Thornbridge Brewery
Encyclopedia
History
The first beers appeared in February 2005 and have won many awards.Thornbridge's beers were originally brewed by Martin Dickie, a graduate of the International Centre for Distilling and Brewing at Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Stefano Cossi, a graduate in Food Science and Technology at Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
University, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
In 2007, Dickie started BrewDog
BrewDog
BrewDog is a Scottish brewery located in the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.- History :BrewDog was founded in 2006 by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie. The brewery at the Kessock Industrial Estate in Fraserburgh produced its first brew in April 2007...
, his own brewery in Scotland, and was replaced by Kelly Ryan, a graduate in both Microbiology and Food Science and Technology at the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
in New Zealand. A few months later the team was joined by David Pickering, a biotechnology graduate who also completed a diploma at the International Centre for Distilling and Brewing in Edinburgh. Former chef, Matthew Clark joined the team in July 2007 and the four brewers worked at the Hall brewery until mid 2009 when a new bespoke brewery in Bakewell was installed and commissioned. James Kemp, former New Zealand Homebrewing Champion joined the international team and brewing commenced on the new 50 hL (30 UK bbl) Velo plant in August 2009. Food Science and Technology PhD graduate, Andreas Pausler also joined in late 2009 as the lead brewer and laboratory expert. Dave Pickering left for Carlow Brewing Co. in Ireland and was replaced by British Brewing Technology Diploma graduate, Nigel Dallas in 2010.
More than 130 awards have been won by Thornbridge's brews since its opening, including the Silver Medal (Strong Ales) at the Great British Beer Festival
Great British Beer Festival
The 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...
(August 2006) for Jaipur IPA (and for Kipling in August 2009), the Gold Medal in August 2008 in the same category, and a Bronze Medal in the Bitters category in August 2009 also. As of July 2010, Jaipur held a staggering 70 industry awards after only 5 years of production. 2010 also saw a prestigious World Beer Cup medal added to the cabinet for the limited release Chestnut Honey ale, Bracia.
Sales have grown from £50,000 in 2004 to a projected £650,000 this year [2009] and the business has recently announced a 115% increase in sales (June 2010) from last years trading figures.
In January 2009, Thornbridge Brewery was featured in the first episode of the TV series Oz and James Drink to Britain
Oz and James Drink to Britain
Oz and James Drink to Britain is a BBC television series in which wine writer Oz Clarke and motor journalist James May travel through Britain and Ireland to discover the array of available alcoholic drinks...
with Oz Clarke
Oz Clarke
Robert "Oz" Clarke is a British wine writer, television presenter and broadcaster.-Biography:Clarke’s parents were a chest physician and a nursing sister. He was brought up near Canterbury with a brother and a sister. Clarke became a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and subsequently won a choral...
and James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
.
In February, 2011, Thornbridge made an international collaboration with Mountain Goat
Mountain Goat Beer
Mountain Goat Beer is a microbrewery in Richmond, Victoria, Australia. The brewery was founded in 1996 by Cam Hines and Dave Bonighton, who continue to manage the company. Their first commercial brew, Hightale Ale, was released in October 1997...
Beer in Melbourne, Australia. The resulting beer was The Thorny Goat - a black IPA. They have also collaborated with London's Kernel Brewery and Brighton's Dark Star Brewery, among others.
Cask beers
- Wild Swan (3.5% abv) White gold in colour, aromas of bitter lemon and spices.
- Lord Marples (4.0% abv) Named after former owners of Thornbridge Hall. A classic bitter, with tastes of honey and caramel.
- Brock (4.1% abv) Velvety dark, exceptionally smooth and creamy stout with soft treacle flavours and a full body.
- Jaipur IPA (5.9% abv) An India Pale AleIndia Pale AleIndia 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...
. Soft and smooth with massive hoppiness and honey. This slowly converts into a powerful but pleasant, enduring, bitter finish. - St. Petersburg (7.7% abv) A full bodied stout, chocolaty, malt flavours with a coffee finish. Named because John Morewood, who bought Thornbridge Hall in 1790, made his money selling linen to St Petersburg in RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. - Hopton (4.3% abv) Burnt gold English Pale Ale with hints of citrus and biscuit character. A showcase of the Bramling Cross hop
- Kipling (5.2% abv) Golden blonde beer with an exquisite passionfruit, gooseberry and mango aroma. An initial sweetness and full body are balanced by a lasting grapefruit-like finish. The first beer in the UK to be brewed with the Nelson Sauvin hop from NZ.
Bottled beers
- Jaipur IPA (5.9%)
- Saint Petersburg (7.7% abv)
- Halcyon Green Hop Harvest (5.6% abv)- Seasonal
- Bracia (9% abv) - Limited release
- Wild Swan (3.5% abv)
- Kipling (5.2% abv)