Beer is, at its heart, a very simple drink which has been brewed for centuries from the same four basic ingredients – water, malted barley (malt), hops, and yeast.

Here are a couple of interesting facts gleaned from our hour-long tour around the workings of the Brewery based in the heart of Witney:

Beer is best served at 10 degrees (Tim conducts an interesting experiment in the Tasting Bar afterwards to prove this – be warned, he does like his experiments being an ex-teacher!)

Isinglass, used to help clear the beer, is made from the swim bladders of sturgeon fish (good trivia question)
The water used is ‘Burtonised’ (I don’t think this is strictly speaking a technical term but it does has a nice ring to it!) to reduce the pH value from 7.0 (neutral) to 5.5 (slightly acidic), the ideal pH for brewing and, coincidentally, the exact pH found in Burton upon Trent in East Staffordshire.
In 2003, the Brewery was redeveloped to incorporate the famous Brakspear ‘Double Drop’ brewing equipment when the owners sold the existing Henley business

Afterwards, we retired to the Tasting Bar, a very cosy affair, festooned with dried hops, old beer advertising memorabilia and some rather grand photographs, including one of our Prime Minister drinking Hobgoblin whilst the US President clutches a non-descript American bottle. Anyway, here Tim poured out samples from seven (I think) different beers, inviting comparisons, providing food choice suggestions, oh and conducting the odd experiment or two.

There is of course much more to discover on the tour, but I’ll leave you to attend it yourself to find out more – no spoiler alerts here!

To book, have a look at the website – there are at least two tours (often more) every day on Saturday and Sunday, and one or two tours on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, all bookable online at £8.50 and including a free half pint glass. Oh, and do keep an eye out for special events, such as the Fathers’ Day Brewery Tour and Breakfast….just in case anybody is short of suggestions?!