SWAN Brewery was named the winner of the Best Brewer category, as sponsored by NFU Mutual.

Jimmy Swan and Gill Bullock collected the award from Sonia Owens of NFU Mutual.

The runner-up was Wobbly Brewery Company, which is based in Tillington Road, Hereford.

Jimmy from Swan Brewery said: “It’s really important to promote county food and drink. I think we really like being rooted in the community. We deliver within about 30 miles of Leominster.

“We love to do things which relate to the local community. We love being part of the local community. With rural areas it is really important.”

Swan Brewery is based at Leominster Rural Enterprise Centre in Brunel Road in Leominster.

Gill said: “It mainly sits really well with what we are like as people anyway. I look around [at the awards] and I think we buy all this produce and shop there, and drink that cider.”

They held a tasting recently and had stalls at the day from local producers selling their goods.

Permanent cask ales are Swan Gold 4%, a refreshing golden ale, and Ruffled Feathers 3.8%, a crisp, bright ale, plus two seasonal specials.

A selection of ales is available in bottles.

Gill and Jimmy are committed to a sustainable approach to their brewing business; this has been recognised with their receipt of the Society of Independent Brewers Green Business of the Year award.

Gill said: “All our ales are brewed with water, malted barley, hops and yeast. The water is Leominster water which undergoes burtonisation, the addition of gypsum to bring it to the perfect level of hardness for the brewing process.

“The barley is grown in the east of England which is where the best brewing barley is raised. About 80 per cent of the hops that we brew with are grown in Herefordshire, from hop yards in Dilwyn, Ashperton, Bosbury and Munderfield, for example.

“Locally grown hop varieties include Fuggles, Goldings, Instone, Olicana, Cascade, Challenger, Admiral and Jester.”

Cask ales are delivered directly to pubs, clubs and festivals within a radius reaching to Craven Arms, Llandrindod Wells, Ross-on-Wye and Worcester.

Bottled ales and party beers are offered directly to consumers from the brewery shop open Fridays 9 am to 4 pm. They also take part in food fairs.