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Old ale well worth the wait
BEER drinkers have to wait five months to sink their chops round Horsham Old, the beer which stole the show at the Sussex Beer Festival.
BEER drinkers have to wait five months to sink their chops round Horsham Old, the beer which beat competition from nearly 150 beers at the Sussex Beer Festival.Ray Welton's brew, produced by Hepworth and Co Brewers Ltd at The Beer Station in The Railway Yard, Horsham, stole the show with Beer of the Festival.But the timing was unlucky as Horsham Old won Beer of the Festival just as production was about to cease.Horsham Old is a winter beer and that means it won't be released on draught in the pubs again until the first Friday in October, a day Ray has dubbed Old Friday."It's a winter beer, we brewed it from October until March so it was a marketing nightmare to win this prize and stop brewing it. Customers have to wait until Old Friday," said Ray, from Oakhill Road, Horsham.Enthusing about the taste of Horsham Old, Ray said: "It's a dark beer which has a deep ruby colour. It has got hints of burnt biscuit followed by a rich, smooth drinkable flavour."It's one of those beers that really screams at you when your glass is empty to top it up."A party was held at the brewery to celebrate the award with real ale enthusiasts from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), who will travel miles for a good pint."It was recognition for a huge amount of work and not a little bit of investment by everybody involved in the brewery in Horsham. It made us feel extremely good," said Ray."Since I started brewing by myself in 1995 we have worked towards this sort of accolade. When we got it we had to sit down for a while afterwards then go out for a good drink!"As a child Ray drank his grandfather's cider that was brewed commercially at Newdigate from the 1930s to the 1950s, so he reckons brewing was probably in his blood.Ray said: "I'm a civil engineer by trade, but we had a family engineering contract business we sold in the late 1970s and then started a drinks wholesale business in 1982."We built that up and I was importing wines from all over the world. We sold that in 1994 and started up a small brewery in Capel," said Ray. The brewing has since moved to Horsham.Hepworth and Co Brewers Ltd hosted the party to celebrate the success of Horsham Old. Andy Hepworth, managing director, said: "Here at the Beer Station, John, Tim, Paul and myself have worked to resurrect the Sussex tradition of brewing. We are delighted that CAMRA recognise this achievement and we are pleased to host them today."
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Weather for Horsham
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -0 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: West
