All about the brewery
Dear customer,
Red Fox Brewery ceased trading just over a year ago with Russ selling the business to the owners of the two breweries who had been cuckoo-brewing with him for some years now, Paul Mellor of Harwich Town Brewing Co and Glenn Ackerman of Witham Brewery.
The combined brewery is now known as WHARF Brewery Ltd.
Please rest assured that the brewery has been left in very capable hands; Paul started Harwich Town in 2007 and has several awards under his belt and a great deal of brewing experience. Glenn started Witham Brewery back in 2012 and has 40 years of experience in the on-trade. Together with Fez the brewer, they have over 40 years of brewing know-how between them.
The brewery team of Fiona, Moose and Fez have remained, providing exactly the same service and beer quality as you have grown to expect.
All of the beers produced under the new banner are now vegan.
Founder of Red Fox Brewery, Russ Barnes was the brewer of Supreme Champion Beer of Great Britain at the Great British Beer Festival two years running as head brewer at his previous brewery. After almost 4 years with them, Russ left to start his own brewery. The first beer brewed was Wily Ol’ Fox, swiftly followed by the CAMRA gold medal winning Coggeshall Gold.
The Red Fox philosophy is “Traditional beers, brewed the traditional way.” True to this, all of the beer is made in small batches by hand, personally supervised by Russ. Even bottling is done on a small scale, from the same batches that are cask conditioned for local pubs, and without any extra additives or preservatives, so you get the same experience whether you’re drinking a freshly pulled pint or a bottle in your own home. The beer itself is as traditional as can be too, with only four ingredients – hops, barley, water and yeast – varying the hop varieties and proportions to give the range of beers (with the occasional addition such as locally grown cherries).
The Red Fox beers are all hand-brewed craft beers, ranging from bright and light golds, through pale ales, bitters and all the way into the rich, dark porters and stouts. The core beers such as Coggeshall Gold and Best Bitter are brewed year-round, but there are also a variety of seasonal beers such as Fire Fox, Arctic Fox, or Spiced Sloe Stout, and limited brews to commemorate special occasions like the Olympic Gold, Jubilee Bitter, or the recent Millenium Fox – the 1000th brew, on the 10th anniversary of the brewery’s founding. Of course Russ is always looking for new things to try, so every year there are new beer varieties, some of them exclusive single-brew releases and some of them to be added to the permanent roster.
For the true beer aficionado, the brewery also offers tours, tastings, and a one-day brewery experience where you get to see exactly what goes into your favourite drink and come away with a 32-pint poly-pin you brewed yourself (and the certificate to prove it) or a selection of bottles. Be warned – it’s not just a day of sitting around and drinking! Wear sturdy clothes and good shoes, and prepare for a bit of heavy lifting. CURRENTLY SUSPENDED FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, SORRY!
