The Caskaway

Hook Norton Brewery Off the Hook IPA. My beer journey started in and around Lincoln and a good few real ale pubs, many sadly long gone. This was the era of rampant expansion by the big six breweries as they were then. Scottish and Newcastle which seemed to supply most of the local pubs took over Nottingham based Home Brewery and its pubs and for a while owned the venerable Theakston’s. My local regional brewer was Batemans from nearby sunny Skegness and their delicious tawny ale XXXB.

In time I came to be managing a pub. This was before the era of craft brewing and regional, often family-owned breweries produced the majority of the beers I liked. Don’t get me wrong a classic pint of Marston’s Pedigree or draught Bass were pretty awesome. But I was always keen to have a range of beers, trying new ones and revisiting my favourites like the Batemans, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord , and Old Hooky from Hook Norton Brewery.

A Little Hook Norton Brewery History

Hook Norton is a family owned, Cotswold based, brewery and pub company. With a one hundred- and seventy-five-year pedigree the company developed from a Victorian era farm and malthouse through to the present day. Today you can visitor the brewery for a two-hour tour it also has a visitor centre, museum, shop, kitchen and tasting room. Hook Norton is also one of only two remaining breweries that use Shire horses to deliver beer to pubs.

The brewery is the UK’s finest remaining example of a Victorian Tower brewery. This dates back to the era of steam power when gravity was used to manage the brewing process once the raw ingredients were hauled to the top of the building. Hook Norton is a five-story Grade II listed building complete with the last remaining steam engine that can still be used for its original purpose and some working equipment like the grist mill, used to crush the malt, that is over a hundred and twenty years old.*

* If you would like to know more about this amazing brewery there is a great book available.

Tasting Off the Hook

The first proper pub I managed outside of London was a timber framed, picture book food focused business near Pinewood Studios. However, we ran a busy locals bar with a good selection of real ales. Hook Norton ales were firm favourites. When I think any of their beers I’m standing behind the bar chatting with the regulars and admiring the skill of the Hook Norton brewers as I pull a pint. With luck I would get to try one at the end of the evening as well.

Off the Hook pours an attractive pale golden amber colour with a light head. It is smooth and pleasant to drink with pleasant carbonation. The hops provide lots and lots of juicy orange, citrusy aromas which develop to a very pleasant fruity hop flavour balanced by toast from the malt and a pleasing bitterness. The result is a thoroughly refreshing classic English IPA that is a perfect pint to sup in a sunny beer garden alongside BBQ food.