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Dorset Breweries

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          Badger

Badger Brewery Logo

CONTACT US
Hall and Woodhouse, The Brewery, Blandford St. Mary, Dorset  DT11 9LS
Tel. 01258 452141  Fax.  01258 454700
email: beermarketing@hall-woodhouse.co.uk  website  www.badgerbrewery.co.uk

OUR BEERS

Badgers First Gold
Imagine acres of low growing hedgerows more reminiscent of a vineyard, where the First Gold hop develops its traditional English character and flavour. Lauded for its well balanced bitterness, with hints of orange and spice, First Gold gives this classic Badger ale its clean, fresh distinctive taste. 4.0% ABV

Badgers Best
A traditional country ale craft brewed using only a mixture of Premium English Ale Malt and coloured malt. No sugar or colour extracts are used. Our brewing experts have truely balanced the flavours to give a well hopped session ale.

Badgers Tangle Foot
A deceptively strong ale but light in colour. Fruity notes are balanced with a smooth hoppiness and biscuity flavour. Full bodied with a slightly spicy finish. Draught: (5.1%ABV)

Badgers Champion
The light, refreshing character of our award-winning golden ale is distinguished by its subtle elderflower aroma, reminiscent of a summer's evening. Champion is particularly rewarding when served chilled.

Badgers Blandford Fly
A light coloured medium bodied ale with a low bitterness and a subtle spicy ginger character that gives warmth to drink even when served chilled.

Badgers Golden Glory
An award-winning 4.5% ABV premium ale, well balanced with distinctive bitterness and a delicate floral peach and melon aroma.

Fursty Ferret
A well balanced, crisp premium ale with a malty palate and noticeable hoppy aroma. 4.4% ABV.

King and Barnes Old Ale
Is a 4.5% full bodied luscious, strong, dark beer brewed with a high proportion of chocolate Malt to give a dark appearance and a fullness of flavour. A beer that makes winters something to look forward to.

King and Barnes Sussex Bitter
Is a 3.5% ABV cask beer and has been brewed from the time King and Barnes Brewery records began. It is typical Country Bitter, clean tasting hoppy without being over bitter. Sussex Bitter is the most popular King and Barnes beer.

King and Barnes Mild 
Is a 3.5% characteristic dark Mild, yet with a gentle hint of hoppiness but not bitterness. The beer can be sweet when served fresh.

Badger Extra Smooth
...endorsed by Badger. A smooth, creamy ale with a refreshing clean finish. Creamy toffee aroma with citrus hop notes, well-balanced with a slightly spicy taste.

We offer a number of seasonal ales plus many of these can be bought online through our own website.

OUR HISTORY

Badger, one of Britain's most respected independent brewers, has brewed fine distinctive ales for well over 200 years. Today the company is run by the fifth generation of the Woodhouse family.

The story began not at Blandford St Mary, the present site of the Badger Brewery, but in the small village of Ansty a few miles away to the north west in the heart of the rolling Dorset landscape.

Charles Hall, born in 1751, was a farmer's son and in common with tradition was taught both brewing and farming. Ale was provided by farmers for their workers as a wholesome refreshment. Charles decided that his future lay in brewing and founded the Ansty Brewery in 1777.

Production was quickly expanded when the young brewer secured a contract to supply ale to the Army encamped on the coast near Weymouth at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Longer term business was built up distributing ales to inns and taverns in the town and villages around the Ansty Brewery. In 1847 Robert Hall, the founder's son, took George Woodhouse into partnership and George astutely married one of Charles' granddaughters. The name Hall & Woodhouse had begun.

In 1875 the now familiar Badger image was adopted as the company trademark, making it one of the oldest registered marks on record. Since those early days Hall & Woodhouse has gone from strength to strength. During the last century small local breweries and their ale houses were steadily purchased. In 1899 the Badger Brewery was built on the banks of the River Stour at Blandford St Mary, its present site, for the then considerable sum of £28,000.

This brewery came into use much more quickly than anticipated due to a fire at the existing brewery, when equipment was either left to burn or carried quickly over to the new building. Frank Woodhouse, who lived only feet away from the brewery, was quick to action to save books and company papers. Other members of staff and local people quickly joined in to save casks, machinery and wagons and used the River Stour to reduce the damage. The fire was reported to be caused by a faulty flue near the hop and cork room. Trade was not severely disrupted with much of the new building near completion, but brewing continued at the Ansty brewery for about two months before the opening of the current brewery buildings on 16th October 1900.

During the early to middle part of this century, and despite the interruption of the crippling Depression, the company made steady progress and expanded its range of beers. Successful diversification into wine shipping and the off licence business also occurred.

In the 1930's Hall & Woodhouse were the first brewer to put Best Bitter into a can and since then innovation has kept us at the forefront of regional brewers, supplying the dynamic take-home market.

.Much of the 1950s and 1960s saw the development of other business activities and responses to changing consumer demands towards lager and responding to mergers between the national brewers. In 1963 Hall & Woodhouse acquired a local brewery, Matthews & Co, Gillingham, along with 61 tied houses. The history of the company combines initiative and opportunity, brewing, packing, bottling, selling and delivering what would make money at the time. Members of the family and associated members of staff made some extremely sound decisions to build the business into what it is today.

In 1977 the company had its Bi-centenary, marked by several celebratory activities and an exclusive beer that took four months to condition. Poole pottery tankards were made and given to employees and tenants, which instantly became collectors items. The Post Office issued a commemorative first day cover, featuring a Badger stamp, together with a hand-stamp acknowledging the brewery's 200th anniversary. Tanglefoot established itself in 1987 by winning a double gold medal at the Brewing Industry International Awards and was voted by News of the World as the best beer in Britain!

Today we are proud to be a leading independent family brewer with the craft of brewing passed on from generation to generation of the Woodhouse family. We continue to use only the finest ingredients, combined with pure spring water from our own well, to brew ales of outstanding character at the Badger Brewery in the heart of Dorset.

 

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