At the end of June, Ian Burgess and Nigel Lambe purchased the brewery from Bill King who is retiring from the brewing industry. Ian has left Harveys after 19 years as number 2 brewer.
Ian and Nigel have exciting plans to grow and improve the brewery, and have already ordered in extra casks. Brewing will concentrate on the existing two year-round beers, plus a seasonal and a monthly special. “It will be evolution, not revolution” says Ian.
Following their award at Hove, Old Ale is already available at the Lamb at Lambs Green, the Gardeners Arms in Lewes and the Lazy Toad in Shoreham.
Sales for the last three months remain healthy, slightly ahead of last year. Sales of the current single hop Green Bullet are going particularly well, which will be followed by Single Hop Ale using WGV hops in August.
More details on the new team on the website, www.kingbeer.co.uk, and look out for a launch party later in the year.
We have learnt that the brewery has been sold to Ian Burgess, currently the second brewer at Harvey’s of Lewes and Nigel Lambe. Press Announcement - see
07/10
After a record breaking Christmas sales slowed with the Winter weather but are picking up again and over the year are up.
Exciting news! Bill King is keen to produce a new year round beer to complement Horsham Best Bitter and Red River Ale and the race is on to perfect a new recipe using different yeast and possibly American hops. It may well be a hoppy golden ale but after the brewing there will be much tasting (a difficult job but needs must) before a big launch in the summer. Watch this space!
There may also be a porter brewed in the near future.
The SIBA delivery scheme is working well and Kings beers can be found at various pubs around the South East.
There is a possibility of an ale trek for Kings beers.
Kings received an award for their excellent Old Ale at the Sussex Beer Festival in Hove and this in turn generated some publicity from the local press.
April sees Spring Ale, Five Generations and Dragon’s T’Ale before Summer Ale returns.
Kings are looking to increase availability of their beers in local clubs.
Check out www.kingfamilybrewers.co.uk for details of stockists or visit the brewery on Saturdays from 10:00am.
04/10
Kings ‘Old Ale’ 4.5% is available until the end of the month. ‘Valentines Ale’ 4.1%, single hop ‘Target Ale’ 4.3% and ‘Scrummy Bitter’ 5.0% complete the line up for the month.
02/10
Draught sales were phenomenal in a record breaking run up to Christmas as December sales were 20% higher than the previous record month, which was 12 months earlier. Demand was so high that brewer Bill King had to brew on Christmas Eve, which meant checking the brew on Christmas Day, showing much dedication to the cause!
Bottled beer all but sold out completely meaning that the brewery is currently brewing to restock the bottled beer.
February will see the return of some old favourites. ‘Valentines Ale’ is honey flavoured, ‘Target Ale’ is a single hop beer and ‘Scrummy Beer’ will please rugby enthusiasts and ale drinkers alike. In March ‘Mother-in-Law, ‘Fools Gold’ and ‘Mighty Mogul’ return followed by the ever popular ‘Spring Ale’ and draught versions of ‘Five Generations’ and ‘Dragon’s T’Ale’ in April.
Check outwww.kingfamilybrewers.co.uk for details of stockists or visit the brewery on Saturdays from 10:00am.
01/10
1. Draught sales continued to be good during the summer with sales of Summer Ale going very well and the first batch of Old Ale selling out just after it was launched. Try it when you get the chance…
2. Bill reports a good trade with Wetherspoons in Surrey and South London as well as local free houses.
3. Forthcoming beers include Ghostblaster, a 5.1 per cent strong pale ale, Centennial Ale, Winters T’Ale as well as an exciting new 5.0 per cent hoppy beer called Hopping Mad, brewed using local Goldings hops in November.
4. The brewery will have stalls on Fridays in Southwater and in the Carfax in Horsham on Saturdays in December.
5. The brewery is currently building up its bottled beer stock, which is available through Threshers and farm shops, indirectly through the SIBA scheme and also, of course, from the brewery.
6. Unusual places to try Kings beers include the Rowfant House, a lovely country house near Crawley and from the drinks trolley on a Southern train to London or Brighton, where the Pond sells Red River. Or why not at the Bluebell Railway?
10/09
King’s is currently brewing TMB (Two Malt Bitter).
09/09
Bill reports that he has just had his best summer ever.
08/09
King’s Admiral Single Hop ale is extremely good and hoppy. It is on sale at £1.25 a pint at the brewery. They have replaced the van that was stolen.
Kings ‘Old Dad’ & ‘Ace of Ales’ out now. Kings ‘IPA’ is out on the 28th June and ‘Five Generations’ is out on the 6th July. These latter two will both be at our Ardingly Beer Festival. ‘Admiral Single Hop Ale’ will be out in August. Queens Head in Barns Green and Hen & Chicken in Southwater both sell Kings Beers. (love ‘Ace of Ales’!).
Draught sales continued to be good from January to March, although Wetherspoons sales have been affected by the offer of cheap Greene King beer.
Forthcoming beers include single hop ale Brambling Cross, Mayflower, a 5% ale with Progress and Amarillo hops and Summer Ale. June sees Ace of Ales and Kings Old Dad as seasonals. Later, such favourites as Kings IPA, Cereal Thriller and Autumn Mist should make a return, as well as a hoppy beer called Hopping Mad in November.
Regular outlets include the Hen & Chicken in Southwater, the Queens Head in Barns Green and the Victory Inn in Staplefield.
Bottled sales remain good.
King’s beers are also on sale on Southern trains.
05/09
Costs have spiraled with the cost of malted barley increasing by 40% and hops almost four times their price last year.
There are no current plans to expand the brewery but the lease will be extended next year.
The website has the years’s calendar of seasonal beers and information about ordering beer.
Red River Ale is available at the Pond pub and Thai restaurant in Brighton.
The website has details of the usual outlets and sales of draught ale from the brewery continue.
Kings beers are being sold further afield due to competition in local pubs from other micro brewers.
Bottle beer news: Threshers are selling Old Ale and beer is sold at Tulleys Farm near Turners Hill. Bottled beer sales are good
Bill King visited the Houses of Parliament last summer where Horsham Best was served in the Stranglers bar.
The brewery sponsored the 2008 Ardingly Vintage Vehicle Rally.
Sales of Summer Ale went very well and was available at the Great British Beer Festival in August.
Christmas sales were the best ever with very high demand.
January sales were low but picked up in February.
Old Ale sold very well again in the winter.
There will be a single hop ale in May, possibly with Centennial hops.
There will be a new bottle conditioned beer this year, which may be a hoppy beer or a stout.
03/09
Elite Garages in Mannings Heath is stocking WJK bottled beers.
02/09
Christmas sales were the best ever with very high demand.
Bottled beer sales are also good
Check the website for the year’s calendar of seasonal beers and information about ordering.
January beers include ‘New Beer’s Resolution’, a 4.2% mid brown beer and ‘Thirst Choice’, a hoppy 5.3% strong dark beer.
‘Old Ale’ will be available until March.
‘Cereal Thriller’ 6.5% bottled favourite will be available on draught in March and there will be a single hop ale in May.
Beers are available at all the usual free houses.
There are no current plans to expand the brewery, but the lease will be extended next year.
01/09
Sales of bottled beers in Threshers off licences are going well and ‘Cereal Thriller’ 6.5% is back in bottles by popular demand.
Sales of cask ales are also going well in free houses, especially Wetherspoons pubs.
‘Old Ale’ 4.5% is now available.
The Brewery will not be having an open day this year but will be having a stall in the Carfax, Horsham on the first 3 Saturdays in December. They will be selling beer for on and off sales. Christmas puddings made with ‘Merry Ale’ will again be available.
King’s beers are now available in a number of pubs in the local area including the Lamb at Lambs Green, the Queens Head, Barns Green, The Pond in Brighton, The Holmbush, Faygate, The Bedford, Horsham, the Hen and Chicken, Southwater, Rowfant House, Rowfant (open to all) and The Bull Inn, Mockbridge, Henfield.
10/08
Ian and Nigel have exciting plans to grow and improve the brewery, and have already ordered in extra casks. Brewing will concentrate on the existing two year-round beers, plus a seasonal and a monthly special. “It will be evolution, not revolution” says Ian.
Following their award at Hove, Old Ale is already available at the Lamb at Lambs Green, the Gardeners Arms in Lewes and the Lazy Toad in Shoreham.
Sales for the last three months remain healthy, slightly ahead of last year. Sales of the current single hop Green Bullet are going particularly well, which will be followed by Single Hop Ale using WGV hops in August.
More details on the new team on the website, www.kingbeer.co.uk, and look out for a launch party later in the year.
We have learnt that the brewery has been sold to Ian Burgess, currently the second brewer at Harvey’s of Lewes and Nigel Lambe. Press Announcement - see
07/10
After a record breaking Christmas sales slowed with the Winter weather but are picking up again and over the year are up.
Exciting news! Bill King is keen to produce a new year round beer to complement Horsham Best Bitter and Red River Ale and the race is on to perfect a new recipe using different yeast and possibly American hops. It may well be a hoppy golden ale but after the brewing there will be much tasting (a difficult job but needs must) before a big launch in the summer. Watch this space!
There may also be a porter brewed in the near future.
The SIBA delivery scheme is working well and Kings beers can be found at various pubs around the South East.
There is a possibility of an ale trek for Kings beers.
Kings received an award for their excellent Old Ale at the Sussex Beer Festival in Hove and this in turn generated some publicity from the local press.
April sees Spring Ale, Five Generations and Dragon’s T’Ale before Summer Ale returns.
Kings are looking to increase availability of their beers in local clubs.
Check out www.kingfamilybrewers.co.uk for details of stockists or visit the brewery on Saturdays from 10:00am.
04/10
Kings ‘Old Ale’ 4.5% is available until the end of the month. ‘Valentines Ale’ 4.1%, single hop ‘Target Ale’ 4.3% and ‘Scrummy Bitter’ 5.0% complete the line up for the month.
02/10
Draught sales were phenomenal in a record breaking run up to Christmas as December sales were 20% higher than the previous record month, which was 12 months earlier. Demand was so high that brewer Bill King had to brew on Christmas Eve, which meant checking the brew on Christmas Day, showing much dedication to the cause!
Bottled beer all but sold out completely meaning that the brewery is currently brewing to restock the bottled beer.
February will see the return of some old favourites. ‘Valentines Ale’ is honey flavoured, ‘Target Ale’ is a single hop beer and ‘Scrummy Beer’ will please rugby enthusiasts and ale drinkers alike. In March ‘Mother-in-Law, ‘Fools Gold’ and ‘Mighty Mogul’ return followed by the ever popular ‘Spring Ale’ and draught versions of ‘Five Generations’ and ‘Dragon’s T’Ale’ in April.
Check outwww.kingfamilybrewers.co.uk for details of stockists or visit the brewery on Saturdays from 10:00am.
01/10
1. Draught sales continued to be good during the summer with sales of Summer Ale going very well and the first batch of Old Ale selling out just after it was launched. Try it when you get the chance…
2. Bill reports a good trade with Wetherspoons in Surrey and South London as well as local free houses.
3. Forthcoming beers include Ghostblaster, a 5.1 per cent strong pale ale, Centennial Ale, Winters T’Ale as well as an exciting new 5.0 per cent hoppy beer called Hopping Mad, brewed using local Goldings hops in November.
4. The brewery will have stalls on Fridays in Southwater and in the Carfax in Horsham on Saturdays in December.
5. The brewery is currently building up its bottled beer stock, which is available through Threshers and farm shops, indirectly through the SIBA scheme and also, of course, from the brewery.
6. Unusual places to try Kings beers include the Rowfant House, a lovely country house near Crawley and from the drinks trolley on a Southern train to London or Brighton, where the Pond sells Red River. Or why not at the Bluebell Railway?
10/09
King’s is currently brewing TMB (Two Malt Bitter).
09/09
Bill reports that he has just had his best summer ever.
08/09
King’s Admiral Single Hop ale is extremely good and hoppy. It is on sale at £1.25 a pint at the brewery. They have replaced the van that was stolen.
Kings ‘Old Dad’ & ‘Ace of Ales’ out now. Kings ‘IPA’ is out on the 28th June and ‘Five Generations’ is out on the 6th July. These latter two will both be at our Ardingly Beer Festival. ‘Admiral Single Hop Ale’ will be out in August. Queens Head in Barns Green and Hen & Chicken in Southwater both sell Kings Beers. (love ‘Ace of Ales’!).
Draught sales continued to be good from January to March, although Wetherspoons sales have been affected by the offer of cheap Greene King beer.
Forthcoming beers include single hop ale Brambling Cross, Mayflower, a 5% ale with Progress and Amarillo hops and Summer Ale. June sees Ace of Ales and Kings Old Dad as seasonals. Later, such favourites as Kings IPA, Cereal Thriller and Autumn Mist should make a return, as well as a hoppy beer called Hopping Mad in November.
Regular outlets include the Hen & Chicken in Southwater, the Queens Head in Barns Green and the Victory Inn in Staplefield.
Bottled sales remain good.
King’s beers are also on sale on Southern trains.
05/09
Costs have spiraled with the cost of malted barley increasing by 40% and hops almost four times their price last year.
There are no current plans to expand the brewery but the lease will be extended next year.
The website has the years’s calendar of seasonal beers and information about ordering beer.
Red River Ale is available at the Pond pub and Thai restaurant in Brighton.
The website has details of the usual outlets and sales of draught ale from the brewery continue.
Kings beers are being sold further afield due to competition in local pubs from other micro brewers.
Bottle beer news: Threshers are selling Old Ale and beer is sold at Tulleys Farm near Turners Hill. Bottled beer sales are good
Bill King visited the Houses of Parliament last summer where Horsham Best was served in the Stranglers bar.
The brewery sponsored the 2008 Ardingly Vintage Vehicle Rally.
Sales of Summer Ale went very well and was available at the Great British Beer Festival in August.
Christmas sales were the best ever with very high demand.
January sales were low but picked up in February.
Old Ale sold very well again in the winter.
There will be a single hop ale in May, possibly with Centennial hops.
There will be a new bottle conditioned beer this year, which may be a hoppy beer or a stout.
03/09
Elite Garages in Mannings Heath is stocking WJK bottled beers.
02/09
Christmas sales were the best ever with very high demand.
Bottled beer sales are also good
Check the website for the year’s calendar of seasonal beers and information about ordering.
January beers include ‘New Beer’s Resolution’, a 4.2% mid brown beer and ‘Thirst Choice’, a hoppy 5.3% strong dark beer.
‘Old Ale’ will be available until March.
‘Cereal Thriller’ 6.5% bottled favourite will be available on draught in March and there will be a single hop ale in May.
Beers are available at all the usual free houses.
There are no current plans to expand the brewery, but the lease will be extended next year.
01/09
Sales of bottled beers in Threshers off licences are going well and ‘Cereal Thriller’ 6.5% is back in bottles by popular demand.
Sales of cask ales are also going well in free houses, especially Wetherspoons pubs.
‘Old Ale’ 4.5% is now available.
The Brewery will not be having an open day this year but will be having a stall in the Carfax, Horsham on the first 3 Saturdays in December. They will be selling beer for on and off sales. Christmas puddings made with ‘Merry Ale’ will again be available.
King’s beers are now available in a number of pubs in the local area including the Lamb at Lambs Green, the Queens Head, Barns Green, The Pond in Brighton, The Holmbush, Faygate, The Bedford, Horsham, the Hen and Chicken, Southwater, Rowfant House, Rowfant (open to all) and The Bull Inn, Mockbridge, Henfield.
10/08