This country pub is a slice of heaven…read more Hook Norton has a very good brewery, and there are several pubs nearby that carry its ales. The Pear Tree is the closest, and it's good enough that we've driven out to it from London several times. It's tucked in the middle of the village of Hook Norton, a very pleasant building. It's not overly large inside, just cozy, and made of the same raw materials that most un-renovated country pubs are. The area is great for rambling. We've done a couple of walks here on arriving, returning to the pub for our post-exertion refreshments. They carry several rotating Hook Norton ales, of course, all of which I find are worth a sample. The menu is broad and always tasty, and popular enough that they often sell out, so go fro lunch early. Illustrative story: The last time at the Pear Tree, we saw Hooky Pie on the menu. We asked what that was, and learned that it's locally-made beef and ale pie. It was, according to the woman behind the bar, very popular, and they usually sell out of it quite quickly. It certainly sounded like an appropriately hearty meal for a December day by an open fire. Then the couple at the table next to us each received that very dish, and the deal was sealed: it was huge, meaty, and tasty-looking. Three of our group of four ordered the Hooky Pie. A few minutes later the bartender came back with bad news: only two portions of pie left. One of the girls took one for the team and ordered fish pie instead. When our food finally arrived, it was as tasty as promised. Delicious. Thick. Oozing gravy. Huge chunks of beef, too, not a ground-up mush. Luckily, the fish pie was just as delicious an alternative for those that took it. A family with three kids came in just as we were finishing and tried to order the Hooky Pie. Sorry, the bartender said, we're all out. Without a pause, she pointed at our table and said, They took the last pies. Five pairs of hungry eyes glared at us from across the pub. We cast our eyes downwards and finished our pints.

Wonderful micro-brewery and beers. They have a pub also called the Norman Knight with all of their…read morebeers, amazing place! Keep up the good work. Best beer in the area for miles.....

I highly recommend to go there and have a tour. Nigel was such an excellent guy, he knows a lot and…read morehe's very passionate about beer. My go to are the IPA, Haus and Pils. The place have si much potential, I hope they will open a bar and a bear garden

Wychwood Brewery was kind of a rare opportunity for me to try beer from abroad. I am very grateful…read morethat the opportunity has arose and I got to try a beer from the UK. Steve and I experienced their Hobgoblin Ruby Ale. There are a couple different versions of this Ruby Ale but we had the one that came in at 4.5 ABV. It is an English style Brown Ale with noticeable flavor highlights of toffee, maltiness, sweetness and dryness all very well balanced with none of those flavor highlights being too heavy handed. I like brown ales in general but virtually all of the ones I have had are made in the United States. What I noticed with this UK one was the dryness and how the sweetness was more in the background on your taste buds rather than dominant. Not too sure how it was done but it was a refreshing change of pace.

Surprisingly challenging to find in this little town, once dominated by the brewery, down a…read morebackstreet in a seemingly residential area. Upon arrival we were ushered downstairs, and given a half-pint of their monthly special - ours was the 'full Brazilian' which was...well...not the best, but good to try. We were then taken around the brewery by our very knowledgeable tour guide / ale aficionado. This involved tasting the raw hops, and different kinds of malts used, and looking at lots of vats and pipes and other brewing stuff. It is actually surprisingly small for how common their beers are, some of the equipment was over a century old which seemed impressive. After the tour came the bit that everyone was looking forward to, the tasting! Beers served at the recommended temperature, which despite the detailed lecture from our doctor of ale tour guide about ale temperature, was still a little warm for me. 11 beers, served one or two at a time to compare and contrast. Before you get excited they were served in tasting cups, about the size of a double-shot but still...11 in half an hour was pushing it for some. Finally, nice and loosened up, into the gift shop for some hobgoblin related purchases. Of course, you can buy the beer here and of course, it is a fraction of the price it is in London...of course, make sure you plan how much you can carry *before* purchasing. A couple of things to remember: * Book at least two weeks in advance for the tour, places are limited - more limited than I had expected. * Don't wear flip-flops...they will force you to wear 'daps' because of all the crazy cleaning irritants on the floor.

Excellent food with a great location and service…read more Great Caesar salad and choice of desserts! Lots of available parking.

Very good meal in a very rural setting. Parking nearby was easy and service was good. Very much off…read morethe beaten track but recommended.

I recently had some great beer recently from Siren! I love beers that taste like a dessert on…read moreoccasion. The Death by Carribean Chocolate Cake is what I had and it lived up to it's namesake perfectly. An Imperial Double Milk Stout is what we had some of and we simply loved it! The ABV is a bit high and just over 10 so we knew how to handle this one and get a small pour. Flavor features besides certainly tasting like German Chocolate Cake is Cocoa, spiced and woody. The beer is definitely rich and full bodied so a little bit goes a long ways but it does taste glorious!

What a delicious light beer despite the heavy name. For a craft brewery, we loved the environment…read moreand flavors. Bonus, they sell the glassware!

Well, maybe it isn't right to review the first and only brewery I have visited in the U.K. but I am…read morenot sure how it gets better so here we go. The beer here is different because the water has a mineral content not found anywhere else in Britain, yet, anyway. They seem to be constantly experimenting, which is what my American palate loves. They make seasonal brews and a different beer every month. I tasted one of their beers at the Coach the night before so I figured I had to visit the next day. You are allowed up to two pints to taste free. Wow. I think that is generous but perhaps it is common in the U.K. In any case, I only had about a pint total, and tasted three beers. The Rebellion Lager, Rebellion IPA, (these two I think are the basic beers which are brewed all year) and the Virtuoso. The Virtuoso is an amber ale brewed in November. All were great. If you join their club, everything is discounted and you get to attend club events. The store where you taste is full of not just their beer but also random wines from around the world which they will select and offer by the mixed case. Great holiday gift idea! I walked two miles to visit the brewery and it was worth it.

If you are lucky, you'll be on vacation on the second Tuesday of the month in Marlow and know…read moresomeone who can take you to Members Night at the Rebellion Beer Company. We had a nice relaxing evening with a lot of local flavor. Cheers!

This multi-award-winning brewery's ales arrived a few years ago and through quality and flavour…read morethey quickly became established as a good, standard, local ale for many pubs in Birmingham to run on their pumps. Pure UBU at 4.5% is stronger tasting than it's alcohol content. Mad Goose at 4.2% has slightly less alcohol but is the more robust tasting of the two. Pure Gold is their light golden ale that weighs in at 3.8%. As well as the ales that they brew the brewery are distributors for traditional German lagers and the citrusey Maisels Weisse Beer. Dear to the heart of Purity is an environmental ethos, and they utilise a wetland area that they have created to filter waste water from the brewing process. They also use natural ingredients and they support recycling schemes. Evidence of this is to be found at the Moseley Folk Festival and the Mostly Jazz Festivals where drinkers pay £1 for a quality plastic glass which they are encouraged to keep for the weekend to get refilled. I like my Purity in the form of a Mad Goose from the Hare & Hounds, as I'm perched on a stool at 'Ronnie's Corner.'

Having tried the beers on offer from Purity at several local pubs and festivals I have been…read moremightily impressed. Their beer is crisp and fresh and makes a great alternative to the normal choice you often get in pubs, which is either the gassy and rubbish big brand beers like Carling, or else the 'reassuringly expensice' fashionable continental lagers. That Purity is also a local brew makes it all the more worth supporting. I took a trip out to their brewery and was surprised to find that such a great product comes from such a small place. This is literally a small family farm, but the brewery have made great efforts to make it worth the trip out. Their small shop stocks the beer in various shapes and sizes - from gift bottles to kegs - and there are also some tshirts and other branded items if you really want to show your support.