Hook Norton Brewery

Hook Norton Brewery is a historic, family-owned regional brewery established in 1849. It is one of only 32 independent family breweries remaining in the UK and is the country’s finest example of a functioning Victorian “tower” brewery.

Location
Address: Brewery Lane, Hook Norton, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX15 5NY.
Setting: It is located in the Cotswold Hills, approximately 10 miles from Banbury and 25 miles from Oxford.

What You Can Do
Guided Brewery Tours: Take a 2-hour tour through the historic five-storey building to see the brewing process “from grain to glass”.
Tutored Tastings: Sample a range of core and seasonal handcrafted ales in the cellar bar at the end of your tour.
Visit the Shire Horses: Meet the resident shire horses (Brigadier, Balmoral, and Cromwell) in their onsite stables.
Brewery & Village Museum: Explore the free museum detailing the heritage of the brewery and the surrounding village.
Malthouse Kitchen Café: Dine for breakfast, lunch, or afternoon tea featuring locally sourced produce.
Brewery Shop: Purchase award-winning beers, artisan gifts, and merchandise.

Who Should Go and When
Who: It is a prime destination for real ale enthusiasts, history buffs, and fans of Victorian architecture.
Note: Tours are restricted to those aged 12 and over and require climbing over 100 steep steps, making them unsuitable for those with mobility issues.
When: The brewery is open daily, but specific highlights occur on:
First Sunday of each month: The original 1899 steam engine is typically run for an hour starting around 11:30 am.
Weekdays: Local beer deliveries are still made by horse-drawn dray to village pubs.

What Makes It Unique
Tower Brewery System: It uses a traditional gravity-led process where mashing starts at the top and fermentation occurs at the bottom.
Working Steam Engine: It houses the last commercially working open-crank stationary steam engine in the UK, which can still power the brewery’s machinery.
Shire Horse Deliveries: It is one of only two breweries in the UK that still uses shire horses for regular local deliveries rather than just for promotional events.

Benefits and Special Activities
Tutored Tasting Benefits: Tour participants often receive a complimentary inscribed glass as a souvenir.
Ale Trail Rewards: Visitors can participate in the Hooky Ale Trail via the Cask Finder App; visiting a certain number of pubs can earn prizes like bottle openers or free tour vouchers.
Brew Your Own Beer: For a premium experience, you can book a “Brew Day” to work with a brewer and create your own Hooky beer.
Event Hosting: The historic rooms (including the Steam Engine Room) are available for unique weddings, meetings, and private conferences.