Beer Duty Debate

Following the success of the Beer Duty e-petition, the policy is being debated in Parliament tomorrow.

The debate in Parliament calls on the Government to review its controversial “beer tax escalator” policy, which has seen the tax on beer rise by a staggering 42 per cent since it was introduced in March 2008. The debate is to take place on Thursday 1^st November. 

Vernon Amor of Wye Valley Brewery, says the debate shows the huge scale of concern about brewing and pubs and the vital role they play in our local economy. A petition signed by over 100,000 people has been the catalyst for action, after a national campaign backed by the Society of Independent Brewers, of which Wye Valley Brewery is a member, as well as other industry bodies and CAMRA. If the Government abandons plans for further big tax hikes, jobs and pubs could be boosted in this area.

“However, we are dependent on a thriving pub industry in order to sell our beers and any further pub closures will hurt us, as well being a huge social loss to the local community. Tax

is now on average over a pound a pint in the pub and further rises are just not sustainable.  

Winning Dorothy for the Day!

The spirit of our Dorothy Goodbody – has been brought to life for our 2013 calendar cover thanks to 'Dorothy for the Day' competition winner Lucy Dearden.  

Dorothy Goodbody is the brains and beauty behind a delicious range of real ales from Wye Valley Brewery.  Legend tells that Dorothy was the daughter of a Herefordshire hop farmer in the 1950's and renowned local belle.  Inspired by the Herefordshire countryside, she developed a passion for real ale and created a range of fantastic ale recipes using local hops.  

We received over 90 applications from potential Dorothy’s, all keen to represent her in a fabulous 1950's styled photo-shoot.  To make this all possible, we worked with the lovely ladies from vintage fashion designer Vivien of Holloway.

We were overwhelmed by the response to this competition – and there were so many fantastic entries – it was really hard to pick just one winner!  But in the end, Lucy’s entry won over judges for her spirited prose - explaining why she would be a great Dorothy for the day - and her winning smile.

Lucy, comments “I had a great time on the photo-shoot, it was amazing to be transformed into the 1950’s look, the clothes were beautiful.  It was surprisingly hard work though – I certainly deserved a bottle of Dorothy Goodbody’s Golden Ale by the end of the day!”

To celebrate the local hops used in Dorothy Goodbody’s ales, the backdrop for the photo-shoot was the verdant hops at Pridewood Farm. Winner Lucy was joined for the day by runner-up and local girl Hannah Tuffin from Hereford. Percival the farm Jack Russell also had his 15 minutes of fame when he posed with Lucy in one of the photos!

The 2013 Wye Valley Brewery calendars are hot of the press.  Over 1000 copies will be distributed to Wye Valley Brewery customers and for Dorothy-fans they are also available to purchase from the brewery shop.

PICTURED IS: Winner Lucy Dearden, amongst the hops at Pridewood Farm near Ledbury.

For, further images from the photo-shoot see the facebook album.

A Great British Beer

It's official, Dorothy Goodbody's Blissful Brown Ale is a Great British Beer!

Dorothy Goodbody's Blissful Brown Ale recently reached the finals of the 2012 Sainsbury's Great British Beer Hunt. We made it through the regional heats, which secured inclusion in the in-store beer festival in September. 

The beer qualified for the Grand Final of this year's competition, unfortunately it wasn't the final winner, however, qualifiying for the Grand Final two years in a row isn't bad, and there is always next year!

Dorothy Goodbody's Blissful Brown Ale has sold well at food festivals over the Summer and only a few cases remain, if you would like to try this limited edition beer please visit our brewery shop or our online shop.

Cask Ale sales back in growth

According to The Cask Ale Report, which has just been published, cask ale volumes grew in 2011 for the first time in 20 years, recording a 1.6% uplift.

Report author Pete Brown says, 'The Cask Report has been analysing the sector for six years now and while cask has been outperforming the beer market for most of them, this is the first full year of actual growth'.

To see The Cask Ale Report visit www.caskreport.co.uk.