Brewery of the Day: Ossett

Fresh, hoppy and with a definite independent streak, Ossett Brewery has been doing things its own way since Bob Lawson started brewing in the back of a West Yorkshire pub in 1998. What began as a tiny operation has grown into a brewery producing more than nine million pints a year, with a fantastic collection of pubs and a loyal following of drinkers who know exactly what they like. And if there’s one thing Ossett proves brilliantly, it’s just how exciting modern cask can be.

White Rat is perhaps the perfect example. First brewed in 2011 in the basement of Huddersfield’s Rat & Ratchet, it quickly became a firm favourite with drinkers and has gone on to develop a huge following – today around five million pints are brewed each year. But Ossett’s brewers haven’t stopped playing. New hops, new styles, cask-only releases and collaborations keep appearing alongside the favourites, making this the sort of brewery where it’s always worth having a look along the handpulls to see what’s new.

And this summer Ossett doubled down on quality by becoming a member of Cask Marque, with all of its own pubs already Cask Marque accredited. We love that combination: make brilliant cask, keep experimenting, but make absolutely sure it reaches the drinker tasting as good as it should. So if an Ossett pump clip catches your eye this Cask Ale Week – particularly one with a rat on it – we suggest you follow it. There could be a very good pint waiting on the other side.

Discover more: Visit Ossett Brewery and read about its latest commitment to great cask through Cask Marque.