Press Visit
A couple of weeks ago I was invited along to try out the Hall & Woodhouse Brewery Experience, based at their factory in Blandford. I hadn’t been around a Brewery previously so wasn’t really sure what to expect. If I am being totally honest I’m also not a huge beer drinker (having had bad experiences at house parties when I was a lot younger), but I thought it would be a good chance to try beer again, and interesting to find out more about the brewing process as well.
You can book the Brewery Experience that we went on, or you can book just the tour, for £15 per person. The Brewery Experience is priced at £25 per person and includes the expert tasting to finish off the tour.
We were informed beforehand to make sure to wear close-toe shoes as it is a working brewery and health and safety needs to be followed. On the day it was a small group (five of us in total plus the tour guide), which was nice as it meant we all got a hands-on experience and were able to ask questions along the way too. Groups are a maximum of 20 people, and you can bring a child over 10 along but they obviously need to be accompanied by an adult.
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the company, walking us through the timeline of the business from supplying beer to the troops to the modern day. The business is still very much in the family with each generation carrying it on and it obviously pays off, lasting the test of time to be a successful company all these years later.
It was really interesting to see first hand what ingredients are used to make the beer. We even got the chance to taste some of them (personally I did not find this pleasant but it was great to be able to have such a hands-on experience). We also got the chance to look into the equipment where the beer is brewed and it was fantastic to see the different stages, although a little disappointing not to be taken into the bottling room as ‘nothing was happening’ that day – it felt like the tour was cut short a little.
After the tour was over, we were taken to a function room where we were provided with some of the brewery’s most popular tipples to try for ourselves. I was driving so I only sipped each of them, but the tour guide was very generous pouring for the others in attendance and everybody seemed to enjoy the different tastes. I was surprised to find that I actually liked the lager we tried (we then tried out a Peach lager too and this was very easy to drink). With each beer, our tour guide talked through the flavours and brewing process, so it was educational as well as being nice to sit and have a drink.
At the end we were told that we could get 10% off in the on-site shop, which was filled with all the beers and lagers we had tried as well as some others plus merchandise and even locally produced wines. We didn’t buy anything but it was a nice touch to have a discount for those on the experience. If I were to suggest an improvement to the Brewery Experience, I would say that a small souvenir such as being able to take the branded Badger Beer glass home with you, would make the activity that little bit better (and also work at providing marketing for the brand at the same time).
We were also treated to lunch at the Brewery Tap (this is not included in the cost per person for the Brewery Experience, but you can choose to book in for lunch either before or after your tour). I had the chilli con carne and my partner had the chilli burger, both of which were really delicious. Afterwards we had the sticky toffee pudding (amazing) and the chocolate cake (tasty but a little dry in comparison). Prices for lunch were reasonable and the service was quick, despite being a fairly busy sunny Saturday in early September.
We really enjoyed the Brewery Experience with Hall & Woodhouse and I would recommend it if you are looking for a group activity (stag parties or team building exercise) or as an alternative date idea. It’s good value for money and gives you a really excellent insight into the brewing process and the history of the company as well.
I was provided with a complimentary lunch and Brewery Experience for two people for the purpose of this review, however all words and images are my own.
