Hanby Ales, Whitchurch

My glastonbury experience last week was immeasurably improved by the beautiful nectar that comes out of Jack Hanby’s little brewery in Whitchurch. I visited the brewery a few years ago with a friend to pick up some Hanby ale before a previous glastonbury adventure, and the place is really nice. Jack also seems like a really nice guy, who certainly knows a thing or two about brewing.

For our trip to glastonbury, we bought three 40 pint boxes of ale. The boxes have a plastic sack inside which is filled with ale. You might think that this would affect the flavour, but personally I thought it tasted as if it was fresh from the barrel.

I particularly recommend Nutcracker ale, which won first prize in the Great British Beer Festival Strong Ale category in 2007. It’s absolutely delicious - one of the best beers i’ve ever had.

I knew living in Coton was good, but I didn't know quite how good until I chanced upon what is probably my personal Mecca. I'm a bit of a atheist at heart but I would definitely pray 5 times a day in the direction of Hanby Ales, and their great leader, Mr Jack Hanby.

Jack is probably one of the most toasted men alive, after we took 2 barrels of Hanby Ale to Glastonbury with us for the first time in 2005. Nothing less than a stroke of genius, this courageous act (have you ever tried carrying this much beer for 5 miles?) resulted in plastic beakers raised round the campfire till the sun came up for 6 straight days as we lovingly cradled our pints of 'Nutcracker' and 'Cascade'.

Nutcracker is a dark 6% bitter that really hits the spot on those slightly chilly summer evenings in Pilton. Cascade is a lovely light hoppy brew that is deliciously refreshing at anytime of day or night.

When I first turned up at Hanby's - I was given the full brewery tour as we waited for our ale to decant. We sprinted up and down ladders and peered into vats and got back to the floor in time for not a drop to spill. The then packed our handy 40 pint boxes of ale into the boot and paid (cash only!) and set on our way.

I should probably talk about the awards that Hanby Ales have won. I think you could summarise it in one word - loads. Taking the gold at the Great British Beer Festival in the strong ale category for Nutcracker must have been quite a party! But I ramble. Suffice to say, this small corner of an unassuming industrial estate in rural Shropshire is nothing short of magical.