The Best is Bottled!

Due to popular demand, from 10th November 2008 our award-winning Best Bitter ale will be available by the bottle meaning that all five of our real ales can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home.

Quality of our real ales is paramount and the newly bottled Best Bitter tastes just as good as its cask equivalent thanks to the continuing efforts of our brewers.

The bottled ale still retains all the characteristics of its cask equivalent but we have increased the ABV from 3.8% to 4.0%.

Bottles can be purchased direct from the brewery by visiting our online shop @ www.copperdragonshop.co.uk or if you are passing through Skipton, call into our brand new Visitors Centre and visit the brewery shop.

Cheers!

Commissioning Success!

The new brewhouse is now fully commissioned and production will begin very soon. The plant as well as offering much higher production volumes will also improve the already impeccable quality of our four-ales.

News of brewery tours re-commencing will be posted on the website soon once finishing touches to the new building are completed so watch this space!

Inside the Lauter Tun, Click image to view 360 Tour

Beer-hunter David Aynesworth with his 1933 Bentley called The Brigadier

Yorkshire's Perfect Pint!

Copper Dragon brewery is to be featured on ITV's "Yorkshire's Perfect Pint" to be screened on October 27th.

The programme follows David Aynesworth, an intrepid follower of “real ale” travelling the county visiting breweries both big and small in his 1930s Bentley (The Brigadier) in search of 20 beers for the Great Craven Beer Festival.

David paid Copper Dragon a visit, sampled some of the ales and got a guided tour around the new brewhouse and premises. Managing Director Steve Taylor is 'delighted that the programme-makers chose to feature Copper Dragon which is now recognised as one of the fastest-growing breweries in Yorkshire'

The Copper Dragon episode will be screened on October 27th at 10.30pm.

Filming taking place outside Copper Dragon's new offices

Testing the advanced control panel

We're nearly there!

Construction and installation of the new brewhouse and plant are now finished and we are in the process of commissioning the new plant. Full production of Copper Dragon ales from the new facilities are scheduled for October 2008. The new brewhouse offers a three-fold increase in production meaning that Copper Dragon ales will be available in more outlets than ever before.

Tours of the brand new plant will commence in October and demand for these is already high. Tours will be available twice a day (11am & 2pm) during the week and also on Saturdays. Evening Tours will be available subject to prior arrangement.

We will also be opening our brand new Copper Dragon Visitors Centre in November where visitors can shop, dine and drink Copper Dragon ales from the source! Further details of this will be published shortly.

One of the new brewing vessels

Bottle beater

The brewery’s Scotts 1816 bottled ale has been chosen by an expert panel of industry judges along with 15 other finalists to take part in the final stages of the Sainsbury’s Beer Competition. The award for getting to this stage... a 40,000 bottle contract for Scotts to be sold in Sainsbury’s stores nationwide until September.

The subsequent two best-selling varieties will then be crowned overall winners, securing a contract to sell their beer in selected Sainsbury’s supermarkets for at least six months.

For many brewers like Copper Dragon, this is a once in a lifetime chance to showcase their ales on a national stage.  Head Brewer Gordon Wilkinson who brews Scotts 1816 says; “We jumped at the opportunity to take part in this competition and see getting to the final as a great reward for our team, whose commitment to producing great Beer has been unfailing.”

Sainsbury’s Beer buyer, Nic Storey says; “The Sainsbury’s Beer Competition will not only encourage customers to try something new but has allowed us to work with some of the most enthusiastic and passionate suppliers in the sector.  The competition is a great way to recognise their dedication by raising national awareness of some regional specialities and ultimately increase their production and sales.”

Not long to go now!

Work on the Copper Dragon new brewhouse and visitors centre continues despite recent appalling weather conditions. Construction of the brewhouse is nearly completed and as shown above, the finishing touches are being added which include the special heavy-duty flooring and advanced electrical systems.

As we speak, the brew plant is on it's way to the UK from manufacturers, Bavarian Brewing Technologies, with installation scheduled to begin on Monday, 25th August. The grain hoppers are being constructed on-site (below) and if everything goes according to plan, the new brewhouse will be making its first pint by the end of September 2008. Highlight of the week was the installation of the giant Copper Dragon Brewhouse signage which passers-by can't miss!

Keep watching this space for latest brewhouse news and thank you to everyone who has contacted us and shown their interest and support for this exciting project.

The grain hopper silos being constructed

The giant new Brewhouse signage

The new racking area looking through to the brewhouse

A view of the Brewhouse with new flooring

New Brewhouse Plant

New Ownership!

Copper Dragon brewery are delighted to announce that the famous Bluebell Inn, Kettlewell is now being run under Copper Dragon Estates management. We would like to extend a warm welcome to its loyal customers and Bluebell manager, Dean and his staff plan to build upon the Bluebell's long established tradition of offering fine food and well-kept Copper Dragon ales to all it's customers.  

Every year Copper Dragon takes part in the Skipton Gala and 2008 was no exception despite a very cold and rainy June day!

Loaded up with bottles of beer, St Trinians-clad girls and friends of the brewery, the 'Girls Aloud' themed float headed off into Skipton rocking to the on-board sounds of T-Rex tribute band, Total Wrex!

The weather didn't manage to damp anyone's spirits and the passion and effort of all was recognised by the float being awarded 1st place in the float competition by the Mayor and Mayoress of Skipton.

Highlight of the day was a procession through the centre of town led by one of the brewery drays and of course, Pippin, the Copper Dragon mascot who was collecting money from the public for local charities.

Brewery Marketing Director, Ruth Bennett was impressed by how easily the office girls managed to transform themselves into St Trinian schoolgirls and adapt to the role! The sight of hockey sticks, short skirts and pigtails putting a smile on many a face!

We would like to thank all the friends and staff of the brewery for making the day such a success and an even bigger thanks to all the public and Copper Dragon supporters who generously gave money supporting local Skipton charities.

Next year, who knows, perhaps Doctors and Nurses!

Click here for more photos

Brewhouse begins to take shape

Construction of the new Copper Dragon brewhouse is progressing at a rapid pace. All groundworks and initial steelworks are now completed and with the building really beginning to take shape, it isn't hard to picture what the finished article is going to look like.

The new brewhouse marks Copper Dragon's move to becoming the region's fastest growing brewery. Once completed, the building will be packed to the rafters with state-of-the-art brewing equipment guaranteed to help us produce the perfect pint of ale every time!

Scheduled for completion in September 08, tours of the new facilities will commence shortly after. Details of these will be posted on the website so keep a look out! Click here to view construction videos!