Hobsons Brewery have teamed up with John Amos & Co on an initiative to set up a supply chain of Shropshire grown malting barley to enable Hobsons to produce all their beer using locally grown malting barley.

It is anticipated over the next two years that around 150 acres of malting barley per annum will be required to supply the Brewery with a variety of Maris Otter which is recognised in the industry as being the best malting barley available.  Despite the fact that Otter is an old variety, it continues to produce high quality beers with great taste and remains after all this time unrivalled.
Robin Appel Limited, a grain merchant from Hampshire own the rights to Maris Otter and joined with Hobsons Brewery and John Amos & Co., to form a small “Producers” club to grow Maris Otter in Shropshire and immediate surrounding areas.  A meeting for farmers and growers, together with John Amos & Co, Robin Appel Ltd and Maltsters, Thomas Fawcetts from Wakefield was hosted at the brewery on Wednesday 5^th

May 2010.  The group were given a tour of the brewery by Nick Davis who explained the process and the need for the brewery to access locally grown barley for provenance.

Hobsons Brewery already has a strong ethos of sustainability, using ground heat source to cool and heat parts of the brewing process, erecting a wind turbine and buying hops from within ten miles of the brewery.  This new initiative will complete the circle for Hobsons.

After the meeting, Nick Davis from Hobsons Brewery commented….. “We are delighted that John Amos & Co have been able to help us raise the awareness of the need for Maris Otter in the area and as soon as we have our supply chain sorted, many of the other breweries in the area have also expressed an interest to expand this supply chain”.

John Amos commented…..“There is a great benefit in farmers forming a “Club” of growers so that they can keep in touch with one another and help develop the industry in the locality”.

With a premium of 50% sale value above the value of Spring barley, this Winter barley crop appears to have many benefits for growers and this opportunity should not be passed up.

Since the meeting, five local farmers have already offered land for next year’s crop and over half of the requirement is already to hand.  Other farmers and growers interested in Maris Otter should contact either John Amos & Co on 01568 610007 or Mike Farrell from Robin Appel Ltd on 01489 897104 and Mike Farrell will arrange to come to the farm and inspect the land for suitability.