In the early nineties, Oakham Ales founder John Wood embarked on a journey that would inadvertently lay the foundation for Britain’s craft beer revolution. His creation, JHB, was not just a beer; it was a visionary exploration of British taste preferences, effectively setting the stage for the country’s evolving palate, one that would come to appreciate brighter, zestier, and more resinous hop styles inspired by sunnier climes.
Nick Jones, Oakham Ales’ off-trade and export manager, elaborated on this pivotal moment. “John had a hunch that the UK would be receptive to US-hopped golden ale,” he explained. To substantiate this intuition, Wood canvassed the opinions of around 500 pubs before establishing Oakham Ales and introducing JHB as the brewery’s inaugural beer.
Jones further illuminated the philosophy behind Oakham Ales’ recipes, stating that they were “influenced in part by his experience as a home brewer.” At that time, the quality of available hops in the UK was subpar, often necessitating the use of larger quantities. Additionally, the shortage of UK-sourced Goldings and Fuggles hops led to a creative solution. Despite limited imports of US-grown hops, American varieties like Mount Hood and Willamette presented themselves as ideal substitutes.
“The first 10BB batch of JHB followed, brewed on 13 September 1993,” Jones revealed, noting that it combined Mount Hood with UK-sourced Challenger as a bittering hop. Mount Hood, a daughter of the German noble hop Hallertau Mittelfrüh, was a departure for British palates in the nineties. Jones explained, “It was probably judged to be a big enough step in style for the time.”
Cascade, another US-grown hop, found its way into Oakham Ales’ Bishops Farewell beer, initially brewed in 1995. Jones speculated that John Wood might have been testing the UK market’s readiness for a more robust beer style by using Cascade, which boasts a bolder hop profile than Mount Hood. “Of course,” Jones added, “it’s also possible that he’d already decided that UK beer drinkers were ready for a more punchy style, and Bishops Farewell was the result.”
Over the past three decades, Oakham Ales has embarked on an adventurous journey, outgrowing its original Rutland location and relocating to Peterborough in 1998. The brewery’s expansion included the installation of a 35-barrel plant at Westgate, which became the centerpiece of the new Brewery Tap pub. In 2006, a further upgrade took place in the Woodston area of Peterborough following increased demand driven by winning the Champion Beer of Britain award.
While short-run brewing continued at the Westgate site on a six-barrel kit, technical issues limited its operations in recent years. However, as part of its 30th-anniversary celebrations, Oakham Ales intends to revitalize this aspect and has invited the industry to “watch this space.”
Reflecting on their journey, Nick Jones highlighted Oakham Ales’ impressive achievements, brewing a staggering 93 million pints and around 275 different beers since John Wood brewed the inaugural batch of JHB in 1993. As they look forward to raising a glass of the 2023 JHB, Jones assures beer enthusiasts that it is “just as delicious as it has always been.”
