News and Features New look for award-winning Cheddar Ales
Having started in 2006, Cheddar Ales is going from strength to strength, winning one gold, one silver and one bronze medal against some very stiff competition at the SIBA South West beer festival last week . The awards are voted for by a panel of 100 brewers and publicans and mean that Cheddar Ales will be going to the National final later in the year. The brewery is very traditional in its method of hand-crafting cask-conditioned beers, but it is distinctly progressive in the way it wants to present them. It is re-launching this month with a new look that reflects the fact that the real ale market is changing as it is growing. Head Brewer, Jem Ham explains “Real ale is currently enjoying a rejuvenation. More people are starting to recognise that it is a great local product that should be celebrated. Real ale is made with natural ingredients, is easily as diverse as wine and often goes better with food.” “We are sure that anyone who’s interested in trying new beers can find something they will love within our range. To encourage people to try our beers we need them to appear as inviting as possible but, at the same time, we need to respect tradition and not annoy the regular real ale drinkers by trying to be too trendy. In coming up with our new look we had to strike a balance, and we hope that everyone likes the results.” In one way, Cheddar Ales’ new look is doubtlessly stylish and contemporary. It would look good in any modern gastropub, stylish bar or restaurant and will allow such venues to serve high quality real ales in a refreshing new light. The award-winning Potholer Golden Ale is an equally contemporary style of beer, being light in colour but with a full, zesty flavour; it is very suited to modern palettes and goes really well with food. But, being a brewery that fully appreciates real ale’s history, Cheddar Ales’ new look also gives a nod to classic design styles. As such, its beers still sit just as well on the bars of local pubs and clubs. Gorge Best Bitter (the new name for Cheddar Ales Best) sells particularly well in traditional pubs, being a fresh alternative to fading older brands for those customers with more traditional tastes. “The new look will be rolled out over the next few weeks” says Jem. “We’re hoping to catch people’s attention and get them interested; Not just the people who will drink the beer, but also the pubs and restaurants that should realise there is a lot to gain from exploring real ales in greater depth.”
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