Sadler's Ales and the new Hop Bomb

On Monday the 25^th of July I popped into the Windsor Castle tap house in Lye for a brief catch up with Chris Sadler, head brewer of Sadler's Ales. A little chat that became a delightful five hours of brewery goodness...

Sadler's Ales was first opened in 1900 by Thomas Alexander Sadler, the brewery supplied twelve tied public houses, the most famous being the Windsor Castle Inn, Oldbury which adjoined the Brewery. After 27 years brewing ceased but Thomas Alexander's son, John Caleb Nathaniel (known as Jack) made sure the alchemical knowledge of brewing was passed on to his future generations. The operation was restarted by the Sadler Family during the winter of 2004, 77 years after Thomas Sadler brewed his last pint and a new Windsor Castle was opened, now situated in Lye.

Sadler's brews a host of permanent signature beers along with a selection of interesting monthly specials, my favourites of which being their JPA: a light, citrusy pale ale that packs a greater punch than its 3.8% suggests and the incredibly rich Mud City Stout: a powerhouse 6.6% creation made with raw coca, vanilla pods and balanced by its complex malty character.

Throughout the day Chris and I worked our way happily through the Windsor Castle's tasty and varied ale selection complimented by a look backstage at the brewery itself and welcome snack interludes. It's worth pointing out here that the Windsor Castle isn't just the Sadler's Ales tap house but also serves freshly prepared homemade food too. The menu, as well as other information, is available on their website which can be found via my links section.

Chris Sadler has recently created a new brew, the aptly named Hop Bomb, 5% and labelled as a powerful Trans-Atlantic pale ale, it certainly lives up to its explosive title. This beer is literally detonating with expertly blended flavours both floral and hoppy. Grapefruit, melon and bitter pine wallop the taste buds in this delectable, uncompromising beer. If you see it on your travels, either in cask or bottle, you're definitely in for a treat.