The Twice Brewed Inn, at Bardon Mill, Northumberland, has opened its own microbrewery, re-establishing a tradition of local brewing.
Owners Reuben and Sophie Straker are working alongside inn manager Andy Smith on the project, with the aim of creating a diverse core range and a number of seasonal brews.
The legend of Twice Brewed tells the tale of Roman soldiers reaching the frontier and complaining to their superiors that the local beer was far too weak for them. The beer was brewed again, resulting in a stronger, heartier tipple. This went on for quite some time, and certainly developed a reputation for the area, giving rise to the Twice Brewed name.
The brewer is Red Kellie, who said: “I started out like most brewers, brewing country wines and basic home-brew beers, moving on to all-grain brewing on a small 10-litre kit around six years ago. I then did some training with Brewlab, down in Sunderland, and then went about setting up the First & Last Brewery (my new family brewery) and Stu Brew, a social enterprise student-run microbrewery at Newcastle University.
“Reuben approached me about helping to set up the Twice Brewed Brewhouse and I jumped at the chance to be
part of this amazing project. It’s a really exciting time, with the brewery building now complete (13 weeks from groundworks to functioning brewery), and now we’ve got our first three ales in production.”
Sycamore Gap Pale Ale (4.1% ABV) is going own a treat over the bars at the Twice Brewed Inn, and Hadrian and Red Lion pubs. Twice Brewed Best Bitter (3.8%), a traditional English best bitter, will be the next beer to be on offer, and Red has just put Ale Caesar (4.2%), an aromatic amber ale, into production.
