Award winning pubs!

We just wanted to say congratulations to our customers who have recently won the following CAMRA Pub of the Year 2011 awards:

Clytha Arms, Gwent CAMRA Country Pub winner
Hop Pole, Redditch and Bromsgrove CAMRA Pub winner
Gwaelod y Garth Inn, Cardiff CAMRA Pub winner
The Star Inn, Brecknockshire CAMRA Pub winner
Kinver Constitutional Club, CAMRA National Club of the Year

Dorothy Sets Sail!

Dorothy is getting geared up to set sail to Saint Petersburg along with her Imperial Stout on The Great Baltic Adventure…

On Saturday 14th May Dorothy Goodbody’s Imperial Stout is one of 14 beers which will set sail on the 60ft clipper, Thermopylae, from the Thames through the Baltic to arrive in Saint Petersburg in June.

This journey is a celebration of the Imperial Russian Stout heritage. Mini beer festivals will be held along the way, but the casks of Imperial Stout will be unbroached until they reach Saint Petersburg. On her journey Dorothy will visit Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki.

Wye Valley Brewery brewed Dorothy Goodbody’s Imperial Stout in 2010 to celebrate its 25th year of brewing, said brewery Managing Director Vernon Amor ‘We are really excited to be sending Dorothy on The Great Baltic Adventure, and we’re the only brewery in the West Midlands to be setting sail. A trip like this hasn’t been attempted for centuries so it’s a unique opportunity to export some of our finest Dorothy Goodbody’s Imperial Stout.

On arrival in Saint Petersburg, there will be a beer festival and beer judging to celebrate a trip which has not been attempted for 200 years.

Pictured brewery Chairman Peter Amor, in the mini as he whisks Dorothy off to London for her trip to Saint Petersburg.

Gold, Silver and Bronze for Wye Valley Brewery

At the recent SIBA Wales & West Region Beer Competition 2011, Wye Valley Brewery came away with 1 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze award for the quality of its beers. Dorothy Goodbody’s Country Ale cruised home with Gold in the Premium Strong Bitters category.

Country Ale has a strong pedigree at this event after scooping Gold in 2009, and in 2010 going on to win the Champion Strong Ale at the SIBA National Beer Competition.

The judging took place at the Ludlow Spring Festival last weekend where over 200 beers were entered. Along with the gold, Wye Valley Brewery was also awarded three silvers for bottled beers HPA, Dorothy Goodbody’s Wholesome Stout and Dorothy Goodbody’s Country Ale. In addition, Wye Valley Bitter was also awarded bronze in the standard strength bitters category.

Said Head Brewer Jimmy Swan, ‘We have just celebrated our busiest ever month in April, and following on from a fantastic 25th year in 2010 when the brewery won BBC Radio 4 Best Drinks Producer, Wye Valley looks set for another record year! ‘

Dorothy Goodbody’s Country ale is a strong, full-bodied rugby ale. It is available as a bottle conditioned beer, and can be enjoyed on its own or with a tasty beef casserole!

Pictured the team of brewers and production staff at Wye Valley Brewery

Hop Pole celebrates!

The Hop Pole in Droitwich are celebrating after winning Redditch and Bromsgrove CAMRA Pub of the Year 2011. They will now go through to the next stage of the competition to be judged against others in their region. Good luck Tim and all at The Hop Pole!

Wye Valley Brewery Raceday...

...the best yet!

We were so pleased to have the sun on our backs at the 5th Wye Valley Brewery Raceday at Hereford Racecourse on Thursday 28th April. It was a record breaker with over 2,000 racegoers!

Races were sponsored by Wye Valley Brewery and their pubs, The Barrels and The Morgan.

If you were unable to attend this year, keep an eye out for other events in 2011...there is plenty to keep you busy!

Quizzers battle it out

On the 17th April the best brains in the county battled it out in the Wye Valley Brewery Knockout Final at The Barrels in Hereford!

Pub teams have been competing in the Knockout Cup and Plate competition since the quiz league kicked off in October. Competing in the Cup Final were The Dog from Ewyas Harold and The Angel from Grosmont. The Dog were victorious with an excellent score of 83 out of a possible 92, The Angel were respectable runners up with a score of 67.

The Bell at Tillington and The Travellers Rest at Stretton Sugwas competed in the Plate Final. The Bell won with a score of 71 to The Travellers Rest's 64.

A great competition, we look forward to seeing the teams back for the 2011/12 season!

Pictured: Cup Winners The Dog from Ewyas Harold collecting their trophy from Quizmaster Peter Amor from Wye Valley Brewery

Beer tax rise is ‘kick in the teeth’ says Wye Valley Brewery

The increase of two per cent above inflation in beer tax, announced in today’s Budget, is ‘ruinous’ to the nation’s thriving local brewing sector, ignores its contribution to the economy and puts thousands of jobs in breweries and pubs in jeopardy, says Vernon Amor of Wye Valley Brewery, Herefordshire.

Vernon said, “This is a real kick in the teeth to the local brewing sector, one of the few British success stories of recent years. Local brewers are just the kind of business this government says it wants to see prosper: they create jobs for local people and contribute to the local and wider British economy by using home-grown ingredients. Yet the current beer taxation regime is killing off our main route to market – the British pub.”

He continued, “The Treasury claimed before the Budget that their beer duty escalator is ‘baked in’. We say it is half baked! Continuing to increase taxes on draught beer, drunk in the socially responsible environment of the pub, will serve only to increase purchases of cheap vodka for unsupervised home consumption. We fail to see how this policy can help tackle binge drinking.”

Wye Valley Brewery is a member of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), which represents around 450 craft brewers across Britain. SIBA, and its members, have campaigned vigorously against the Government’s ‘duty escalator’, which increases beer duty by 2% above inflation every year.