LANCASHIRE’S Moorhouse’s Brewery ended a milestone year in style as sales surged 52% last month to record levels.

The Burnley-based cask ale specialist also reported a 44% hike in sales in November amid growing national sales after the completion of a £4.2m expansion plan which tripled production capacity to 15 million pints a year.

New business wins with national pub companies such as Enterprise, Wetherspoon’s and Punch and via wholesalers in the south of England as well as in the free trade drove the growth in sales.

Managing director David Grant said: “Recent years have seen us consistently break all previous records and once again we have enjoyed an amazing festive season, despite the struggling economy. The figures are a real tribute to the appeal of our award winning beers with beer enthusiasts throughout the country.

“No doubt sales were also helped by the milder weather this year, allowing more people to get out for the season’s celebrations. But the sales round-off a really exciting year as the new brewery rapidly gathers momentum and give us a terrific start to 2012.”

Moorhouse’s, owned by Manchester businessman Bill Parkinson, plans to double its £3.5m pus turnover in the next two years as it becomes a fully fledged ‘regional brewer’.

The new complex includes a visitor centre, with bistro bar and training school and has already claimed an industry award after being judged ‘Best Business Development’ at the Society of Independent Brewers Business Awards 2011.

By Chris Barry – Editor, Business Desk North West

Lancashire’s Moorhouse’s Brewery – the acclaimed ‘Pendle Witches’ brewer – is welcoming the New Year with its IPA (India Pale Ale) brew as the first seasonal special for 2012.

Moorhouse’s IPA (4%) is described as ‘straw/light amber in colour’ brewed using a blend of English Challenger and Goldings as early hops, to deliver a strong dry bitterness whilst the rich malt ensures a smooth, creamy and more balanced flavour. Then the ale is late hopped with both Cascade and Goldings to give strong floral and citrus notes.

IPA was first brewed in the 19th century as heavily hopped beer to survive the long sea journey to the colonies of the British Empire.

With the launch of a new £4.2m brewing complex earlier this year the former production capacity at the North West’s leading dedicated cask brewer trebled to more than 1000 barrels. This means special ales can now be brewed each month. Next year the new list will see both the roll out of newly created ales and the return of old favourites such as Amber Rambler.

Managing director David Grant said: “Seasonal brews had to be put on hold as we used capacity on the old plant to simply meet demand for core brews. But now our talented brewers are creating new brews such as this delicious IPA which will start off 2012.”

Moorhouse’s has rolled out festive brew Lap Prancer (4.2%) as rocketing seasonal sales are predicted for the new multi-million pound Burnley brewery.

The acclaimed ‘Pendle Witch’ brewer’s Christmas special is brewed with Bock style Munich Malt, often associated with religious occasions, to give amber coloured ale with a rich, full malty flavour. Cascade and Fuggles hops provide a spicy/floral aroma and a satisfying long bitter finish. A fun pump clip captures the festive spirit.

Moorhouse’s managing director David Grant said: “Lap Prancer provides a little fun for the season of goodwill. It’s rich and fruity ale for a satisfying pint, but still with a moderate strength for those merry festive evenings.”

The North West’s leading dedicated cask ale brewer, Moorhouse’s is forecasting record breaking seasonal sales as output from the new brewery rises consistently month-on-month. September and October saw volume growth of 21 per cent on the same period in 2010, with sales of almost half-a- million pints for the Halloween season.

The opening of the £4.2m brewery complex has trebled production capacity to some 288,000 pints (1000 brewer’s barrels) a week while the development also includes a high-tech visitor centre and premier training school.

Engineers have said they were “stunned” to unearth a 17th Century cottage, complete with a mummified cat, during a construction project in Lancashire.

The cottage was discovered near Lower Black Moss reservoir in the village of Barley, in the shadow of Pendle Hill.

Historians are now speculating that the well-preserved cottage could have belonged to one of the Pendle witches.

VIEW THE VIDEO ON THE BBC WEBSITE HERE

The Rising Sun is a small, cosy pub in a terrace of weavers’ cottages in Blacko, in the Pendle area of Lancashire.

Next year is the 400th anniversary of the trial and grisly execution of 10 of the Pendle Witches at Lancaster Castle.

We are told to expect tourist mayhem as history buffs and fans of the occult from all over the world descend upon the area. They will find the pub a suitable gathering spot: it is decorated with three two-dimensional witches affixed to an outside wall and two statues in the lounge.

The witch fans will discover that the windows of the two front rooms each form a perfect frame for distant Pendle Hill to the west. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun sets directly behind the hill and the view from the tiny beer garden is spectacular. “Can’t think why they didn’t call it the Setting Sun,” mused John Ingham, the landlord.

John, always a beer and pub enthusiast, spent 40 years as an accountant before leaping at the chance a couple of years ago to run his own place. “I wouldn’t recommend accountancy,” he confided. “It’s deadly boring.” He was chairman of the regional branch of the Campaign for Real Ale for a while, and still edits their magazine, Witch Beer. He revels in his new role.

The pub is one of six belonging to Moorhouse’s Brewery, in Burnley, so naturally their splendid beers — in ascending order of strength, Black Cat Mild, Premium Bitter, Pride of Pendle, Blond Witch — are featured. Their strongest beer, Pendle Witches Brew, at a whopping 5.1 per cent, John keeps for Halloween. We decided to sample one of the local Yorkshire guest beers, The Little Valley Brewery’s Organic Sixpence Bitter, an odd name but a lovely floral biscuity beer, made with American hops.

The food on offer includes the usual chillies, pastas and curries, but the favourite option is pie and mushy peas with gravy and onions (£3.25), closely followed by a strictly local pub speciality billed as “stew and hard” (£2.75).

Order the latter and you will be served a thin, wavy, dried oatcake, looking a bit like a giant thick crisp. This is topped with a hefty slice of brawn and eaten with a side dish of chopped sweet onions in vinegar. Absolutely delicious. It used to be sold in many local pubs, but now it seems the Rising Sun is the sole provider.

“No one in the USA knows about it,” said John. No one in America, you mean? “No,” he explained, “we have a saying for foreign parts – t’Uther Side of Accrington.”

Story courtesy of The Telegraph

The Prince of Wales was presented with a pack of Moorhouse’s Weaver’s T Ginger special ale on a royal visit to Burnley.

When released in the summer the special brew raised almost £700 for the Prince’s Charity Foundation, with 5p contributed for each of 13536 pints brewed. It pays tribute to the town’s rich textile heritage.

During the late 19th century Burnley become the most important cotton-weaving centre in the world, with an area now known as the Weavers’ Triangle at its heart. In recent years Prince Charles has been a strong supporter of the Triangle as a craft centre and visitor’s destination

With the launch of a new £4.2m brewing complex last May Moorhouse’s production capacity trebled to more than 1000 barrels a week – allowing the North West’s leading dedicated cask brewer to turn out special brews each month.

For managing director David Grant meeting Prince Charles is becoming a habit – it was the third time he has met with the heir to the throne. Last year he spoke with the prince twice during a royal tour of Burnley and was able to tell HRH of Moorhouse’s ambitious expansion plans.

Moorhouse's David Grant (right) presents the Prince of Wales with Weavers T Ginger.

After presenting the beer during a reception for the prince, David Grant said: “To launch the new brewery we created several new recipes for special brews. This one is particularly suited to our ambitious expansion – giving a nod to a time when Burnley boomed in the golden age of cotton.

“We thought it was very appropriate for it to raise funds for the prince’s charity. He is a great supporter of Burnley and the revival of the Weaver’s Triangle. The bottle simply symbolised the funds we have raised and he seemed very pleased to receive it. He said he would sample it later on his way to his next engagement in the Potteries.”

The launch of the new brewery complex in May marked an historic milestone for the 146 year-old drinks company. With a high-tech visitor centre and premier training school it brings more than 20 jobs and helps with the regeneration of the former mill town.

Lancashire’s acclaimed Moorhouse’s Brewery is predicting magical sales of 500,000 pints for the Halloween season.

The Burnley brewery is bewitching cask-ale enthusiasts nationwide as record October levels of its famous ‘Pendle Witches’ ales are despatched from a new £4.2m brewing complex. And to celebrate the new brewery’s first ‘witch season’ Ruby Witch (4.6%abv) special ale has been rolled out as a ‘dark ruby coloured, full bodied brew’. It further boosts the seasonal range themed on the infamous witches who roamed nearby Pendle Hill in the 1600s.

Every autumn Broomstick Bitter, Witchhunt, Black Witch, Witches Cauldron and Witchfinder General supplement award winning core beers. Recent years have seen sales leap by some 35 per cent for October – more than Christmas – as Moorhouse’s becomes known as The Halloween brewer. Now overall sales are also rising rapidly as the new plant has trebled former production capacity to nearly 15-million-pints-a-year. Last month more than 1000 firkins of Pendle Porter were delivered to J D Wetherspoon for a nationwide October Beer Festival. A deal with the leading pub chain was also previously agreed to supply Old Boss Bitter from August until late November.

Moorhouse's Brewers - toast record sales with Ruby Witch (L-R) Dan Casaru, Mark Bennett, Graham Bailey and Peter Curran.

The launch of the new brewery complex in May marked an historic milestone for the 146 year-old drinks company – now the North West’s leading dedicated cask brewer. With a high-tech visitor centre and premier training school it brings more than 20 jobs and helps with the regeneration of the former mill town.

David Grant, managing director, said: “Once again we are supporting publicans with some seasonal fun for their customers, despite the doom and gloom. “We have got off to a great start in the new brewery. Hitting half-a-million pints sales for October will be amazing as we celebrate the first Halloween in our new home, with a new beer released and more and more people enjoying our cask ales nationwide.”