Our History

Moor Beer Company was started in 1996 on a former dairy farm in the Levels and Moors area of Somerset.  Brewing started originally on a 5 barrel plant, with beers designed to reflect the local heritage.  They gained in popularity and began to notch up quite a few awards.  One of our most celebrated beer, Old Freddy Walker, went on to win CAMRA’s Champion Winter Beer of Britain in 2004.  Other beers, such as Revival and JJJ IPA, continue to win regular awards at SIBA and CAMRA beer festivals.

The brewery became a bit of a victim of its own success and temporarily contracted out brewing.  In January 2007 the brewery was relaunched and expanded to 10 barrels when Justin and Maryann Hawke took over the company. They worked (and continue to work!) tirelessly with their small team to restore the reputation of the brewery to the status it richly deserves.  With award winning branding, some of the highest rated beers in the world, and huge international demand, the brewery was expanded again in 2011 to a 20 UK barrel brew length, and a bottling line was installed.

Although lacking a West Country accent, Justin brings a passion for beer and the local area, as well as a tendency towards fusing the wonders of real ale with the aggressively flavoured beers of his native California.  Since taking over brewing, Justin has radically improved the quality and flavour of the old beers while adding many new beers to the core range and producing a number of interesting speciality beers.  His reputation and awards have grown rapidly, resulting in Moor Beer now being regarded as one of the top breweries in the UK.

Company Profile

Moor Beer Company brings you something different – a company dedicated to quality products, service to the community and social responsibility.  We are not publicly traded and leave our accountability to the people that matter – our customers, employees, suppliers and families.

We strive to produce strongly flavoured beers of exceptional character.  All our beers are brewed using only natural ingredients.  We put a lot into our beers by using the finest malt, hops, yeast and water – but don’t take anything out.  All our beers are unfiltered so they retain the yeast that is so vital to producing exceptional flavour, as well as providing vitamins.

Beer is a living, wholesome beverage that has nourished mankind for millennia.  When consumed in moderation there are many reported health benefits.  Above all, it enhances nearly every occasion.  Whether it’s a mass celebration or solitary moment at home, our beers give you the opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

We make every effort to source our ingredients from other quality producers that are as close to the brewery as possible, thereby limiting the number of product miles and supporting other local businesses.  We may travel further to source ingredients that we can’t get locally, but we won’t let price be the over-riding criteria.

Our production methods are also as environmentally friendly as possible.  Waste water is run off into the fields behind our brewery.  Spent grain is passed to the local farmer, while our hops are used for compost.  And we are also using water from our own well throughout various parts of the brewing process.

Our company interactions are not limited just to customers and suppliers.  We are actively involved with other breweries through SIBA and are also very supportive of CAMRA.

And our endeavours are not limited to the beer industry.  We are active in the local community organising local events and supporting local groups.  Our resources are limited, but if you know of a worthwhile organisation that may benefit from our help please get in touch.

Unfined Beer

We supply as much of our beer unfined as possible as we believe it is the best for the beer and for you.  All our bottled beers, keg beers (all keg-conditioned!), and dark beers are unfined.  Our lighter coloured cask beers can be made unfined to order.

Unfortunately it is not possible at the moment for us to ship all our beer unfined as prejudice and ignorance is rampant in the pub industry, but things are changing – and you can be part of it!  Below is a brief description of what we mean by unfined beer, and for landlords there are some tips for making the most of it.

What are cask finings? They are an acidified aqueous suspension of collagen derived from the swim bladder of certain fish, along with sodium metabisulphite.  Does it sound like something you want added to your beer?  The finings flocculate the live yeast in the beer into a jelly-like mass, which settles to the bottom of the cask.  Finings have a positive charge which attracts negatively charged particles, mostly yeast, causing them to clump together and fall to the bottom of the cask.

Why is beer fined? Left undisturbed, beer will clear naturally on its own over a period of time.  Isinglass finings merely accelerate the clearing time.

Is cloudy beer bad? In the latter half of the 20^th century real ale went into decline and people were often served beer that had stood in cellars too long, not been looked after properly and had gone off. British beer drinkers began to associate cloudy beer with bad beer, when in actual fact the cloudiness was the symptom rather than the cause.  As all other countries abandoned cask for keg and bottle, the linkage was never made between cloudy beer and bad beer.  In other countries cloudiness is actually a mark of quality, for example:

• Germany – Hefe Weizen is served cloudy and the yeast is intentionally poured into the beer.  People incorrectly believe it is cloudy because it is a wheat beer, when it is the yeast that makes the beer cloudy.  You can order Kristall Weizen, which is the same beer without the yeast, and it is clear.  However, it is considered an inferior product and rarely consumed.
• USA – Proper IPAs have a ‘hop haze’, and often have residual yeast.  IPAs served too clear are often accused of not containing enough hops.
• Belgium – Most Belgian beers are naturally conditioned, containing live yeast and are very often served cloudy.
• Czech Republic – Yeast Beers are also naturally conditioned with live yeast and are served in varying degrees of cloudiness.  They are considered the best examples of fresh beer.

Is clear beer necessary? Cask beer went through a slump decades ago, during which time British consumers were generally justified in linking clarity with quality.  Those conditions are no longer valid.  Most breweries today are producing quality beers and most beers are being turned over quickly enough and looked after properly.  With higher hopping rates and international beer styles becoming more prevalent in cask ale, we need to take a more modern approach to the way in which it is served and marketed.  As consumers are looking for more natural and flavourful beers, we can satisfy their needs with unfined beer. Younger drinkers in particular are unconcerned about clarity.  If you make comparisons with the cider category, you can liken unfined beer to scrumpy cider, where cloudiness is a positive selling attribute of a more natural product.

Benefits of unfined beer:

• Enhanced aroma, flavour, and mouth feel – The beer will smell, taste, and feel brighter and fuller as more components such as hop oil and yeast remain in suspension.  Also, there are no fish products or preservatives present to interfere with the beer.  Hoppiness will be improved.
• Vegetarian / vegan friendly – As the beer does not contain fish products more people will be willing to drink it.
• Less wastage – You may yield more beer per cask.
• More movements – Finings stop working after a handful of movements.  With unfined beer you can move it as often as needed (prior to service).
• Less temperature sensitive – Finings are very temperature sensitive. We would never suggest storing beer in anything other than a cooled environment; however, unfined beer will be more forgiving to temperature variations.
• Easier cellar management – Beers that can be more stubborn to drop when fined can be served quicker as the haze factor is removed from the equation.
• Fewer complaints – consumers do complain about fined beer that appears with even a minor haze, even though the beer smells and tastes good.  As unfined beer is meant to be served with a haze you are removing a cause for complaint.

Managing unfined beer: Stillage, vent and tap as per normal.  With our beers in particular we recommend 24 – 72 hours of thorough venting and tapping as we condition our beers quite heavily to provide more sparkle in the glass.  The beer should retain a haze which will get lighter over time.  The beer can be served quicker than normal as it does not need to wait for final clarification.  When the beer smells and tastes good it is ready to serve.

Championing unfined beer: There will be a transition period required to educate everyone as to the merits of unfined beer.  Some may be reluctant, especially more traditional ale drinkers.  There are decades of belief and prejudice to overcome with some people. However, we find that with the right education, more than 90% of people prefer unfined beer.  You will also find that if marketed well you will attract new customers eager to drink unfined beer.  Below are some simple tips to help with the training and conversion.

• Educate yourself first – Understand what finings are, why they were used, and why they are no longer necessary.  Observe, smell, taste and feel the unfined beer.  You will see for yourself that it has a heightened flavour, aroma and mouth feel.  Ensure that all staff are trained accordingly.  Do not communicate negatively about the cloudy aspect of the product – it is a positive attribute.
• Have confidence – Once you’ve convinced yourself, have the confidence to share your knowledge with others.  It may take some explaining.  Don’t be afraid to challenge and educate people if they question why the beer is not clear.
• Let people smell and taste – People will become converted once they have sampled the beer themselves.  You can overcome concern by ensuring people that if the beer smells and tastes good, then it is good.  They are not drinking ‘fish guts’.  What they are seeing in the cloudiness is the hop oil and yeast, which is what is making the beer more natural, and ultimately smell, taste and feel better.
• Accept differences of opinion – some people will either be unwilling to try, or may prefer it more traditionally.   Don’t feel bad if someone tries and disagrees.  At least they tried and you made the effort.  However, most open-minded people will convert, or at least will lower their objection.
• Make a feature of it – Unfined beer is a huge advantage and will attract new drinkers.  Get the word out, especially through word of mouth and social media.
• Have fun – Beer is about fun and enjoyment.  Have fun educating yourself and others.

The proof is in the tasting: Every venue we know of that has done the side by side trial of fined and unfined beer has reported back that unfined is best.  “But don’t just take our word for it.”

• CAMRA votes unfined best.  A trial of Southern Star (fined and unfined) was held at the 2011 Somerset CAMRA beer festival, featuring over 100 beers.  The unfined version was not only believed to be best, but was judged Somerset Beer of the Festival.  CAMRA championing cloudy beer?  The times they are a changing!
• Pubs:  Former AA Pub Guide Pub of the Year, the Queen’s Arms at Corton Denham, was the first to trial our unfined beer.  After the trial it very quickly displaced two of the pumps previously pouring well recognised regional beers – and volumes went up!  They now permanently pour ALL of our beers unfined.  Others have followed suit, both cask and keg-conditioned, free houses to pub companies.