Hooked on ale

Hook Norton is an old-fashioned, steam-powered brewery that hopes to drive up sales with modern marketing and a food link. By Ben McFarland.

There can be few breweries scarier looking than Hook Norton, a haunting mix of gothic castle and Bates Motel.

The six-storey edifice, nestled on the north side of the Cotswold hills, is a classic example of a Victorian tower brewery, where gravity does the lion's share of the work.

For all the stuff that natural forces can't manage, there's a fantastic, fully-working, 25-horse-power steam engine.

"The Victorians knew exactly what they were doing," said James Clarke, the 32-year-old great, great-grandson of James Harris, a farmer, maltster and founder of the Hook Norton brewery in 1879. "It's the only steam engine still driving a brewery," he added.

James is a young man soon to be in charge of an old brewery. Having been the head brewer since 1998, James will be taking over the reins from his father David in the new year.

While he admits he'll miss the brewing side of the business - "I'd start the brewery up at six and then go home for breakfast, it was quite idyllic really" - James obviously has clear ideas for the future of Hook Norton's portfolio of cask ales.

While the brewery is ye-olde worlde, the future is bright. Hook Norton is the last independent family-run brewery in Oxfordshire, following the demise of Morland's and Morrell's and the sale of Brakespear.

Led by Old Hookey, 4.6 per cent ABV, and Best Bitter, 3.4 per cent, volume sales of the brewery's beers were up five per cent last year in a declining on-trade cask ale market.

Double-figure growth next year is the goal, but much depends on whether Gordon Brown raises the progressive beer duty threshold. Hook Norton currently misses out on the reduced rate for small breweries by only a couple of hundred barrels.

"We'd benefit by around £120,000, which we'd spend on our tenanted estate," said James.

He added: "Nearly all of our sales are cask so it's in the pubs where we've got to get people drinking it. But before we do anything, we've got to ensure the quality at the point of dispense is as it should be."

A series of fortnightly cellar courses are being run at the brewery for licensees and staff. James said: "Staff should know when the beer is good, and at least two things about the beer."

James is also looking to cash in by matching good beer with great grub. Following a number of beer and food evenings held at the brewery, the concept will be rolled out throughout the estate and beyond.

"It's a huge development opportunity. We're illustrating that beer flavours really complement the food, and also using food as a vehicle to get people to try the beers."

Plans are afoot to introduce branded stemmed glasses and "try-before-you-buy" mini pint-pots to try to coax non-beer drinkers.

James has other views on glassware. He said: "There should be room for a head, and we should abolish fixed measures.

"With the relaxation of licensing laws, why not move towards a method of pro-rata pricing for different sizes? We should keep the pint, but a third of a pint is a step forward."