Moor Beer Company
Who are they? Moor is riding high in real-ale circles at the moment. Its Old Freddy Walker (7.3% abv) was named Supreme Champion Winter Beer 2004 at the National Winter Ales Festival, organised by the Campaign for Real Ale. The winning drink, which Camra's Mike Benner called a "fantastic tipple", is described in the 2004 edition of the Good Beer Guide as "a rich, dark, strong ale with a fruity complex taste, leaving a fruitcake finish". It seems ale lovers have taken the company's slogan "Drink Moor Beer" to heart. Husband-and-wife team and former dairy farmers Annette and Arthur Frampton founded the brewery, based in Bridgwater, Somerset, in 1996. Their first brew was 3.8% abv Withy Cutter, a mild brown beer with a bitter finish, followed by the amber-coloured, malty Merlin's Magic (4.3% abv) voted best bitter at the Maltings Beer Festival in 1998. Beer was first produced in a five-barrel plant, but this was updated to a 10-barrel system in 1998. Moor currently sells around 45 to 50 casks a week. The company also operates as a wholesaler for other microbrewers. Moor prides itself on its quintessential Englishness. Its malt comes from Tuckers Maltings of Newton Abbot and some from Warminster Maltings, while the hops are English and the liquor is "good plain Somerset water". Main brands: Withy Cutter and Merlin's Magic are the biggest sellers. Old Freddy Walker is undoubtedly a rising star, but at 7.3% abv, its main target remains specialist beer drinkers. Employees: Three Don't mention: Big pubcos. Moor sells its beers to freehouses. Annette said the fact that so many sites are being snapped up by pub companies, and given restrictive ties, makes it increasingly difficult for Moor to find outlets for its beers. Plans for the future: Bottling. Moor is considering launching Old Freddy Walker in bottled format (see mock-up, right). "It's not easy to sell over the counter from cask," said Annette.
