Crouch Vale Brewery - Gallery

Crouch Vale Brewery, South Woodham Ferrers, Essex - Photographs taken by Roger Putman - 18 May 2010

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  Crouch Vale was founded in 1981 by Colin Bocking and Rob Walster. It moved to the current site in 2007
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  Crouch Vale produced 5148hL of beer in 2010
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  Crouch Vale logo
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  Brewers Gold won CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain in both 2005 and 2006. It is biggest seller and late hopped with Brewers Gold from the Halletau
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  Amarillo at 5%ABV is the second biggest seller
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  Third seller at 4%ABV
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  Essex Boys weighs in at 3.5%ABV
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  A beer with lots of 19% alpha Yankee hops
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  Casks are rinsed…
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  …and washed on a two head home made machine
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  The mash tun awaiting its charge of 750 – 1,000kg charge
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  Grist feed and mash hydrator
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  Pre-crushed malt comes from Muntons and Warminister. The mixed pallet of 25kg bags is stacked by the mash tun
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  The tiny DME hop back
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  Trantner wort exchanger
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  Steam is supplied by a gas fired Fulton boiler
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  Three racking vessels at 5, 9 and 40 brl with the three FVs, two at 30brl anf one at 40brl
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  Colin Bocking and his fermenters
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  Fermenters looking the other way
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  Flotronic air diaphragm pump used for skimming the yeast which was originally from Youngs via Ridleys
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  Casks
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  Casks awaiting dispatch in the temperature controlled warehouse
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  General view of the warehouse
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  The Crouch Vale shop
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  Shop display
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  The cherished certificate from CAMRA, there is one for 2005 as well.
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  Labels and pump clips from 1981
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  One of a pair of Crouch Vale 7.5 curtain sided vehicle
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  Colin Bocking became sole proprietor of Crouch Vale in the 1990s