One of the West Country’s best-selling cask ales hits a major milestone this summer with Hanlons’ Yellow Hammer celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Dan and Sam Taylor and their team celebrate Yellow Hammer’s first 25 years
Brewed just outside Exeter with four natural ingredients, Yellow Hammer has stood the test of time since its creation in 1999.
The multi award-winning beer is made by Hanlons, a family-run and ethically minded brewery owned by Dan and Sam Taylor.
The company employs a team of 13 local staff and supplies approximately 800 pubs across the south of England, as well as online customers, music festivals, and wedding venues.
Set on a rural 100-acre plot between Exeter and Crediton, green thoughts and sustainability underpin every aspect of the business.
Malted barley comes from Britain’s oldest working floor maltings, 84 photovoltaic solar panels power the timber-clad brewery, all the water used is sourced from an on-site borehole, spent brewers’ grains feed local cattle, and there’s a rolling tree planting programme to help offset carbon.
Alongside Yellow Hamer, Hanlons’ core range of traditional cask products includes Citra IPA, Stormstay Premium Ale, Firefly Bitter, and Ruby Port, all former Taste of the West gold award winners.
These are complimented by a new stable of American-inspired, experimental hop-driven craft ales, comprising Devon Born Ale (DBA), Simco New IPA, and Yakima Big Chief Amber, a modern, aromatic and sessionable 4.5% ABV beer made with whole kiln-dried hops.
“Against a backdrop of changing tastes, increased competition, and ever-evolving beer styles, our flagship brand continues to win over new drinkers with its freshness, provenance, and thirst-quenching properties,” said Dan Taylor.
“It’s a golden, zesty beer with citrus notes that’s also aromatic and fruity on the nose. As a small, family-run team dedicated to making the finest cask ales, we’re very proud that Yellow Hammer has become something of an icon here in Devon.”
Polly’s has collaborated with North Brewing on Parallel Lines, an 8.1% ABV double IPA. “This beer goes ultra-high on the oats and wheat to create a soft, pillowy, fluffy DIPA, packed to the nines with hot-side Cascade and cold-side Citra, Talus, and HBC 1019, all positively dripping with fresh-chopped grapefruit, Valencia oranges, peach, coconut cream, and caramelised banana,” say the brewers. Also new from Polly’s are Positively Unattached, a 10% ABV triple IPA hopped with Citra, Columbus, Galaxy, Mosaic, and Simcoe, and Miles Apart, a 5% ABV pale ale, featuring Citra and El Dorado.
The latest in UnBarred’s Pale Ale series features the Citra hop. It’s a light, crisp pale ale (4.8% ABV), with lemon, lime, and orange notes, backed by tropical papaya undertones and a clean finish.
