Harrison’s

02/05/2021 by Teresa Cottam Leave a comment

104-106 Carolgate, Retford, Nottinghamshire

About the brewery

Harrison’s Brewery was established in August 2018 by head brewer Chris (Harry) Harrison-Hawkes, who began his brewing career at the Idle Valley Brewery. Harrison-Hawkes had originally set up the Idle Valley Brewery with business partners in 2015. While the brewery produced award-winning beers, including a National Gold SIBA Award for Vacant Gesture (bottle), the venture didn’t work out. Harrison-Hawkes subsequently opened the Brew Shed pub at 108 Carolgate to raise funds. He had so little money he welded his own tanks while renovating what was a wood furniture manufacturers to turn it into what is now Harrison’s Brewery.

Harrison-Hawkes states that his first brew run at the newly established Harrison’s Brewery wasn’t a success despite his previous award-winning brewing experience. He put this down to being “rusty” as well as teething troubles in getting used to his new kit and having to scale down recipes developed for 10 Brewer’s Barrel production at the Idle Valley Brewery to the 2 Brewer’s Barrel kit at Harrison’s. After tipping away the first brew run as “not good enough” he was soon brewing his old recipes once again, including Vacant Gesture, Coconut Shy and Best Bitter, as well as developing new ones. Many of the beers Harrison’s produces are based on the recipes developed at Idle Valley but rebranded (Vacant Gesture retained its name because of its popularity).

Harrisons Brewery is situated at the rear of the Brew Shed on Carolgate. It now has four regular ales and rotates between 400 recipes on its final barrel.

Interesting Fact: Many of the principal roads in Retford have the Old Norse ‘gate’ ending including Bridgegate, Chapelgate, Moorgate, Churchgate and Carolgate. Grove Street used to be called Newgate. Carolgate is derived from the Old Norse ‘karla’ ( a karl) plus the Old Norse ‘gata’ (gate). A karl was a freeman.

Harrisons Brewery is situated to the rear of The Brew Shed on Carolgate, Retford. The Brew Shed’s beer garden overlooks the marina on the Chesterfield canal

Regular beers

Best Bitter (ABV 4.0%) traditional English bitter.

Coconut Shy (ABV 4.3%) an APA that uses Mosaic and Columbus hops.

Proof of Concept (ABV 4.3%) IPA.

Stout (ABV 5.6%) a classic dry Irish style stout with chocolate notes and a sweet malty finish.

Vacant Gesture (ABV 3.8%) a blonde ale brewed with mosaic hops. Brewed in regular rotation.

Regular seasonal beers and specials

The brewery has a wide range of seasonal beers and specials available from the Brew Shed.

Fancy a pint?

The Brew Shed is the tap for Harrison’s Brewery. It usually has five Harrison’s beers on sale plus up to three guest ales (cask) and a variety of kegs. Real cider is also available.

Tours and Takeaways

Harrison’s sell cans of Vacant Gesture, Proof of Concept and Coconut Shy, as well as limited edition specials from their website. The brewery also sells merchandise and beer recipes – including recipes for some of their most popular beers.

The Brew Shed is an ideal place to end a day out in Retford or for those on a beer tour. A visit to Retford Market, the Bassetlaw Museum (free entry), a little sight seeing, plus dinner out can be followed by an evening spent in the beer garden at the Brew Shed watching the barges moor at Retford marina. There is usually such a good selection of beers available at the Beer Shed you might end up spending the whole evening there, but there are several good pubs nearby such as The Ship (less than 5 minutes walk and a Bateman’s pub), The Galway (10 minutes walk) or The Turk’s Head (less than 10 minutes walk). If you want to make a weekend of your trip, Retford has a number of inexpensive hotels, including King’s Park Hotel (which has an annex that is visible from the pub and about 3 minutes walk away), and plenty of restaurants. The Brew Shed also has a restaurant.

Grafton Fine Ales

28/04/2021 by Teresa Cottam 1 Comment

Unit 3, Industrial Estate Claylands, 4 Walkers Yard, Dukeries Way, Worksop

Website: Grafton Fine Ales

About the brewery

Grafton Fine Ales was founded as the Grafton Brewing Company in 2008, originally based behind the Packet Inn on Bescoby Street in Retford. In 2012 the brewery won its first award and in 2014 moved to new premises in Worksop, increasing production from 5 brewer’s barrels to 15 brewer’s barrels.

The brewery is named after the Grafton Hotel on Gateford Road in Worksop, which was built in 1865 by Joseph Gardside, one of the founders of Worksop and Retford Brewery. Gardside’s wife was called Catherine Grafton and the hotel and street are named after her.

During the 2020 lockdown, the head brewer’s wife and co-owner Susan Hale introduced an e-commerce site to keep the brewery going (growing the business in the process) and reused the left over grain from the brewing process to make gin – using this for a new venture ‘Cocktail in a Box’.

Head brewer: Richard Hale.

The Malthouse, the Grafton Brewery Tap, can be found in the centre of Worksop opposite the town hall.

Regular beers

Black Abbots (ABV 5.0%) is a dark porter.

Copper Jack (ABV 4.5%) is a classic bitter.

Don Jon (ABV 4.8%) is a pale ale that is brewed with lager malt and well hopped, delivering a citrus aftertaste.

Garsdale Gold (ABV 4.5%) is a golden beer with a good head and a hoppy finish.

Priorswell Pale (ABV 4.5%) is a pale ale with a crisp flavour and a hoppy finish.

Regular seasonal beers and specials

Apricot Jungle (ABV 4.8%) a golden ale with an apricot and smooth honey flavour.

Banana Licious (ABV 4.5%) a brown ale with a caramel and banana flavour, finishing with a smooth bitterness.

Caramel Stout (ABV 4.8%) a stout made with caramel and caramalt that has caramel and toffee flavours.

Coco Loco (ABV 5.0%) a dark porter type ale infused with coconut, with a chocolate finish.

Pasha Pasha (ABV 4.0%) a golden ale with a fruity passionfruit taste and a bitter aftertaste.

Raspberry Redemption (ABV 4.0%) a golden ale with a fruity & raspberry taste and a citrus & zesty nose.

Tango with a Mango (ABV 4.8%) a golden ale with a mango flavour.

Vanilla Height (ABV 4.0%) a golden ale with vanilla notes on the nose and a bitter aftertaste.

Fancy a pint?

The Malt House opened on Potter Street in Worksop in November 2019 as the brewery tap for the Grafton Brewery. The La Roca Tapas Bar operates on the same premises. The Malt House is located opposite the Town Hall.

Tours and Takeaways

The Grafton Brewery sells a range of bottled ales from its website, including cases of Apricot Jungle, Caramel Stout, Priorswell Pale and mixed cases. If you fancy making a weekend out of a visit to the Malt House, why not see how you can combine it with other local attractions, pubs and breweries in our Abbeys, Parks and Crags Tour.

Springhead Brewery

28/04/2021 by Teresa Cottam Leave a comment

Main Street, Laneham, Retford, Nottinghamshire

Website: no website

About the Brewery

Springhead was founded by Helen Teasdale and Richard Scragg in 1990 in Sutton-on-Trent, near Newark, and was the smallest brewery in England at the time with a brew length of just 2.5 brewer’s barrels. In 1993 it moved to larger premises and expanded to 10 brewer’s barrels before expanding to 50 brewer’s barrels in 2003. In 2011 it moved to its current location, a converted mill in Laneham. The brewery’s name comes from a bend in the river Trent near the original brewery site.

The brewery is now one of the largest microbreweries in Nottinghamshire, and since 2019 has been owned by local business people. The head brewer is Keir Teasdale, son of the brewery’s founders.

The origin of the name ‘Laneham’ is somewhat obscure. It may derive from the Old English æt Lanum meaning ‘at the lanes’ (the village is named ‘Lanum’ in the Doomesday book). Alternatively, it could derive from the Old English ‘lang’ (meaning ‘long’) plus ‘ham’ (a village or settlement).

Regular beers

Blind Tiger (ABV 4.5%) an English pale ale that has whole oranges added to it to deliver a citrus flavour and dry finish.

Drop O’ The Black Stuff (ABV 4.0%) is an award-winning porter brewed with Maris Otter Pale and Dark malts, roasted barley, aromatic mixed English hops and Nottingham Ale yeast. It is a vegan beer.

Left Lion (ABV 4.0%), named after a famous lion sculpture that flanks the Council House in Old Market Square, Nottingham.

The Leveller (ABV 4.8%) a Belgian-style Trappist ale with a dark, smoky flavour and intense burnt toffee finish.

Maid Marian (ABV 4.5%) is a pale golden beer with a fruity orange aroma and dry peppery finish. It is brewed using Maris Otter malt, Cluster hops and Nottingham Ale yeast, using fresh oranges, coriander and Grains of Paradise. It is brewed in the style of an 18th century beer and was first brewed in 2010.

Outlawed (ABV 3.8%) is an APA with a light, clean and crisp finish. It is brewed with American Centennial and Willamette hops.

Roaring Meg (ABV 5.5%) is a classic IPA with a sweet, citrus honey aroma and a dry finish. Launched in 1990 and named after a cannon.

Robin Hood (ABV 4%) a dark traditional bitter with a good head brewed with Maris Otter Pale, Crystal, and Dark Crystal malts, Northdown hops and Nottingham Ale yeast. Originally brewed to celebrate the film.

Surrender (ABV 4.8%) a blonde ale brewed with Equinox and Cascade hops to give hints of citrus and tropical flavours of papaya and mango. Vienna malt gives it a rich, biscuity finish.

Interesting fact: In 1346 William, a ferryman, took a man called Richard, his horse and his goods across the river at Laneham. Half way across the river William threw the horse and goods into the river, possibly because the ferry was overloaded and there was the threat that the ferry might capsize. Damages to Richard’s property were judged to be 40 marks in the subsequent court case.

Regular seasonal beers and specials

Fancy a pint?

Springhead’s beers are supplied to pubs within a 100 mile radius of the brewery including The Bramley Apple Inn (Southwell) and The Vine Hotel (Newark).

Tours and Takeaways

Bottled beers can be bought from local Co-op and Tesco stores and nationally from Morrisons. The brewery sells direct to the public (bottles, casks and half casks) and has an onsite pub (The Bees’ Knees) and brewery tap (Meg’s Bar). The brewery runs tours (enquire directly) which last about an hour and finish in the brewery tap.

Pheasantry

28/04/2021 by Teresa Cottam 1 Comment

High Brecks Farm, East Markham, Nottinghamshire

Website: Pheasantry Brewery

About the brewery

Mary Easterbrook comes from old Nottinghamshire farming family who still farm at Babworth. In 2008, Mary and her husband Mark bought High Brecks Farm in East Markham. The Grade II listed farmhouse was derelict and the farm needed extensive renovations. The outbuildings were listed and couldn’t be demolished but were no longer suitable for the needs of modern farming. The Easterbrooks therefore decided the best way forward was to diversify and use the buildings as a cafe (now a wedding venue) and microbrewery. The brewery took its name from the cottage next door, which had historically been used for breeding and rearing game birds.

This was not the first time High Brecks farm had been involved in the brewing trade. It had previously been the site of a brew house that produced beer for the personal use of the Kirke family, who owned the farm from the late 17th century onwards. According to a farm sale brochure (1943) one of the fields near the current brewery gardens was called The Hopyard, and wild hops still grow in the nearby hedges, as in many parts of North Nottinghamshire.

The first beers produced by the new Pheasantry Brewery were Best Bitter, a 3.8% ABV traditional bitter, a 4.0% Pale Ale and a 4.2% Dark Ale.

The brewery has had considerable success in the bottled market, supplying supermarkets. In 2019, it opened a new bottling line that can produce up to 2,000 bottles an hour which was opened by Robert Jenrick MP and was part-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. This investment also enables the brewery to offer a bottling service to other breweries, cider, water and soft drink manufacturers.

East Markham is an Anglo-Saxon place name meaning the settlement (‘ham’) near the boundary (‘mearc’). Mearc developed into the modern English word ‘mark’ or ‘marker’. This suggests that the village was on the boundary between two areas – possibly between two Ancient British kingdoms. This boundary may be the the southernmost extent of the area known as Bernetseatte, a kingdom that remained substantially British even after the Anglo-Saxon settlement. Bernetseatte (Burnt Land) became Bernesedelaue and eventually Bassetlaw.

Regular beers

Best Bitter (ABV 3.8%) is a copper coloured beer with fruity highlights and a hoppy finish. It was voted Champion Bitter of Britain in 2015.

Black Pheasant (ABV 4.2%) is a dark ale with malty flavours and a velvety texture.

Dancing Dragonfly (ABV 5.0%) a pale golden ale packed with exotic fruit flavours.

Excitra (ABV 4.5%) is a golden ale with a bright almost orange appearance and a citrous punch from the judicious use of citra hops.

Lincoln Tank Ale (ABV 4.2%) is a classic amber ale – malty, hoppy and soft – that was designed to raise money for the Lincoln Tank Memorial.

Pale Ale (ABV 4.0%) is a dry pale ale with a vanilla and floral aroma.

Ringneck Amber Ale (ABV 4.1%) is an amber ale with a hint of caramel made with Fuggles, First Gold, Progress and Slovenian aroma hops.

Regular seasonal beers and specials

Pheasantry have a seasonal calendar of beers released every month.

Almost Dry January (ABV 3.0%) a malty amber ale that has a biscuity, malty and herby aroma. Available in January.

American Pale Ale (ABV 4.3%) a pale floral and citrus ale. Available in August.

Aurora (ABV 4.8%) a golden ale with hints of lemon, tangerine and gooseberry and a spiced finish. Available in June and November.

Beer Humbug (ABV 4.5%) a dark Christmas ale with chocolate and malty flavours and a sweet fruity edge. Available in December.

Best Christmas (ABV 3.8%) a copper coloured session ale with a fruit taste and spicy aroma. Available in December.

Black Dragonfly (ABV 4.5%) a pale ale with roasted flavours. Available in November.

Christmas IPA (ABV 5.9%) a strong ale with a herbal taste and earthy bitterness. Available in December.

First Gold (ABV 4.7%) a pale golden ale that balances bitterness with lemongrass. Available in July.

Harvest Ale (ABV 3.6%) a light-coloured session summer ale. Available in July.

HBA (ABV 4.3%) a brown ale with a toasty flavour combined with a dark malty sweetness and lots of hops. Available in October.

Light Dragonfly (ABV 3.9%) a session golden ale – a lighter version of Dancing Dragonfly. Available in March and August.

Magnipheasant 7 (ABV 4.3%) an amber ale with citrus hops. Available in February and September.

Mikado (ABV 5.0%) a strong dark mild. Available in May.

Munich Helles (ABV 4.8%) a hoppy lager style beer. Available in October.

New Zealand Pale (ABV 4.6%) a pale ale with hints of tropical fruits and crushed gooseberries. Available in May.

Orange Pheasant (ABV 6.0%) a strong golden beer which tastes of orange marmalade with a hint of grapefruit. Available in September.

Ruby Red (ABV 4.7%) a dark ruby red ale with malty overtones and stone fruit flavours. Available in February.

S1ngle Hop Willamette (ABV 4.5%) a pale ale that uses the Willamette hop to add a herbal and spicy flavour with a touch of pine. Available in April.

Scottish 80/- Export (ABV 4.7%) a traditional strong Scottish ale with a rich, dark and malty flavour. Available in January.

S1ngle Hop El Dorado (ABV 4.4%) a pale ale with tropical flavours. Available in June.

Spring Ale (ABV 3.8%) a pale ale with lemon grass flavours and floral notes. Available in April.

Stout (4.8% ABV) a coffee-chocolate stout. Available in March.

In 2020 Pheasantry produced Pilgrim to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of the Pilgrim Fathers sailing off on the Mayflower.

Fancy a pint?

Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Co-ops stock Pheasantry’s bottled beers.

Pubs that stock Pheasantry’s beers include the Magna Carta in Lincoln and The Idle Valley in Retford.

Tours and takeaways

The onsite shop sells bottles, 5l mini kegs (9 pints), 36 pint pins and 72 pint casks. Unusually, the brewery is licensed as a wedding venue and for other corporate and family events.