Raise a glass to local brewing

Ever thought about putting cucumber into beer? Nope? Well you're a step behind the inventive brewers at Thornbridge then. 

In a state-of-the-art room in a Derbyshire warehouse that looks more like a science lab than a brewery, a team of creative young brewers are pushing the beer boundaries with new flavours and exciting international collaborations.

I enjoy a beer at the brewery

Neil and I took a tour of Thornbridge Brewery yesterday as part of Neil's birthday treat (well he's 32 now so it's time to pull on an anorak and get a bit spoddy!) and our guide James was keen to show us the room where the ever-changing selection of beers is conceived. Admittedly the cucumber beer was, in James' words, "like Marmite" and its love-hate relationship with drinkers meant it was only available for a short time. 

But the brewery produces an impressively diverse range - from it's best known and award-winning Jaipur Indian pale ale to German-style weisse beer, Russian stout and American amber ale. And, according to James, its brewing team are always striving to come up with new concepts, including collaborating with brewers from America and Australia.

In our drive to avoid the supermarkets and find out more about where our food (and in this case drink) comes from, Neil's birthday treat allowed me to kill two birds with one stone.

When it comes to booze, once again supermarkets have the monopoly, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been guilty (in the past now, of course!) of picking up bottles of wine or beer from Tesco rather than our local off licence simply because of the low prices.

In fact, towards the end of last year the supermarkets came under fire for selling cheap, strong booze in some instances at a lower price than bottled water - meaning that many revellers now "preload" before a night out on the town, drinking at home rather than in pubs and bars.

This shift in our drinking habits has been blamed for many a pub going out of business - not to mention problems in our town centres on Friday and Saturday nights as people who have downed cheap supermarket booze in a hurry at home then spill out onto the streets. 

The European way of drinking slowly and with greater appreciation, often with a meal, is lauded as a better and safer attitude to alcohol. But if we want to move towards this way of drinking then surely it makes sense to think more carefully about where our booze comes from, how much we pay for it and what we are paying for?

Derbyshire and South Yorkshire are both well known for their breweries and pubs, and Derby was named the Lonely Planet Guide's real ale capital of Britain last year - a title previously held by Sheffield. 

Thornbridge beers are a well-known sight behind the pumps in Sheffield and Chesterfield so it was great to take a look behind the scenes at how some of our favourite ales are made.

Surrounded by brewing technology

The Thornbridge story began in 2005 at Thornbridge Hall - a private stately home set in more than 100 acres of Peak District parkland. Owners Emma and Jim Harrison set up a 10-barrel microbrewery in the grounds and the Thornbridge label was born.

By the end of the year the beer was already winning awards and by 2009 a state-of-the-art second brewery with 30 barrels and bottling line was built at Bakewell to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for the beers.

During our visit to this second brewery we were impressed by the technology, which James explained was vital to the production of consistently good beer. Massive stainless steel vats turn just a handful of ingredients - including hops and plain old Derbyshire tap water - into a variety of beers using centuries-old methods helped along by modern technology.

Potted meat - Thornbridge style!

I'm sure you can tell by the above paragraph that I'm no beer expert, but the brewery was an impressive sight, the smell inside the warehouse was mouth-wateringly rich and the science behind the techniques that allow for the inclusion of flavours as varied as chocolate, spices and yes, even cucumber, was fascinating.

We left Thornbridge clutching a collection of its beers and also a couple of pots of Jaipur Jelly, a potted beef with beer that Neil enjoyed spreading onto some crusty bread while watching the football last night. 

Although some Thornbridge beers are available in supermarkets, I think the best way to really savor them is in a comfortable boozer, next to a roaring fire, surrounded by friends. And of course, this will do wonders for your local economy too.

The beers we brought home