Skinners Brewing Co
| Brewery's own website www.skinnersbrewery.co.uk | ||
|
In June-July 2005 Jeannette and I went on a 2,500 mile tour round the UK with our relatives Gord and Mim who hail from Newfoundland. We had promised to show them something of the country and managed to take in a lot of cathedrals, museums and castles, as well as a whisky distillery in Scotland and the Eisteddfod in Wales. Of course we couldn't omit that cornerstone of British culture, the pub, and we introduced them to around 35 real ales in various parts of the country. Before we started out, the CAMRA magazine 'What's Brewing' had carried an article about the new Visitor Centre opened by Skinners in Truro, and by sheer good fortune this Cornish cathedral city happened to be on our itinerary. What better way to complete our cousins' course of study than a tour of this friendly, family-owned brewery? We started with an explanation of the process in the tasting room, then moved to the top of the building where the malt and hops were stored, making it easy to tip the ingredients into the mash tun below. The fermentation tanks were viewed through windows from above and after passing through the store where the casks were being filled we returned to the tasting room to try some of the brews. |
|
|
|
Our guide offered generous jugs of Figgy's Brew and Cornish Knocker |
||
|
We tasted Cornish Knocker, 4.5%, a pleasant, golden ale, with good bitterness, and my particular favourite, Figgy's Brew, 4.5%, a dark strong ale - both of these are prize-winners. The shop, run by Claire, has a huge stock of bottled ales from many small brewers, as well as Skinners own products. We took away a number of bottles which we were able to try later in our hotel. These included Skinners' Betty Stogs Bitter, 4.0%, a pale amber beer with good hop flavour, and Heligan Honey, 4.0%, a refreshing pale amber bitter with overtones of the Cornish honey which is added to it. Skinners' brewery is in Newham Road, Truro, and is easy to find, being just opposite Tesco's (directions on the brewery website). If you are planning a holiday in Cornwall, a visit to this brewery is a must! The shop is open 9.30-5.30 (closed Sunday) and tours of the brewery take place at 11 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. Monday-Friday - it is advisable to book places on the tours by calling 01872 271885 |
||
