Hook Norton is an excellent, traditional British brewer and the brewery itself is very traditional,…read morea late 19th-century Victorian tower brewery. They offer outstanding tours through the fascinating brewery, which still has a functioning steam engine which was still used to power the brewery until less than 20 years ago. The tour finishes up with tastings and we were given unlimited samples of all the bers they had cask or keg available at the time, along with a tasting glass. The tour is the best brewery tour I've been on to date, anywhere. There is a restaurant onsite as well, which is nice and serves not only their excellent beers, but also excellent food.

The restaurant is immaculate, the service was great and the food quality was great! Certainly going…read moreback but maybe get a tour round the brewery too!!!

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.

I count myself very lucky that I don't live anywhere near this brewery, otherwise my friends and…read morefamily would probably never see me again. Housed in some very old farm buildings, this working brewery produces some jolly fine ales such as T.E.A. (Traditional English Ale) and Fresh Spring. There are 11 different varieties produced here. They regularly do tours of their operations which take less than two hours. With all the samples you'll likely have, best arrange transport home! The brewery shop upstairs is literally packed to the oaken rafters with hundreds of bottled beers, not only from Hogs Back but also a large range of other breweries from far and wide. I might have done a short 'happy dance' when I first saw it all. You can also buy a range of other Hogs Back products such as beer gift sets and memorabilia such as glassware and clothing. Tip: the brewery tour days/times can be flexible to suit individual group requirements. It costs £12.50 per person. Tip: there is free home delivery for all online orders over £40.

Bring a designated driver and pace yourself. You are going to get four beers and a cider during…read moreyour 1.5 hour tour. The tour guides are not your typical brewery guides. They talk more politics (think UKIP) than hops. And some of the banter can get a little tiresome and grating. But they do it with a laugh and show you more of the inner workings of a brewery than you'd expect.

Had a great day out today fulfilling my yearning for some serious real ale action after months of…read morelife in Germany. To that end, I visited one of the UK's oldest independent breweries, Three Tuns. I'm not sure how old the existing building is, but it's a gorgeous red brick affair that was threatened with residential development in 2002. Fortunately, common sense won out and the brewery began producing again in 2003. The current output can only be described as fantastic. I drank Three Tuns all over mid-Shropshire today, and each pint was magical. From the first extremely hoppy XXX, to the pint of Stirling after lunch in the adjacent Three Tuns Inn, to the pint of Curate straight from the barrel. I ended up going home a happy man carrying 12 pints of the amber nectar with me. Unfortunately, brewery tours have to be booked in advance, and it's best to arrange for a Saturday. I shall do just that!

Having visited the pub next door a few times and sampling the beer that is brewed here, I have to…read moresay it is one of the finest selection of traditionally brewed ales I have ever tasted. Go there - try some - simple!

Yes! Great beer - both their own and guests. All keg, not traditional British stuff but all to a…read morehigh standard. Friendly staff and better than average toilets for a tap room!! Came over Easter weekend when they had some street food on site (really good - local Georgian trader). Would visit again when in town, but soon, as think its going to get too popular.

From the owner: Independent small batch brewery specialising in sours & stouts.read more

Excellent beers available from this brewery, I usually drink them at The Malt Shovel…read more Bottled beers are also available, so you can drink real ale at home, ring the brewery for list of stockists.

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.....

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 has been my favorite restaurant as we travel through the Cotswolds. It's also an inn with…read moreseven en-suite rooms. They source as much food as possible from the local area. They even have a raised bed garden behind the inn. The inn is in a stunningly beautiful building in the stunningly beautiful village of Upper Oddington, east of Stowe on the Wold. We had a 7:00 pm reservation and were seated immediately in the period dining room. The patrons consisted of local residents at the bar, inn guests and other travelers. The dining room was very clean. The wait staff was very attentive, sharpely dressed and very polite. Norman, the owner, explained the difference between cask and keg beers and allowed me sample several ales and ciders. I selected the cask drawn amber ale from North Cotswold Brewery. It had excellent flavour and a clean finish. Norman also checked on our meal several times. He was very engaging and fun to talk with. Next we ordered dinner. My wife had the ribeye steak with peppercorn sauce, chips, sautéed mushroom and onion rings. The steak was prepared exactly as ordered. The peppercorn sauce was so good she used it on her chips also. The mushroom had excellent flavour and complimented the steak and peppercorn sauce. She had a 1/2 pint of Thatchers Golden Cider, which was also very good. I ordered the special, crispy pork belly with a sweet patato purée, fondant potatoes and roasted new carrots. Everything was excellent and complimented each other. We finished the evening with coffee and the sticky toffee pudding. It was moist, flavourful, drizzled with a caramel sauce and accompanied by a dollop of excellent vanilla ice cream. We didn't need it but finished the whole thing. My wife said it's the best dessert she has ever had. We had an excellent meal and a wonderful time in a lovely setting. People from Stowe, Bourton on the Water, Chipping Camden and even Cheltenham need to get out there. I would go every week if I didn't live 3,000 miles away.

After three weeks of hitting pubs across England and Wales, we hit the jackpot with this one. Great…read moretraditional pub feel, but gastro-pub quality cuisine in addition to the usual. Gourmet desserts. Salmon encruste was excellent as was the whole Sole. Tried a standard pub dish, beef and mushroom pie and it was heavenly homemade with a delicate crust. Plus the owner is an oenophile, so there's a very nice wine list including an extensive list of wines by the glass. Friendly staff. What an unexpected treat and a great blend of traditional and new. Well done!!!

Tiny micro brewery which produces really, really nice continental style craft beers like Pilsners,…read moreBelgian and Bavarian style wheat beers (my favourite is the Chocolate Wheat Beer) At the moment you can only buy the bottled beer in a few venues in Cardiff (see their website) and in a few festivals, but I believe this about to change and will soon be available in shops. They also hold regular MicroBEER Festivals in the yard outside now and again, so sing up for their e-mails.

The microbeer festivals, the first weekend of every month, are lovely, intimate and busy affairs…read morewith live music and much conversation. The brewery itself is open most saturdays selling bottled beers. The beers are totally delicious and unqiue but not as cheap as your local pub, just a warning which shouldn't put you off since you pay for what you get. The entrance to the beer courtyard is opposite The Diary (formally Pontcanna Pine),just go under the archway. As well as the website the facebook site is an excellent way to keep informed about the festivals etc.