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 b ...

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-cent ...

, 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 Ale is a style of beer, brewed using a warm fermentation method. In medieval England, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative. 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 lift ...

opened in 1885.

Beers

While 6X is the brewer's best known

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

, 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 ...

Navy

Rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

(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 produce seasonal beers. Seasonal beers may be produced when fresh ingredients are available during various seasons, p ...

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 ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'' and Cask Marque 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 breed of draft horse, draught horse originally from England. The Shire has a great capacity for weight-pulling; it was used for agriculture, farm work, to tow barges at a time when the Canals of the United Kingdom, canal system ...

s to deliver their casked ale to local

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

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. The programme is currently presented by John Craven, Adam Henson, Matt Baker, Tom Heap, Ellie Har ...

''. 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.

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

History

Beers

6X

Operations

See also

References

External links