‘We’re brewing up a tasty treat’

1:04am Saturday 6th October 2007

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There's something special brewing at an old pie factory close to the city centre.

Dan Gent and Chris Bee, who own the Dudley Hill-based Salamander Brewery, just off Odsal Top roundabout, are working on a special beer in time for a festival which is coming to Bradford.

Organisers of the Raise Your Banners political music festival contacted the eight-year-old brewery with their special request.

Chris said: "We're really happy to be doing a special brew for Raise Your Banners.

"We get lots of people wanting us to make beers for important occasions; we made one for real ale enthusiasts Bradford CAMRA when it had it's 30th birthday."

The brewery produces more than 7,000 pints of ale every week. Some 25 brewers' barrels are filled weekly using about 50 kilos of hops, 5,000 litres of water and 1.5 tonnes of malt.

So far, Salamader has created around 300 different named beers and the number is rising with direct deliveries and wholesalers taking the Bradford brew all over the country.

"We keep coming out with more. People want new ones all the time. We can brew practically any kind we want. We get requests for honey and other things in, but we keep to tradition," said Chris, who met Dan when they were both studying brewing at university in Scotland.

Their beer is going down so well that Bradford pie maker John Lord is even using it as one of his ingredients.

Mr Lord said: "It's just at the experimental stage at the moment but initial feedback is that the taste is great. The steak and ale pies are a particular hit with the lads at the brewery."

The future is looking good, say Chris and Dan, and they want to boost production to 60 barrels a week and take on more staff.

Chris said: "Everything's going well.

"Our bitter just beat big boy Timothy Taylor's in a blind tasting competition at Keighley beer festival. We got second place - next time it'll be first."

The Raise Your Banners festival comes to Bradford next month, but a pre-festival gig is on at the New Beehive Inn in Westgate tomorrow from 7.30pm with punk poet Attila the Stockbroker, David Rovics, Tracey Curtis and Voicemale.

Tickets are £8, to reserve call 07932 146882.