Craft brew claims Pedigree’s crown
King of the bitters has been de-throned
THE KING of bitters has been de-throned at a pub near Market Bosworth.
Bar staff at The Gate Hangs Well in Carlton have pulled long-standing favourite Marston’s Pedigree and replaced it with a local brew, the 4.8% Best Bitter from Market Bosworth Brewery.
Operating from Willow Farm Business Centre in Stoke Golding, the micro-brewery was officially launched by head brewer Jon Skinner and business partner Rich Brine on April 1 last year.
No fools, the pair now produce four core artisan ales said to combine the best modern flavours with a traditional drinking experience.
In additiion to the Best Bitter, there is a 5 per cent Porter, a 4.2 per cent Stout and a 5.2 per cent Pale Ale.
Future plans include Amber, Gold, Mild and speciality beers such as Parma Violet.
The floral flavouring, reminiscent of childhood sweets, has already been used to produce a Parma Violet Porter, voted Champion Beer at the Camraorganised 2017 Hinckley Beer Festival.
The new brew rose victorious above more than 70 others on offer at the event in the hosted by the Hinckley and Bosworth branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.
Festival organiser, Camra branch member Chris James presented an award to mark the achievement to the Market Bosworth Brewery team at the Carlton pub this year.
They said they were “delighted” with the award.
Camra branch secretary Richard Lewin said: “We were told that the Parma Violet Porter was the result of a few experiments.
“It turns out that their standard Porter, whilst being an excellent beer in its own right, is also a good vehicle for flavour experimentation.
“They wanted a flavour that was distinct, one that everyone could recognise and hopefully bring back some childhood memories.”
Market Bosworth Brewery, which evolved from Market Bosworth Brewstore, specialises in brewing small batches of artisan beer from individually-selected malts and hops.
Mr Lewin described its rise to acclaim as “mete- oric” and said the claiming of Pedigree’s crown was no mean feat.
“It takes some doing, as Pedigree is known nationally as the King of Bitters,” he said.
Find out more about Market Bosworth Brewery online.