The Branch area has a new brewery. Best Mates Brewery has started production at Sheep House Farm, Ardington near Wantage. As soon as we have tasted their wares, we will have more news. But reports suggest that their beer is already on sale in the Tea Rooms and Boar's Head in Ardington and at the King Alfred's Head and Swan in Wantage, and bottles of Vicar's Daughter (3.7%) and Alfie's (4.4%) may be found at Londis in Grove.

The White Horse Brewery, a micro located in our Branch area at Stanford-in-the-Vale, has been brewing since October 2004. Set up by two former Wychwood employees (Stuart Wastie and Andrew Wilson); their former boss, Ian Rogers chairs the company. They currently produce three regular beers: White Horse Bitter (3.7%), Village Idiot (4.1%) and Wayland Smithy (4.4%). In addition, the occasional traditional IPA, The Guv'nor (6.5%) is worth tracking down. White Horse beers are now popular in many local pubs.

Located just outside our Branch area in neighbouring Wiltshire, the Ramsbury Brewery has also been in production since October 2004. The head brewer, Joe Gibbs, comes from a different local brewery, this time it is Archers. The brewery is a 10-barrel plant located on an extensive estate some distance from Ramsbury village, and can be difficult to find (especially in the dark). The building housing the brewery started off by being a modification of an existing building, but finished up by being effectively a rebuild. The plant was purchased from an extant brewery. Their production (using barley grown on the estate, and sent away for malting) includes Ramsbury Bitter (3.6% ABV), Kennet Valley (4.1% ABV), Flintnapper (4.2% ABV), Ramsbury Gold (4.5% ABV), and Deerstalker (5.2%). Some of these are available bottled, Ramsbury Gold being a favourite.

Butts Brewery is located on the Wantage - Hungerford road (A338) in a Dutch Barn formerly part of Northfield Farm, on the right about a mile before you reach Gt. Shefford (SU391766). I include these details, because you can go and collect their bottled products direct from the Brewery at a discount, provided someone is there to serve you - best 'phone first, 01488 648133.
Set up by Chris Butts in 1994, ably assisted by Dave Price, their regular brews are Jester Organic (3.5%), Traditional (4%), Blackguard (4.5%), Barbus Barbus (4.6%), Golden Brown (5%), and the infamous Le Butts (5%). The latter is an EU-style beer using lager yeast and hops, and featuring a frog on the label! Always an innovator, in 2002 they decided to use organic materials whenever available, and (as indicated) some brews are certified organic. They have managed to penetrate local supermarkets, and you will find Butts bottle-conditioned brews in local Waitrose supermarkets, and on draft regularly at our 2006 Pub-of-the-Year, the Shoulder of Mutton at Wantage, as well as guest ale at many pubs in our Branch area. Visits by arrangement - this is a plant with character, and you can be assured of a friendly welcome!

West Berkshire Brewery Company (WBB) was originally set up by Dave Maggs and his wife Helen in 1995 at premises behind the Pot Kiln pub, Frilsham. He soon outgrew the 5-gallon plant, and built an additional 25-barrel plant in nearby Yattenden on the premises of a defunct bakery. It is fronted by a crafts shop where WBB related goods can be purchased, as well as the beer! The staff is now 6, and production often exceeds 50 barrels per week. Plans include expansion of the present plant, installation of a new bottling plant, and purchase of pubs as outlets. The first of these, the Rising Sun to the west of Newbury at Stockcross opened at the end of 2005.
Dave has brewed so many different beers it is impossible to list them all here. Indeed, he brews a new one every month (though the more popular are being re-cycled). Noteable however are Dr Hexter's Healer (5% ABV), winner of several awards, including beer-of-the-festival at Reading Beer Festival, 2008; Full Circle (4.5% ABV), winner of the Silver Medal for Best Bitter at the GBBF 2003; and Maggs Magnificent Mild (3.5% ABV), again an award winner. To sample the WBB beers in our branch area, we recommend our 2007 and 2008 Branch Pub-of-the-Year, the Royal Oak at Wantage, which has three always on tap, and regularly guests from the same source.