Frodsham brewer earns award with ‘accidental’ ale

Dec 3 2009 by Paul Mannion, Chester Chronicle

Frodsham brewer earns award with ‘accidental’ ale

AN AWARD winning brewer is celebrating his most successful ale after winning a regional competition with a beer made almost by accident.

Frodsham based brewery master Barrie Davidson was asked to make a beer to celebrate the town’s 800th anniversary and now the hastily created concoction has become his most acclaimed beer yet and could even win national awards next year.

Barrie, who is chairman of community action groups Love Frodsham and Frodsham Forward, said: “We were looking at ways to celebrate the town’s birthday and the beer festival said ‘what have you got now?’

“If I made a beer for every beer festival I would have hundreds of different beers but I had just got these new hops from New Zealand and wanted to try them so I made the Frodsham 800.

“I didn’t send it out to the pubs, I didn’t even try it myself, it was trial by fire, almost by accident.

“I’ve been told it’s going to be a national winner, I hope it is, I think it will do well.”

The straw coloured bitter was unveiled at the annual Frodsham Beer Festival in May where it won first prize and recently went on to win two top regional awards.

“We bottled it and sent it to the beer festival where it won,” said Barrie.

“I’m a member of the Society of Independent Brewers and I sent some bottles for their North regional competition earlier this month where it won best bottled bitter and silver in the bottled beers overall.”

The Lady Heyes Craft Centre brewery has gone from strength to strength since it started making beer in 2005, and is showing no signs of stopping, despite the economic slow down.

“The bottled beer sales are outgrowing us now,” added Barrie.

“We’re also doing personalised labels for people’s birthdays, things like that, and lots of corporate events.”

For more information ring 01928 787917, email enquire@stationhousebrewery.co.uk or visit www.stationhousebrewery.co.uk.