Hook Norton Old Hooky

Advantages: Tasty session ale
Disadvantages: Hmm

...of you. The HOOK NORTON Brewery was formed in 1849 in Banbury, Oxforshire. They use traditional brewing methods to produce a selection of mostly cask conditioned ales - only around 5% of their output is bottled. They use Maris Otter Malt, English Fuggles, Golding and Challenger hops; and all their beers are dry-hopped and brewed using water drawn from the wells beneath the brewery. Hook Norton is one of the few remaining, independent, family-run ...
...a tower brewery dating from 1899 (the raw materials begin at the top and gradually transform into beer as they make their way, by gravity, into the cellars). On the ground floor of the brewery is a unique, 25hp steam engine which supplies most of their power needs. Abridged from: http://www.hooknortonbrewery.co.uk/ Speaking of hooks... A young man and his date were parked on a back road some distance from town. They were about to have sex when the ... Read review

Advantages: Tasty and full of character. Good quality, well produced beer.
Disadvantages: A trifle more expensive than some beers. I can't buy it all the time.

...Last Friday night I enjoyed a rather nice half (yes you did hear me right!) in Chesterfield's CAMRA Pub of the Season ~ the Rutland Arms. I had already had quite a few drinks around town, but this one was by far the best. It stood out and certainly ended my evening on a high. It was so nice that I went back a couple of nights later to see if it was as good as I had first thought ~ or if my taste-buds had been clouded by the rest of the nights quaffing! It WAS good; in fact it was BETTER! I had a pint this time and enjoyed it all. What is this marvellous beer? It's Hook Norton Old Hooky! The Hook Norton Brewery Company Ltd is based in Hook Norton, Banbury, in Oxfordshire. A bloke called John Harris set up the company in 1849, as a Maltster (he was a farmer too), and opened up a brewery in 1872. It is a brewery that uses traditional... Read review

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Advantages: Lovely, tasty summer beer.
Disadvantages: Quite strong and only brewed in summer.

...and build up a reputation for producing a good selection of quality Cask conditioned beers using traditional brewing methods. Wherever possible they use original equipment ~ for example they have shire horses and power is supplied by an old steam engine. Hook Norton supply bottled and cask beer to around 40 tied pubs and around 250 other outlets around the country. You will usually see them represented at Beer Festivals too ~ so no excuse for missing their products! Some of the Hook Norton beers you may find include Old Hooky (a full-bodied beer at 4.6% ABV), Hooky Dark (a darker less potent choice at 3.2% ABV) and Generation (a hop and fruit flavoured beer at 4.0% ABV). ~~~THE BEER. ***Background*** Hook Norton Brewery produce a "Classic Seasons" range of beers ~ each one reminiscent of a particular time of year. Haymaker is the summer... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: It's tasty and full of flavour. Not as heavy as some stouts.
Disadvantages: I can only buy it as a guest beer.

.... The brewery has 42 pubs of its own and also supplies beer to over 300 other outlets nationwide. Other Hook Norton brews you may encounter include Old Hooky (4.6% ABV), Generation (4% ABV) and Best Mild (3%). All of their beers tend to be brewed using Maris Otter malt, English Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles hops. All brewing takes place using water from a well found beneath the brewery. Double Stout weighs in at 4.8% ABV and is brewed using Pale Ale, Brown and Black Malts, as well as the customary mix of other ingredients. It doesn't bear much resemblance to Guinness or Murphys because it isn't as black, thick or creamy, but it is certainly a stout! Looks wise, it is a very dark brown colour with a hint of redness. The head is a light cream hue and is pretty long lasting ~ although not as thick as the head on a Guinness; it clings well... Read review

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