Old Growler

Old Growler began life in 1987 as a festive one-off called Christmas Cracker — but one taste told us it was no seasonal fling. Its instant popularity turned it into a year-round fixture, and its name soon changed in honour of founder Ian Hornsey’s loyal English Bulldog, Growler. Nearly four decades later, the recipe remains almost untouched: a blend of dark malts delivering rich notes of chocolate, treacle, liquorice and fruitcake, balanced by traditional Fuggles and Challenger hops. In the glass it’s near-black with a deep ruby glow when held to the light, as comforting beside a winter fire as it is rewarding after a long day’s work. The beer that put us on the map.

Old Growler has picked up silverware from Suffolk to Chicago — twice crowned CAMRA Winter Champion Beer of Britain and named Supreme Champion at the Chicago International Beer Festival — but we’ve always said its true victory is in the pint glass. It’s bold without being brash, smooth without being sweet, and every sip carries a little of our brewery’s soul.