Hebridean Brewing Company
Encyclopedia
Hebridean Brewing Company (Companaidh Grùdaidh nan Innse Gall) is an independent small brewery
founded in 2001 (although production didn't begin until late January 2002) by Andy Ribbens in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland
. The brewery produces cask ale
and filtered beer
in bottles. The brewery is the only legal alcohol producer in the Western Isles.
, founded the Hebridean Brewing Company in Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland in 2001. His previous job, working for a pharmaceutical company, was relocated and Ribbens had the choice of either moving with the job or accepting redundancy
. He chose the latter and began a phase of researching into the art and business of brewing
beer, lager and ale.
Before establishing the company, Ribbens worked at two different independent breweries to gain experience, the Freeminer Brewery in the Forest of Dean
near Steam Mills, and the Flagship Brewery in Kent
.
In late August 2000, the Environmental Services Department received a planning application, from Ribbens, to convert 18A Bells Road, Stornoway into a Brewery. During 2002, the HIE Innse Gall, a local enterprise support organisation, received a grant request from the Hebridean Brewing Company. The grant request outlined Ribbens' projected costs to "Plant and install equipment". Ribbens' project cost £28,000, of which, the WIE, the Western Isle's Enterprise, granted £14,000 in assistance.
(Now known as Morrisons
). An agreement was reached between the independent brewery and the retailer, to supply Safeway stores across Scotland with the Hebridean Brewing Company beer at the end of February, 2004. But following the agreement between the brewery and retailer, Safeway was taken over by Bradford based retailer, Morrisons
. The confusion was whether or not Safeway's new owners still wished to have the beer, to which Morrison's stressed that they had been unaware of any problem and offered to negotiate a new deal.
The brewery premises were broken into
on the 25th June, 2006. Scottish
Police believed several youths gained unauthorised access to the property and stole an estimated £500 worth of bottled beer. Subsequently, through their investigations, police arrested and formally charged two males in connection with the robbery and recovered some of the stolen alcohol. The males, both 17, were charged with theft
.
copper. Specifically, the wort copper is of a fountain arrangement with a steam coil in its interior. Steam powers the plant, which is generated via a boiler
, a Fulton 30e. The malt
used in the liquor is whole grain, which is milled on the premises by a gristmill
. A centralised panel monitors the temperature statuses and operates as the control unit in the brewery.
The bottling plant consists of a CW250 double head bottle filling apparatus. The beer and ale conditioning tanks were converted from barrel cellar cylinders.
s. The filtered bottled ales are sold in the Scotland and specialist beer outlets in Britain. The company also distributes for domestic consumption, food service, retailing, and wholesale.
The firm also sponsors the Stornoway Running and Athletics Club. Including its 'Half-Marathon
' (Approx. 13 miles) which takes place on an on-road off-road course around Stornoway and Lews Castle
. Since 2003, the Hebridean Brewing Company has sponsored and produced a beer specifically for the Hebridean Celtic Festival
. The music festival aims to celebrate the Celtic culture of Scotland as well as the Isle of Lewis. The beer that the brewery has made for the annual event is called the Celtic Festivale.
The Berserker, named after the Viking
warrior and the rook in the Lewis Men chess set, is a strong pale ale known as a Wee Heavy.
In November 2006, the Hebridean Brewery won the 'Camra', the Campaign for Real Ale's Champion Winter Beer of Scotland 2006 for their Berserker pale ale.
In June 2007, the Herbidean Brewing Company's Berserker, was awarded the 'Silver medal' position by SIBA
, the Society of Independent Brewers, for competing in the regional beer competition. The Berserker, competing in the 'Strong Ales' section (5% +), placed second to Traditional Scottish Ales' Red Mist.
. The award for beer of the festival was presented to Andrew Ribbens, the breweries proprietor, by Inverness & Western
Isles' CAMRA Chairman Bill Tring.
In 2003, the Islander won the SIBA bronze medal in the category, 'Beer of Scotland Premium Cask'.
Microbrewery
A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....
founded in 2001 (although production didn't begin until late January 2002) by Andy Ribbens in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The brewery produces cask ale
Cask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
and filtered beer
Filtered beer
Bright beer is beer in which yeast is no longer in suspension. There are several methods used for clearing yeast from beer, from waiting for the yeast to drop of its own accord to filtering it.-Dropping bright:...
in bottles. The brewery is the only legal alcohol producer in the Western Isles.
Beginning
Andrew Ribbens, who originates from the South East of EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, founded the Hebridean Brewing Company in Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland in 2001. His previous job, working for a pharmaceutical company, was relocated and Ribbens had the choice of either moving with the job or accepting redundancy
Layoff
Layoff , also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs...
. He chose the latter and began a phase of researching into the art and business of brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
beer, lager and ale.
Before establishing the company, Ribbens worked at two different independent breweries to gain experience, the Freeminer Brewery in the Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
near Steam Mills, and the Flagship Brewery in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
In late August 2000, the Environmental Services Department received a planning application, from Ribbens, to convert 18A Bells Road, Stornoway into a Brewery. During 2002, the HIE Innse Gall, a local enterprise support organisation, received a grant request from the Hebridean Brewing Company. The grant request outlined Ribbens' projected costs to "Plant and install equipment". Ribbens' project cost £28,000, of which, the WIE, the Western Isle's Enterprise, granted £14,000 in assistance.
Incidents
In 2004, confusion was raised as to whether a shipment of Hebridean Brewing Company beer, worth over £20,000, would be accepted onto shelves by retailer, SafewaySafeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
(Now known as Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
). An agreement was reached between the independent brewery and the retailer, to supply Safeway stores across Scotland with the Hebridean Brewing Company beer at the end of February, 2004. But following the agreement between the brewery and retailer, Safeway was taken over by Bradford based retailer, Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
. The confusion was whether or not Safeway's new owners still wished to have the beer, to which Morrison's stressed that they had been unaware of any problem and offered to negotiate a new deal.
The brewery premises were broken into
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
on the 25th June, 2006. Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Police believed several youths gained unauthorised access to the property and stole an estimated £500 worth of bottled beer. Subsequently, through their investigations, police arrested and formally charged two males in connection with the robbery and recovered some of the stolen alcohol. The males, both 17, were charged with theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
.
Expansion
Andy Ribbens, owner of the brewery, stated in 2006 that he would like to expand the brewery to make it more accessible to the public in the form of a tourist area, cafe, shop and sampling room. Ribbens has said that he would like a new premises inside Stornoway town centre. Of his preference for a location, he said would prefer a building away from housing but still visible to passing trade. His reasons for his interest in expanding were to attract the public to visit the brewery.Technical Details of the Brewery
The brewery’s production focuses on a mash tun and a wortWort (brewing)
Wort, , is the liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer or whisky. Wort contains the sugars that will be fermented by the brewing yeast to produce alcohol.- Production :...
copper. Specifically, the wort copper is of a fountain arrangement with a steam coil in its interior. Steam powers the plant, which is generated via a boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
, a Fulton 30e. The malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
used in the liquor is whole grain, which is milled on the premises by a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
. A centralised panel monitors the temperature statuses and operates as the control unit in the brewery.
The bottling plant consists of a CW250 double head bottle filling apparatus. The beer and ale conditioning tanks were converted from barrel cellar cylinders.
Marketing
The cask ales are available in various pubs around Britain and at British beer festivalBeer festival
A Beer Festival is an organised event during which a variety of beers are available for tasting and purchase. Beer festivals are held in a number of countries...
s. The filtered bottled ales are sold in the Scotland and specialist beer outlets in Britain. The company also distributes for domestic consumption, food service, retailing, and wholesale.
Advertising
In 2006, the Brewery ran an advertising campaign in the Publican Magazine, a trade publication that focuses on developing and advertising local trade. The advertising campaign ran from early September to Christmas. The company also ran an advert in the Spring, 2007 edition of the Highlands and Western Isles' CAMRA (Campaign for real ale) newsletter. The half page spread advert consisted of the company listing five of its beers and ales, including its new Seaforth Ale.Sponsorship
The Hebridean Brewing Company sponsors the Sail Hebrides Maritime Festival. A boating festival that focuses on yachting and sailing. The company specifically supports the festival by sponsoring a rowing boat race where teams of three compete against each other in and around the Isle of Lewis for the Hebridean Brewing Company Prize.The firm also sponsors the Stornoway Running and Athletics Club. Including its 'Half-Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
' (Approx. 13 miles) which takes place on an on-road off-road course around Stornoway and Lews Castle
Lews Castle
Lews Castle is a Victorian era castle located west of the town of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland. It was built in the years 1847-57 as a country house for Sir James Matheson who had bought the whole island a few years previously with his fortune from the Chinese Opium trade...
. Since 2003, the Hebridean Brewing Company has sponsored and produced a beer specifically for the Hebridean Celtic Festival
Hebridean Celtic Festival
The Hebridean Celtic Festival is an international Celtic music festival, which takes place annually in Stornoway on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The biggest headliners to date have been Runrig, The Waterboys, Proclaimers and Van Morrison...
. The music festival aims to celebrate the Celtic culture of Scotland as well as the Isle of Lewis. The beer that the brewery has made for the annual event is called the Celtic Festivale.
Exhibitions and Festivals
The Hebridean Brewing Company uses various 'Food and Drink' exhibitions and festivals as a method of promoting their brands of beer and ale. Most notable among them are:- The Taste of Tain, an international food and drink festival promoting produce from in and around TainTainTain is a royal burgh and post town in the committee area of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland.-Etymology:...
, occurred on the 1st of September 2007. Among its exhibitors were the Hebridean Brewing Company. - The 2007 edition of CAMRA's 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...
was also its 30th anniversary. The Hebridean Brewing Company was one of 18 Scottish breweries that attended the festival. - Newark Beer Festival, 2006, England. The Hebridean Brewing Company was represented by, the now discontinued, Firebreak ale.
Beers
The brewery produces the following six regular beers:| Beer name | Style | ABV Alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide.... % |
|---|---|---|
| Berserker Export Ale | Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy | 7.50 |
| Celtic Black Ale | English Porter | 3.90 |
| Clansman Ale | American Pale Wheat Ale | 3.90 |
| Islander Strong Premium Ale | Scottish Ale | 4.80 |
| Moo Coo Brew | Scottish Ale | 4.40 |
| Seaforth Ale | English Pale Ale | 4.20 |
Berserker Export Ale
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
warrior and the rook in the Lewis Men chess set, is a strong pale ale known as a Wee Heavy.
In November 2006, the Hebridean Brewery won the 'Camra', the Campaign for Real Ale's Champion Winter Beer of Scotland 2006 for their Berserker pale ale.
In June 2007, the Herbidean Brewing Company's Berserker, was awarded the 'Silver medal' position by SIBA
Siba
Siba or SIBA may refer to:Places:*Šiba, a village in Bardejov district of northeast Slovakia**Siba State, an erstwhile princely state in Punjab, in modern India.Siba was an independent territory directly ruled by Sibaia Clan Rulers up to 1947 and never annexed with British Government.It was simply...
, the Society of Independent Brewers, for competing in the regional beer competition. The Berserker, competing in the 'Strong Ales' section (5% +), placed second to Traditional Scottish Ales' Red Mist.
Clansman Ale
At the Aberdeen Grampian and Northern Isles CAMRA beer festival, 2004, the Clansman Ale won 'Beer of the Festival'. The festival, in its 18th year as of 2004, was attended by approximately 3,000 people and 53 different breweries. Festival goers selected the Hebridean ale, chosen out of a pool of 77 other beers and ales, for the title ‘Beer of the Festival’. The Clansman beat 2004's Beer of Scotland, Cairngorm's Trade Winds, into second place.Islander Strong Premium Ale
The Islander Strong Premium Ale was awarded the Marymas Fair Beer-of-the-Festival award in 2006. The annual Marymas Fair takes place during August in InvernessInverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. The award for beer of the festival was presented to Andrew Ribbens, the breweries proprietor, by Inverness & Western
Isles' CAMRA Chairman Bill Tring.
In 2003, the Islander won the SIBA bronze medal in the category, 'Beer of Scotland Premium Cask'.