O'Hanlons Royal Oak

Another West Country brewery with an interesting history. O’Hanlon’s Brewery started its career - as a pub. Liz and John O’Hanlon ran their “O’Hanlon’s” pub in Clerkenwell, London for several years before they came up with the idea to brew their own beer. The idea was to greatly improve the quality of their ale while at the same time boost their profit margin.

The pub/brewery combination proved a resounding success and regulars would eagerly await the next beer for sampling – a nervous and exciting time for the landlords. It was easy to see which beers would work as locals would happily provide their instant and unremitting feedback. This joyful (or occasionally painful) feedback meant a closeness both to the product and the consumer that laid the foundations for the craft beers they produce today.

The brewery eventually outgrew both the pub and its modest location under railway arches. And by this stage the O’Hanlons had the addition of a young family so that it became necessary in Jan 2000 to relocate everything to Devon. Brewers Alex Bell and Richard also relocated and together they began the task of brewing on a far grander scale. Today, in this tiny corner of Devon just east of Exeter, O’Hanlons produce some of the most well regarded ales in the country. As well as their core products and special brands, they brew a bottle conditioned ale exclusively for Tesco. You can find out more about them at http://www.ohanlonsbeer.com.

Royal Oak is a traditional bitter that was the winner of the 2003 CAMRA Champion Bottle-Conditioned Champion of Britain. If you taste it, you can readily see why - it is a very good example of this type of beer and I would thoroughly recommend it. It is based on an old recipe of 1896, and O'Hanlons were commissioned to recreate it using the the original recipe and method.

The Royal Oak story celebrates King Charles II's escape from the Battle of Worcester, when he hid from the Roundheads in the branches of a great oak. This has inspired many a pub sign, as well as this particular beer.

The brewers say that it is "a celebration of British country brewing". It is a classic amber colour, with rich malts and fragrant hop aromas blending into a soft balanced complexity and a long rewarding bitter finish. No details are provided about ingredients but the ABV is 5%.