Hanlons Brewery — formally O’Hanlons — has been officially re-launched at an event with more than 300 guests.
Jim Bungard and Dan Taylor took over the business last December and moved the existing brewing equipment into a purpose-built brewery at Half Moon Village near Exeter, re-branding and refreshing the image.
Yellow Hammer fans, and friends for the last 15 years, Jim and Dan had both been looking for a new direction in their careers. When the opportunity of taking over the brewery came up, they felt it was too good to miss.
Four members of staff, including master brewer Richard Mayne, stayed on after the takeover and the company has seen considerable rewards for its efforts, including 140 new pub customers across the UK and the 2014 gold Taste of the West award for Port Stout (bottled) and silver for Yellow Hammer (cask).
Customer Andy Chrichard, from the Rose & Crown, Sandford, said: “One of the main reasons we choose to use Hanlons is because it’s a local brewery. It’s great to serve beer that has come just a few miles down the road from where its brewed. We think it’s important to serve local beers as much as we can and always have Yellow Hammer available.”
The launch was thoroughly enjoyed by customers, suppliers and friends alike, who all sampled a free bar and took part in tasting sessions provided by beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones (pictured below). Adrian said: “Port Stout is a great favorite because it balances the rich chocolate and coffee notes of the stout with a subtle vinous hint in the background (from the port). It’s a fulsome beer, exceptionally drinkable, but I would also have it on the dinner table where it would be a great partner to a raspberry tart or a sweaty, molten Colston Bassett Stilton.”
Food was provided by catering company The Proof of the Pudding, using ingredients from local suppliers such as Quickes Cheese and Good Game, whipping up delicious morsels such as Stormstay Welsh Rarebit using Quickes Chedder. Mary Quicke said; “I just love Yellow Hammer, it’s so refreshing and light and goes really well with the cheese scones they are serving up today.”
Both Jim and Dan’s families have invested considerably into the business and the new brewing site being built on land at Dan’s family farm. “Family members have all thrown themselves into the venture, and we couldn’t have made such progress without their help,” said Jim, who has taken on the role of sales and marketing director, while Dan is in charge of production.
The team will be brewing Yellow Hammer (4.2% ABV), the lead brand in a five-strong core cask range that also includes Port Stout (4.8%), Stormstay Premium Ale (5%), Firefly Bitter (3.7%) and Copper Glow (4.2%). The line-up will also feature occasional and seasonal beers.
Jim said: “We’ll stick to those five core beers as it means we can have better consistency and quality and fresher beer in the pubs. We did, however, brew a wheat beer, Half Moon, to commemorate our launch and it became the third best-seller at Wetherspoon’s Spring Beer Festival!”
The range of ales are available across the UK through a network of reputable wholesalers. You can also get hold of Port Stout and Yellow hammer bottles through local stores or buy directly from the brewery itself.
