Quantock Ale

This is not really a report, as this particular bottle had an unfortunate accident before I managed to sample the contents. However, I was intrigued by what I could glean from the label and so decided to undertake a bit of research. My findings are set out below.

Quantock Brewery was set up in December 2007 in Wellington, Somerset, by two partners, Rob Rainey and Ken Oxley, to brew quality real ales using traditional craft brewing techniques. All the raw materials are sourced locally wherever possible and the resulting beers are distributed to pubs mainly in the Somerset and Devon areas, although some have appeared further much further afield like the Northeast and the Isle of Wight.

They say "Our philosophy is the brew the highest quality ales using the best natural ingredients. All our beers are brewed entirely from grain and whole hop cones, the only other ingredients being yeast and water. No chemicals are added to the beer and no sugar is used to dumb down the flavour of the beer, something done in the larger breweries to reduce production costs. We want to produce beers that have flavour and character, far different from the mass produced dull beers that we tend to find in a lot of pubs."

Quantock Ale is the first ale that they brewed and is their standard bitter with a strength of 3.8% alcohol by volume. The beer takes its name from the brewery which looks out to the Quantock Hills, the first area in the country designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The image on the pumpclip and bottle label comes from a painting done for the pub sign that used to hang outside The Rising Sun Inn in West Bagborough, a pub that was owned at different times by both of the partners of the brewery.

It is amber coloured beer is brewed from a blend of Maris Otter pale malt, crystal malt and wheat malt which gives a full bodied flavour. The blend of English hops used balances this with a well rounded hoppiness and aroma. ABV is 3.8%.

All of this sounds very appealing. Perhaps I will be able to find some next time I am in Somerset, or maybe at the Great British Beer Festival