Chadlington Brewery

The Wine Tipster has enjoyed working with Chadlington Brewery to provide food pairings for their classic Oxford Beers as well as their latest releases. Read on for tasting notes and where to enjoy this great range of beers.

Chadlington Brewery is The Wine Tipster’s local brewery. A small team brewing bespoke bottles of beer in the heart of the Cotswolds, the team at Chadlington Brewery have created an impressive line of refreshing and satisfying beers that do not skimp on quality. They have also worked hard to minimise their impact on the environment, by employing the use of solar and biomass renewable energy sources, using nearby natural spring water and recycling the spent grains from the brew process to feed local farm animals. The brewery is currently closed for tours of the tap room but bottles, kegs and gift boxes are still available to buy from the website and and you can enjoy in The Black Prince in Woodstock, The Black Horse in Standlake, The Isis Farmhouse in Oxford, Whistler’s Restaurant in Chipping Norton, and The White Horse in Wolvercote.

Some great work, now bring on the beer! – Chadlington Brewery takes inspiration from the nearby city of Oxford, with its dreaming spires and sports history. Their labels and names reflect the traditions of Oxford sports and the University colour Blue, and are firm favourites amongst Oxford University Colleges and local sports clubs, including rowing clubs and Chadlington Cricket Club, Tiddington CC, Aston Rowant CC, Combe CC, Charlbury CC, and Bicester CC. It is hard to beat a weekend afternoon watching a game of local cricket with a pint brewed by the Chadlington Brewery.  We have so many super cricket grounds and The Wine Tipster highly recommends Aston Rowant Cricket Club. A few months ago The Wine Tipster was involved in a virtual tasting and music event with the excellent team at Aston Rowant Cricket Club to raise money for the Ruth Strauss Foundation, resulting in a very successful day for this important charity.

Oxford IPA

The Oxford IPA is a classic golden English IPA which is made the traditional way – not to be confused with the USA interpretation of an IPA which has a huge ABV and hoppier taste. The Oxford IPA is a genuine session IPA that can be enjoyed all year round. Its refreshing citrus and spice notes work well with many food pairings, such as BBQs, salads, red meat or game, and The Wine Tipster recommends accompanying a glass of the Oxford IPA with some pork scratchings from your local butchers like Slatters in Chadlington or Beadle’s Butchers in Chipping Norton. At a moderate 4.5% ABV (alcohol by volume), it’s available to buy in 500ml bottles and 9-gallon firkins in local pubs.

Oxford Blue Ale

The Oxford Blue pale ale takes its name from the official colour of Oxford University and its sports teams. This superbly balanced and clean pale ale is golden in colour and slightly fruity in aroma. Its all natural, English ingredients highlight the simple and honest flavour of the hops, and its versatility makes it great as an accompaniment to pretty much anything – fish, chicken, salads or red meat. The Wine Tipster especially likes it with a local cheese like the excellent Rollright from the King Stone Dairy . A balanced and time-honoured pale ale well worth a try, and at 4.2% ABV it’s available in 500ml bottles and 9-gallon firkins. This is a cracking pint!

Oxford Old Blue

The Oxford Old Blue is a recent addition to the Chadlington Brewery family – making an entrance during May and managing to establish itself as a firm favourite amongst drinkers. It is an English style copper-coloured ale which delivers on taste and drinking experience. A refreshingly warm malt aroma makes this beer a classic and its clean and hoppy bitterness make it a perfect accompaniment to a great pizza – surely one of the most underrated food pairings!

It’s 4.0% ABV and available in 500ml bottles and 9-gallon firkins.

Boat Race Lager

The Boat Race Lager pays homage to the great Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races, and has been spotted on banners adorning boat houses along the Thames during the Men’s and Women’s Lightweight Races in past years, maybe having something to do with some Oxford wins! It’s an old school pilsner, not Euro Fizz! It has the same refreshing qualities of a great pilsner with a well-balanced hop aroma and pale straw colour. The Wine Tipster enjoys the crisp, bitter finish of the lager, and pairs it with any number of classic Summer dishes – BBQs and burgers  and salads – and thinks it is perfect for watching the rowing from the riverbank with a picnic. It has a slightly higher ABV of 5.0% and is available in smaller 330ml bottles, and 30-litre kegs in pubs.

Oxford Light Ale

The Oxford Light Ale is special as it has a low ABV of 2.5% and the team at Chadlington Brewery have done a great here, as producing a quality and balanced lower abv ale needs plenty of craft. This straw coloured ale stills pack the punch of a standard beer and the crisp refreshment of a premium lager, whilst maintaining a much lower alcohol content. This is a huge achievement for Chadlington Brewery especially with its recent release during the May Lockdown. Oxford Light Ale’s citrus aroma is perfect for the summer months and particularly well paired with fish or sausages – check out the Butchers in Chadlington! 

2.5% ABV, 1.3 UK Units and available 500ml bottles and 30-litre kegs.

Oxford Blonde Ale

The Oxford Blonde Ale is light in both colour and body, bringing a clean and crisp drinking experience. It hints of fruit in the aroma which makes it a great palate cleanser for most dishes,  while its refreshing finish make it a great accompaniment to a Roast Lunch or Dinner.

At 4.0%, this is a great ale that can be enjoyed in 500ml bottles, 30-litre kegs and 9-gallon firkins.

Oxford Pale Ale

The Oxford Pale Ale is not too dissimilar to the Oxford IPA but is more malty than the hoppier IPA. Pale Ales originated in England as early as 1703 and encompass several styles of beer, including IPA. Oxford Pale Ale has a modern hop ratio balanced with a complementary malt base – it is light in colour and crisp and fruity to the taste. Like the Oxford IPA, it also goes down well with chips, cheese, spicy foods and Taste of Game crisps.  The Wine Tipster is a massive fan of pale ale and this is his choice for watching #RacingatHome.

At a lower 3.8% ABV, this is also available in 500ml bottles, and 9-gallon firkins in pubs.

Oxford Best

The Oxford Best is a traditional English bitter that reminds one of sitting in the pub on a winter’s night by the fire. Its rich toffee and caramel malt tones and traditional hopping work superbly with red meat or game, which is why The Wine Tipster loves an Oxford Best with some fabulous  Taste of Game Crisps.  Bitter has been described as the national drink of England, and you can see why when you experience the well established and hearty spice notes of Oxford Best. 4.0% ABV available in 500ml bottles and 9-gallon firkins.

Golden Ale

The Golden Ale is a wonderfully deep gold colour with a slightly sweet taste. The Wine Tipster loves the refreshing nature of this ale with its citrus notes that go well with most dishes, especially picnic food and light lunches. The perfect bottle for a long Summer’s evening in the garden. It has been rightly described Cotswold sunshine in a bottle!

Its ABV is 4.0% and it’s available in 500ml bottles and 9-gallon firkins.

The Wine Tipster is hugely appreciative to live so close to such a great brewery, with admirable sustainable habits and a range of high quality beers. For the latest updates, follow Chadlington Brewery on social media and visit their website to find out how to purchase your favourites for the summer.

Cheers!

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