North Warwickshire Brewery Visit, March 2007

We started in the Lord Nelson pub in Ansley, north Warwickshire, trying Tunnel's 4% LATE OTT (and as the evening unfolded we discovered that this is Light At The End Of The Tunnel) and the slightly stronger 4.4% Trade Winds. Apaprently the OTT sells in huge quantities here, and it's easy to understand why. Having checked the results were up to scratch (they were) we visited the brewery itself, a newish venture in an extension at the back of the pub, where we met the two brewers, showed us around and told us how they create their beers. They use several different hops and malts and explained the virtues and uses of each. They then opened numerous bottles of Morning Glory (4.3%), Shadow Weaver (4.7%), Linda Lear (3.7%), and finally the Boston Beer Party (5.6%), all good beers in very different styles. They also offered us some excellent local cheese made with their beer by Fowlers of Earlswood, which would make an interesting lunchtime diversion at our own beer festival.

Back to the pub to check all was still OK. Some stuck to the local beers, someone tried a Slaters (good), someone else reported that the Tim Taylors Landlord was excellent... and I tried the Bass. Now that was once a great beer, in a pub that obviously knows how to keep a real ale... and it was decidedly uninteresting. Pity, I remember when I was a lad...

It's worth knowing that the brewery runs almost weekly tasting sessions in the pub, on a themed basis - it might be Belgian beers, or whatever. Anyone wanting a masterclass should join them for their 4-day trip to visit numerous breweries in France and Belgium this summer.

Then we got back in the bus and headed for the Church End brewery tap, which has up to seven real ales and lots of interesting bottled beers. I tried the Vicars Ruin and the Nuns Ale, both excellent. Then our own Harry Porter, aka Ken Jackson, grabbed a passing brewer Karl who felt obliged to show us round their new brewery - a lot larger than the old coffin shop next to the Griffin in Shustoke where the brewery began its life - and opened up sack after sack of malt and hops for us to sample - a real education. Different to the Tunnel, but each has their reasons and both produce great results.

Back to the tap for more refreshment.We spotted a jokey poster about a strong beer called Bush (in the gents) now called Scaldis - at a mere 12% and over £3/bottle. Never the less, this unusual beer should not be ignored so a few of us clubbed together for a small glass each. Worth trying, something like a barley wine, but I think I'd prefer a few pints of the 4-5% beers for an evening's drinking.

We returned by around midnight and Charlie kindly drove a rather windy route so that he could drop as many of us off as possible within staggering distance of home. Thanks to Bob Jackson for organising a great evening.

Robert Cawte

Photo Journal

	The small extension behind the Lord Nelson, home of the Tunnel Brewery
	Crush some hops on your hand to release the fabulous aroma. Your hands smell great for hours!
	Two fermenting vessels, and behind them the hot liquor tank.
	The fermentation in action. Unlike lagers, British beers are generally top fermented.
	A welcome chance to sample some of Tunnel's excellent ales.
	The nearby Church End Brewery was purpose-built when they outgrew their original home in a coffin-makers near the Griffin at Shustoke.
	A fortifying ale or two before venturing into the adjoining brewery.
	The brewery itself makes an impressive backdrop to the brewery tap.
	Church End have been accumulating awards since 1994.
	No two brewery visits are ever the same. Although the brewing process is essentially the same, Church End's equipment setup looks strikingly different from Tunnel's.
	A chance to smell and taste the malts and hops which give Church End's beers their famously wide range of characters.
	Three members of the team engage in a rigorously scientific test of the effects of their imported Scaldis (12%).

Photos: Gordon Clarke   Words: Kevin Clarke