Adnams

Type	Public
Founded	1890
Founder(s)	George and Ernest Adnams
Headquarters	Southwold, Suffolk, England
Key people	Jonathan Adnams
Industry	Alcoholic beverage
Products	Beer
Owner(s)	Adnams has more than 1000 shareholders

Adnams PLC is a British regional brewery company founded in 1890 in Southwold, Suffolk, England, by George and Ernest Adnams. The earliest recorded brewing on the Adnams site was in 1396 by Johanna de Corby.^[1] The company produces cask ale and pasteurised bottled beers. Annual production is around 85,000 barrels.

Contents 1 History 2 Other details 3 Beers 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

The Sole Bay Brewery in Southwold was purchased in 1872 by George and Ernest Adnams. The company was incorporated in 1890, and has remained independent since then, producing a range of beers for distribution mainly in East Anglia. The Adnams family was joined by the Loftus family in 1902,^[1] and Adnams still has members of each family on the board, with Jonathan Adnams as chairman and Simon Loftus as a non-executive director.

In 1993 Adnams Extra won the Champion Beer of Britain (CBOB) - an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) at the annual Great British Beer Festival. Adnams remains committed to brewing cask ale and operating non-themed pubs. Cask ale is available in all its 70 pubs and it supplies more than 1000 other outlets direct. New fermenting vessels were installed in 2001-3 to cope with demand and the brewhouse was completely re-equipped in 2006-7, making it one of the most energy efficient in Europe. At the beginning of 2004, Adnams purchased land in neighbouring town of Reydon to expand its business with a new distribution centre, which was nominated for the 2007 RICS East of England Award for Sustainability^[2].

[edit] Other details

Casks of Adnams ale used to be delivered to the pubs of Southwold by horse and dray until September 2006 when the distribution center was moved to a new location two miles outside the town. Adnams' most recent advertising campaign has the slogan: "Beer from the Coast". Adnams is also a major regional wine merchant and pub company.

The company founded a charity, The Adnams Charity,^[3] in 1990 to celebrate its centenary as a public company. A percentage of the company's annual profits is used to support worthwhile causes within a 25-mile radius of Southwold.

In June 2009, Adnams signed a 5 year agreement to supply Ipswich Town FC with beers at their Portman Road stadium replacing the 14 year old association with Greene King which in turn replaced the long links between the Club and Tolly Cobbold.

[edit] Beers

Adnams produce regular cask ales, seasonal ales, and pasteurised bottled beers:^[4]

Regular beers

The Bitter, a 3.7% abv session bitter. Broadside, a 4.7% abv premium bitter. Explorer, a 4.3% golden bitter was introduced in 2004 as a summer seasonal; it became a regular beer from February 2006.

Keg beers

Spindrift, a 5.0% abv golden bitter introduced in 2006.

Seasonal

Oyster Stout, a 4.3% abv winter stout, available February and March, is made from East Anglian Pale Ale Malt, Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, roasted Barley and English Golding hops. May Day, a 5.0% abv golden ale, available April and May, is made with East Anglian Pale Ale malt, and hopped with First Gold. Regatta, a 4.3% abv golden ale for summer, is available April through August. Old Ale, a "cold weather beer" (alcohol content not yet known), introduced October 2006. Yuletide, a 4.5% abv Christmas beer, available from mid-November, is brewed with Maris Otter, Chocolate and Amber Malts and Boadicea & Chinook Hops. Tally Ho, a 7.0% barley wine, limited availability.

Bottles

Lighthouse, a 3.4% bottled traditional pale ale; recipe based on an award winning beer that used to be brewed called 'Champion Pale Ale'. Gun Hill, a 4.0% bottled dark mild. East Green, a 4.3%, a carbon neutral beer.^[5] with a lighter bottle made with 15% reycled glass. The Bitter (formerly Suffolk Strong Ale) 4.5% bottled version of the retired cask Extra. Explorer, a 5.5% bottled ale which, like the cask Explorer, is a blend of English and American styles. Broadside, a 6.3% bottled strong ale. Tally Ho, a bottled version of the barley wine which, at 7.2%, is slightly stronger than its cask equivalent. ^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Adnams company website
• Adnams brewery website
• Adnams share price
• Hoare Lea description of the environmentally friendly distribution center
• Adnams brewery tours