Real Ale & Real Music Racenight at Hereford Racecourse takes place on Wednesday 18th August, first race is 5.40pm and after racing enjoy music from 2U, a U2 tribute band.

You can book on to the exclusive Wye Valley Brewery package through your local pub, or by phoning Hereford Racecourse on 01432 273560. This is Hereford's first evening race meeting and promises to be a great event!

Dorothy Goodbody's Country Ale, named best beer in Herefordshire

Herefordshire CAMRA have crowned Dorothy Goodbody's Country Ale, Herefordshire's Best Beer!

Herefordshire CAMRA made this announcement at Beer on the Wye, their annual beer festival at Hereford Rowing Club. The festival takes place this weekend, Friday 9th July - Sunday 11th July.

For more information about Beer on the Wye visit www.herefordcamra.org.uk

Dorothy Goodbody's Country Ale was also awarded Gold at the SIBA Wales and West Beer Competition, which was held at the Ludlow Spring Festival in May.

The Britannia, Official Opening

On Saturday we were joined by Jesse Norman MP for the official opening of Wye Valley Brewery's newest pub, The Britannia.

Landlord Jason and landlady Jessica were given a helping hand behind the bar by Jesse Norman MP.


Photo shows Jesse Norman MP, Jessica, Jason and Peter Amor.

Turks Head Golf Day

The Turks Head Golf Day which took place on Friday 11th June was a great success.

In total the Turks Head, Alcester raised £2,000, which will be split between Macmillan Nurses and Breast Cancer Care UK.

Wye Valley Brewery entered a team, made up of four of our lovely customers, see photo, left to right, Stuart from Kenilworth Golf Club, Guy from Apres, Julie, Wye Valley Brewery, Peter from Kings Heath Cricket Club and Jim from Edmunds Bar, Birmingham. Thanks to these guys for taking part and well done to The Turks Head for holding such a great day.

Jimmy completes Ride Across Britain

Last week Wye Valley Brewery Head Brewer Jimmy Swan, cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End along with James Cracknell and 498 others.

Jimmy’s cycle finished yesterday (Sunday 20th June), he covered over 1000 miles and completed the cycle in a fantastic 67 hours, 41 minutes and 42 seconds. To date, Jimmy has raised about £1,700 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

See attached photo of Jimmy Swan with daughter Anna at the Land’s End finish line.

Emma's awards evening

Wye Valley Brewery sales administrator Emma Jenkins is celebrating after achieving her NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration.

Emma attended an awards night at Hereford Group Training on 2nd June to collect her certificate.

Congratulations Emma!

Jimmy's Ride Across Britain

This week Wye Valley's Head Brewer Jimmy Swan is cycling from John O'Groats to Land's End, with James Cracknell and 498 others. The ride is 1000 miles in 9 days with a total vertical ascent of more than 22,000 metres!

Jimmy is raising money for a special cause, Birmingham Children's Hospital. We had news last night that Jimmy had made it 682 miles in 6 days.

We wish Jimmy all the best with the final part of his trip. If you would like sponsor Jimmy or to stay updated visit http://www.justgiving.com/jimboswan

Pictured Jimmy, Anna and Gill

Terri celebrates 20 years

Wye Valley Brewery's longest serving member of staff celebrated 20 years service this week!

Terri French has been Finance Manager at Wye Valley Brewery for the last twenty years and celebrated in style on Wednesday with cake, champagne and chocolates!

Vernon Amor, Managing Director at the brewery, thanked Terri for all her hard work over the years, saying '...we wouldn't be where we are today without you.'

See photo for Terri's celebratory cake

Trio of Golds for Herefordshire Brewer

Peter Amor, Chairman of Wye Valley Brewery was delighted to come away from the SIBA Wales and West 2010 Beer Competition with three gold awards for his brewery’s beers.

The competition was held at the Ludlow Spring Festival in May, which celebrated great beers, bangers and bread.

Wye Valley Bitter, Dorothy Goodbody’s Golden Ale and Dorothy Goodbody’s Country Ale were awarded gold in their classes, and Dorothy Goodbody’s Country Ale, a 6.0% ruby ale, went on to win Overall Gold in the Bottled Beer category.

The Herefordshire brewer made a major investment 18 months ago, when they installed a state of the art bottling facility, giving them total control over the bottling of their beers.

Said Peter Amor, ‘We are always delighted to receive awards for our beers especially when judged by our peers, but these carry extra significance as they are a ‘stamp of quality’ for our new bottling line. We aim to gain more business in the future by offering to bottle beer for other brewers’


Pictured Peter Amor, Chairman of Wye Valley Brewery, in the bottling facility with his award winning Dorothy Goodbody’s Country Ale.

Award winning pub

Wye Valley Brewery would like to congratulate The Saulation at Ham on winning Gloucestershire CAMRA Pub of the Year 2010.

Don and Sue, who have been stocking beers from Wye Valley Brewery for a number of years, are delighted to have been crowned Pub of the Year for Gloucestershire.

Wye Valley's Sales Manager John Gardner was able to attend their presentation night, and is pictured above with Don and Sue.

Record growth stimulates further investment in quality

Product quality lies at the heart of Wye Valley Brewery’s values, so with record sales and growth this year the 25 year old business has created another new job: Quality Assurance Supervisor.

Val Williams comes with plenty of experience in this field, having spent 15 years in the laboratories at Cargill Meats Hereford, and 14 years at Bulmers previous to that. Val’s appointment is an important part of Wye Valley Brewery’s continued growth.

The laboratory at Wye Valley Brewery will be improved, enabling Val to carry out microbiological testing which is currently outsourced.

Said Vernon Amor, managing director of Wye Valley Brewery, ‘Having an experienced microbiologist like Val on board strengthens our commitment to maintaining the highest possible standards of product quality and customer service. We are delighted that she has joined us at this exciting period of expansion.’

Other developments at the brewery include the installation of two extra fermenting vessels which will increase capacity by 34%, and a new automated cask ale filling system for the safe handling of casks.

In addition the brewery is now undertaking contract bottling for other breweries.

Tewkesbury Food Festival

This weekend we enjoyed the 6th Tewkesbury Food Festival. There was plenty to see and taste and the Wye Valley Brewery stand was busy as expected!

Fortunately the rain stayed away and visitors braved the chilly weather. Butty Bach went down very well as usual, along with a lot of interest in our Dorothy Goodbody's Imperial Stout.

Pictured the Wye Valley Brewery stand

Wye Valley Brewery Raceday 2010

A BUMPER crowd attended the annual Wye Valley Brewery horse racing day at Hereford Racecourse.

There were well over 2,000 people in attendance on Thursday 29 April and those present were able to see some of the champions of the modern era, including 15 times champion jockey Tony McCoy who won two races.

Richard Holland, Hereford Racecourse’s General Manager, said: “Wye Valley Brewery raceday is becoming an increasingly popular occasion every spring, and the crowds are getting bigger year after year.”

Picture ahows Red Lion at Bobbington enjoying their day at the races.

We now look forward to the Real Ale and Real Music Racenight supported by Wye Valley Brewery on Wednesday 18th August at Hereford Racecourse, where we will celebrate our 25th anniversary.

Dorothy Goodbody's Imperial Stout to celebrate 25 years

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Herefordshire’s Wye Valley Brewery, Head Brewer Jimmy Swan has crafted a unique new beer: Dorothy Goodbody’s Imperial Stout.

This limited edition, bottle-conditioned Imperial Stout is brewed with Herefordshire’s finest hops and Herefordshire malted barley, making it a truly local beer!

Wye Valley Brewery’s ‘Herefordshire barley project’ was launched on 10th October 2008 when the classic barley variety ‘Maris Otter’ was planted at Upper Derndale Farm, in Canon Pyon. The barley was harvested on 25th July 2009, and malting followed at Warminster Maltings. The resulting ‘Dorothy Goodbody’s Imperial Stout’ is the brewery’s first beer to contain all Herefordshire hops and Herefordshire barley.

This 7.0% dark silky beer has sweet vanilla and toffee flavours, which give way to a delicate lingering hoppy character. The result is a warming, rich, full-bodied stout that will improve with age.

Only 6,000 bottles have been produced and every bottle of Dorothy Goodbody’s Imperial Stout should be slowly savoured, to celebrate 25 years of brewing quality beers.

Herefordshire based design company P & R Design Ltd, were responsible for the attractive packaging design.

Wye Valley Brewery started its 25th year on a high, with the launch of its popular cask beer HPA, in bottled format. A number of events are planned, the main event being a race night at Hereford Racecourse in August where customers and staff will celebrate the brewery’s 25th anniversary in style with real music and real ale!

The Barrels Three Peaks Challenge

A few hardy, ale-supping Herefordians are banding together to do the 3 highest peaks in the UK in 24 hours. Each peak represents 3 amazing charities: NSPCC, MacMillan Nurses and Riding for the Disabled, Hereford.

These hardy, ale-supping Herefordians are a group from Wye Valley Brewery pub, The Barrels, Hereford. They will start their challenge on Thursday 8th July and will complete on Friday 9th July.

On Sunday 30th May there will be a fundraising night at The Barrels, 69 St Owen St, Hereford, with a band, pig roast, and a prize draw.

For more information and to find out how to sponsor visit The Barrels Three Peaks Challenge on Facebook. Alternatively enquire with Lizzie at the brewery.

Morgan visits Brewery

Morgan enthusiast Chris Towner from the USA dropped in to visit us at the brewery yesterday. On his last trip to the UK, during Morgan's Centenary Year, Chris enjoyed a swift half or two in Wye Valley Brewery's newest pub, The Morgan, in Malvern.

Chris is pictured outside the brewery with his Morgan, we look forward his next visit later in the year.

Easter 7's fun

The annual Wye Valley Brewery Easter 7's at Luctonians Rugby Club was held on Easter Sunday this year. Fortunately the weather stayed dry and the teams enjoyed a bit of healthy competition, the girls team gave everyone a run for their money!

Winners of the £150 prize money were The Immigrants, a Luctonians based team, and runners up were Top Guns from Hartpury College.

Kilverts Cask Ale Week Celebrations

Wye Valley Brewery Chairman Peter Amor enjoyed a celebratory evening at Kilverts, Hay on Wye last night. It was a celebration of our national drink, cask ale! The lovely ladies who work at Kilverts got involved by dressing up as our very own Dorothy Goodbody.

Peter was able to thank Kilverts for their support and went on to give a brief history of Dorothy Goodbody. He even treated drinkers to some extracts from the 'cheeky' Dorothy Goodbody stories!

Pictured Peter with the real life Dorothy's, from left to right, Dorothy Goodbody's Country Ale, Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout, Dorothy Goodbody's Golden Ale and Dorothy Goodbody's Winter Tipple!

Land Rover Day 2010

On Saturday 27th March The Severn Valley Leafers ventured over to Wye Valley Brewery, for our third Land Rover day. We had over 25 Land Rovers on site, and the weather almost held out for us!

Visitors enjoyed a trip around the brewery and a pint or two of The Best 4x4, our Land Rover inspired beer. Fortunately, there's plenty of space in the back of a Land Rover, so our 4x4 friends were able to stock up on their favourite beers!

HPA listed in The Ten Best Beers

In today's Independent, HPA has been listed in 'The Ten Best Beers', named by Roger Protz, author of '300 Beers to Try before you Die' and beer-pages.com.

To see the feature have a look in today's (Thursday 25th March) Independent Life, or visit, www.independent.co.uk/indybest

HPA was launched in January 2010 to celebrate 25 years of Wye Valley Brewery, already a well established cask brand, the bottled version is selling well. To try some for yourself, pop along to our shop at the brewery in Stoke Lacy, or visit our online shop.

Not that we are biased but we agree with Roger, it is one of the best beers and would make the perfect accompaniment to your Easter lunch!

HPA, 4.0% abv, is a delightful straw coloured ale with a wonderful hop aroma.

Riding for the Disabled, Charity for 2010

Herefordshire RDA (Riding for the Disabled) have been selected as Wye Valley Brewery's Charity for 2010. Founded as a National organisation in 1969, RDA now has 500 Member Groups across the UK.

Through the commitment of volunteers, RDA enables people with disabilities to ride or carriage drive to benefit their health and wellbeing and to achieve their goals.

Wye Valley Brewery aims to assist Herefordshire RDA with fundraising and hopes create additional opportunities for them to increase their profile.

If you are interested in donating to this worthwhile charity, please contact Lizzie at the brewery on 01885 490505. There are many ways to help, from sponsoring a pony or a stable to donating your spare pennies! Or you could become a volunteer.

Herefordshire RDA will be attending our racedays at Hereford Racecourse and we have collecting tins in our pubs, so please donate if you can.

The photo shows Bobby doing dressage with a rider, Bobby is sponsored by Majesticare Luxury Care Homes.

Morgan visits The Morgan

Friend of Wye Valley Brewery Chris Towner from across the pond decided to do up his beloved Morgan (which he had owned for 35 years), and bring it over the the UK, in time for the Morgan Centenary Celebrations in June 2009.

During his visit in his 1966 Morgan 4/4, he paid a visit to Wye Valley Brewery's newest pub, The Morgan in Malvern. Chris parked the car in its rightful place outside the pub, and doesn't it look at home!

Chris looks forward to his next visit in the not too distant future!

Wye Valley Brewery Quiz, Knockout Finals!

On Sunday 21st March The Barrels, Hereford hosted the Wye Valley Brewery Quiz Knockout Cup and Plate Finals.

Playing in the Cup were The Dog from The Dog Inn at Ewyas Harold and The Talbot Terriers from The Talbot in Ledbury. Playing in the Plate Final were The Saracen's from The Saracen's Head, Hereford and Dynamo Dilwyn from The Crown at Dilwyn.

After a well fought battle The Dog were victorious in the Knockout Cup and The Saracen's won the Plate Final, with a great score.

Pictured winning team member from The Dog receiving the trophy from Wye Valley Brewery Chairman Peter Amor.

Salutation scoops Pub of the Year

The Salutation at Ham in Gloucestershire has been crowned CAMRA Dursley & District Pub of the Year 2010. Wye Valley Brewery's John Gardner and Dennis Gwatkin, from Gwatkin's Cider, attended the presentation night. Congratulations to all at The Salutation!

Award Winning Crown at Pantygelli!

The popular Crown at Pantygelli has been awarded Country Pub of the Year by Gwent CAMRA. Steve and Cherrie Chadwick run the thriving pub and restaurant, which is situated in a quiet spot between the Sugarloaf and Skirrid mountains. It's definitely worth a visit, and you will find HPA on tap! Well done to Steve and Cherrie for all their hard work.

The Crown at Pantygelli can be found on the Old Hereford Road about 2 miles beyond Abergavenny.

Dave's trip to Alaska!

Last year Dave Powell and his partner made their way around Seattle and Alaska. They took some bottles of Dorothy Goodbody's with them, which they generously shared with people they met. They were kind enough to send us some photos! In this one Dave is at Tolovana Dome, which is 2 hours North of Fairbanks, Alaska. They accessed the area via snowmachine and experienced a wind chill of about -30 deg C!! We have it on good authority that the Alaskan people enjoyed Dorothy's beers!

Birthday Cake!

Chairman Peter Amor, with Emma, Rhiannon and Carey, doing the all important duty of cutting our birthday cake.

The cake was made by Charlotte, from Cake Creations in Bromyard. All the staff were in agreement, the cake was lovely!

Well Done!

Congratulations to Wye Valley Brewery employees, Emma Jenkins, Matt Ingram and Sean Tobin. As well as carrying out their usual duties for the brewery, they have also spent the last 12 months studying.

Emma, who is a Sales Administrator has gained an NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration. Matt who is Racking Team Leader and Sean who is Bottling Team Leader have both gained an ILM Level 3 in Management.

Well done Em, Sean and Matt!

Pictured from left, Sean Tobin, Emma Jenkins and Matt Ingram

25 TODAY!

We are 25 today! Happy Birthday to us!!

The photo shows brewery Chairman Peter Amor, mashing in on our 25th birthday. Peter has now retired to the kitchen to cook breakfast for all the staff at the brewery. We even have birthday cake, which we will enjoy whilst reflecting on 25 years of brewing quality beers!

Dorothy brings home more awards!

Dorothy Goodbody's Country Ale has just been awarded SIBA Champion Strong Ale AND Silver in the SIBA Champion of Champions!

The announcement was made today at the SIBA Annual Brewing Conference, at Stratford.

During 2009 Dorothy Goodbody's Country Ale was awarded Silver at the International Beer Challenge and Gold at the SIBA Wales & West competition, Strong Ales category.

As a SIBA winner, we will have a place on the SIBA Champions Bar at the Great British Beer Festival in London this summer, which is visited by over 60,000 people.

Dorothy Goodbody's Country Ale is 6.0% abv and is described by Head Brewer Jimmy Swan as a strong, full-bodied ruby ale. If you would like to try this award winning beer it's available in bottle all year round and can be bought from our brewery shop in Stoke Lacy, or our online shop.

Pictured: Sarah Young of Award sponsor Lallemand UK Ltd presenting the Gold award to Wye Valley Brewery head brewer Jimmy Swan.

On Friday we tucked in to some samples of the all new Butty Bach Steak & Gammon Pie! The samples went down a treat in the Wye Valley Brewery office and we look forward to these being available on the shelves of our local stores! More information to follow...these are definately worth keeping an eye out for!

HPA review!

Roger Protz is one of the world's best known beer writers, and he has recently tasted and reviewed our new bottled beer HPA! To read his review, visit http://beer-pages.com/notes/beer-of-the-month-2010-02.shtml. Roger has named HPA his Beer of the Month for February and awarded it four stars! Roger has written 18 books about beer and pubs and he also edits CAMRA's Annual Good Beer Guide.

HPA launch party!

To celebrate the launch of HPA in bottle, we threw a launch party on Monday night at The Barrels in Hereford. We were joined by Pete Brown, Beer Writer of the Year at the prestigious British Guild of Beer Writers Annual Awards 2009, who thinks it's a really great beer (he even named HPA his favourite beer of 2009!). We welcomed staff, customers and suppliers along and everyone was able to have a taste of our newest bottled beer.

The photo shows Pete Brown (right) and Peter Amor (Chairman of Wye Valley Brewery).

HPA to kick off 25th anniversary celebrations

2010 will be the 25th year of brewing for Stoke Lacy based Wye Valley Brewery, and they plan to celebrate by brewing even more excellent beer.

Wye Valley Brewery has come a long way since Peter Amor started brewing in 1985 in the old stable block at The Barrels, Hereford. Since then the brewery has moved to Stoke Lacy, increased its tied estate and invested in a state of the art bottling facility.

Wye Valley Brewery will start its 25th year on a high, with the launch of its popular cask beer HPA, in bottled format. Numerous other events are planned including the release of a special Limited Edition bottled beer in March and a race night at Hereford Racecourse in August where customers and staff will celebrate the brewery’s 25th anniversary in style with real music and real ale! Also, the brewery’s Herefordshire barley project will be realised and the first all Herefordshire beer will be produced, using local hops and local barley.

Fundraising throughout the year will benefit the brewery’s selected charity for 2010, Riding for the Disabled.

Said Peter Amor, Chairman and founder of Wye Valley Brewery, ‘It is obviously very gratifying to have come this far. It really is a collective achievement and our success is down to the dedication of the whole team at the brewery.’