hook norton brewery

If you like proper British ale this is a great Cotswold location to visit. This is an authentic family owned brewery going pack to 1849. The beers are traditional, containing only water from a source under the brew house, English malts and hops, and an exclusive yeast. Ros, the guide provided a very engaging and informative two hour tour. We ended up in the old malting house for samples. All the beers are excellent and include Hooky,Old Hooky,Lion and Flagship. Flagship was first brewed to celebrate the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar and is an absolutely top rate beer with an ABV of 5.3%. Not to be missed. Because this is a working brewery with lots of ladders and narrow spaces it is not a place for the disabled, the infirm or the very young. Hook Norton village has two pubs, and nearby Chipping Norton and the village of Deddington are worth a visit, both having accommodation.

Our tour of the brewery with Scott on Thursday was as good as any that we have done before (and we have been around several breweries and many distilleries before) - he was very knowledgeable and informative, dealing well with both expert and naive questions.The tour finishes in the bar when you can drink a variety of their ales, so make sure you choose a designated driver in advance! Yes there are a few stairs to climb, but we had two 80 year-olds with us who coped well enough with them.

Tour lasted about 2 hours, and very informative and entertaining even for a non-drinker! Plenty of samples to taste - thank you Monty. Would not be suitable for less able - lots of stairs

Area manager thought it would be a good idea to visit this brewery as we work for greene King. The staff were very passionate about the beer and the history of the brewery it was interesting and informative and after the tour you can taste the beer and buy the products to take home at good prices

Very informative. Our guide, Nick, took plenty of time to explain the processes and was very tolerant of our uneducated queries. Now that I have seen the complexities involved, I'll treat my next pint of Hooky with a lot more respect. Happy drinking all.

You think you've gone in a timewarp ! Not much changed from later Victorian times. Excellent guide, interesting tour, and good tasting session at the end.

The tour was fantastic! Our guide, James, was extremely knowledgeable, and gave the tour at an excellent pace. There was lots of information, and we were never bored during the tour. This is the third country I've toured breweries in, and this was by far the most interesting and unique brewery I've been to. Simply excellent.

There is so much history to this working brewery so anyone would find it fascinating. .They really took care of my 82 year old father who struggled just a little on the flights of stairs. The suprise is the machinery which is often more than a century old

So it wouldnt be everyones idea of a company christmas party, but as a starter to the evening it was very pleasant.The atmosphere in the brewery was very jolly and though we were on a tour learning about how Hooky is made, a lot of the staff interacted and were very welcoming.We finished with a tasting session, which was well lead and gave everyone a favorite hooky drink to order in the bar later (not at the brewery, as they closed 5 minutes after we left)

This place was fantastic! Your of the brewery shows you how they used todo things and how they have upgraded over the years. They still deliver by horse drawn carriage! Had fun and the beer tasting was good as well.

Our recent group visit here was excellent - I couldn't recommend it highly enough. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and delivered a presentation which was perfectly pitched for my group of students. The beer tasting was also really good. I can't recommend this highly enough - but make sure you book in advance.

Time has stopped in Hook Norton. Very little has changed in this Brewery since 1901.This is not for any one who cannot climb steep stairs and many of them. However those who can are treated to a wonderful experience.Little has been changed from the processes the founders put in place. Handcrafted beers at their best. The generous sampling at the finish of the tour is a bonus.Malcolm our guide is to be commended for keeping two non- beer drinkers interested

The brewery tour is a great experience. The groups are small enough so that you all see & hear the whole process. Our guide was excellent & very informative. Roger, the Drayman, is quite a character & it is great to "meet" the Shires.The tasting afterwards was very generous & not at all rushed. Plenty of time to test all the types available - not tiny measures either!I am still intrigued that such a small place produces such an amount of beer - fascinating!A great way to spend a couple of hours!

we went to Hook Norton brewery because living in New Zealand means that you don't get the real article easily as "lager" would be the most common drink there. You can find bitter but you have to hunt for it. Billed as the oldest functioning Brewery in the UK it appeared to offer an opportunity to taste and learn something. The tour starts with a safety briefing and you can understand once you enter the old buildings, climb the wooden stairs and avoid bumping your head by ducking appropriately why they give it a priority.Its fascinating and you do expect someone to appear wearing a witches hat and hook nose muttering spells and recipes. The discussion in the rooms where the hops and barley are stored would be worth the cost of the tour alone. You are given different varieties of hops to rub between your fingers and smell the fragrance. in the barley room you get different roasted barley's to suck and bite on. A great experience and with the running commentary from a member of staff who is skilled in beer making everything makes sense.Once the tour had finished the best part comes with a tasting of the different ales. Once you get through them all, you know you have had a "sampler" that's for sure. Real fun and memorable. After the tasting, there is a host of souvenirs to choose from their shop. I took 2 cases of "Hooky" with me and spent a few weeks savouring the tour. There is also a pub down the road that does a great lunch and serves Hook Norton beers of course.As you wander and climb up and down between the old wooden floors, you really get a feel for why English Bitter and beer is so very English. Its a real art and is alive and well at Hook Norton

A great tour of a real old brewery. The tours last about 90mins, and our tour guide was a fountain of knowledge. An ex teacher, he had a great manner about him, and the way he explained the whole brewing process and history of the brewery. I am into brewing beer myself, so I was hooked from the start, but even my friends were also engrossed from beginning to the end of the tour.It ends with a sampling of the different beers, so if you're driving you'll have to have a designated driver (it was my sister for us ha ha).A really great bit of history and well worth the trip. If you're nearby and have time (or even if you aren't and don't), book in for a tour, and enjoy.