Open Day & Official Shop Launch !
26 November 2009
If you have the time why not drop by on Thursday 3rd December 2009 between mid-day and 8.00 pm to enjoy a whole range of events including free beer tasting sessions, mini impromptu brewery tours, festive nibbles, a visit by the Mayor of Winchester at approximately 3.00 pm, the Southampton University Brass Band between 6.00 – 7.00 pm.
We have a full range of all nine of our bottled beers including Father Christmas, along with a selection of books on beer etc - it’s a great Christmas shopping opportunity you might even find yourself ordering a beer box of draught beer for Christmas! We’ll see you there!
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Beer by mail
24 August 2009
If you can’t visit the shop and brewery in person why not buy our bottled beer by mail?
Our friends at Ales By Mail are ready to pack and send our bottles direct to your door. For more information, visit them online at www.alesbymail.com
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Brewery Shop now open on Sat morning!
21 August 2009
Our brewery shop is finally open on Saturdays as well as Monday to Fridays ! Now well stocked with a range of our bottled beers we can recommend a visit ! Just pop in and browse around, we have also have a substantial range of beer related books published by CAMRA for those really interested in the wide range of small breweries across the country.
Mon - Thurs 9.00 – 5.00
Friday 9.00 – 4.00
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Alresford Show 5th Sept
21 August 2009
If you are local or are visiting the area make an effort to visit this great outdoor event, the brewery will be present at the Alresford Chamber of Commerce Marque. We are all praying for good weather which will make up for the show being cancelled last year as a result of the waterlogged ground !
As always there will be a host of things to see and do and as an extra bonus the band of the Gurka Regiment will be performing during the day ! This is a really great occasion and assuming the weather is fine we can all look forward to having a great day out !
For further information visit the show website at www.alresfordshow.co.uk
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Gerry’s Big Decision Channel 4 TV
3 July 2009
Due to a phenomenal number of hits on our site during and following last nights TV programme our site crashed under the strain! The site was very quickly restored but the website recorded thousands of hits showing just how much interest was generated by the ‘Pick of the day’ Channel 4 programme!
The programme made in February showed how the company had nearly been brought to its knees by the combined pressures of management, production issues and the impact of the credit crunch.
The brewery with a new lease of life is steaming forward with growing sales and an invigorated team. All the players are still on board but now working under the direction of Jane!
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The Bree Louise NW1
27 May 2009
Congratulations! The Bree Louise, 69 Cobourg Street, London NW1 2HH. Located just behind Londons Euston Station is the second of our regular customers to receive the well desrved accolade from CAMRA of being the best pub in their region (North London in this case) for 2009.
A visit to this great pub with its fabulous selection and variety of cask ales will be well rewarded. The casks racked behind the bar reveal a level of choice not bettered anywhere else in the North London region. We look forward to seeing you there!
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CAMRA Pub of the Year North Hertfordshire
10 April 2009
One of our oldest customers in Hertfordshire The Half Moon in Hitchen has been awarded by CAMRA the accolade of Best Pub in North Hertfordshire. Howard and his team at the Half Moon have worked hard to make this town centre pub the success it is today with a combination of great value food, great beers from a wide variety of breweries, a great traditional pub welcome and a cosy atmosphere.
Being only five minutes away from the A1M motorway the town centre pub is easily accessable from all parts of Hertfordshire and North London, put in on your list of pubs to visit!
The Half Moon, 57 Queen Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9TZ
Telephone 01462 452448
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IVB features in A Beer A Day by Jeff Evans
13 January 2009
Two beers of Hampshire’s premier brewery are featured in the latest beer book written by one of the countries foremost beer writers, Jeff Evans. His latest book, A Beer A Day published by CAMRA has been widely acclaimed and has just earned Jeff the prestigious Coors National Journalism Award at the British Guild of Beer Writers annual awards ceremony. 366 beers described as great beers from all over the world are linked by virtue of their names to each day of the year including one for leap years!
Itchen Valley was delighted to find that that not just one but two of its beers are featured, WAT TYLER 5.0% for June 13th marking the date the peasants revolt reached London, and PURE GOLD 4.8% is given 15th July in recognition of St. Swithen the one time Bishop of Winchester whos purity was marked by his burial taking place, on his instructions outside the the walls of the church to show his ‘unworthyness’ to be buried within the church.
Malcolm Gray our Managing Director said on hearing the news, “I was pleased to learn we were included but even more delighted when I read the letter from CAMRA to discover we had two beers included, we know our beer is good but it is always nice to have it confirmed by one of the countries best known beer writers!”
“The brewery philosophy has always been to concentrate on quality and consistency and for these reasons and our high level of customer service the brewery looks forward a growing demand for its wide range of beers, and the growing truth in our tongue in cheek advertising strap-line, ‘The Beer That Made Hampshire Famous!’”
A Beer A Day by Jeff Evans is published by CAMRA and is available from all good bookshops including our brewery shop. £16.99. Both beers are generally available subject to bottling and brewing schedules at the brewery in bottles, take away containers and 18 and 36 pint beer boxes. For further info on any of these or trade cask sales ring the brewery sales team on 01962 735111.
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RAT train sold out!
6 November 2008
The Real Ale Train otherwise known as the RAT train operated by the famous Watercress Line is sold out for the Saturday 15th November trip on which Itchen Valley is one of two breweries featured for this event ( the other beer on this train is from the West Berkshire Brewery ). This evening trip which envolves a twenty mile return trip to Alton and back is one of many organised by the heritage railway and is always very popular and very quickly sold out!
Only one more RAT trip is scheduled for 2008 and at the time of posting this blog seats are still available for the trip on Saturday 6th December, for more information visit www.watercressline.co.uk
For RAT trips planned for 2009 and a full railway timetable keep an eye on the railway website where all the proposed dates will be made available in due course, quite apart from RAT trains the railway is the ideal destination for not only a great ride through the Hampshire countryside but an opportunity to see all the additions and improvements to the railway and visitor attractions made over recent years. All the great things to see and do at the Watercress Line are shown on their excellent web site.
You may also feel inclined to make a day of it and combine a visit to the railway which is located in the centre of Alresford the ancient wool town, with a visit the brewery and brewery shop which is located only about half a mile away !
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Wykehams Glory in Waitrose
1 October 2008
Following all the recent publicity about the brewery getting its bottled Hambledon Bitter beer into all of TESCO’s Hampshire supermarkets we thought it would be worth reminding you that our Wykehams Glory beer at 4.3% abv is also sold in Waitrose supermarkets in Hampshire.
Wykehams Glory named after Bishop Wykeham, credited with the rebuilding of Winchester Cathedral, is described as an excellent traditional nut brown session bitter, with a fruity aroma, mostly bitter, fruity taste and dry bitter finish with lingering fruit.
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Brewery Shop
1 October 2008
Our on site brewery shop has always stocked our own bottled beers, gift packs and other producers ciders, along with a good selection of CAMRA publications and beer related DVD’s. However the original intention for the 44 square metre shop was to always fill it with high quality gifts and life-style products.
The truth is that demands on raising beer production took priority and our shop shelves often look fairly thinly stocked! With Christmas getting closer we are hoping that we can finally turn our attention to a formal opening of those 44 metres of shop filled goodies! With the oak shopfitting and a real 19th century Phaeton cart dressing the shop floor it promises to be the place to come for those quality but affordable Christmas gifts.
Our shop also has a growing display of brewery collectables (not for sale!) of enamel and ceramic brewery signs, showcards, documents, pictures, and scores of old brewery bottle labels.
Watch this space for the latest shop news and some images of what will be on offer!
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Roger Protz and Treacle Stout
25 September 2008
To browse the scores of beer blogs and read up on the vast variety of beers leaving the 600 or so micro breweries would be a full time job, although one which many would like to undertake given the intense interest in beer and brewing. Roger Protz one of Britains more widely known and respected beer writers has a really extensive site well worth a visit. The website www.beer-pages.com is for anyone who wants to research a particular beer, brewery or area of the country (also includes big section on foreign beers) to seek out those new untried beers which now exist in abundance. Our Treacle Stout 4.4% is included and the review is reproduced below, quite apart from our beer the site is an absolute must for anyone interested in beer, brewing and breweries! From beer – pages:
Itchen Valley, Treacle Stout (England)
This beer, brewed with treacle, is an opaque black colour with a frothy, cappucino head. The nose is quite subtle. The palate has some toasted, shredded wheat flavours, and smooth, dry stout qualities. The treacle is not really evident, though there is a touch along with liquorice in the finish, along with a hint of sweetness and burnt caramelly flavours. Not quite as distinctive as I’d hoped, but a nice beer. 4.4% ABV, 50cl, £1.69, ASDA.
3.5 stars, good to excellent.
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Good Bottled Beer Guide
25 September 2008
To discover a wealth of information on nearly 800 bottle conditioned beers this is a must have book, available from our brewery shop at, £10.99.
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Great Oaks … and coal to Newcastle!
24 September 2008
Great oaks from little acorns …. a small selection of our bottled beers are currently being sold in Belgium as part of Basingstoke’s liasion with its twin town …. given the history of beer brewing in Belgium we may be up against it but you never know, the Belgium palate may well like a true English beer and we could see a small acorn grow into a large tree not-withstanding the coals to Newcastle analagy!
So far our bottles have been exported to Finland and Denmark and we are working behind the scenes on other potential locations just in case Belgium takes a while!
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Deliveries to pubs
24 September 2008
Being a local brewery it may come as a surprise to know that we have carved out an ever expanding area in which the brewery delivers casks direct to pubs, this area now extends to Hertfordshire in the North to the Sussex Coast in the SW, over to parts of Kent in the East and Wiltshire in the West!
Inner London and most of the outer suburbs are covered along with just one customer in Brechin, Scotland! To be honest that particular customer actually collects from us each month just to have the beer in his hotel bar!
A full list of counties covered is below, if you want our beer for your pub, bar, hotel or club please give our sales team a call you may be surprised to discover just how far we will go!
Hampshire (of course!), Berkshire, Dorset, Hertfordshire, Essex, West Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Wiltshire, Central London and Greater London.
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Farmers Markets
24 September 2008
Did you know that if you cant get to the brewery for some reason during the normal working week you can always catch us at a local (and not so local) farmers markets, despite the fact that we mostly sell bottled beers at these markets we also supply draught beers of a chosen selection in dairy containers like those milk is sold in, for consumption within the next 24 hours or so. So far we have never had anyone express any problem with the beer needing to be drunk fairly quickly …. in most cases the main concern is it going to be enough beer! To assist with the quantity question we offer a choice of 2 pint containers for £3.50 and £6.00 for a 4 pint container.
We are regulars at the following but please ring to check our attendance if in doubt.
Winchester, Farnham, Petersfield, Southsea, Basingstoke, Andover & Chandlers Ford.
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Spitfires and beer!
24 September 2008
Did you know that during the latter stages of WW2 that following D day when France was liberated Spitfires returning to France from England were fitted with underwing mounts to hang two small barrels of beer! At what frequency this took place we have not been able to ascertain but it sounds rather unlikely but a photo does exist showing a Spitfire in flight with two such barrels!
If anyone out there has a Spitfire and wants to give it a try we would certainly supply the beer!
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Beer Box Heaven!
24 September 2008
Over the last year the brewery has enjoyed a staggering rise in the sale of 18 pint and 36 pint beer boxes, true the cost alone makes them attractive with beer costing (subject to box size and beer choice) from £1.35 to £1.70 per pint! A great deal by anyone’s standards, AND the beer is of such high quality, either one of the five core beers or one of the two seasonal offerings available each month of the year, what could be better!
With such beneficial prices not even the terrible weather has slowed the popularity of these boxes, with no deposit and nothing to return it could not be easier. We can deliver locally for £5.00 or further afield across the country for about £12.00. (some locations in Wales and Scotland will be dearer, ring us first if in doubt).
If your are having a night in with friends or planning a party or Bar BQ a beer box may be the answer, one final benefit often overlooked by visitors to the shop is that if you were interested in a 36 pint box why not have two 18 pint boxes and try two beers instead of one?
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Peter Symonds College
24 September 2008
The brewery hosted a visit from 21 sixth form students and a surprisingly high number of staff of five accompanied the group! Rob the brewer was in good form and made the highly technical sound really interesting, he got loads of questions which is always a good sign and only one poor young lady passed out! Actually she found the brewery smells a bit overpowering but she was OK after a breath of fresh air and all was well in the end!
The students were quizzed by Rob at the end of the technical bit and under his steely gaze they all referred to copious notes before offering answers, luckily (for them) they came up with the required responses thus satisfying the brewer!
The group had a look round before finally getting the chance to sit down when a general overview of the business and its particular peculiarities were discussed and questions raised and mostly answered! After a total of a couple of hours they must have received as much as anyone could endure and it was unanimously agreed ‘enough was enough’ and the visit came to a conclusion. The brewery received a nice letter following the visit so it must have been OK, it is always difficult to know how to show visitors round a brewery without inviting them to try the beer … but we managed!
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Brewery Tours
24 September 2008
Alresford Rotary Club Joined us here on Monday 11th August 2008 for a evening event, a brewery tour and sit down fish & chip supper!
They had the opportunity to sample beer from our core and seasonal range, it was a enjoyable event for them and us. The fish and chips & ploughmans supper went down well at the end of the evening along with all the beer! We all had a great time and it was clear from the 30 or so guests that it had been a really good evening for everyone.
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Brewery Outdoor Events
23 September 2008
Looking ahead Christmas is looming up (yes really!), the brewery has already booked a number of events when we will be attending Christmas Fairs and Food and Drink Shows. Some of those already lined up are The Festival of Christmas at the Historic Dockyard Portsmouth Friday 28th. – Sunday 30th. November, Leeds Castle Kent Festive Fair November 22nd. and 23rd.
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Both events should be very exciting and we look forward to seeing as many of our customers as possible!
Another potential venue is Knebworth House in Hertfordshire although the dates are to be confirmed, this was a very busy event for us last year.
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The Rain in Spain….
23 September 2008
One of the biggest events in the local calender scheduled for Saturday 6th September, the Alresford Show (a huge agricultural type show!) was called off on the morning of the event as a direct result of the preceeding week of almost non-stop torrential rain. Itchen Valley was reasonably lucky by comparison to some whos investment and effort was apparently for some very large.
Despite the brewery being able to redirect beer destined for the event all those who were due to attend from the brewery were disapointed to learn it had been cancelled, we were all hoping for a great day meeting all the followers of Itchen Valley and those people who may have been tasting the beer for the first time!
All will have to wait until 2009 when it is rumoured the 100th anniversary will take place again!
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Featured Brewery JD Wetherspoon News
23 September 2008
The brewery got great coverage in the Wetherspoons magazine (June/July edition), the item covered how the brewery got started and how things have gradually developed with bottling, expanding sales etc. all made interesting reading …. must get the whole page onto the website!
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Hambledon in TESCOs
23 September 2008
Itchen Valley is celebrating its bottled Hambledon Bitter now being stocked in all 19 TESCO stores in Hampshire, this contract will have the effect of boosting bottle sales by 20% and ensuring Hambledon is always available for those who wish to drink at home! The MD of the brewery stated, ‘Having our beer available in Tesco throughout Hampshire is very important to us. All our activity in promoting our beer among the growing number of real ale drinkers, in pubs and all the licensed premises we deliver cask beer to, is strengthened by our bottles appearing on the shelves of the country’s major supermarket. The credibility of our product is certainly enhanced and reinforced by customers seeing our bottled beer on their local Tesco shelves’.
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Our new website
22 September 2008
Well, here is the start of the new Itchen Valley Brewery website. We’ll be gradually adding more features as time goes on, and this blog will be the place for all the latest brewery news – as well as an insight into the brewery itself. Watch this space!