Otley Brewing Company Limited
Encyclopedia
The Otley Brewing Company Limited, colloquially Otley Brewery, is a brewery
located in Pontypridd
, Wales
. Established in 2005, it has won several awards, including the Champion Beer of Wales
in 2006. The head brewer is Charlie Otley.
was perceived in establishing a brewing operation. Some trials on the homebrewing
scale, when the recipe for O-riginal was developed, led to limited production at Moor Beer Company in Somerset
; a full-scale five barrel
brewplant was purchased from Moor and production on an industrial estate in Pontypridd began in August 2005.
Beer is currently available in casks regularly at the Otley-owned pubs in Pontypridd and Trefforest
and as guest ales in other pubs in the Rhondda valley
and Cardiff
areas. They also produce bottled versions of Dark O, O1, O2 and O-Garden. 20 liter (36 pints) polypins and 10 liter (18 pints) minipins are also available for most of their beers
flavours, making heavy use of American hop varieties, particularly Amarillo hops; and display a dry finish on drinking. Otley's beers often do not fit closely into the beer style
scheme generally applied to British beer
.
O1 is the most common beer available, a golden ale at 4.0% ABV
. While classed as a pale ale by the brewery, CAMRA's categorization scheme treats it as a golden ale.
By the same token, Otley O8, the current Champion Beer of Wales, is classified as a barleywine under CAMRA beer style definitions, and as such stood unopposed in its category at the Champion Beer of Wales tasting; but the beer is formulated as a strong golden ale.
2005
2006
2006-2007
2007
2008
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
located in Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Established in 2005, it has won several awards, including the Champion Beer of Wales
Champion Beer of Wales
The Champion Beer of Wales is a beer award presented annually by the Campaign for Real Ale at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival in Cardiff, Wales....
in 2006. The head brewer is Charlie Otley.
Background
The Otley family owns and operates three pubs in the Pontypridd area; a natural synergySynergy
Synergy may be defined as two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable.The term synergy comes from the Greek word from , , meaning "working together".-Definitions and usages:...
was perceived in establishing a brewing operation. Some trials on the homebrewing
Homebrewing
Homebrewing is the brewing of beer, wine, sake, mead, cider, perry and other beverages through fermentation on a small scale as a hobby for personal consumption, free distribution at social gatherings, amateur brewing competitions or other non-commercial reasons...
scale, when the recipe for O-riginal was developed, led to limited production at Moor Beer Company in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
; a full-scale five barrel
Barrel (unit)
A barrel is one of several units of volume, with dry barrels, fluid barrels , oil barrel, etc...
brewplant was purchased from Moor and production on an industrial estate in Pontypridd began in August 2005.
Beer is currently available in casks regularly at the Otley-owned pubs in Pontypridd and Trefforest
Trefforest
Treforest is a village in the south-east of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales situated in the Treforest electoral ward along with the village of Glyntaff , being part of the Pontypridd Community...
and as guest ales in other pubs in the Rhondda valley
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Rhondda Cynon Taf, or RCT, is a county borough in the South Wales Valleys of Wales. It consists of 3 valleys: the Rhondda Valley, Cynon Valley and Taff-Ely Valley...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
areas. They also produce bottled versions of Dark O, O1, O2 and O-Garden. 20 liter (36 pints) polypins and 10 liter (18 pints) minipins are also available for most of their beers
Beers
Otley beers generally have floral/citrus hopHops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
flavours, making heavy use of American hop varieties, particularly Amarillo hops; and display a dry finish on drinking. Otley's beers often do not fit closely into the beer style
Beer style
Beer style is a term used to differentiate and categorize beers by various factors such as colour, flavour, strength, ingredients, production method, recipe, history, or origin....
scheme generally applied to British beer
British beer
Beer in the United Kingdom has a long history, and has quite distinct traditions.The United Kingdom has a rich history of brewing. Historically Bitters, Porters, Stouts and Milds have been the main styles brewed, rather than Lagers or Pilsners...
.
O1 is the most common beer available, a golden ale at 4.0% 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....
. While classed as a pale ale by the brewery, CAMRA's categorization scheme treats it as a golden ale.
By the same token, Otley O8, the current Champion Beer of Wales, is classified as a barleywine under CAMRA beer style definitions, and as such stood unopposed in its category at the Champion Beer of Wales tasting; but the beer is formulated as a strong golden ale.
Awards
Otley Brewing Company has won several awards for its beer since its establishment, and won five medals at CAMRA's Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival in August 2006, the first year of its eligibility for the awards.2005
- South DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
CAMRA festival: OG, silver medalSilver medalA silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in strong ale category
2006
- SIBASibaSiba 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...
West beer competition: Dark-O, bronze medalMedalA medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
in stoutStoutStout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters, typically 7% or 8%, produced by a brewery....
s and mildMild aleMild ale is a low-gravity beer, or beer with a predominantly malty palate, that originated in Britain in the 17th century or earlier. Modern mild ales are mainly dark coloured with an abv of 3% to 3.6%, though there are lighter hued examples, as well as stronger examples reaching 6% abv and...
s
2006-2007
- Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival:
- O8: Overall, Champion Beer of Wales 2006-07
- OG: Third place, Champion Beer of Wales
- O8: Gold medalGold medalA gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
, Barleywine category - OG: Gold medal, Strong ale category
- O1: Gold medal, Golden ale category
2007
- 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...
: O1, Third place, Champion Golden Ale of Britain
2008
- Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival:
- O8: Overall, Champion Beer of Wales 2008-09
- OG: Runner-up, Strong Bitter category
- O-Garden: Winner, Specialty Beer category
- Great British Beer Festival:
- O1, First place, Champion Golden Ale of Britain
- O-Garden, First Place, Speciality Ale of Britain