Marston’s Brewery (Part 4)

Well can you believe it, I am nearly at the end of my adventure into the exploration of Marston’s Brewery, I must admit I am really enjoying it, I’ve learnt so much and I hope you have all too.

I hope you guys are also enjoying my posts as much as I am.

Right, without any further or do let’s talk about today’s chapter which is based on The Wychwood Brewery.

History

The Wychwood Brewery is a brewery which is owned by Marston’s, the facility is situated in Oxfordshire in the town of Witney.

The site was constructed around 1841 and the main responsibility was to malt barley for Clinch’s Eagle Brewery.

Then in 1961 Courage Brewery bought Clinch’s pubs, however, the main operating brewery was sadly closed down.

Furthermore, in 1983 some parts of the former Clinch Brewery was rented by Paddy Glenny, the brewery was reopened and rebranded as Glenny Brewery.

I have managed to find a fantastic image of the former Clinch’s Brewery which is where The Wychwood Brewery sits today and by the way, this picture does present a lot of history.

I apologise if the picture looks very distorted, it was the best one I could only find.

On the other hand, I do think this is a marvellous picture and you can clearly see the scale of the building.

I wonder if all those barrels are full of beer, I hope so (Haha)

This lasted for 7 years, in 1990 the brewery reopened as The Wychwood Brewery, the brewery was named after the ancient Wychwood Forest which borders Witney.

In the same year, Wychwood moved to its new Rivers Industrial Estate within Witney, but this was short-lived for 4 years.

Next, in 1994 the brewery moved back to its former site and took on more of the old brewery infrastructure which belonged to Clinch’s Brewery.

Wychwood was then taken over in 2002 by Refresh UK and then 6 years later Marston’s bought Refresh UK and took on the ownership of Wychwood Brewery.

Marston’s Brewery still currently own Wychwood and there hasn’t been no plans in the pipeline for the contract agreement to end.

Now, I am going to show you a picture of what the brewery currently looks like as of today!

Doesn’t it just look amazing, it feels like a magic spell has just turned this building around, to me I think it looks completely astonishing and it is one of the most popular breweries that’s within the Oxfordshire area.

Unbelievable and what a fantastic piece of history this brewery brings along with it.

Wychwood Brewery Beers

It’s now time for my favourite part of the post which is where I tell you what amazing ales this brewery currently does and I must reiterate they’re all a masterpiece.

Bah Humbug – 4.2% ABV – Christmas Beer – A rich, fruity spiced beer that is brewed with pumpkin and mace to add a gently warming seasonal spiciness.

Dirty Tackle – 4.0% ABV- A full-bodied malty ale with a clean citrus aroma which tackles your tastebuds. A Rugby fans favourite drink!

Dry Neck – 4.0% ABV – A golden beer combining of fresh citrus and dark fruits which leaves a mouth-watering beer to stop any drought.

Firecatcher – 3.5% ABV – A pale, crisp and lightly aromatic. Warming hints of honey and sharp gooseberry flames. Light in body but pleasingly quenching.

Ginger Beard – 4.2% ABV – A traditionally crafted ale infused with fiery ginger to deliver a refreshing spicy finish.

Hobgoblin Gold – 4.2% ABV – A session golden beer with tropical aromas of citrus and passion fruit. A biscuit-like malt gives way to heaps of fresh lemon and lime zest.

Hobgoblin Ruby – 4.5% ABV – Everyones favourite! A distinctly ruby beer with sweet caramel and fruity aromas. Brewed with smooth and rich chocolate and crystal malts. A full-bodied toffee flavour and fruity finish.

Hobgoblin IPA – 4.5% ABV – A pale golden colour with orange glints. Prepare yourself for an intense of tropical zesty oranges, grapefruit, honey and juicy bitterness. Winner of the WORLDS Best IPA Award!

King Goblin – 6.0% ABV – Deep ruby in colour with aromas of treacle toffee and dried fruits. Packed full of caramel, coffee and earthy roasted malts. A delicious treat in a glass! This sounds like my type of beer, hopefully, one day I can get my hands on a pint of this extreme ale!

And Finally…

Pump King – 4.2% ABV – A traditional amber beer which is brewed with pumpkin and mace. Hints of toffee and a perfectly balanced depth of dried fruit and caramel.

Well, what a fantastic range of cask ales, I think they all sound amazing and too be honest it is making my mouth water thinking about them now, (oh how much I miss the pub so much).

A couple of the beers are seasonal, such as Pump King (October), Dirty Tackle (Six Nations) and Bah Humbug (Christmas Beer).

All beers are available in Firkin Casks or Sedimented Bottles.

The most popular beer which you will find in a lot of Marston’s pubs or Weatherspoon pubs is the Hobgoblin Dark Ruby, this beer is truly sensational and does taste absolutely fantastic, I must persuade you all to try it, you really don’t know what you’re missing.

Ending

I am now coming to the end of my chapter on The Wychwood Brewery, I personally think the history of this brewery is tremendous and the beers that come along with the brewery are just perfect.

I simply can’t wait to sample some more of Wychwood’s ales once the pubs re-open, there is plenty to choose from so this will make my decision even harder.

That is also why I am recommending these beers to you as well, just so that you can sample some quality ales and pick out your favourite.

I would also appreciate your support of you posting a comment on this blog of which Wychwood Brewery beer you’ve had before, so it can help me to make that desirable decision even easier.

Thanks for reading my post, I hope you’ve enjoyed it, the penultimate Chapter on my Marston’s Brewery Tour will be live next week.

Until next time, take care and stay safe everyone!

Luke x