Woodforde's Brewery

Woodforde's Brewery is a brewery located on Slad Lane in the village of Woodbastwick, in the county of Norfolk, England.[1] The brewery produced its first commercial brew in 1981 from original brewery in the village of Drayton north east of Norwich. In 1996 the brewery's popular Wherry bitter became CAMRA Supreme Champion Beer of Britain.[1]

Woodforde’s Brewery

Industry	Alcoholic beverage
Founded	1981
Headquarters	Woodbastwick, Norfolk , England
Products	Beer
Owner	James Hughes, Nick Dolan, Rupert Fraser
Website	http://www.woodfordes.co.uk/

History

The brewery, Woodbastwick

Good friends, Ray Ashworth and Dr David Crease, had been handcrafting their own beers since the 60s. Fuelled by a passion for home brewing, the pair fulfilled a lifelong ambition and opened their very own brewery, and Woodforde's was born. Named after Parson James Woodforde who lived at Weston Longville an 18th Century Parson, whose diaries spoke of his love of good food and beer. As the demand for Woodforde's brews grew, so did the need for a larger space to perfect their craft. Moving from Drayton near Norwich in 1989, a group of barns and listed farm buildings were found in Woodbastwick, a beautiful village in the winding Norfolk Broads. Here they have created after extensive renovations, a state-of-the-art brewery – where they can still be found today. In May 1992, The Fur & Feather Inn opened, built within a converted row of thatched cottages just steps from the brewery doors. With visitors making their way to Woodbastwick to sample brews for themselves, The Woodforde's Brewery Shop and Visitor Centre opened in 1995. A very special, and rare, accolade for a session beer: Woodforde's Wherry, was named CAMRA ‘Supreme Champion Beer of Britain’ in 1996. And when Norfolk Nog won the same award, they found ourselves in good company – one of a ‘tiny super league’ of just four British brewers to have won the title twice over.

In 2007, they opened a sixty barrel capacity brewhouse as production continued to expand. Today, there are two brew houses, which run around the clock. In April 2016, the brewery announced that the business had been sold to a group of investors.[2] With three passionate people at the helm, they set their sights on taking Woodforde's far and beyond. By the end of 2017, Woodforde's was established as the largest brewery in Norfolk, producing over 20,000 barrels every year, with beers reaching fans across the country and around the globe. A new brand was launched, celebrating their proud heritage and ambitions for the future.

At the beginning of 2018, Master Brewer Neil Bain returned after two years away and takes his place as Head Brewer. In April 2018, Woodforde's partnered with Marks & Spencer to produce their British Lager which is available in cans across the UK.

Tied houses

The brewery has one tied house, in the county of Norfolk. The brewery itself has a Brewery tap called the Fur & Feather situated next to the brewery in the village of Woodbastwick.

Beers

Beer	ABV	Style	Availability
Wherry	3.80%	Bitter	All Year
Norfolk Nog	4.60%	Old Ale	All Year
Nelson's Revenge	4.50%	Special Bitter	All Year
Bure Gold	4.30%	Golden	All Year
Reedlighter	4.20%	Pale Ale	All Year
Norada	4.30%	IPA	All Year
Headcracker	7.00%	Barley Wine	Occasional Bottling
Once Bittern	4.00%	Bitter	Regional Exclusive
Mardler's Mild	3.50%	Mild	Regional Exclusive
Sundew	4.10%	Golden	Seasonal
Admiral's Reserve	5.00%	Strong Ale	Seasonal
Tinsel Toes	4.40%	Dark Bitter	Seasonal
Simcoe Pale Ale	3.60%	Session Ale	Seasonal
West Coast Wherry	4.30%	Amber Ale	Seasonal
Red Admiral	4.00%	Red Rye	Seasonal
Volt	4.50%	IPA	Seasonal
Tundra	4.60%	White IPA	Seasonal

References

1. Brewery website
2. Sabah Meddings (11 April 2016). "Woodfordes changes hands in bid to take business to the next level". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 25 April 2016.

External links

• woodfordes.co.uk
• The Fur and Feather website.