Champion Beer of Gloucestershire 2007

SoGlos.com raises a glass to Dursley’s Uley Brewery, as their Pigs Ear pale ale is awarded Champion Beer of Gloucestershire 2007.

Pigs Ear was given the award at this year’s Cotswold Beer Festival, where the brew was put to meticulous test by an expert panel of judges, comprised of members from the Gloucestershire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale. What’s more Pigs Ear had to go up against around 20 other locally produced tipples – each well-respected with discerning real ale drinkers.

Uley Brewery’s managing director Chas Wright said: ‘We’re delighted to be the best brewers in Gloucestershire’, and the Victorian brewery is the oldest working brewing premises in Gloucestershire, built by Samuel Price in 1833 during the reign of William IV.

Pigs Ear was first brewed as a one-off in 1987 for the Frocester Beer Festival – where it gained its name – and like Uley Brewey’s other ales, it is made using water from an original Cotswold Spring. The five per cent pale-coloured beer is described as being deceptively strong, notably bitter in flavour with a hoppy, fruity aroma.

If you can’t wait to put Pigs Ear to the test for yourself, the following Gloucestershire pubs all offer the champion beer on tap:

The Swan Hotel in Wotton-under-Edge
The George Inn in Nailsworth
Portcullis Inn in Tormarton
The Woolpack Inn in Slad
The Old Crown in Uley
The Tudor Arms in Slimbridge

Or if you fancy enjoying a pint or two of the award-winning brew in the comfort of your home, five gallon polypins are available from Uley Brewery for £58.

Uley Brewery’s ales also include Hogshead, Uley Bitter, Old Ric, Old Spot, Laurie Lee and the seasonal beer Pigor Mortis, which are available at numerous pubs across Gloucestershire.

James Fryer
8 August 2007