Dark Star (brewery)
Encyclopedia
Dark Star is a brewery in currently located in Partridge Green
, in the county of West Sussex
, England.
developed by Rob Jones when he was employed by the Pitfield Brewery. The name comes from the Grateful Dead
song Dark Star. It was highly successful, being voted Champion Beer of Britain
in 1987. He took the recipe with him when he moved to the brewery based at the Evening Star. The beer itself is now known as Dark Star Original.
. The company was founded by entrepreneur Peter Halliday, publican Peter Skinner, and brewer Rob Jones. At that time it was known as Skinner's brewery, but there was another Skinner's brewery in Cornwall
, so the name was changed to Dark Star, after Jones's successful recipe for porter
.(The resemblance between the names "Dark Star" and "Evening Star" is coincidental). It soon became apparent before long that the brewery could not keep up with the growing demand from the Evening Star’s drinkers, let alone the demand for its beers from other pubs.
In 2001 the brewery relocated to a new purpose-built brewery in Ansty
, near Haywards Heath
, from where it supplied the Evening Star with a selection of its beers, along with its sister pubs: The Stand Up Inn, Lindfield
and The Duke of Wellington, Shoreham-by-Sea
. A free trade to other pubs in Sussex
and the rest of the UK developed at this time. Upon moving to Ansty, Mark Tranter became and remains the Head Brewer.
A new 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) site in Partridge Green
was opened by Roger Protz
in early 2010. This led to a fourfold increase in production, and Dark Star becoming the second largest brewery in Sussex In 2011 the brewery acquired the The Partridge public house in Partridge Green as a brewery tap.
styles such as porters, spiced beers and continental styles such as Saison.
Partridge Green
Partridge Green is a village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2135 road 2.4 miles northwest of Henfield....
, in the county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England.
Name
Dark Star was originally the name of a porterPorter (beer)
Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts...
developed by Rob Jones when he was employed by the Pitfield Brewery. The name comes from the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
song Dark Star. It was highly successful, being voted Champion Beer of Britain
Champion Beer of Britain
The Champion Beer of Britain is an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale , at their annual Great British Beer Festival in early August. Beers can qualify in three ways:...
in 1987. He took the recipe with him when he moved to the brewery based at the Evening Star. The beer itself is now known as Dark Star Original.
History
The Dark Star Brewery Company started, in 1994, as a small plant squeezed into a corner of the cellar of The Evening Star Pub, in BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. The company was founded by entrepreneur Peter Halliday, publican Peter Skinner, and brewer Rob Jones. At that time it was known as Skinner's brewery, but there was another Skinner's brewery in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, so the name was changed to Dark Star, after Jones's successful recipe for porter
Porter (beer)
Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts...
.(The resemblance between the names "Dark Star" and "Evening Star" is coincidental). It soon became apparent before long that the brewery could not keep up with the growing demand from the Evening Star’s drinkers, let alone the demand for its beers from other pubs.
In 2001 the brewery relocated to a new purpose-built brewery in Ansty
Ansty, West Sussex
Ansty is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A272 road 1.4 miles southwest of Cuckfield.Ansty has a pub , a cricket team , and the Dark Star micro brewery....
, near Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
, from where it supplied the Evening Star with a selection of its beers, along with its sister pubs: The Stand Up Inn, Lindfield
Lindfield, West Sussex
Lindfield is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The parish lies to the north-east of Haywards Heath, of which the village is a part of the built-up area. It stands on the upper reaches of the River Ouse...
and The Duke of Wellington, Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
. A free trade to other pubs in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and the rest of the UK developed at this time. Upon moving to Ansty, Mark Tranter became and remains the Head Brewer.
A new 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) site in Partridge Green
Partridge Green
Partridge Green is a village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2135 road 2.4 miles northwest of Henfield....
was opened by Roger Protz
Roger Protz
Roger Protz is a British writer, journalist and campaigner. He was an early member of the Campaign for Real Ale in 1971, and has written several books on beer and pubs...
in early 2010. This led to a fourfold increase in production, and Dark Star becoming the second largest brewery in Sussex In 2011 the brewery acquired the The Partridge public house in Partridge Green as a brewery tap.
Beers
The Dark Star Brewery currently offers over 20 different beers over the course of a year. Most is cask conditioned, although some is sold in bottles (Sunburst, Espresso and Imperial Stout, with a Porter being bottled in December 2010). The range includes retroRetro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
styles such as porters, spiced beers and continental styles such as Saison.
| APA (American Pale Ale) 4.7% | Autumn Equinox 4.5% | Best Bitter 4.0% |
| Critical Mass 7.8% | Dark Star Original 5.0% | Double Chocolate Stout 4.5% |
| EPA (English Pale Ale) 4.5% | Espresso Stout (Coffee stout) 4.2% | Festival (Sussex old ale Old ale Old ale is a term commonly applied to dark, malty beers in England, generally above 5% abv, also to dark ales of any strength in Australia. Sometimes associated with stock ale or, archaically, keeping ale, in which the beer is held at the brewery.... ) 5.0% |
| Golden Gate 4.5% | Hophead 3.8% | Hophead Extra 5.8% |
| Hylder Blond (Elderflower beer) 4.2% | Imperial Stout 10.5% | IPA (India Pale Ale India Pale Ale India Pale Ale or IPA is a style of beer within the broader category of pale ale. It was first brewed in England in the 19th century.The first known use of the expression "India pale ale" comes from an advertisement in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper published January 30, 1835... ) 6.2% |
| Mild Mild Mild may mean:*Mild ale, often simply referred to as mild, from the Old English milde, meaning "young" or "immature"*Håkan Mild , Swedish former footballer and current director of sports of IFK Göteborg... for May 3.6% |
Nut Brown Ale 4.5% | Natural Blonde (Organic lager Lager Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager... ) 4.5% |
| Oatmeal stout 4.2% | Old ale Old ale Old ale is a term commonly applied to dark, malty beers in England, generally above 5% abv, also to dark ales of any strength in Australia. Sometimes associated with stock ale or, archaically, keeping ale, in which the beer is held at the brewery.... 4.0% |
Old Chestnut Brown ale Brown ale Brown ale is a style of beer with a dark amber or brown colour. The term was first used by London brewers in the late 17th century to describe their products, such as mild ale, though the term had a rather different meaning than it does today... ) 4.0% |
| Oktoberfest (Lager Lager Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager... ) 5.2% |
Over the Moon 3.8% | Porter Porter (beer) Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts... 5.5% |
| Saison Saison Saison is the name originally given to low-alcohol pale ales brewed seasonally in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, for farm workers during harvest season... 4.5% |
Six Hop Ale 6.5% | Smoke (Rauchbier) 5% |
| Spring Equinox 4.0% | Sunburst 4.8% | Summer Meltdown (Ginger beer Ginger beer Ginger beer is a carbonated drink that is flavored primarily with ginger and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners.-History:Brewed ginger beer originated in England in the mid-18th century and became popular in Britain, the United States, and Canada, reaching a peak of popularity in the... ) 4.8% |
| Summer Solstice 4.2% | Sussex Extra Stout 4.5% | Victorian Ruby Mild 6% |
| Winter Meltdown (Ginger beer) 5.0% | Winter Solstice 4.2% | Thornstar (collaboration beer with Thornbridge) 4.7% |
Awards
The brewery has won many awards, including:-- Dark Star Espresso Stout has been crowned the world's best speciality beer.
- Dark Star American Pale Ale (APA) was voted best golden ale at the 2009 Great British Beer FestivalGreat British Beer FestivalThe Great British Beer Festival is a yearly beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale . It presents a selection of cask ales and other alcoholic drinks from the UK and beyond. The festival is also home to the Champion Beer of Britain awards...
. - Dark Star Dark Star (also known as Dark Star Original) has been voted supreme champion of champions in the 1996 Great British Beer FestivalGreat British Beer FestivalThe Great British Beer Festival is a yearly beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale . It presents a selection of cask ales and other alcoholic drinks from the UK and beyond. The festival is also home to the Champion Beer of Britain awards...
.