July 2006
Nether Stowey now has Somerset’s newest and smallest brewery – the Stowey Brewery.
The Brewery was set up primarily to provide beer for The Old Cider House b&b in the village, run by Ian Pearson and Lynne Abbott. The beers are also now available on an occasional basis at the Rose and Crown, Ancient Mariner and George Inn.
Ian had always dreamed of brewing his own beer and with a little help from Somerset Food Links and the Quantock Hills Sustainable Development Fund the half-barrel plant was constructed and brewing commenced. The output is limited to four hectolitres (about ten pub casks) a month and the brewery is run as a community amenity producing special beers on request for events such as the World Cup.
The standard bitter is a 4.2%, well balanced brew called Nether Ending (all the beers have the word ‘Nether’ in the title) with 4 seasonal brews produced in the spring, summer, for Halloween (Nether Fear) and Christmas (Nether, Netherland).
The aim is to produce quality real ale that does not taste like the mass produced, often bland, beers from the big breweries. Already a German style pale ale has been brewed for one of the pubs and a whortleberry (wild bilberries from the Quantocks) wheat beer is maturing nicely. The Quantock Walking Festival will have its own beer this year available in Rose and Crown during the weekend of 7th October.
Lynne and Ian, currently run Real Ale Walks from their guesthouse base – packages offering guided walks in the Quantocks with an ale theme and are planning weekend residential brewery workshops for 2007 where guests can design, brew name and label their own unique beers.
The Stowey Brewery
25 Castle Street
Nether Stowey
Somerset
TA5 1LN
Tel:
0797 460 1182
Web Site: www.stoweybrewery.co.uk
E-Mail: messenger@stoweybrewery.co.uk
