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Adnams is a
regional 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 be ...
founded in 1872 in
Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the North Sea, in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth, Suffolk, River Blyth in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths ...
, Suffolk, England, by George and Ernest Adnams. It produces
cask ale Real ale is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for ale that is "brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous ca ...
and bottled beers. Annual production is around 85,000
barrels A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids ...
. In 2010, the company established the Copper House distillery for the production of
gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...
,
vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...
and
English whisky English whisky (English whiskey) is a liquor made from malt, Cereal, grains and water that is produced in England. This includes malt whisky, malt and grain whisky, grain whisky which can be additionally split into Single malt whisky, single or ...
.


History

The earliest recorded brewing on the Adnams site was in 1396 by Johanna de Corby. The Sole Bay Brewery in Southwold was purchased in 1872 by George and Ernest Adnams. The company was incorporated in 1890, and has remained independent since then, producing a range of beers for distribution mainly in
East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
. The Adnams family was joined in 1902 by Pierse Loftus, who brought strategic vision, technical expertise and sound financial principles, building the base on which succeeding generations have been able to build. Adnams is now a PLC, with numerous shareholders, but still has family representation on the board, with Jonathan Adnams as chairman. The mixed-culture
yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...
used by Adnams was sourced from Morgans brewery of Norwich in 1942. Until 1953 and from 1970 to 2006, casks of Adnams ale were delivered to the six
pubs A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
of Southwold by horse and dray; the tradition ended when a new distribution depot was built three miles from the brewery. The company founded a charity, ''The Adnams Charity'', in 1990 to celebrate its centenary as a public company. A percentage of the company's annual profits is used to support worthwhile causes within a 25-mile radius of Southwold. In 1993, Adnams Extra won the
Champion Beer of Britain The Champion Beer of Britain (also known as CBOB) is an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), at its annual Great British Beer Festival in early August. Qualification and judging Beers can qualify for the Champion Beer of Brita ...
, an award presented by the
Campaign for Real Ale The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. History The organisation was founded on 16 ...
at the annual
Great British Beer Festival The Great British Beer Festival (sometimes abbreviated as GBBF) is an annual beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). It presents a selection of cask ales, and the Champion Beer of Britain awards, and is held in August of ...
. Adnams remains committed to brewing cask ale and operating non-themed pubs. Cask ale is available in all its 70 pubs, and it supplies more than 1000 other outlets direct. New fermenting vessels were installed in March 2001 to cope with demand, and the brewhouse was completely re-equipped in July 2006, making it one of the most energy efficient in Europe. At the beginning of 2004, Adnams purchased land in neighbouring village of Reydon to expand its business with a new distribution centre, designed by architect Jeremy Blake, which was nominated for the 2007
RICS The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for those working in the Built Environment, Construction, Land, Property and Real Estate. The RICS was founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental ...
East of England Award for Sustainability. Adnams was awarded a
Queen's Award for Enterprise Queens is a borough of New York City. Queens or Queen's may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Queens (group), a Polish musical group * "Queens" (song), a 2018 song by Saara Aalto * ''Queens'' (novel), by Stephen Pickles, 1984 * "Queens", ...
in the sustainable development category in 2005. The distribution centre features the UK's largest living roof known as the Sky Garden which is made up of a variety of
sedum ''Sedum'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. The genus has been described as containing up to 600 species, subsequently reduced to 400–500. They are leaf succule ...
species. Not only does this help to insulate the building, but the water stored in the sedum plants is also harvested and used to flush the staff toilets and clean company vehicles. This, combined with the
solar panels A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...
and the environmental construction have meant the energy bills have been cut by half. In June 2009, Adnams signed a five-year agreement to supply
Ipswich Town FC Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
with beers at their
Portman Road Portman Road is a association football, football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C., Ipswich Town since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one E ...
stadium, replacing the 14-year-old association with
Greene King Greene King is a British pub and brewing company founded in 1799, currently based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The company also owns brands including Hungry Horse and Farmhouse Inns, as well as other pubs, restaurants and hotels. It was listed o ...
. The rights went back to Greene King in July 2014. In 2010 Carl's Copper Pot still and Rectifying columns were installed and put in operation in November of that same year for the production of Gin, Vodka & Whisky. In early 2019, Adnams launched a new English
cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...
called Wild Wave.


Beers

Adnams produce regular cask ale, seasonal beer, bottled beer, "international" beer and "commemorative" beers and cider :


Regular beers

*''Broadside'', a 4.7% abv premium bitter *''Explorer'', a 4.3% golden bitter that was introduced in 2004 as a summer seasonal; it became a regular beer in February 2006 *''Ghost Ship'', a 4.5% abv pale ale, previously available May through to October but available year-round from March 2012. *''Ghost Ship Alcohol Free'', a 0.5% version of their Ghost Ship pale ale. Produced through reverse osmosis. *''Sole Star'', a low alcohol (2.7% abv) amber ale, introduced December 2011 and delisted shortly afterwards, it remains available in bottles. Reintroduced in 2017 at 0.9% abv and claimed to have the same taste as the original. *''Southwold Bitter'', a 3.7% abv session bitter. This was renamed from plain "Bitter" and the packaging redesigned in May 2011. *''Topaz Gold'', a 4.0% abv pale golden ale, brewed with Australian hop varieties, introduced August 2012


Keg beers

*''Spindrift'', a 5.0% abv golden bitter introduced in 2006


Seasonal

*''English Red Ale'', a 4.5% abv ale, available November to December, brewed with English Admiral hops. *''Extra'', 4.3% abv. Available in April. Winner of the
Champion Beer of Britain The Champion Beer of Britain (also known as CBOB) is an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), at its annual Great British Beer Festival in early August. Qualification and judging Beers can qualify for the Champion Beer of Brita ...
award in 1993. *''Fat Sprat'', a 3.8% abv Amber summer beer, brewed with Pale Ale malted barley, Munich, Cara and Black malt, with Columbus, English Goldings, Cascade and Chinook hops; introduced in May 2013. *''Kristal White Ale'', a 4.2% abv golden wheat beer, available February to Easter, brewed with malted wheat, barley and German Noble Hops. *''May Day'', a 5.0% abv golden ale, available April and May, is made with East Anglian Pale Ale malt, and hopped with First Gold *''Mild'', 3.2% abv. Available in March and May. *''Old Ale'', a 4.1% "cold weather beer", introduced October 2006, and available October to January *''Oyster Stout'', a 4.3% abv winter stout, available February and March, is made from East Anglian Pale Ale Malt, Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, roasted Barley and English Golding hops *''Regatta'', a 4.3% abv golden ale for summer, is available May through to August *''Tally Ho'', a 7.0% barley wine, limited availability in December *''Yuletide'', a 4.5% abv Christmas beer, available from November to December, is brewed with Maris Otter, Chocolate and Amber Malts and Boadicea & Chinook Hops *''Jester'', a 4.8% abv single hop golden beer brewed with Pale Ale Malt and hopped with a new British hop called Jester.


Bottles

*''Broadside'', a 6.3% bottled strong ale *''Ease Up I.P.A'', a 4.6% session beer *''East Green'', a 4.3%, a
carbon neutral Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and Greenhouse gas removal, removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon diox ...
beer with a lighter bottle made with 15% recycled glass *''Explorer'', a 5.5% bottled ale which, like the cask ''Explorer,'' is a blend of English and American styles *''Gun Hill'', a 4.0% bottled dark mild *''Lighthouse'', a 3.4% bottled traditional pale ale named after Southwold lighthouse; recipe based on an award-winning beer that used to be brewed called 'Champion Pale Ale' *''Spindrift'', a 5.0% abv golden bitter, in bottles from 2010. *''Tally Ho'', a bottled version of the barley wine which, at 7.2%, is slightly stronger than its cask equivalent *''The Bitter'' (formerly ''Suffolk Strong Ale'') 4.5% bottled version of the retired cask ''Extra''


International beers

From time to time, Adnams produce limited brews of specialty beers, either in the styles of non-UK beers, or using special international ingredients. These beers are usually available only from selected outlets. Past and current international beers have included: *''American Style IPA'', a 4.8% abv cask beer using Californian yeast and American hop varieties *''Belgian Style Abbey Ale'', a 5.0% abv cask beer *''Dutch Style Bokbier'', a 5.3% abv cask beer *''New Zealand Pale Ale'', a 4.0% abv cask beer brewed using Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand *''Spiced Winter Beer'', a 4.0% abv cask beer incorporating cinnamon, juniper and other spices


Commemorative beers

Adnams have a long history of producing limited and one-off special beers to commemorate events of local or national importance. These are generally available for a limited period in bottles, and in cask at a few selected outlets. Recent beers include:- *''Diamond Ale'', a 4.1% abv beer, brewed with Pale Ale and Premium Cara malts, with Sovereign hops and locally sourced honey, produced to celebrate the 2012 Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II *''Flame Runner'', a 3.9% abv beer with spices and citrus, to celebrate the
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
and the Olympic Torch Relay through Southwold *''Royal Wedding Ale'', a 4.1% abv ale with Heather Honey, brewed for the wedding in 2011 of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton


Distillery

The company branched out to distilling when they installed an 800-litre copper pot still with 42 plated rectifying columns, they acquired from
Carl Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...
in 2010. The capacity was expanded in 2015 with two extra pot stills. The product line holds a wide variety of gin, vodka and whisky. The whisky range consists of three whiskies each with different mash-bills: a single malt of 100% malted barley: a rye whisky of 75% rye and 25% malted barley; and a "triple malt" of 60% malted barley, 35% wheat, and 5% oats. Some less common products of the distiller are a Bierbrand ''Spirit of Broadside'', two absinthe expressions: ''Verte'' & ''Rouge'', and non-grain products like brandy made from locally grown grapes.


References


External links


Official websiteBrewery tours
from the official website
Description of the environmentally friendly distribution center
from Hoare Lea
Adnams Cellar and Kitchen stores
{{Gin distilleries in the United Kingdom Companies based in Suffolk Breweries in England Beer brands of England Distilleries in England English whisky British companies established in 1872 Food and drink companies established in 1872 1872 establishments in England Southwold Food and drink industry in England English whisky brands English Whisky Guild