Wye Valley Brewery
Encyclopedia
Wye Valley Brewery is a brewery
in the village of Stoke Lacy
, Herefordshire
, England, in the Wye Valley
. Founded in 1985 by Peter Amor, it has become "one of Britain's leading independent breweries". In 2002 Peter Amor's son, Vernon Amor, became managing director.
, Rotherham
; this institution had no connection with Abbey Ales of Bath, Somerset
. In mid-1982, Abbey Brewery located to Retford
, Nottinghamshire
with a capacity of at most 20bbl per week.
After being bought in 1983 by Peter Amor, a former brewer for Guinness
who also worked for H. P. Bulmer
, the brewery was closed, and the brewplant relocated to Canon Pyon
, Herefordshire.
Another brewery, the Canon Pyon Brewery, had been established in a stable
block behind the Nags Head Pub in Canon Pyon since early 1984. Upon the departure of the brewer and brewplant there to establish The Tate Brewery Limited in Bodenham
, Herefordshire, brewing was reestablished in Canon Pyon with the Abbey Brewery plant by Peter Amor in 1985, and trading began under the name Wye Valley Brewery. It is from here that Wye Valley Brewery counts the beginning of its corporate history.
By 1986, Wye Valley had again relocated, this time to a pub called The Lamb in Hereford, which was renamed The Barrels.
After 18 years in Hereford, in 2002 the brewery was relocated to the village of Stoke Lacy, in northern Herefordshire, and the original brewplant sold to Teme Valley Brewery.
The new brewery site was the former Symonds Cider
plant; in order to purchase the site, the owners signed a covenant promising never to produce cider on the location. Upon conversion into a brewery, capacity was expanded to 80bbl per day and the former brewplant sold to Teme Valley Brewery.
In 2006, brewing was being conducted four days a week, for a total current production between 16000 and 17000bbl/year. Shortly after the relocation, Peter Amor's son Vernon Amor became managing director, with Peter Amor retaining the position of Chairman, Vernon having trained as a brewer at Young's Brewery
. By 2004 the company employed 15 individuals full-time, and as of 2007 the head brewer was Jimmy Swan.
Water for brewing is drawn from an artesian well located on the brewery premises; local water chemistry is sensitive to time of day, so water is drawn only in the morning. Hops
are mostly purchased from local farms.
Wye Valley Brewery owns The Barrels and The Britannia in Hereford, The Morgan in Malvern and The Rose and Lion in Bromyard; Peter Amor is the publican of The Barrels.
A further 400 outlets in Wales and England are supplied regularly, and beer is also sold in bottles.
), a hoppy, malty pale brewed to 4.0% abv
; Wye Valley Bitter
, a session bitter at 3.7% abv; and Butty Bach , a golden ale at 4.5% abv which the Good Beer Guide
describes as: "A burnished gold, full-bodied premium ale."
In addition to the core beer line, a rotation of monthly ales is also produced.
A number of one-off beers have also been made for special events.
Wye Valley Brewery produces cask
and bottle conditioned
beer, and is a member of the Society of Independent Brewers
.
Wye Valley Brewery also produces beers, originally all seasonals, under the brand name Dorothy Goodbody. Dorothy Goodbody is an invented persona
, supposedly a hop grower's daughter who developed an interest in brewing in the early 1950s in the village of Dormington, Herefordshire. The original premise of the brand was that each beer had been developed using only locally-grown Fuggle and Golding hops.
However, some Irish-grown hops are used as well, particularly Northdown in the Wholesome Stout.
After a complaint concerning the brand's sex appeal was made by Alcohol Concern, the Independent Complains Panel ruled that the brand's advertising did not breach the Portman Group
's Code of Practice regarding alcohol advertising.
Dorothy Goodbody is depicted in promotional materials as a blonde female with a face and physique similar to Marilyn Monroe
, and usually wearing a low-cut blouse
or dress with a high hemline
. The sex appeal of this depiction was combined with extensive use of double entendre
in the original campaign.
The most notable of the beers in this line is Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout
, a dark traditional stout at 4.6% abv which won the Champion Winter Beer Of Britain
in 2002 and which is now produced year-round.
category at that festival in 2000 and 2002. Dorothy Goodbody's Golden Ale' received the bronze medal
in the Brewing Industry International Awards in its category in 2005; Butty Bach was Beer of the Festival at the Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival in Cardiff
in 1998, 1999 and 2000; and HPA was awarded the bronze medal for best bitters at the SIBA National Beer Competition in 2005. The brewery and its beers have also received numerous regional and local awards.
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....
in the village of Stoke Lacy
Stoke Lacy
Stoke Lacy is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Herefordshire.Stoke Lacy lies on the main A465 road that connects Hereford and Bromyard and is from the former and from the latter.-History:...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county 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 Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, England, in the Wye Valley
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
. Founded in 1985 by Peter Amor, it has become "one of Britain's leading independent breweries". In 2002 Peter Amor's son, Vernon Amor, became managing director.
History & location
Wye Valley Brewery traces its ancestry to the Abbey Brewery, which was founded in November 1981 and operated from the owner's garage in StaintonStainton
-Places in England:* Stainton, Carlisle, Cumbria* Stainton, Eden, near Penrith, Cumbria* Stainton, South Lakeland, near Sedgwick, Cumbria* Stainton, County Durham, near Barnard Castle* Stainton, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire...
, Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
; this institution had no connection with Abbey Ales of Bath, 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...
. In mid-1982, Abbey Brewery located to Retford
Retford
Retford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, and 23 miles west of Lincoln, in the district of Bassetlaw. The town is situated in a valley with the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal running through the centre of the...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
with a capacity of at most 20bbl per week.
After being bought in 1983 by Peter Amor, a former brewer for Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
who also worked for H. P. Bulmer
H. P. Bulmer
H.P. Bulmer is a brewing company founded in 1887 in Hereford, England. The founder was Percy Bulmer, the twenty-year-old son of the local rector at Credenhill...
, the brewery was closed, and the brewplant relocated to Canon Pyon
Canon Pyon
Canon Pyon is a village on the A4110 road in Herefordshire, England.The name derives from the nearby Pyon Hill. 'Pyon', is unusual and is not used anywhere else in Britain, with the exception of the nearby village of Kings Pyon, on the other side of the hill....
, Herefordshire.
Another brewery, the Canon Pyon Brewery, had been established in a stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
block behind the Nags Head Pub in Canon Pyon since early 1984. Upon the departure of the brewer and brewplant there to establish The Tate Brewery Limited in Bodenham
Bodenham
Bodenham is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, situated on a bend in the River Lugg, about seven miles south of Leominster. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,024.It is also the name of a village in Wiltshire....
, Herefordshire, brewing was reestablished in Canon Pyon with the Abbey Brewery plant by Peter Amor in 1985, and trading began under the name Wye Valley Brewery. It is from here that Wye Valley Brewery counts the beginning of its corporate history.
By 1986, Wye Valley had again relocated, this time to a pub called The Lamb in Hereford, which was renamed The Barrels.
After 18 years in Hereford, in 2002 the brewery was relocated to the village of Stoke Lacy, in northern Herefordshire, and the original brewplant sold to Teme Valley Brewery.
Brewery
Scrumpy Jack
Scrumpy Jack is a brand of dry cider, 6% alc. vol., produced in Hereford by Bulmers, a subsidiary of Heineken. Scrumpy Jack is also produced under licence in Devon by Czk1....
plant; in order to purchase the site, the owners signed a covenant promising never to produce cider on the location. Upon conversion into a brewery, capacity was expanded to 80bbl per day and the former brewplant sold to Teme Valley Brewery.
In 2006, brewing was being conducted four days a week, for a total current production between 16000 and 17000bbl/year. Shortly after the relocation, Peter Amor's son Vernon Amor became managing director, with Peter Amor retaining the position of Chairman, Vernon having trained as a brewer at Young's Brewery
Young's Brewery
Young's is a British pub chain operating nearly 220 pubs.The company was founded as a brewery in 1831 by Charles Young and Anthony Bainbridge when they purchased the Ram Brewery in Wandsworth...
. By 2004 the company employed 15 individuals full-time, and as of 2007 the head brewer was Jimmy Swan.
Water for brewing is drawn from an artesian well located on the brewery premises; local water chemistry is sensitive to time of day, so water is drawn only in the morning. Hops
Hops
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...
are mostly purchased from local farms.
Wye Valley Brewery owns The Barrels and The Britannia in Hereford, The Morgan in Malvern and The Rose and Lion in Bromyard; Peter Amor is the publican of The Barrels.
A further 400 outlets in Wales and England are supplied regularly, and beer is also sold in bottles.
Beers
Wye Valley's beer line is based around three flagship beers: HPA (Hereford Pale AlePale ale
Pale ale is a beer which uses a warm fermentation and predominantly pale malt. It is one of the world's major beer styles.The higher proportion of pale malts results in a lighter colour. The term "pale ale" was being applied around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with coke, which resulted in a...
), a hoppy, malty pale brewed to 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....
; Wye Valley 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:...
, a session bitter at 3.7% abv; and Butty Bach , a golden ale at 4.5% abv which the Good Beer Guide
Good Beer Guide
The Good Beer Guide is a book published annually by the Campaign for Real Ale listing what they consider to be the best cask ale outlets in the United Kingdom.-Details:...
describes as: "A burnished gold, full-bodied premium ale."
In addition to the core beer line, a rotation of monthly ales is also produced.
A number of one-off beers have also been made for special events.
Wye Valley Brewery produces cask
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...
and bottle conditioned
Bottle conditioning
Bottle conditioned beers are either unfiltered so the final conditioning of the beer takes place in the bottle, or filtered and then reseeded with yeast so that an additional fermentation may take place.-Priming:...
beer, and is a member of the Society of Independent Brewers
Society of Independent Brewers
The Society of Independent Brewers was founded in 1980 under the title The Small Independent Brewers Association to represent the interests of the growing numbers of independent brewing companies in the United Kingdom...
.
Dorothy Goodbody
Persona
A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask. The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον...
, supposedly a hop grower's daughter who developed an interest in brewing in the early 1950s in the village of Dormington, Herefordshire. The original premise of the brand was that each beer had been developed using only locally-grown Fuggle and Golding hops.
However, some Irish-grown hops are used as well, particularly Northdown in the Wholesome Stout.
After a complaint concerning the brand's sex appeal was made by Alcohol Concern, the Independent Complains Panel ruled that the brand's advertising did not breach the Portman Group
Portman Group
The Portman Group is a trade group composed of alcoholic beverage producers and brewers in the UK.-History:It was set up in 1989 as part of a campaign to raise awareness of alcohol-related issues, and its members account for the majority of alcohol products sold in the UK...
's Code of Practice regarding alcohol advertising.
Dorothy Goodbody is depicted in promotional materials as a blonde female with a face and physique similar to Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, and usually wearing a low-cut blouse
Blouse
A blouse is a loose-fitting upper garment that was formerly worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women and children. It is typically gathered at the waist so that it hangs loosely over the wearer's body. Today, the word most commonly refers to a woman's shirt but can also refer to a man's shirt if...
or dress with a high hemline
Hemline
The hemline is the line formed by the lower edge of a garment, such as a skirt, dress or coat, measured from the floor.The hemline is perhaps the most variable style line in fashion, changing shape and ranging in height from hip-high to floor-length...
. The sex appeal of this depiction was combined with extensive use of double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
in the original campaign.
The most notable of the beers in this line is Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout
Stout
Stout 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....
, a dark traditional stout at 4.6% abv which won the Champion Winter Beer Of Britain
Champion Winter Beer Of Britain
The Champion Winter Beer Of Britain is an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale , at their annual National Winter Ales Festival in January. The award is similar to the Champion Beer Of Britain which is presented in August...
in 2002 and which is now produced year-round.
Awards
In addition to the Winter Ales overall championship in 2002, Wholesome Stout also won the Stouts and PortersPorter (beer)
Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts...
category at that festival in 2000 and 2002. Dorothy Goodbody's Golden Ale' received the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the Brewing Industry International Awards in its category in 2005; Butty Bach was Beer of the Festival at the Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival in 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...
in 1998, 1999 and 2000; and HPA was awarded the bronze medal for best bitters at the SIBA National Beer Competition in 2005. The brewery and its beers have also received numerous regional and local awards.