A new craft micro brewery called the Shotover Brewing Company is due to
open soon in converted stables in Horspath just outside Oxford. The
owner and head brewer Ed Murray has been craft brewing for over twenty years
and has made the decision to turn his interest into a commercial venture.
It is anticipated that beer will be on sale by the end of November.

There are photos of stables being converted into the brewery on their facebook group and their main web site is at www.shotoverbrewing.com.

I am hoping that one of the Shotover beers will be at the Brewery Tap‘s Winter ‘Beer, Cider & Sausage’ festival on Friday 4th December – Sunday 6th December. This festival promises 30 different cask ales, 5 real ciders. The Big Boys Blues Band will be playing live on the Sunday from 4pm.

Note to any publicans reading this… I don’t intend to only mention the Brewery Tap and the Stocks. There are many other good pubs in Abingdon including Nags Head, Spread Eagle, White Horse, Cross Keys, Punchbowl, Plough, Broad Face. If you have any news, information on guest beers, festivals, etc, then please let me know and I’ll post it here.

I have just heard that local brewery The West Berkshire Brewery has won bronze medal today at the Great British Beer Festival for its Dr. Hexters’s Healer

The other winners include:

• Champion Beer of Britain: Rudgate Ruby Mild
• Silver: Oakham Attila

In Abingdon, you can often find West Berkshire Beers including Doctor Hexters Healer at the Stocks Bar in Abingdon and at Music At The Unicorn.

The Stocks bar is the only pub in Abingdon with Camra LocAle status (awarded by Camra to pubs that consistently server locally brewed beers), offsers discounts to Camra members and is having its summer beer festival in a few weeks time on 21st-24th August.

Music at the Unicorn is a monthly music event featuring top acts from the folk music world in the historic Unicorn theatre in Abingdon abbey. Blackheart and Maybelles are performing there this Thursday (6th August). The licensed bar always features beer from West Berkshire Brewery.

Loose Cannon Brewery have applied for planning permission on the Ashville Trading Estate 6 Suffolk Way, Abingdon, OX14 5JX for Change of Use from B1/B8 to Class B2 for use as a micro brewery.

The application is from Loose Cannon Brewery, The Moorings, Wharfe Lane, Henley On Thames, Oxon RG9 2LL. This is a Limited company formed just over a year and a half ago on 11th December 2007. Company number 06450631. The directors are 27 year old William Laithwaite and Barbara Laithwaite. Barbara is a director of Direct Wines Limited, which operates Laithwaites Wines, the mail order wine company.

There are some Observations from the Environmental Health Team

Food and safety team: Commercial food businesses must register with this Authority at least 28 days prior to opening

Environmental protection team: Change of use to general B2 would not be acceptable in this location due to the proximity of residential area. Recommend use to be restricted to this specific use or development.

Scientific Officer: No comments

To view the planning permission in full, visit Vale of White Horse Planning and type in computer reference 09/01087/COU

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