Autumn Newsletter 2025
The next FoHB social will be held at The Royal Oak in Newton St. West Bromwich on Monday September 8th starting at 7.30pm. The October Social will be held at AJ’s brewery tap in Long Acre St Walsall, on Monday 13th October starting at 7.30pm.
Social Secretary wanted: the FoHB desperately needs a social secretary who will be able to research, plan and organise day outings by coach for up to 50 people. Help will be offered by the committee. Please contact Bob Newton or Andrew Wells.
The Trip to Green Duck Brewery went well. Over 30 turned up and we had the first pint free and were able to select from a wide choice of beers’ including ‘Sexual Chocolate’ 10% stout. The in-
Due to the letter we sent to the Council about the state of the Highgate Brewery, I was approached by Deborah Hardiman, an Express & Star reporter, and ended up doing a video with Keith Watkins of Walsall CAMRA outside the brewery gates (published on the 6th August) making our feelings known (If you Google ‘Express and Star – Highgate Brewery’ it takes you straight to it) and we also gave Deborah a press release along with a copy of the original letter. I just mentioned in passing that Walsall had a history of buildings burning down and they seized on that topic and made up a headline that we were worried about the brewery burning down, but that’s only part of it. This issue will not go away and we shall pursue it as often as it takes, but so far, no response from the council.
Wye Valley Brewery has rebranded its Wye Valley Bitter for its 40thanniversary, now calling it ‘Pyoneer’ in honour of its legacy in Canon Pyon, the Herefordshire village where they were originally founded in 1985. The 3.4% ABV brew, with a Maris Otter base plus Target and Golding hops, is unchanged.
As part of its move out of the centre of Wolverhampton, Carlsberg Britvic has announced a new warehouse is to be built alongside junction 12 of the M6 near Cannock. The £4m investment will give 222,000sq feet of space, opening in Autumn 2026. Banks’s old brewery in Park St is closing this October.
For the first time in nearly 20 years, a national broadsheet newspaper has dedicated a regular beer column to sit alongside its wine and restaurant pages. Pete Brown will write a weekly column for the Sunday Times Magazine, exploring topical issues around beer and pubs and making ‘best buy’ recommendations.
Sam’ & ‘George’ the Wadworth horses have been pensioned off as the company says they are no longer viable, despite having planning approval for a new stable block. The brewery has also opened a town centre shop beside the ‘Three Crowns’ pub on Maryport St.
Guernsey based Randalls Brewery, founded in 1868 with more than 20 pubs, restaurants, hotels and shops across Guernsey, Alderney and Sark has been sold for an undisclosed sum to CI Hospitality Ltd a group[ of local investors. (Is that Charley Hungerford from Bergerac? Ed.).
Following Theakston’s low alcohol beer ‘Nowt Peculiar’ comes Brains Brewery’s offering – ‘No Brainer’ 0.5%
