The Otter Brewery

The Otter Brewery is an award winning micro-brewery in the heart of the Blackdown Hills. After seventeen years with Whitbread it was the vision of David McCaig to create a complete antithesis to mass produced and artificially flavoured beers. Family values, traditional methods, environmentally sound practices and first rate ingredients all underpin the brand. Brewing has been in the blood for generations and using their own spring water the brewery has worked tirelessly to create one the Westcountry’s most authentic brands. The end result; a superb range of naturally brewed beers and bitters.

The Jack are proud to serve Otter Ale, a premium beer with a 4.5% ABV and a perfect accompaniment to food. Distinctive local ingredients are used where possible including malted barley from nearby Tuckers Maltings in Newton Abbot. Production started in November 1990 and it sets the benchmark for the whole range which also includes Otter Bright, Otter Head and Otter Bitter. With a distinct malt aroma and hints of fruit, it has a deep rich colour not too dissimilar to a beautifully polished piece of mahogany. It is a completely natural product, made solely from fresh spring water, yeast, malt and hops that gently carbonates itself.

Waste products from each of the brewing processes are extracted and used to benefit the immediate surroundings. Spent malt is taken by Andrew Tucker to feed his beef herd in the Luppitt Valley, waste yeast goes directly to a pig farm in nearby Stockland and the used hops make excellent mulch for organic gardeners. All remaining brewery effluent is treated naturally using ponds and willow beds and the site is a haven for frogs, toads, newts, birdlife, deer, badgers and foxes. The next stage of investment will see a new eco-friendly cellar surrounded by willow beds and finished with a sedum (living grass) roof. This is due for competion in the Autumn 2008.

The Blackdown Hills have dual importance as both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Since 1990 Otter have planted lime trees, beech, oak and blossom orchards around the brewery and the carefully restored buildings are now home to up to six pairs of Barn owls and Pipistrelle bats. The brewery want to reduce their environmental footprint still further and are exploring the feasibility of converting their fleet of 8 delivery vehicles to run on bio fuel and there are plans to install a wood chip boiler within the next 2 years. This would use sustainable fuel (locally cropped hedge row wood and willow from their willow beds) and operate with a neutral carbon footprint.

On November 22nd 2007 the Otter Brewery beat off stiff competition from the Devon Wildlife Trust and Pennywell Farm to win the ‘Greener Devon’ category at the 2007 Devon Environmental Awards. A fantastic achievement!

To read the full story please visit www.otterbrewery.com