Did you know, every dish we offer on our pub menus are hand-made in our kitchens by our talented team of chefs, or for allergen reasons, made in dedicated kitchens using recipes bespoke for us; using only the finest ingredients from local suppliers.
However, did you also know that we serve local craft ales too? We caught up with one of our favourite suppliers to shine the light on their exciting and successful business venture.
Tilford Brewery is an award-winning craft brewery, located in the quaint village of Tilford in Surrey, next door to our pub The Duke of Cambridge. In fact, the brewery is located in the pubs old coach house!
They love meeting ale fans, so if you happen to be stopping by The Duke and the brewery is open, do pop your head in and say hi to co-founder and Head Brewer, Mark – he’ll be delighted to chat and if you’re lucky, he may have some tasters for you to try!
The faces behind Tilford Brewery
Founded by longtime local friends Mark and Paul, Tilford Brewery was very much an idea set about by the pair who shared a passion for craft beer and brewing.
Having a combined 40+ years’ experience in hospitality, working in pub management, liquor procurement and kitchens, Tilford Brewery was a natural career progression for the duo and plans for establishing their very own brewery began to develop back in late 2015, over a pint in their local. Following a variety of trials, their first commercial brew ‘Rushmoor Ripper’ debuted in our pubs in January 2017 and went on to win Best Beer that year at Farnham Beerex. The following year they won Best Brewery at the annual Guildford Beer Festival and it’s safe to say they haven’t looked back!
What makes Tilford Brewery so unique?
With such huge competition in the craft ale market, the duo has really pushed the boundaries with their innovative and seasonal brews ensuring each and every beer is a unique experience for the drinker. What remains vitally important to the duo, and is very much the underpinning ethos of the business, is their confidence in guaranteeing the delivery of a good pint of ale every time. They achieve through using only premium ingredients, brewing in small quantities (so nothing is mass-produced) and maintaining absolute control of their sales process.
Their portfolio of popular craft ales continues to grow and not only does Tilford Brewery sell their seasonal brews to our Red Mist pubs, but they also sell directly to the public and can offer a range of bottled beers, gift boxes and barrels of ale. So if you love entertaining at home, this is a great opportunity for you to showcase your talent in introducing your friends to this award-winning, local brewery – plus, you’re keeping the carbon footprint small and supporting the local economy – it’s a win-win!
For those who are familiar with our pubs and love real ale, you’ll know that across all of our pubs, we offer Tilford Brewery’s Red Mist Ale on draught, which is specially brewed for us. We donate 20p of every pint of Red Mist sold to our pub charities. Last year this raised £7,449 for our chosen charities (thanks to all those pint drinkers out there!).
Visit our pubs to enjoy a pint of Red Mist Ale or perhaps one of the other Tilford Brewery guest ales. Don’t forget to also pay the brewery a visit to discover their full range.