Goachers Brewery is an independent brewery based in Maidstone, which supplies a number of public houses across Kent.
 | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | P & D J Goacher |
| Headquarters | Tovil, Kent , United Kingdom |
Key people | P & D J Goacher |
| Products | Beer |
| Owner | P & D J Goacher |
| Website | goachers |
Range
editGoachers only uses malt and Kentish hops in its beers, producing a core range of ales comprising a mild, two bitter ales, a stout and a pale ale. It also produces regular seasonal ales.
- Real Mild Ale is a dark mild with an ABV of 3.4% that is hopped with Kent Fuggles
- Fine Light Ale is a pale bitter with an ABV of 3.7% hopped with WGV and East Kent Golding hops
- Best Dark Ale is a rich bitter with an ABV of 4.1% hopped with East Kent Golding hops
- Silver Star Ale is a seasonal pale ale with an ABV of 4.2% hopped with Kent Fuggles. This was first produced in 2008 to celebrate Goacher's 25th anniversary
- Crown Imperial Stout is a seasonal 4.5% ABV stout with a high level of Kent Fuggles hops
- Gold Star Ale is a pale ale with an ABV of 5.1% and hopped with East Kent aroma hops
- Old 1066 Ale is a seasonal barley wine with an ABV of 6.7% and produced in small quantities since 1983
- House Ale has an ABV of 3.8%. It was originally a blend of Fine Light and Best Dark but is now brewed as an independent ale.[1]
Real Mild, Fine Light Ale and Crown Imperial Stout have been CAMRA beers of the year.[2]
History
editGoachers was founded by Phil and Debbie Goacher in 1983. Originally it was situated close to Hayle Mill,[3] later moving to larger premises on a nearby industrial estate in 1990.
Maidstone has a long history of brewing dating back to 1650, including breweries such as Style and Winch, Fremlins Brewery, Masons and Isherwood, Foster and Stacey.[4] The last remaining brewery in the town (Fremlins Brewery) closed in 1972. Goachers was the first new independent brewery in the town, reviving Maidstone's brewing tradition.[5]
Goachers has two tied houses (The Rifle Volunteers in Maidstone and The Royal Paper Mill in Tovil) and supplies numerous free houses across Kent.[6] Goachers bought another pub - The Little Gem in Aylesford - in 2019 which needed renovation and was opened in 2021.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Beers and Ales". Goachers Brewery.
- ^ "Goachers Brewery". Campaign for Real Ale. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ Barber, Norman (1994). A century of British brewers, 1890-1990. Brewery History Society. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-873-96604-4.
- ^ Alan Smith (24 June 2016). "Maidstone's manufacturing past: paper, steam engines and custard". Kent Online.
- ^ "History of Goacher's Maidstone Ales". P & D J Goacher. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "P & DJ Goacher". Quaffale. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ Jess Sharp (19 August 2019). "The Little Gem in Aylesford set to reopen after being bought by Goachers Ales". Kent Online.