Wychwood Head Brewer made Brewer of the Year 2005

The Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin, has presented Wychwood’s Head Brewer, Jeremy Moss, with the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group’s ‘Brewer of the Year Award, 2005.’

This is in recognition of Jeremy’s remarkable achievement in bringing Brakspear’s beers back to Oxfordshire after the closure of Brakspear’s original brewery in Henley.

Announcing the Award, Beer Group Secretary Robert Humphreys said:
“Jeremy was given the job of 'bringing the brewing of Brakspear’s brands back to Oxfordshire’. When Brakspear’s Henley brewery closed in 2002, the beers were transferred temporarily elsewhere whilst Wychwood’s parent company, Refresh UK sought a new brewing facility in Oxfordshire. They finally negotiated the purchase of extra land so they could brew them at their Wychwood Brewery near Oxford, the home of Hobgoblin.

Jeremy Moss and his team had to double the capacity of Wychwood to brew these beers, and did it with the brewery out of commission for only 6 weeks. Jeremy led the whole project including the critical product matching of the Brakspear brands. As a result, Brakspear’s long term decline has been reversed and it is now growing at a rate of over 30% per annum, thus preserving the long term future of this classic British beer”.

Rupert Thompson, Chief Executive of Refresh UK comments:
“It was a massive logistical challenge for Jeremy to keep production of our flagship Hobgoblin ‘strong dark ale’ on track whilst incorporating all the historic Brakspear brewing vessels into the new building. Sales of Hobgoblin have risen threefold over the last three years and our cask and bottled sales have really started to hum.

There were large numbers of doubting Thomases when we said we would bring the brewing of Brakspear back to its Oxfordshire home but it was something which I believed in 100%. This is a beer with a real sense of place and I am delighted that Jeremy’s great skills and hard work have been recognised."

For further information contact Rupert Ponsonby on 020 73841333 rupert@randr.co.uk