Latest news with #WyeValleyBrewery
Spectator
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
The bitter end of bitter
'Another pint of bitter, love, when you're ready.' To those of a certain age the request slips off the tongue like the opening line of a sonnet. A pint of bitter is as English as the first cuckoo of spring or the last rose of summer. It brings to mind a pub, the people in it, and that social phenomenon which binds us to those we trust – the round. And, of course, one pint may lead to another. Television adverts used to be full of jolly pint-swillers. Whitbread 'Big Head' Trophy Bitter was 'the pint that thinks it's a qua-art'. Tetley of Leeds, a big player in those days, introduced viewers to their 'Bittermen', with the declaration: 'You can't beat 'em.' Bitter, more than its maltier cousin mild, was the favoured hoppy drink of the pub before the tasteless brute lager swaggered into our taverns. Sometimes, particularly in the north and Midlands, the two went together in a single beaker – though if you try telling the tale of 'mixed' to the hipsters of Camden Town, you might get some funny looks. The trendy modern toper prefers to take his ale from a barrel marked 'craft', as though the indentured brewers of previous decades hadn't the foggiest. Their successors, terrified by the prospect of being behind the times, are running scared. The Wye Valley Brewery, responsible for the superb Butty Bach, has decided to 'rebrand' its best bitter as Pyoneer. Although they insist the change is a way of honouring native traditions – Canon Pyon being the village where the brewery has its roots – a spokesman rather gave the game away by referring to the hunt for 'a new demographic'. We know what that means. Out with the woolly jumpers; in with bucket hats. So fare thee well, bitter beer. It was lovely knowing you. These days, if you promise to behave, you may be passed off as 'amber ale', which, strictly speaking, is true. Sometimes your dance card says 'pale ale', which is more or less true. Bitter and pale ale have always worn each other's clothes – like those hipsters in Camden. Landlord, the world classic brewed in Keighley by Timothy Taylor, is designated a pale ale. Their best bitter has for some years been called Boltmaker – and jolly good it is, too. There is no time for tears so long as brewers offer regulars such sapid stuff. London Pride, the jewel in the crown of Fuller's of Chiswick, is also promoted as an amber ale. There was a deliberate change of tone when Asahi, the Japanese brewers, bought the company six years ago – and you can still get Pride worth a gargle. The Red Lion in Barnes, a white-walled fortress with a garden, is a good place to satisfy your curiosity. But the foreign invasion, represented in part by the rise of those overrated craft beers, has claimed some notable victims. Later this year, the Banks's Brewery in Wolverhampton, which has pleased Black Country boozers for 150 years, will close its doors. Their mild is justly famous so this is a real deprivation. The carve-up of regional brewers by multinational corporations has changed the culture of drinking habits in a land known for its range of ales The carve-up of regional brewers by multinational corporations has changed the culture of drinking habits in a land known for its range of ales. Jennings of Cockermouth and Ringwood of the New Forest are merely the latest brewers to join the likes of Boddingtons in the taproom of history. Who ever thought 'Boddys' could go? It was as much a part of Manchester folklore as rain in July and the gay village. Well, the palace next to Strangeways Hotel, where they brewed what beer guides called 'a distinctive straw-coloured bitter', was pulled down 20 years ago. It can be difficult to keep up with developments. Draught Bass is now brewed under licence by Marston's. It is one of the great beers, characterised by the red triangle – the UK's first registered trademark – that appeared in Manet's Bar at the Folies-Bergère. Is it a bitter, or a pale ale? It doesn't really matter – though you might be stretching the tolerance of Burton folk to call it an amber ale. Sitting outside the Swan Inn at Milton last week, six miles from the brewery, it was possible to close one's eyes and pretend the cataclysm hadn't happened. There are still corking beers to be supped. Bateman's of Wainfleet, Holt's of Manchester, Batham's of Brierley Hill, and Woodforde's of Norwich won't let you down. And there are plenty of local breweries giving it a go without having to pretend they've 'gone craft'. Is there an outstanding candidate? There most certainly is. If we put Landlord to one side, for the sake of argument, then Harvey's Sussex Best of Lewes lands the strongest punch. 'Sussex Best Bitter', to put a proper handle on the jug, must be considered the champion. At the Express Tavern on Kew Bridge you may find this great ale, which has been sluicing through their pumps for 105 consecutive years. There is no excuse for not popping in to see how they are getting on.
Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Bitter is back in vogue – just don't call it that...
Wye Valley Brewery in Herefordshire has taken bitter off the menu – renaming its 3.4 per cent malty ale 'Pyoneer' in celebration of its 40th anniversary (combining 'pioneer' and Canon Pyon, the village where the business began). The brewery claims that the term 'bitter' has a bad reputation and its customers prefer 'amber ale' – Pyoneer's new style description. The award-winning brewery is not alone. Some of the biggest names in bitter shied away from the term years ago. Fuller's London Pride was restyled as an amber ale in 2021. Timothy Taylor's Best Bitter was rechristened Boltmaker after the landlord of the Boltmaker Arms in Keighley won a naming competition in 2012. In fact, most of the best-selling bitters in the country no longer have the dreaded b-word on their labels. Beer style categories are in a constant state of flux and change. There are no formal rules governing how ale is described. Flipping back through historic advertisements, we see that 'amber ale' and 'bitter' have been used interchangeably to promote these beers since they first rose to prominence in the mid-19th century. But while the bigger players eschew the word, many independent craft brewers have been embracing it. Some of the most exciting names in the industry, the likes of Northern Monk and Deya, are proudly crafting this most traditional of styles. And they aren't afraid to write 'bitter' on the can, either. Whatever you call it, bitter has been a mainstay of the British pub for nearly 200 years. The style arose from the celebrated pale ales of Burton upon Trent. Hops add bitterness, so the fresh, well-hopped pale ales were colloquially referred to as bitter, while the older, more mellow beers were mild. By the 20th century, bitter and mild were ubiquitous, as Keith Bott of Stoke's Titanic Brewery recalls: 'When we took over the brewery in 1988, consumers genuinely weren't used to having a choice. You used to go into the pub and you could have mild or bitter. And if you didn't like those two you could mix them,' in which case you'd order a pint of 'mixed'. Nowadays, bitters are characterised by their deft balance. A light, malty sweetness counterpoints hoppy bitterness and the yeast can contribute an additional fruity note. They are immensely drinkable beers, belying the complexity involved in brewing them well. The one thing they are not is the most bitter beer on the market. An intensely hopped West Coast IPA could contain easily two or three times the bitterness units of a standard bitter. Over time, different types of bitter have evolved, distinguished by their strength. Regular or ordinary bitters tend to be under 4.2 per cent abv. Anything higher is known as a best bitter with correspondingly bolder flavours. More intense still is the extra special bitter (ESB) which tends to be over 5.5 per cent abv. Their heavier bitterness is counteracted by malty, fruity and spicy tones that can be reminiscent of Christmas cake. Skip to: However it is labelled, it's clear that the bitter style of beer is thriving. Here are some of our favourites. Moor Beer Co Bitter
BBC News
23-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Family firms urge chancellor to rethink tax rises
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed to go "further and faster" to kickstart a stalling ahead of her Spring Statement on Wednesday, two well-known family firms have urged her to reverse parts of her October Budget - a rise in employer National Insurance (NI) contributions and changes to inheritance tax Wye Valley Brewery said it would face an "enormous" inheritance tax bill in the coming years, potentially delaying or cancelling its growth steel fabricators Underwoods said the NI increase meant it had cut back on investment plans. Reeves said the tax rises were necessary to "rebuild" public services. "We really need the chancellor to reconsider and then look at how she's taxing businesses that are trying to contribute to the wider economy," said Will Underwood, a director at 135 year-old Underwoods Steel Stockholders and Fabricators in Underwood, 29, said the NI increase would add 10% to the firm's costs overnight, with the funding pulled from planned investment projects such as new equipment and staff training. NI contributions for employers will increase from 13.8% to 15% on a worker's earnings above £175 from is a jump Wye Valley' Brewery's managing director Vernon Amor said would push up the price of its beer."This is going to be probably the single biggest increase in costs that's going to come through this year," he said. Leaving a legacy After seeing its busiest ever year of trading in 2024, this year Wye Valley Brewery celebrates its 40th director Vernon Amor said the chancellor's changes to inheritance tax had created a major headache for him and his father and firm's co-owner Peter Amor, 78. "When the inevitable happens, we will be faced with an enormous inheritance tax bill," said Vernon said the total cost is likely to be more than £1m. Prior to October's Budget, farmers and family-owned firms were able to pass on assets from one generation to the next tax from April 2026, only the first £1m of an owner's business property will be exempt. After that, it will be taxed at 20% - half the usual rate of inheritance Amor said a major expansion of the brewery – planned for the next three to five years – could now be delayed or partly-cancelled."Adopting this policy won't bring in that much money to the government, but it will affect businesses like ours," he Treasury has argued its changes will make the inheritance tax system estimates vary, the Office for Budget Responsibility said the projected revenue from the changes to inheritance tax relief would bring in £0.5bn a year from 2027/28. Where's the money going? Rachel Reeves' first Budget contained historically big tax rises, a move that allowed her to increase day-to-day public spending over the next two help bring down lengthy waiting lists, the NHS budget is due to rise by an extra £22.6bn a year by of that money will be spent on treating patients in private hospitals."It's what they have to do to make sure they get appointment lists down to a level they can handle," said Robert Lawrence, NHS patient, he waited 14 weeks before being offered hip replacement surgery at a private hospital in Worcestershire earlier this average NHS waiting time for orthopaedic treatment in the county is currently 23 weeks."It's changed my life altogether," he said. "In way of being able to do everything around the house and look after my wife who sadly can't walk very far." Life on a waiting list Last month, the government said it had already met its election pledge to deliver two million extra appointments in its first there is still a long way to than 85,000 patients in Herefordshire and Worcestershire were on waiting lists for treatment at the start of 2025. Just under 2,000 had been waiting more than a 43 weeks waiting for a hysterectomy, Herefordshire artist Rebecca Farkas finally had her pre-op appointment last week. Ms Farkas has suffered chronic pain from endometriosis since she was a teenager. But last year her condition worsened and she was admitted to A&E after fibroids in her uterus caused heavy bleeding."It really affects my mental health on the waiting list because there's not much communication," she said."I'm also self-employed, so if I don't work, I don't get paid."A key Labour election pledge for the end of this Parliament is for 92% of patients to begin treatment or be given the all clear within 18 weeks. This has been an official NHS target for some time but has not been met since 2015. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
