Hall & Woodhouse
Encyclopedia
Hall and Woodhouse is a British regional brewery founded in 1777 by Charles Hall in Blandford Forum, Dorset
, UK
. The company operates over 250 public house
s in the south of England, and brews under the name Badger Brewery.
In 1875, the "Badger
" logo of the firm was introduced, and in 1900, when a new brewery was built to replace the original, it was named after the logo
. The firm remains a family firm.
In 1991 the brewpub Gribble Inn was acquired. Though sold in 2005 back to the landlord, Hall & Woodhouse retained the rights to the brand name Fursty Ferret, the brewpub's most famous beer.
In 2000 the King & Barnes brewery business in Horsham was acquired. The brewery itself was sold off for housing, though Hall & Woodhouse retained the King & Barnes chain of pubs and the rights to the brand names of the King and Barnes
beers.
, and 5% as a filtered beer
in bottles and cans. According to a story presently written on the bottle, it was given its name when the Head Brewer drank "several tankards" and "fell on" a name for the beer. The cask version is widely available in the south of England, and a pasteurised version is available in bottles or cans in supermarkets nationally.
bitter
. Originally brewed at the Gribble Inn, which was bought by Hall & Woodhouse in 1991. The pub was sold back to the landlord in 2005, with Hall & Woodhouse retaining the rights to the brand name Fursty Ferret.
Hall and Woodhouse also used to manufacture Panda Pops, but sold the brand to Nichols plc
in 2005.
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The company operates over 250 public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s in the south of England, and brews under the name Badger Brewery.
History
The brewery traces its roots to 1777, when Charles Hall founded the Ansty Brewery (Ansty being a village near Blandford). The Hall & Woodhouse partnership itself dates from 1847, when Charles' son and successor went into business with George Woodhouse.In 1875, the "Badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
" logo of the firm was introduced, and in 1900, when a new brewery was built to replace the original, it was named after the logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
. The firm remains a family firm.
In 1991 the brewpub Gribble Inn was acquired. Though sold in 2005 back to the landlord, Hall & Woodhouse retained the rights to the brand name Fursty Ferret, the brewpub's most famous beer.
In 2000 the King & Barnes brewery business in Horsham was acquired. The brewery itself was sold off for housing, though Hall & Woodhouse retained the King & Barnes chain of pubs and the rights to the brand names of the King and Barnes
King and Barnes
King and Barnes is the name of a former family owned English brewery, based in Horsham, Sussex.-History:The brewery was founded around 1800 as Satchell & Co. Satchell was later bought out by the maltster, James King, and the business renamed King & Sons. In 1906, another Horsham brewer, G.H...
beers.
Tanglefoot
Tanglefoot is a premium bitter, 4.9% as a cask aleCask 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 5% as a 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 and cans. According to a story presently written on the bottle, it was given its name when the Head Brewer drank "several tankards" and "fell on" a name for the beer. The cask version is widely available in the south of England, and a pasteurised version is available in bottles or cans in supermarkets nationally.
Fursty Ferret
Fursty Ferret is a 4.4% abvAlcohol 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....
bitter
Bitter (beer)
Bitter is an English term for pale ale. Bitters vary in colour from gold to dark amber and in strength from 3% to 7% alcohol by volume.-Brief history:...
. Originally brewed at the Gribble Inn, which was bought by Hall & Woodhouse in 1991. The pub was sold back to the landlord in 2005, with Hall & Woodhouse retaining the rights to the brand name Fursty Ferret.
Other brands
- Badger Original
- England's Gold
- First Gold - a fairly dark ale with orangeOrange (fruit)An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
and spices - Flyer (formerly Blandford Fly) - a dark bottled ale flavoured with gingerGingerGinger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
and spices - Golden Champion Ale - with an aroma of elderflower
- Hopping Hare - a light coloured cask ale available between February and May
- Long Days - a bottled raspberryRaspberryThe raspberry or hindberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
flavoured summer ale - Pickled Partridge - a spicy seasonal winter ale which comes in cask and bottle
- Poacher's Choice - a very strong (5.7%) bottled dark ale with an edge of liquorice
- Pumpkin Ale
- Golden Glory - a premium ale with floral peachPeachThe peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
and melonMelonthumb|200px|Various types of melonsThis list of melons includes members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae with edible, fleshy fruit e.g. gourds or cucurbits. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit...
aroma. - River Cottage Stinger Organic Ale - a beer made with stinging nettles, branded by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River CottageRiver CottageRiver Cottage is a former weekend and holiday home that was originally a game-keeper's lodge in the grounds of Slape Manor, Netherbury, Dorset. From 1998 it was used by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall as a setting for three television series: Escape to River Cottage, Return to River Cottage and River...
- Harvester - a low alcohol ale
Soft drinks
The company also markets soft drinks known as Rio (formerly Rio Riva) which are canned drinks made from fruit juices and sparkling spring water.Hall and Woodhouse also used to manufacture Panda Pops, but sold the brand to Nichols plc
Nichols plc
Nichols plc, based in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, England, is a company well known for its lead brand Vimto, a fruit flavoured cordial. The company can trace its roots back to the invention of Vimto, by John Noel Nichols in 1908...
in 2005.