 Bah
Humbug - Wychwood's Christmas Beer
Bah Humbug! Bah Humbug to the season of good will to
all men. Bah Humbug to glad tidings of joy. Would you rather not
celebrate with a little self-indulgence instead? Be a scrooge and
spoil yourself with this most excellent festive brew, full of
seasonal spices and rich Michaelmas pickings. A gift for you and for
you alone. Bah Humbug!
Bah
Humbug Tasting Note
6.2% ABV. A hearty festive brew full of the joys of
Christmas and yuletide flavors. But we're not proposing you give
away any Christmas Cheer. Enjoy unto you, and to all others and all
around, we say, "Bah Humbug!"
 The
Original Commissioned Artwork for Bah Humbug was produced for
Wychwood Brewery by Chris Bohanna.
History of the Wychwood Brewery
The Wychwood Brewery is tucked away behind the main street of the
market town of Witney, in the heart of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds.
Witney is historically famous for its 3 Bs; its bread, its blankets
and its beer. Brewing has taken place in Witney for centuries,
originally carried out by pub owners and landlords, or more often
their wives.
The first sizeable brewery in Witney was founded by John Williams
Clinch, the son of a banking family, who established the brewery,
close to the present site of Wychwood Brewery, in 1841 with water
taken from the nearby River Windrush.
Clinch’s Brewery remained a local landmark and successful family
enterprise in Witney for over 120 years. At one time Clinch's also
owned seventy-one pubs, stretching between Oxford and Swindon, and
as far North as Birmingham, including 14 individual pubs in Witney
town itself. The Clinch's Brewery was well respected and renowned,
and won numerous awards in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1961, the board
decided to sell out to Courage. The Clinch's Brewery was closed
shortly afterwards, marking the end of an era for Witney.
 In
1983, the original Clinch's Brewery site was purchased by Paddy
Glenny, an English brewer who had trained in Germany. Paddy
christened it The Eagle Brewery - later changing this to Glenny
Brewery. The Eagle Brewery was started in the cellar of the existing
"Eagle Maltings" building which now houses the Wychwood brewery
offices. Chris Moss joined Paddy in 1985, thus doubling the
workforce. A small, entrepreneurial concern, Eagle Brewery started
off brewing about 800 barrels a year.
In
1988 the brewery was asked to brew a special celebratory wedding
beer for a local landlord for his daughter's wedding. Chris Moss
created the ale of his life. The deliciously dark, rich brew became
The Legendary Hobgoblin. Click here to
read the full story of Hobgoblin.
In
1990, the Eagle was re-named the Wychwood Brewery after the Ancient
medieval Wychwood Forest which borders Witney. The brewery also
brewed Witney Bitter and Wychwood Best in Cask and within a few
years sales had risen to a highly respectable 12,000 barrels a year.
 In
January 1996 the first Hobgoblin beer in bottles was produced. The
highly distinctive and quirky labels appealed immediately to a new,
younger market for traditional English ales. A specially
commissioned distinctive clear bottle was soon adopted, so as to
show off Hobgoblin’s distinctive colour.
By
1997, Wychwood Brewery was producing nearly 30,000 barrels a year,
including a full calendar of limited edition seasonal cask ales,
under imaginative names and pump clip artworks. The brewery also
owned 40 Hobgoblinns Pubs. Following the success of Hobgoblin in
bottle, Wychwood continued to bottle some of the other most popular
cask ales, Christmas and seasonal beers. The brewery gained a
growing fan base, as keen on the beers as they were on the artwork
and imagery of Wychwood brewery labels.
The Hobgoblinns pubs were sold off in 2002, although they continue
to use the Hobgoblin branding under their new owners.
 Wychwood
Brewery’s current range of beers consists of
The Legendary Hobgoblin, an annual calendar of limited edition
seasonal cask ales, and a range of bottled beers, including;
WychCraft,
Goliath,
Circle Master,
Fiddler's Elbow, &
Black Wych, as well as occasional seasonal beers, 2 exclusive
beers brewed for
Sainsburys and 3 Organic beers brewed for
Duchy Originals.
Following the closure of the Brakspear brewery in Henley on Thames,
in October 2002, Wychwood was committed to bringing the brewing of
Brakspear back to Oxfordshire. Following major building work
commissioned in December 2003 to enlarge the site, Wychwood Brewery
now incorporates a new Brakspear brewhouse and separate Brakpear
fermenting room, using much of the original Brakspear equipment from
Henley. For more information on Brakspear beers, please visit
www.brakspear-beers.co.uk
Questions, complaints or compliments? Email me at:
beergeek@worldclassbeverages.com |
