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. Our most celebrated beer, Old Freddy Walker, went on to win CAMRA’s Champion Winter Beer of Britain in 2004. Other beers, such as Somerland Gold 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 expanded to 10 barrels when Justin and Maryann Hawke took over the company. 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 added several beers to the core range and produced a number of interesting speciality beers. His reputation and awards have grown steadily, 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.