Wadworth is a
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...
company founded in 1875 in
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century ...
, Wiltshire, England, best known for their 6X beer brand.
History
Wadworth & Co. was founded in 1875 when Henry Wadworth purchased the Northgate Brewery in Devizes. It was not long before they exceeded their capacity at the Northgate Brewery and in 1885 they moved premises to a new facility close to their original site. Since then, the brewer has been a major influence on the economy of Devizes and a major provider of
ale in the south of England.
The present Northgate Brewery is a
tower brewery
A tower brewery is a distinct form of brewery, identified by its external buildings being arranged in the form of a vertical tower.
The purpose of a tower brewery is to allow this multi-stage flow process to continue by gravity, rather than lifti ...
opened in 1885.
Beers
While 6X is the brewer's best known
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
, the company also produce other beers, including several seasonal ales.
Beers available throughout the year:
* 6X (4.1% abv on draught, 4.3% abv cans and bottles)
* Henry's Original IPA (3.6%abv)
* Horizon – Golden Ale (4.0% abv)
* Bishop's Tipple – Golden ale, full flavoured (5.0% abv on draught, 5.5% abv in bottle)
* Swordfish – A stronger version of 6X with the addition of
Pusser's
Pusser's Rum is a brand name of rum produced by Pusser's Rum Ltd., based in the British Virgin Islands. Nine years after the Royal Navy discontinued the daily rum ration in 1970, the company was founded to produce the rum from the original Royal N ...
Navy
Rum
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...
(5.0% abv)
* Corvus – A nitro keg stout available in 30L format with a chocolate & coffee taste and creamy head
Seasonal beer A seasonal beer is a beer that is typically brewed during or for a particular season, holiday or festival period. Many breweries and microbreweries produce seasonal beers. Seasonal beers may be produced when fresh ingredients are available during v ...
s:
* St George & The Dragon – (March and April)
* Lily The Pink – a blend of golden beer and Angostura bitters
* Red, White & Brew – a hoppy golden beer brewed initially to commemorate the Jubilee and the Olympics (May–July)
* Farmers Glory – a traditional English ale (July and August, 4.7% abv)
* Malt & Hops – using fresh hops straight from the bine (September and October)
* Blunderbuss – a red autumn ale flavoured with elderberry (5.0% abv)
* Old Timer – winter ale (December and January)
6X
The "X" in 6X refers to a traditional
grading system for strong beer; it was first brewed in 1923. In 2007, 6X won the ''
Daily Telegraph
Daily or The Daily may refer to:
Journalism
* Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks
* ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times''
* ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'' and
Cask Marque
Real ale is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for beer that is "brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous car ...
Best Of British Beer Award for Wales and the West Country. 6X is available in draught cask, keg, can and bottle formats.
Operations
Wadworths still use traditional
shire horse
The Shire is a British breed of draught horse. It is usually black, bay, or grey. It is a tall breed, and Shires have at various times held world records both for the largest horse and for the tallest horse. The Shire has a great capacity for ...
s to deliver their casked ale to local
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
s in Devizes. Their radius of the operation is roughly ; beyond this, motor vehicles are used. The ale can be delivered in metal or wooden barrels.
The brewery owns four horses (Monty, Max and Archie and Sam)
which are stabled at the brewery. As well as delivering ale, the horses compete in shows and events throughout the country. They are often featured in the local press and have featured in television programmes such as ''
Countryfile
''Countryfile'' is a British television programme which airs weekly on BBC One and reports on rural, agricultural, and environmental issues in the United Kingdom.
The programme is currently presented by John Craven, Adam Henson, Matt Baker ...
''.
Wadworth operate a Visitor Centre and gift shop at the brewery. Tours of the brewery can be taken and may include a tutored tasting of the Wadworth range and visits to the shire horses and sign-writing shop.
See also
*
British regional breweries using wooden casks
References
External links
{{official website, http://wadworth.co.uk
British brands
Breweries in England
1875 establishments in England
Devizes
Tourist attractions in Wiltshire
Tower breweries
Food and drink companies established in 1875
British companies established in 1875