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Oakham's Green Devil IPA in bottle

Oakham Ales, the acclaimed innovative ale brewery based in the East Midlands, is bottling its ‘Green Devil IPA’ which recently took top honours winning Supreme Champion cask ale at a national beer award competition organised by SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers).   The champion beer is bottle-conditioned and will be available in 660ml bottles from May 2012.  The brewery is producing 12,000 bottles and Green Devil IPA will retail at approximately £2.99.   Golden in colour,  with an A.B.V. of 6.0% it has a harvest hop aroma with tropical fruit flavours bursting through.

Green Devil IPA won the Gold Award in the Premium Strong Beers category before going on to take the Supreme Champion title earlier this year.  Adrian Posnett, Managing Director of Oakham Ales, said, “The off-trade has been asking for Green Devil IPA in a bottle, and we have therefore re-organised our brewing schedule to respond to their request. We are confident that this beer will prove to be as popular in the bottle as it has been in the draught format since we started brewing it just over 12 months ago”.

Oakham’s off-trade business has grown hugely year on year with its core brands JHB, Inferno, Citra, and Bishops Farwell, as well as their winter seasonal Hawse Buckler, extending distribution through the brewery’s heartland throughout the East-Midlands and East Anglia regions. Its key brands are now available in thirty Waitrose and sixty Tesco stores.  Oakham Ales is also brewing Cambridgeshire Golden Ale on a permanent basis for M&S which is available in 450 stores nationally.

SIX readers will each win a polypin of one of Elgood’s Olympic beers as Wisbech brewery gives some sporting events a canine twist.

BEACH Collieball, Pug-of-War and Cocker-less Four are three events which make up a Fenland brewery’s Dog Decathlon in celebration of this summer’s Olympics.

Elgood’s has created 10 beers to mark London 2012 and has named them after sports – but with a canine twist.

The Dog Decathlon was the idea of Robin Hotson, Elgood’s estates manager, when the Wisbech company looked to create an Olympic beer that would stand out from the rest.

Mr Hotson said: “There are so many microbreweries around and when you visit a Real Ale pub the customer wants something different every time.

“We were thinking of brewing an Olympic beer but then we realised that everyone is going to be doing an Olympic beer. I thought about Elgood’s dog emblem and the Black Dog beer and the Dog Decathlon was born.

“Four or five of us sat around a table coming up with some fun names and Wisbech artist Tony Leach designed some logos.”

Some of the beers in the range are based on existing recipes – but a couple have an interesting twist. For example the 100 Metre Dachshund, the beer for June, has an essence of raspberry.

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is also highlighted in 100 Metre Dachshund logo, with the Monarch pictured starting the race.

Elgood’s early delivery vehicle.The campaign started on March 1 and each beer is available for one month only. As a result the first beer, called Kick-Boxer, is no longer available but it was popular with pubs and customers.

About 100 pubs in East Anglia have signed up to stock all 10 beers, with more joining the list every week.

Click here to read more in the Wisbech Standard

Andrew Wolton and Stewart Poulter

Oakham Ales, the acclaimed innovative ale brewery based in Peterborough, has appointed Andrew Wolton as Brewery Operations Manager and promoted Stewart Poulter from Warehouse Supervisor to Assistant Brewer. Andrew is an experienced operator and has been working within the drinks trade for the past twenty-six years. Stewart has worked with Oakham Ales for the past eight years and is currently studying for his Brewing Certificate.

In his role as Brewery Operations Manager, Andrew will oversee the warehouse, stock and distribution operations and will report directly to Adrian Posnett, Managing Director. Stewart will be reporting into Alex Kean, Head Brewer.

The expansion follows a successful twelve-months for Oakham Ales who have won a number of high profile awards for their draught beers as well as significantly increasing their bottle sales to retailers that include; M&S, Waitrose and Tesco.

“Adrian Posnett, Oakham Ales Managing Director says: “Andrew is a great addition to the team, he and I have worked together at previous companies over the years, most recently at Waverley TBS, and I am very pleased to have him on board. I am also delighted to promote Stewart to the role of Assistant Brewer, which reflects the hard work and support he has given to the company during the rapid growth of the business.”

Rick Sheepshanks (right), MD of Stokes Sauces, and Colin Cordy MD of St Peters Brewery

A real ale relish produced by award-winning Suffolk company, Stokes Sauces, could soon be satisfying the tastebuds of food lovers in the US.

Such has been the success of Stokes Sauces’ collaboration with fellow East Anglian company, St Peter’s Brewery, talks are now under way to export the popular Suffolk Mud Real Ale Chutney across the Atlantic.

Made with St Peter’s Best Bitter, the chutney is one of several relishes produced by Stokes Sauces under its Suffolk Mad brand. The company also has an extensive product range of preserves and savoury sauces.

The chutney has proved such a successful brand since its creation last year and is now the subject of significant export conversations.

Rick Sheepshanks, managing director of Stokes Sauces, said: “We are enormously proud of our collaboration with St Peter’s Brewery – which has given way to the creation of both our real ale chutney and our wholegrain mustard with St Peter’s Brewery Honey Porter.

Leading supermarkets are now also beginning to stock key lines from the Stokes brand.

Suffolk Mud Farmhouse Chutney with St Peter’s Best Bitter has an RRP of £2.98 and is available in all good Farm Shops and Delis.

Click here to read the full story. Article Taken from Business Weekly.

Oakham Ales, based in Peterborough, brewed its first seasonal ale for M&S this summer – named ‘Cambridgeshire Summer Ale’.  It won a gold medal at the *International Beer Festival – the first one the retailer has won at these awards – and has been so popular with customers that M&S is keeping the beer as part of its permanent range and re-naming it ‘Cambridgeshire Golden Ale’.

The 4.2% A.B.V bottled beer will be sold in 279 southern-based stores as well as in and around the Peterborough area and nationally in larger M&S outlets.   The new bottle carries the gold medal win on the label and it will be priced at approximately £2.19 per bottle.

Adrian Posnett, Oakham Ales Managing Director says: “We are thrilled that M&S will be introducing Cambridgeshire Golden Ale as part of its core range.  The on-going exposure in such a high profile retailer is very good news for the business and the rest of the Oakham Ales range”.

Oakham Ales produce exceptional full flavoured hoppy beers with its core range winning multiple awards.  The Brewery strives to source the best possible ingredients by developing personal relationships with growers, farmers and all those they deal with in the sector.

Oakham Ales, the acclaimed innovative ale brewery based in the East Midlands, is the only brewer worldwide to have access to the Baby Belma hop. The beer is a result of the Brewery’s Production Director, John Bryan, being introduced to the hop on his annual research trip to the USA.

Grown in the North West of USA in the lower Yakima Valley, John’s good working relationship with the growers, built up over the years, has enabled him to have first option on the Baby Belma crop when he sampled them earlier this year. He has enough for one brew only.

The 4.1% A.B.V ale is light copper in colour with a subtle orange fruit aroma. The initial taste is a fresh fruit zestiness which softens to reveal some sweetness from the malt combining with orange peel flavours giving a delicate dry finish.

John Bryan, Oakham Ales Production Director said: “I love to experiment with new hops and it is a privilege to be entrusted with the Baby Belma crop by the growers. I’m confident that our new Baby Belma will do justice to that expectation”.

Baby Belma will be available on draught nationally while stocks last through the free trade and via selected distributors. For further sales information contact Oakham Ales on telephone: 01733 370500 or e-mail: sales@oakhamales.com