MICROBREWERY
The creation of a microbrewery in Phase 2 (Sept-Oct 2010) was fundamental to our plans for the pub. We ♥ the idea of brewing our own beer and giving people the chance to sample real home brewed ales direct from the brewery tap.

We are really excited to announce that the Bootleg Brewing Co is now up and running. Our first beer went on sale as a test brew on Sunday 17 October 2010. The date will go down in history.

In November 2010, we won our first award at the Bury Beer Festival, which awarded Contraband a silver in the "beer of the festival" category.

We've sponsored several festivals, most recently the Stockport Beer Festival and our very own Chorlton Beer Festival, for which we brewed a beer specially for the occasion, a smooth easy-drinking stout which the organisers dubbed "Stout Clement".

The plan is for us to ultimately have 3 in-house cask beers on sale, and 3 guests. The in-house ales will consist of a resident beer, a seasonal beer, and a one-off. We gonna have some fun making these!

In the future, guided tours are planned for people to learn about the brewing process and see it in both a historical and contemporary context.

Our microbrewery is headed by Erin Guy, who is one of just a handful of brewsters (the term for a female brewer) in the country.

THE FIRST BREW
When our first test brew went on sale we invited people to leave comments when trying it. We're really happy with the end result, and the response we've had from you guys. So happy in fact, rather than call it Test No.1, we've deemed it good enough to re-name it SADDLE RASH, the prize winning name for our first beer!

Here's a selection of comments so far:

• 'Accomplished balance of hoppy flavours with a complimentary but subtle addition of malt and barley. Smooth, with long, dry finish. Works well with fish and pasta' (someone did write that, honestly!!)
  
• 'Smells good....dry...good taste and colour. Slightly bitter but fair effort'
  
• 'Proper bo!'
  
• 'Congratulations! Beautiful brew. A tad carbonated, but the balance is almost perfect. Dryness in first taste only, none in aftertaste. Moreish!'
  
• 'Not much improvement needed! Excellent hoppy beer (I'm a hophead!) Aftertaste is dry - is it dry hopped? For a session ale, it needs toning down a bit'
  
• 'Very good, maybe a trifle too much yeast'
  
• 'I had a sip and thought it was great! I wish I'd had it instead of the Amstel I'd ordered.....hey ho!'
  
• 'Lovely, just how we like it - flowery, hoppy and bitter. Should be called Old Boot Laces'
  
• 'Very nice. Probably a bit too dry for an all night session beer, but on a summer's day would be on the nail'
  
• 'Nice hop balance - hoppy without being over so. And it is dry - which I like as it distinguishes it from a lot of other beers. Well done and good luck for the future'
  
• 'It's a bit too hoppy. Colour good but a bit hazy. Needs a bit more body. Cracking 1st attempt!'
  
• 'It is bitter but it's refreshing. I'm surprised by the hefty elderflower fragrance and taste. But would buy again'
  
• 'Dry as I like it. It is distinctively dry like Phoenix Arizona. Microbrewery beers should be distinctive. Don't make it the same as other beers. Well done Erin on your first'
  

As you can see, our punters sure as hell know their beer.

CHORLTON PALE ALE
And now, at long last, the Jockey now has a resident cask ale. In Sept 2011 we brewed 3 test beers and asked customers to vote on their favourite. We also invited members of the local CAMRA group to give us some feedback. As a result of this, a new star was born.....

Chorlton Pale Ale is a smooth 4.0% session beer brewed in our very own Bootleg Brewery.

Highly quaffable and just the right strength to stick with all night, brewster Erin Guy describes it as 'a refreshing blonde beer with a hint of citrus and a long dry finish'.

Give it a try next time you're in!