Anything but old hat

The 'twisted spire' of St. mary's Clebury Mortimer now shares a namesake beer


So there I was planning my trip to the gastronomic paradise that is
Ludlow, in the heart of rural Shropshire. My mission: to judge the SIBA Wales & West beer awards and to present a range of local beer and food matches at the Ludlow Spring Event. Knowing that I’d inevitably be coming across some of Nick Davis’ great beers, I arranged to make it a certainty, by visiting the brewery beforehand, a great way to earn myself a thirst for the day’s beer-judging duties. So, a flying visit to Hobson’s Brewery was hastily arranged.

After a 3-hour journey filled with the post-election analysis, debate and speculation, I pulled into the yard of Newhouse Farm, perched upon a rural hillside overlooking the scenic town of Cleobury Mortimer. The hectic Westminster shenanigans were juxtaposed with the sedate pace at Hobsons. Constant calls from customers wanting to make sure they have enough beer to see them through the weekend were dealt with in a friendly, unhurried manner. With his festival duties, my visit, a brewery to run and a well-earned weekend away in the Lake District on the cards MD Nick Davis has every right to be manic but the whole operation has the air of a swan, gliding effortlessly across the water.

Stacked boxes and 'Coke' hats


Millinery inspiration

Nick is a self-taught but quietly confident brewer, and is clearly in his element at Hobsons, a brewery that has grown steadily under his stewardship since 1993. Davis has taken local materials and local characters as his inspiration; naming the brewery Hobsons after Henry Hobson the gamekeeper-turned brewer whose chosen headwear was the “Coke”. The bowler-style hard-hat, once favoured by poachers, is the logo that adorns Hobsons smart new livery. Millinery style statements are rare enough today and Hobsons are anything but old hat, as classical styles and values are practiced with contemporary quality and flair.

On Newhouse Farm

The old farm building, home to the brewhouse and fermenters

Typical of that flair and quality is the investment in a 45 Brl brewing plant from Moeschle in Germany. The traditional 2-vessel system is squeezed into the quaint brick-build former farm building. Such is Hobsons ethos and integrity within their Shropshire surroundings, Nick has brokered a deal with local grain farmers, merchants, and family maltsters, Fawcett’s, to plant 160 acres of Maris Otter barley in the fields adjoining the brewery. With the majority of the Fuggles, Goldings and Challenger hops used within the main Hobsons brands grown in the county too, Hobson’s are the epitome of the local brewer.

Moeschle mash tun and wort cooler beneath the old oak beams

A freshly-cropped fermenter of Best Bitter

Staying local extends to cask beer deliveries, which extend to a radius of only 50 miles. Those of us living farther afield can satisfy a thirst with their bottle-conditioned beers. The local, sustainable attitude is taken further by recycling spent grain, which feeds local cattle, hops used as fertilizer and the brewery’s own wind turbine which provides up to 11 kW of electricity, reducing Hobsons call on the national grid by one third. Four boreholes provide a constant temperature water supply, used to help cool the cask store and heat the secondary fermentation room via a ground source heat pump.

Find their flavours

Hobsons seven regular beers span an ABV range from 3.2 to 5.2%. Many of them are CAMRA and SIBA award-winners, including a Champion Beer of Britain and all of which have tasting notes and food matches available on allbeerfinder.com.

• Hobsons Mild: a 3.2% smooth dark mild

• Twisted Spire: a 3.6% vibrant blond beer

• Hobsons Best Bitter: the original 3.8% bitter

• Manor Ale: a 4.2% rich amber bitter

• Town Crier: a 4.5% crisp golden ale

• Postman’s Knock: a luxurious 4.8% ruby porter and

• Old Henry: a 5.2% a rich auburn ale.

Unfortunately Hobsons excellent Best Bitter and Mild are not available in bottle, though all the darker beers are bottle-conditioned on their great little SMB bottle line. Manned by a team of 2 it’s capable of 1100 bottles per hour. The new blond ale, Twisted Spire, named after Cleobury Mortimer’s church spire, which rotates in much the same way as Chesterfield’s more famous steeple, is packaged bright in a clear flint bottle to lure lager drinkers.

Line feed and case-filling by hand; filling, crowning, labelling & capping are 'automatic'.

The elegant and efficient lightweight bottles are dressed with self-adhesive labels of a smart new design, now consistent with upgraded pump-clips and a colour-coded shrink-fit cap to a finish that creates an entirely modern look for some classic English styles. Typical of Hobsons approach, they are first filtered to ensure clarity and stability, then re-seeding with Hobsons yeast. The yeast, a classic top-fermenting ale strain, was originally sourced from Midlands family brewer Holden’s but now imparts a distinctive character to all Hobsons beers. It's a great range with both the Bitter and Mild punching well above their weights in the flavour stakes and racking up Regional and National Awards to boot, though all the beers are well worth seeking out.

Search them out on hand-pump in the West Midlands, or via www.allbeerfinder.com.