Nick Herbert toasts success of local brewery
An award-winning brewery in Partridge Green has received a visit from its local MP Nick Herbert.
The Dark Star Brewery, which moved to the appropriately named Star Road Industrial Estate earlier this year, hosted a visit from the MP on Friday (29 October).
Mr Herbert was met by Managing Director Paul Reed who gave him a tour of the brewery and an informal briefing on the business.
The brewery tripled its production capacity when it moved to the 16,000 square foot facility in Partridge Green from its former home in Ansty.
Now they can produce 1,500 gallons of beer every day which equates to 12,000 pints.
The Dark Star Brewery, named after the 1987 Champion Beer of Britain, was set up in 1994 in the cellar of the Evening Star pub in Brighton. Unable to keep up with demand, it moved to a purpose-built facility in Ansty in 2001.
The current brewery, which employs 13 staff, was opened in January by Good Beer Guide Editor Roger Protz.
The firm produces a variety of real ales, including the Espresso Beer which in 2009 was voted the World's Best Speciality Beer.
Paul Reed said: "It was a pleasure to have Nick visit the brewery and take an interest in small businesses and particularly the pressures on breweries and pubs, such as licensing laws and issues such as minimum pricing. We agreed that pubs and ale are an immensely positive part of British culture and society, and that while excesses must be curbed, measures should avoid penalising the responsible majority. I was also flattered by his liking of our American Pale Ale, which came a close second to his halcyon memories of the great ales from Adnams, praise indeed!"
Nick Herbert commented: "I was delighted to visit the Dark Star Brewery and hear about its expansion. It's great that this successful business has moved to Partridge Green and having tasted one of their excellent real ales I can see why sales have been growing. I don't usually drink at lunchtime but the beer was so good that it was hard to resist finishing the pint!"
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Notes for Editors
1. For more information on the Dark Star Brewery, visit their website at http://www.darkstarbrewing.co.uk/.