Hook Norton Brewery begins year-long celebration for 175th anniversary

The brewer, which also operates 33 pubs, will be visiting its sites via bike, motorcycle and even shire horse to celebrate throughout the year and has launched an ale trail whereby drinkers can visit its pubs and brewery, and claim prizes.

The first two of the business’s range of ‘Anniversary Ales’, brewed to 7.5% ABV, will be available in February in bottles and the collaborations with Everards and Joseph Holt have extra bite because all three are celebrating their 175th anniversaries and a special beer will brewed at each of the breweries.

‘Hooky’ said it will hold a series of events at the brewery and have special offers in its shop and online throughout the year while a book has been commissioned, written by beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones, that will cover the rich history of the brewery.

Prizes for scans​

The ale trail of its pubs and brewery has been produced in partnership with Cask Marque and can be found on the CaskFinder app.

Once downloaded, there are details of the ale trail and the pubs involved. Upon visiting a pub, customers can scan the QR code on the Cask Marque certificate displayed in the pub and the more pubs visited, the more prizes are awarded.

For those registering 10 scans, a Hook Norton Brewery bottle opener is available; 20 scans is enough for a brewery tour and beer tasting voucher for two; and for the completed 31 scans, there is a limited-edition 175th Anniversary Ales Three Bottle Beer & Pint Glass Pack (subject to availability) and entry into prize draw for a chance to brew your own beer at Hook Norton Brewery, hosted by managing director James Clarke.

The trail runs until 31 December 2024.

Best condition possible​

Hook Norton Brewery operations manager Edwin Pope said: “Pubs are at the heart of what we do and we work closely with them and Cask Marque to ensure the beer we brew is of the best quality.

“I am very proud of our pubs and the hard work they have put in to achieve this. As a brewery, Hook Norton has always and will continue to work with pubs to ensure the beer we brew is looked after and served in the best condition possible.

“The ale trail is a fantastic way for people to support the pub, enjoy a great range of top-quality beer, pick up some prizes and be part of our unique 175th anniversary celebrations.”