Hook Norton Brewery

Hook Norton Brewery stands on the farm that John Harris bought in 1849. The holding sits between Chipping Norton and Banbury and already included a malthouse. Brewing started in 1856 and the first pub followed three years later. The Pear Tree Inn near the gate joined in 1869 as the business expanded through the end of the century. The plant is a Victorian tower brewery and the principle has not changed. Ingredients are carried or pumped to the top and come down by gravity from mashing through boiling to fermentation. A Buxton and Thornley steam engine has driven the mill and mash rakes since 1899. It powered the whole process until 2006 and is still fired for visitors. The company has stayed in one family throughout. Managing director James Clarke joined at twenty in 1991. He is the great-great-grandson of the founder through Alban Clarke, a nephew of John Harris. Around 20,000 people a year take the tour, which climbs each floor of the tower. It ends in the stable with the shire horses that still deliver by dray to pubs in the village. The brewery shop in the old maltings sells the cask range, with Hooky at 3.5 percent and Old Hooky at 4.6 percent the longest standing. Cider and wine share the shelves with a deli counter and clothing. A micro-brewery on the ground floor turns out limited runs and hosts brew-your-own days. The visitor centre includes a museum covering both the brewery and the village around it.