In a year when Shaggy topped the charts with ‘Boombastic,’ Toy Story was a box office smash and the ‘Rachel’ haircut craze swept the country, a South West England brewery opened its doors for the first time with an ethos to produce only high quality, flavoursome beers in response to consumer demand. In 1995, among the many great enterprises that launched – eBay, the DVD, Amazon – Bath Ales brewed its first batch of its flagship ale Gem.
Times may have changed since 1995, but Gem has remained constant. The independent brewer uses the same award-winning recipe as it did 20 years ago, consistently producing a high quality, traditional ale that remains popular with beer drinkers.
Roger Jones, joint founder and managing director at Bath Ales, said: “Gem was the very first beer made by Bath Ales in 1995 when the hare was originally born. We were determined to create an exceptional ‘best bitter’ with a superb depth of flavour and great balance.
“Despite the influx of new breweries opening and more beers to compete against, Gem has continued to be highly regarded by competition judges and beer fans alike, which is testament to the quality of that original work.
“We are incredibly proud of how far the business has come in 20 years. From when we brewed the first pint, we never dreamt the Bath Ales hare could have leapt to where it is now. The growth we’ve experienced in 20 years is fantastic. We now produce over 20,000 barrels annually and have our own bottling plant and brewery shop.
“The success we’ve enjoyed is down to several key components; hard working and dedicated staff, exceptionally high quality beer, loyal fans, strong performing venues and a well-recognised brand identity.”
Extending the celebrations, the independent brewer has also crafted a limited edition anniversary beer. To commemorate 20 years since the first pint of Gem was brewed, Bath Ales is introducing MegaGem, a stronger version of the award-winning amber ale, Gem, into its pubs.
For those who prefer a high strength ale, MegaGem was double drop fermented during the brewing process, which increases its alcohol levels to 7.4% ABV. Taking up the space between a dark bitter and a barley wine, MegaGem boasts intense malty flavours that are more complex than your normal bitter, with a slight bitterness and fruity aromas.
Over the course of 20 years, Bath Ales has secured a number of awards. Gem was victorious twice at the prestigious International Beer Challenge, winning a silver medal this year and a gold medal and highly coveted trophy for its category – the ‘Best Ale up to 5% abv’ – in 2014. The brewer has also won a number of accolades for its pubs, including the national The Publican Morning Advertiser Awards for Best Managed Pub Company (2-50 sites) last year.
The business recently secured the number 14 position in the Fast 50 list too, a report produced by analysts for The Grocer magazine that names 50 of the fastest-growing, independently owned food and drink suppliers.
Bath Ales now operates 11 venues across the South West including its Graze Bar & Chophouse in Bristol, Bath and Cirencester, craft beer and pizza bar in Bristol, two bar and restaurants inside Colston Hall and it’s more traditional pubs like The Swan, The Hop Pole and The Wellington.
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