Industry Alcoholic beverage Owner Woodhouse family Founded 1777 | Products Beer Website hall-woodhouse.co.uk | |
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Headquarters Blandford Forum, United Kingdom | ||
Hall and Woodhouse is a British regional brewery founded in 1777 by Charles Hall in Blandford Forum, Dorset, England. The company operates over 250 public houses in the south of England, and brews under the name Badger Brewery.
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History
The brewery traces its roots to 1777, when Charles Hall founded the Ansty Brewery (Ansty being a village near Blandford). The Hall & Woodhouse partnership dates from 1847, when Charles' son and successor went into business with George Woodhouse.
In 1875, the firm's logo of a Badger was first introduced, and in 1900, when a new brewery was built to replace the original, it was named after the logo. The logo has evolved over the years. The firm remains a family firm.
In 1991 the brewpub Gribble Inn was acquired. Though it was sold back to the landlord in 2005, Hall & Woodhouse retained the rights to the brand name Fursty Ferret, the brewpub's most famous beer.
In 2000 the King & Barnes brewery business in Horsham was acquired. Hall & Woodhouse retained the King & Barnes chain of pubs and the rights to the brand names of the King and Barnes beers, but the brewery premises was sold to be redeveloped as housing.
Tanglefoot
Tanglefoot is a premium bitter, 4.9% as a cask ale, and 5% as a filtered beer in bottles and cans. According to a story presently written on the bottle, it was given its name when the Head Brewer drank "several tankards" and "fell on" a name for the beer. The cask version is widely available in the south of England, and a pasteurised version is available in bottles or cans in supermarkets nationally.
Fursty Ferret
Fursty Ferret is a 4.4% abv bitter, originally brewed at the Gribble Inn, which was bought by Hall & Woodhouse in 1991. The pub was sold back to the landlord in 2005, with Hall & Woodhouse retaining the rights to the brand name Fursty Ferret.
Other brands
Discontinued
Soft drinks
The company also markets soft drinks known as Rio (formerly Rio Riva) which are canned drinks made from fruit juices and sparkling spring water. Hall and Woodhouse also used to manufacture Panda Pops, but sold the brand to Nichols plc in 2005.