Some history of Fixed Wheel Brewery of Blackheath in the county of Staffordshire.

Breweries | Staffordshire | Fixed Wheel Brewery

Based at Blackheath, Scott Povey went from breaking cycle time trial records to scooping beer awards with his cycling-themed beers. As a velo fan myself, the emergence of a Black Country brewery combining excellent ales and cycling was simply too good to be true.

As you can see Scott Povey does not look like your average brewer. In his prime he was smashing it all over the UK. In starting Fixed Wheel Brewery his time on the bike dropped off as he had to concentrate on the business. However, once the brewery was up-and-running nicely he got back in the saddle. He is still a beast on two wheels.

I think it was around 2013 that he resigned from his job as an auto technician for Vauxhall, taking the plunge and establishing a brewery with his partner Sharon Bryant. Together, they got the beer bug during visits to Belgium some years previously. He admits to not drinking beer that much before visiting the land where beer is a holy thing, and where cycling is a national sport.

Inspired by the flavours they tasted in Flanders, Scott gathered together a library of tomes dedicated to brewing and this led to experimenting with homebrewing. The results were mixed but he learned quickly. Well, as quick as one can for what can be a science. Whilst still working for Vauxhall and cycling during much of his spare time, it took around a decade to produce some recipes that were stage winners. After leaving the motor industry he sensibly sought employment in the brewery trade, filling a position at the Green Duck Brewery in Stourbridge. This is how he got to grips with commercial brewing.

In time, Scott gained enough confidence and ability to set up his own brewery. Along with business partner Sharon Bryant, they invested in an 8-barrel kit and started production. The beers caught on really quickly because, well, they were really good. In no time he was brewing three times a week, most of the beers being sold in casks, with some being produced in kegs and bottles. I took the above photograph in July 2015 when Fixed Wheel operated a stand in Halesowen with Angel Ales of Cradley. I think it was an early Black Country Day event featuring local businesses and retailers. I remember buying a t-shirt at this early publicity/sales event, the logo featuring both breweries.

I took this photograph in September 2017 so the brewery tap was certainly operating by this time. By the following year, after only a few years years in the business, Fixed Wheel had produced around 150 different beers, some proving more popular than others. Accordingly, a core range of beers was established, with more experimental brewing supplementing the range. Most, if not all of the beers have names inspired by Scott's love of cycling. The brewery slogan was "Love to ride, love to brew."

Continued success meant an expansion of the brewery, extending into the adjacent business unit. Christopher Kay joined the brewery, bringing a wealth of experience to Fixed Wheel. He had spent several years at York Brewery and was later head brewer at the Bristol Beer Factory. His is renowned for attention to detail and his passion for brewing great beer. In 2023 Fixed Wheel took on a third brewer. Jacob Murphy is thought to be the youngest qualified brewer in the UK.

Fixed Wheel has developed bottling and canning production so you can buy their beer from afar. The beers can be tasted in the tap room which is open during Friday and Saturday [check their website for opening times]. The brewery also has a microbar in Old Hill, located in a former bank at 215 Halesowen Road. This is open throughout the week.

In 2024 Fixed Wheel Brewery will be celebrating 10 years of brewing.

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Blackheath Stout is my favourite in the core range of ales produced by Fixed Wheel Brewery. Well, I do like a dark beer. Besides, at 5.0%, it is generally stronger than most of the other cask beers on offer in the brewery tap or the Wheelie Thirsty micropub. But it is not just me who thinks this is a tremendous beer - it was voted the 2020 Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain by CAMRA. The full-bodied fruity stout is dedicated to the home of the Blackheath brewery, is produced with New Zealand and English hops to give an oaky bitterness and a dark fruits finish.

Going for a more uniform approach at the pumps, the pump clip of Through And Off has changed but I have retained the original design as it outlines the basic principles of Through And Off or, as the old lags like to call it, Bit And Bit. By rotating and taking turns at the front, riders can achieve a faster average speed whilst conserving energy by staying out of the wind when it is somebody else's turn at the front of the chain gang. In my personal experience, it is 'orrible when one moves up the line to take a turn when already suffering. However, within a minute or so, the pain is all over and is rewarded by another break behind the others. This session IPA is intense and tropical. Sustained impressions of citrus and very ripe mango, with notes of orchard fruit and pine needles throughout, Through And Off is hopped with Citra, Dana, and Comet. A nice recovery drink after a good workout.

Wheelie Pale is Fixed Wheel's easy-drinking house pale. Sweet malts with hints of citrus and melon feature amid a combination of Citra, Blanc, Magnum and Cardinal hops.

A chain reaction of ingredients brings this pale ale brewed with an English base malt and two big American hops, giving orange and citrus flavours, a chainmaker's session dream.

Inspired by the fixed wheel couriers of the West Coast, this American-inspired IPA has no brakes and is packed full of classic American hops delivering upfront fruity citrus flavours. English malts add some balance to the hops with a touch of sweetness.

Available in casks throughout the year, Century Gold is a bright golden ale brewed with Maris Otter, lager malt and wheat. The beer has a balanced body with a slight sweetness and is blasted with Magnum, Centennial and Citra hops, giving layers of citrus and lemon, providing a big fruity long-lasting finish. Just the job after a 100-mile ride.

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Fixed Wheel Brewery have produced a lot of seasonal and monthly special beers. I do not have all the pump clips for these but have included a selection of what I have with some background information on the name, along with tasting notes. I imagine that the vast majority of their customers do not have a clue about cycling but I love the concept. Also, I suspect that some recipes are duplicated for different monthly specials. For example, I am sure The Sheriff came back as Queen of Roubaix. All good fun.

Mister Tom was Fixed Wheel's monthly special during September 2019. The beer was named in honour of Tom Simpson, a pioneer in terms of a UK cyclist enjoying success on the continent. His heyday was in the early-mid 1960s when he won De Ronde van Vlaanderen and the hearts of Belgian cycling fans. Born in County Durham but brought up in Nottinghamshire, he was voted BBC Sports Personality Of The Year in 1965 after he had won the Giro di Lombardia and the coveted rainbow jersey at the World Road Race Championships. The pump clip is in the trade colours of Peugeot-BP-Englebert, the team for whom Tom Simpson rode to victory in Bordeaux-Paris and the 1964 edition of Milan-San Remo. At the age of 29 he died on Mont Ventoux during the 1967 Tour de France. A memorial near the spot where he died has become a place of pilgrimage for cyclists. Indeed, I have paid my respects at the memorial myself. As for the beer, it was a bright golden ale brewed with Maris Otter, lager malt and wheat with a balanced body that had some slight sweetness, followed by layers of tropical fruit and pine.

Fixed Wheel went all orange in August 2021 by launching their monthly guest ale, The Cannibal, the nickname of Dutch cycling superstar Marianne Vos. She is regarded as the best and most successful female rider to date. Her successes have come in Road, Track, Cyclocross and Mountain Biking, and she became an Olympic, World, European and Dutch champion across all these disciplines. Off the bike, Vos has also been a key player in the evolution of women's cycling. She was appointed to the UCI Athlete Commission in 2011 and was part of an effort to launch the Tour de France Femmes. She won two stages and the points classification in the inaugural race held in 2022. The Cannibal tag, once bestowed on Eddy Merckx, was applied to her as she mopped up so many titles during her career. The beer was a light refreshing pale ale brewed with Chinook, Citra and Centennial hops. Lush grapefruit and citrus flavours sat on top of the sweet malts.

Fixed Wheel will probably have to produce a new version of this Session IPA. The brewery named their February 2022 beer to celebrate the victories of Tom Pidcock who had just won the rainbow jersey after his victory in the elite Cyclocross World Championships. Later in 2022 he won his first stage in the Tour de France, winning at the summit of L'Alpe d'Huez, a shrine of world cycling. He achieved this after one of the most audacious descents on the Col du Galibier, the filming of which went viral. A winner of an Olympic Gold Medal in the mountain biking event of 2020, Tom Pidcock displayed all of his off-road skills in March 2023 during another daring downhill section and solo breakaway to win the highly prestigious Strade Bianche, a race held on Tuscan white roads. This beer was only 3.8% so was as light as the diminutive Yorkshire cyclist. It was a refreshing session IPA brewed with Chinook, Cascade and Citra hops. The aroma was of citrus and melon, following through to a layered profile of sweet citrus fruits, culminating in a satisfying sweet finish.

Celebrating the Isle of Man sprinter Mark Cavendish, this beer first appeared in June 2019 but made a comeback in June 2023, just in time for the Manx Missile's return to the Tour de France after being left out the year before by Patrick Lefevere, head of the Quickstep cycling team. Just for a few seconds it appeared that Mark Cavendish would claim a record-breaking 35th stage win in La Grande Boucle, only for his chain to jump, allowing Jasper Philipsen to nip in front as the finish line approached. Just to confirm that cycling can be a cruel sport, in the following day's stage, Cav crashed out of the race with a broken collarbone. My personal memory of Cav is him taking time to speak to me as he cycled around the Great Orme during the Tour of Britain. What a legend. Fixed Wheel's homage to the cycling great was a summer rye ale hopped with American equinox and cascade, delivering a refreshing tropical fruity flavour upfront with a juicy lasting citrus sweet finish.

Well I guess that a beer honouring Sean Kelly could only be a stout. The Eurosport commentator would probably have predicted that the beer was "going to be an interesting one." Born and raised in County Waterford, King Kelly would become one of the greatest Classics riders of all time. He is adored by Belgian cycling fans because he rode like a true Flandrian. The tough, often ruthless, cyclist also won Paris-Nice seven years in a row - yes, nobody else got a look in for an incredible seven years. During his distinguished career he won nine Monument Classics, though he regrets that the Ronde van Vlaanderen eluded him. He finished second on three occasions but it was the one race he wanted to win more than any other. He would probably have swapped his victory in the 1988 Vuelta a España for those moments on the top step of the podium in Flanders. First appearing in February 2019, this beer was a creamy smooth, easy to drink stout. It featured light notes of roast and chocolate aromas throughout, followed by a big piney hop finish. King Kelly reappeared on the pumps in April 2022.

Beryl Burton, the woman who won seven world titles, was born in Halton. It is not a million miles from Pontefract, the place famous as a centre of production for liquorice, so I guess this beer is apposite. However, Beryl Burton worked on a farm in the so-called Rhubarb Triangle. She was an incredible cyclist, not only the equal of male riders, but often beating them hands down. On the domestic time trial scene, she was almost unbeatable, winning the British Best All-Rounder Competition in 1959 and holding the title for a total of 25 consecutive years. Her daughter, Denise, was also a superb cyclist and won the UK women's national road race in 1976, a year after winning a pursuit bronze medal at the 1975 World Championships in Belgium.

With Scott Povey being a time-triallist, it was perhaps inevitable he would name a beer to celebrate of the great TT specialists of the domestic scene. A self-confessed geek and obsessive, Michael Hutchinson has shared his passion in magazines like Cycling Weekly, in addition to punditry on television, radio and podcasts. A cyclist that constantly attempted to shave milliseconds off existing records, Dr. Hutch [who does have a doctorate] was a record holder of 10, 25, 30, 50 and 100-mile competitions. I should think that Scott raced in some of the events in which Hutch competed. The Irishman is also noted for his three consecutive Brompton World Champion titles.

The Black Cyclone first appeared as a guest ale for October 2019. The beer celebrated the life of Major Taylor, an incredible sprinter who rose from poverty to become one of the most famous track cyclists in the United States. Born Marshall Walter Taylor in 1878, he was the son of a Kentucky slave who fought for the Union in the Civil War. He gained the name Major after wearing a military uniform to perform bike stunts in front of a cycle store. He developed his cycling skills as a paper boy. The bike shop in Chicago gave him a job and entered him in a bike race. He would go on to smash world records despite facing bitter and violent racism from fellow riders, spectators and the media. He moved to Europe where he won the majority of races he entered, thus cementing his reputation as the fastest cyclist in the world. This classic style beer was brewed with Fixed Wheel's natural hard water profile and lots of dark speciality malts with the addition of milk sugar to achieve a full-bodied creamy and delicious Milk Stout, dark black in appearance with a creamy head, milky chocolate topped off with monsoon Malabar coffee.

Peto, or technically "Pet'o" is one of four nicknames applied to the Slovakian cycling superstar Peter Sagan. He is also known as "Peter The Great," "Three-Pete" and "Tourminator." It is hard to imagine that any rider will equal his record of seven-time winner of the points classification in the Tour de France. An absolute beast on the bike, he also won the World Championship road race three times in a row. His glittering palmares also includes wins in Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Cycling fans loved him for his showmanship, creating different forms of winning celebrations and for pulling wheelies on horrendous hill climbs.

GVA is a nickname of Belgian cyclist Greg Van Avermaet. A classics specialist and puncheur, the peak of his success came in 2017 when, as Olympic Road Race Champion, he won Paris-Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. His form that year was white hot. He graced the roads of the UK in 2018 when winning the Tour de Yorkshire. He was born into a cycling-mad family. His father was also a professional cyclist. He was even named after the American cyclist Greg LeMond. Voted Belgian Sportsman of the Year in 2016, GVA is an Honorary Citizen of Dendermonde in East Flanders.

On sale in April 2020, Queen Vic was not named after the Eastenders pub but brewed to honour Victoria Pendleton, the former Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth track cycling champion. She may have won more gold medals but her career coincided with that of the Australian Anna Meares. Becoming a pin-up celebrity, she appeared on a number of television programmes including "Strictly Come Dancing." She later turned to horse-racing and achieved an ambition to ride in the Foxhunter Chase at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival, a race in which she finished a creditable fifth.

This was Fixed Wheel's special ale for July 2019, the month in which Geraint Thomas set about defending his title of Tour de France winner. We were there at the start of the race in Brussels. In the end he had to content with second place, the victory going to his team mate Egan Bernal. He was again on the podium at Paris in 2022 when G-Whizz Pale Ale made another appearance on the handpulls. However, aside from his many achievements on the road, the Welshman won three World Championships and two Olympic gold medals on the track. Why only an OBE? He should be knighted!.

Making its appearance in December 2019 and in time for Christmas, this red ale was dedicated to a man who will probably never have to buy a beer again in Belgian where he is a legend. Not only did he ride for Quick-Step Floors, he would generally wipe the floor with his opponents in the big one-day races. Winning the World Championship road race in 2005, he went on to victory in Paris-Roubaix 4 times and the Tour of Flanders on three occasions. If it were not for the likes of Fabian Cancellara and Peter Sagan he would have mopped up the racing calendar. Winner of the points classification in the 2007 Tour de France, the Belgian was banned from the following year's event, not for taking performance-enhancing drugs but for testing positive for cocaine. This was all part of his millionaire playboy lifestyle in Monaco. Tornado Tom was an inviting red ale for the festive period, crisp with hints of citrus and pine sat atop a smooth sweet malt body.

Celebrating the achievements of Kenyan-born Chris Froome, this pale ale with sweet citrus grapefruit overtones was available during May 2019. I guess we will never know how many Grand Tour wins Froomie would have racked up. He had to battle to regain his former greatness following a crash when training for the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2019, the same month that this beer was sold in Blackheath. Froomie broke numerous bones, including his pelvis, femur and four ribs. Amazingly, the four-time winner of the Tour de France, recovered to the point of returning to the pro peloton during the following year. However, he could not regain his magic and was often seen dangling off the back, a sad sight for his many fans.

Lizzie The Shadow Aug 19 Whitey Danish Dynamite Aero Bullet May 2023 Notes G Beryl Hutch Peto GVA Queen Vic

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Fixed Wheel's beer for April 2023 hit the pumps just in time for the Ardennes Classics. Perhaps they should have named their beer the Murder Wheel to celebrate the painful ascent of the Mur de Huy in Wallonia. You have to love the pump clip. Well, as someone with a penchant for going uphill on my bike it ticks my boxes. I imagine the sight of such a jersey would make hill-climbing guru, Simon Warren, go all weak at the knees. Clocking in at a mere 4.2%, this was a lovely light and refreshingly pleasant Session IPA. Pale in colour, the ale was hopped with Cascade, Amarillo and Citra hops. The aroma upfront was of citrus and orange fruits, leading to a sweet citrus flavour throughout. I wish they had gone for a double digit ABV then we could have had tasting notes along the lines of "Looked awful, struggled to lift the glass, my right arm turning my elbow crank at a pitiful pace. It was a heavy going beer that was painful to conquer, but after emptying the glass there was a deep sense of euphoria.

Queen of Roubaix was available throughout March 2023. The cycling jersey on the pump clip was in Italian colours as the beer was named after Elisa Longo Borghini who won the 2022 edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes. She finished solo on the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux at Roubaix after attacking more than 30 kilometres from the finish line. Her Palmares also includes wins in De Ronde van Vlaanderen in 2015 and Strade Bianche in 2017. Clocking in at 4.5%, this was a light-bodied pale ale, flavoured with Italian white grape juices. There were refreshing notes of melon, lemon and grapefruit throughout, falling into a lasting sweet finish.

Fixed Wheel's Cask Special for July 2022 was named in honour of Tadej Pogačar who, in our book at least, is the most exciting bike racer of all-time. For a variety of reasons, he has come unstuck in the Tour de France on two occasions, but few other pro cyclists have lit up bike races like the Slovenian superstar and all-round nice guy. We were at the finish line to see him triumph in the 2023 Ronde van Vlaanderen after he had put in a devastating attack to defeat Mathieu van der Poel. Three big juicy American hops of El Dorado, Cascade and Equinox got jam packed into Fixed Wheel's brewing system to deliver a lovely refreshing tropical Session IPA featuring bold tropical fruits of pineapple and mango.

The controversial Danish cyclist Bjarne Riis was officially dubbed The Eagle from Herning. However, Fixed Wheel went for the risky title of Mr. 60% for their guest ale of February 2019. Riis did not pick up the nickname for winning the Tour de France with sixty per cent of his head being bald, but rather for his reported high hematocrit count. Indeed, a soigneur with Telekom reportedly stated on Belgian television that Riis once recorded a hematocrit of 64%. Little wonder that he won the tour in 1996, though most of his rivals were also doping. Following several people of the Telekom team confessing to their drug use, Riis finally owned up in 2007. The concoction used by Fixed Wheel combined a complimentary mixture of USA Eukanot and Citra hops that cranked up the juice in this pale IPA. The abundance of citrus and papaya aromas sat pleasantly on the nose, leaving the drinker feeling utterly refreshed with its super sweet finish. So far I have heard no reports of drinkers winning bike races after drinking this beer. Riis himself may have been on the pop when he famously threw his time trial bike into a field during the 1997 Tour de France.

The pump clip for Fixed Wheel's special ale for October 2022 was in the Welsh national colours as it celebrated the achievements of Nicole Cooke, the former Commonwealth, Olympic and World road race champion. Indeed, at Beijing in 2008 she became the first British woman to win a Gold Olympic medal in any cycling discipline. I even bought the production version of the Boardman bike frame on which she rode to victory. I still have it and it bears the signature of Chris Boardman. Swansea-born Nicole Cooke, mixed cycling with her academic life but turned professional in 2002. During the following year she won numerous international races, including victories in La Flèche Wallonne Féminine and the Amstel Gold Race. A successful career hit a peak in 2008 when she became the first cyclist to become the road race World Champion and Olympic gold medallist in the same year. She retired early from professional cycling and during her press conference she was outspoken about "every aspect of corruption in professional cycling, from doping to gross gender inequality." She has since campaigned for gender equality in sport and also for stronger investigatory powers for the anti-doping bodies. The beer bearing her nickname was brewed with Fixed Wheel's naturally hard water profile. Lots of dark specialty malts with the addition of milk sugar achieved a full-bodied creamy and delicious Milk Stout. It was dark black in appearance with a creamy head.

First available in January 2019, Stuey Australian Pale was the first beer to be brewed as part of Fixed Wheel's cyclist-themed beer range with jersey pump clips. It was produced in time for the Tour Down Under and named after Stuart 'Stuey' O'Grady, the Aussie sprint specialist who competed in the Tour de France on 17 occasions, though he tarnished his record with admitting to using EPO for the 1998 edition. The beer was a bold juicy ale hopped with Galaxy and Enigma.

This beer is named after the Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde. His nickname is Balaverde, or The Green Bullet. However, that is about as much as I want to say about this cheat. It is one thing to dope but he should never have been allowed to compete again after being banned for two years following the Operación Puerto blood doping investigation. If he had owned up and apologised perhaps he could be forgiven but he refused to do this. Just to compound our dislike of him, he went on to wear the coveted rainbow jersey. Where is the justice? The only pundit that I have heard criticising him is Gary Imlach. If he doesn't like him then we are happy to join in.

Well, one way of getting around the awkward Lance Armstrong name, apart from ignoring the man, is to have a beer named after his shop "Mellow Johnny's". Armstrong owned the shop in downtown Austin, Texas. He once remarked: "That bike shop's called Mellow Johnny's .... It is hands down the coolest bike shop in the world". Armstrong described that the shop was a big open space and the people working there were amazing. The man stripped of his Tour de France crowns stated that "naming the bike shop Mellow Johnny's was a play on the words Mayo Jean. Launched in November 2019, this beer was big, bold and brash! A triple hop combination of Citra, Eureka and Equinox brought a juicy hop bomb, saturated with layers of citrus, lemon, orange peel and pine.

Sometimes I wonder if the imbibers of Fixed Wheel's beers actually know the story behind the names. The Durango Kid refers to one of the lesser-known stars of the professional peloton, Sepp Kuss. I say lesser-known only in terms on non-cycling fans. Those who follow cycling know that this American rider has been the kingpin of Grand Tour victories for Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard. I often call him Jonas's Bitch as he has helped the Danish rider on so many steep uphill climbs. Kuss is what is known as a "Super Domestique," a rider that would be a team leader in another professional team but opts to assist others amid the conquests of Team Jumbo-Visma. In this role he still requires a croupier stick to collect his wages. He is such an instrumental part of the Jumbo-Visma camp, they pay him big bucks to deliver their superstars to the finish line. Kuss hails from the Colorado town of Durango - hence the nickname that he picked up when trouncing everybody as a youth in his mountain bike days. This American IPA was the cask special for August 2023. It brought a classic American Colorado triple hop combination of Cascade, Chinook, and Nugget. It was a big juicy hop bomb, saturated with layers of citrus, lemon, orange peel and pine.

A teenager who is not old enough to drink has become the UK's youngest brewer at just 17 years-old - and he can't wait for his birthday next month to order a pint of his own beer. Jacob Murphy became fascinated with brewing after he visited the Guinness Storehouse during a family holiday to Dublin when he was ten. Two years ago he started working part-time at the Fixed Wheel Brewery mixing up the hops and malt. He impressed owner Scott Povey so much he has now been offered an apprenticeship, making him the UK's youngest professional brewer. Jacob said: "I just remember I really got interested in brewing beer after that trip to the Guinness factory in Dublin. I really loved all the smells and stuff and seeing all the barrels. It got me into it." He also remarked: "When I was 15 I started emailing brewers near me and Scott replied. I did a brewery tour and did a few days experience to get used to the working environment." Jacob has now been taken on full-time and works alongside the company's two other brewers. He added: "All of my friends went to college, a few do music, but none of them are doing anything similar to what I'm doing in the brewery. I'm now crafting my own IPA, the Neo Pro, which I opted for over a stout as it's approaching summer. Every month we do cask specials then I think we have nine that are house beers that we brew all the time. We do a keg special every now and again." He added: "Originally I wanted to brew a stout but we're heading into the summer so I wanted to brew something nice and hoppy, that I would enjoy drinking." Jacob's workmates are planning a big bash to celebrate his 18th birthday on June 11th. He said: "It would be quite nice for the first official pint that I drink to be my own beer. Hearing someone come up and order my beer that I've made is really gratifying, just knowing that people like something that I'm doing. It's going to be really cool on my birthday, we've got over 100 people coming. It's going to be summer so we can go outside." He stated that "Turning 18 will also have advantages for my career because at the moment I'm too young to sample beers when I attend brewing events. I can't wait to come up with some more ales. It's been a rollercoaster career already and I've barely even started."
"Country's youngest brewer is not old enough to drink his own beer" by Neil Shaw for Wales Online : May 19th 2023

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"Stephanie Jones, right, head of new business at Fixed Wheel Brewery, with Martin and Kelly Mountford from Chainmaker's Fish and Chips Shop, Colley Gate, Halesowen as they launch their new beer.

A new beer has been brewed especially for a fish and chip shop in Halesowen. Customers can now grab some food from Chainmaker's Fish and Chips Shop in Colley Gate before heading to the Nisa Local shop next door to buy the new Chainmaker's Pale Ale. Just 200 bottles of the new ale have been brewed by Fixed Wheel Brewery in Blackheath, and it launched officially on November 1st. Stephanie Jones, head of new business at the brewery, said she hopes the brewery will continue to work with other local businesses. She said: "We brewed the beer especially for them and named it after them. I knew the owner and I approached him, I thought it would be a good opportunity to work with local businesses. It's something I haven't seen other breweries do." She added: "The owner decided that our beer Chain Reaction was the one, so we sent out a similar list of ingredients with tasting notes and he said it sounded perfect. We brewed the beer for them and have bottled up 200 to start with and if they go we will then brew more. They're going to be sold at the Nisa shop next door, people can buy their fish and chips and then grab a beer. They went on sale on November 1st and so far it's going really well." Stephanie said the beer was brewed with "an English-based malt and two big American hops giving orange and citrus flavours which compliment a trusty fish and chips."
"New beer brewed for chip shop in Halesowen"
by Jordan Reynolds in Halesown News : November 7th 2018