By Pamela McGowan

Published at 11:21, Tuesday, 08 April 2008

ONE of Cumbria’s most successful micro breweries will celebrate its 20th anniversary next week – and is marking the occasion with a new beer.

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The community-run Hesket Newmarket Brewery Cooperative is a shining example of a successful rural business and has received praise from Prince Charles.

It started life in April 1988 when Jim Fearnley started brewing in the Old Crown Barn to supply the village’s Old Crown pub.

In 1999 the business was sold to a co-operative of local people, run on democratic and voluntary principles.

All 81 shareholders live in the local community or have strong connections with Hesket Newmarket. The Old Crown pub is now also owned by a co-operative.

Now, 20 years after it began, the business is going from strength to strength.

To celebrate this landmark anniversary, a new beer – Hesket XX – has been created by chief brewer Paul Johnson. This will be officially launched by well-known beer writer and editor of the Good Beer Guide, Roger Protz.

The shareholders have also organised a party at the brewery on Wednesday, April 16, followed by a buffet at the Old Crown pub. Founder brewer Jim and his wife Liz will be the guests of honour.

The brewery is noted for it’s unusually named beers, all of which have a local reference or mark a special occasion.

Among them are Doris’s 90th Birthday Ale and Pigs Might Fly. The latter marked the brewery’s 10th anniversary – reflecting the initial disbelief that it would ever be a viable business.

Others – including Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Blencathra and Catbells – are named after Lake District landmarks.

One of the most famous is Great Cockup, named after a local mountain and sampled by Prince Charles himself during one of his many visits to Hesket Newmarket, the most recent of which was in February this year.

PMcGowan@cngroup.co.uk

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk