BREWERY OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER

RED FOX BREWERY COGGLESHALL
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.