Brewery raises a glass to major Tesco deal

Three award-winning beers from Allendale Brewery – Golden Plover, Wagtail and Pennine Pale – are now on sale in Tesco stores around the region, including Berwick.

The brewery, near Hexham, is run by husband and wife team Tom and Lucy Hick and head brewer Neil Thomas.

It was founded in 2006 in a lead mill that has been transformed into a state-of-the-art craft brewery.

Tom won the National Young Rural Entrepreneur title in 2008 and has gone on to win a host of national and international awards for his beers including, last year, two gold stars at the Great Taste Awards for Pennine Pale and one star for Wagtail.

He said: “It’s a real milestone for us and an incredible moment that Tesco is recognising the importance of stocking good quality local craft beers. We’re especially pleased that they’ve selected three of our signature beers to add to their shelves.

“Golden Plover is perfect for the warmer spring days ahead, the light golden ale has citrus notes and is clean and refreshing, so works extremely well with lighter dishes such as salads and chicken and is a great BBQ beer.

“Wagtail is a superbly balanced English bitter, with deeper biscuit and toffee notes, and our Pennine Pale ale is brewed with an outstanding trio of bold American hops for a full-on fruity aroma.”

Mark Thomas, corporate affairs manager for Tesco in the north, said: “We’re really keen to keep supporting local producers and we’re delighted to have a great brewery like Allendale on board.”