THE OLDEST brewery still in production in Malvern is setting a new standard by offering three of its craft beers for sale in cans.

And head brewer at Malvern Hills Brewery (MHB), former engineer Julian Hawthornthwaite, ingeniously designed and made his own can filling machine with help from his father Tom – a retired scientist.

MHB was established in an old quarryman’s gunpowder store in September 1998 and Julian initially started brewing as a hobby.

Using hops from a local hop merchant, the imaginative and distinctive beers often took their names from local personalities and events from the town’s past.

The beers started to become recognised and a string of awards followed due to Julian’s commitment to quality. As a beer lover, he is continually reviewing every aspect of production in order to brew fine crafted beers.

Now MHB’s popular Black Pear, Malvern Spring and Sozzled Santa are on sale in 330ml cans and will soon be available in shops across Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

MHB also sells beer in a box in nine pint, 18 pint or 36 pint quantities.

Julian said: “Once I realised that I could potentially make a canning operation right here on site, well, I just had to give it a shot.

“Canning is really better than bottling. It eliminates light and limits oxidation, it’s lighter to carry when transporting, doesn’t break easily, is easier to store, 99 per cent recyclable and, the cans chill quicker and stay colder for longer.”

He added: “These new types of cans actually hold the taste better and are more reminiscent of the beer that’s available in local pubs through a traditional hand-pull. Essentially, a can is a smaller version of a cask.”

Sales and marketing executive for MHB Frances Casey said: “These days, young people are very knowledgeable about their craft beers. They are using new apps to find out more and are quite adventurous about trying great new craft beers.

“We have lots of fans of our beers, especially our best seller – Black Pear, which is a golden premium bitter and was a past finalist in the Great British Beer Festival. We’ve been brewing it for the past 20 years now.”

She added: “We are the oldest existing brewery in Malvern and so, we have had the time to create a lot of great seasonal beers as well as developing a strong range of core beers.”

For more information about the brewery visit www.malvernhillsbrewery.co.uk. While local shops await stock of the new canned beer, beer-lovers can contact the brewery directly to buy it.