Hook Norton Brewery
Encyclopedia
Hook Norton Brewery is a regional brewery in Hook Norton
, Oxfordshire
, England, founded in 1849. The brewing plant is a traditional Victorian
"tower" brewery in which all the stages of the brewing process flow logically from floor to floor; mashing at the top, boiling in the middle, fermentation and racking at the bottom. Until 2006, the brewing process was powered by steam. Beer
is still delivered in the village by horse drawn dray.
with historic brewery artifacts and local history displays.
Hook Norton Brewery uses a Buxton & Thornley steam engine that has powered most of the machinery in the brewery since 1899. It is the last commercially working open crank stationary steam engine in the UK. It is a small, simple engine consisting of a cylinder, flywheel, connecting rods and little else. The engine drives a system of shafts and belts connected to most of the machinery in the brewery; different sections of machinery can be engaged and disengaged by levers which slide drive belts on and off their wheels. Where there are gears in the lineshafting, each pair consists of one iron and one wooden wheel. Thus, if any machinery should jam, only a few wooden teeth will be damaged and can then be replaced by the brewery's mechanics instead of needing a complex iron casting.
The machinery once powered by the steam engine includes:
N.B. The steam engine now only powers the mashing equipment, mill and sack hoist. The mashing rakes and cask lift have been removed.
It is worth noting that, though this use of traditional machinery provides a beneficial image of the brewery, it is a commercial enterprise and not a museum. The goal of the brewery is to make cask ale
, not to maintain old machinery for its own sake, and a senior member of the brewery management has stated, unofficially, that if it were to become uneconomic to continue brewing by steam, the engine would be replaced with electric motors forthwith. This seems unlikely, however - with its installation costs long since paid for and minimal maintenance requirements, the steam engine and lineshafting is expected to remain cheaper than modern alternatives for the foreseeable future.
This practical attitude extends to the rest of the equipment in the brewery, as well. Original vessels and machinery are used because they work, not because they are sacred relics that can never be changed. Some modern equipment is used, too, and the brewery's mechanics are as likely to be seen welding stainless-steel ducting as carving wooden gear teeth.
s, off licences and free houses. The brewery also has a network of 47 tied house
s spread across a region from Thame
in the east to Worcester
in the west and Grove
in the south to Napton-on-the-Hill
in the north. In total there are 23 Hook Norton pubs in Oxfordshire, nine each in Northamptonshire
and Warwickshire
, and three each in Gloucestershire
and Worcestershire
.
Hook Norton
Hook Norton is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in Oxfordshire, England. It is northeast of Chipping Norton.-Toponym and early history:...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England, founded in 1849. The brewing plant is a traditional Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
"tower" brewery in which all the stages of the brewing process flow logically from floor to floor; mashing at the top, boiling in the middle, fermentation and racking at the bottom. Until 2006, the brewing process was powered by steam. Beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
is still delivered in the village by horse drawn dray.
Museum
Visitors can take a tour of the brewery and visit the museumMuseum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
with historic brewery artifacts and local history displays.
Steam engine
The machinery once powered by the steam engine includes:
- Pumps, both for "liquor" (water) and wort. The pumps are located next to the engine and are original.
- The grist mill, which crushes the grains of malt by a precisely-regulated amount. This is also an original 1899 machine.
- The mashingMashingIn brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain , known as the "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture...
and rakingMash rakeA mash rake or mashing rake is a tool used in the mashing process of brewing and distilling. The mash rake churns the mash to ensure it is mixed properly and is wet everywhere, so no sugars are wasted....
equipment in the mash tun. - A lift for filled casks, dating from 1900.
- The sack hoist for loading malt.
N.B. The steam engine now only powers the mashing equipment, mill and sack hoist. The mashing rakes and cask lift have been removed.
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...
, not to maintain old machinery for its own sake, and a senior member of the brewery management has stated, unofficially, that if it were to become uneconomic to continue brewing by steam, the engine would be replaced with electric motors forthwith. This seems unlikely, however - with its installation costs long since paid for and minimal maintenance requirements, the steam engine and lineshafting is expected to remain cheaper than modern alternatives for the foreseeable future.
This practical attitude extends to the rest of the equipment in the brewery, as well. Original vessels and machinery are used because they work, not because they are sacred relics that can never be changed. Some modern equipment is used, too, and the brewery's mechanics are as likely to be seen welding stainless-steel ducting as carving wooden gear teeth.
Tied houses
Outlets for Hook Norton ales include supermarketSupermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s, off licences and free houses. The brewery also has a network of 47 tied house
Tied house
In the UK a tied house is a public house that is required to buy at least some of its beer from a particular brewery. This is in contrast to a free house, which is able to choose the beers it stocks freely.- Definition of "tied" :...
s spread across a region from Thame
Thame
Thame is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town....
in the east to Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
in the west and Grove
Grove, Oxfordshire
Grove is a village and civil parish on Letcombe Brook about north of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Parish churches:...
in the south to Napton-on-the-Hill
Napton-on-the-Hill
Napton-on-the-Hill, , is a village and civil parish east of Southam in Warwickshire, England.-Manor:...
in the north. In total there are 23 Hook Norton pubs in Oxfordshire, nine each in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, and three each in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.