3 Peakers - Sarah, Avril, Darren & EmmaPeak Condition

Congratulations to Copper Dragon staff Sarah, Avril, Darren & Emma for completing the infamous 3-Peaks walk in a respectable time of 11 hours 5 minutes.

Despite poor weather and plenty of blisters, the quartet (who normally work from the comfort of the brewery offices) had a great day out and are even talking about trying to better their time!

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Hospitality at its best!

We were delighted to welcome Coutts & Co bankers and customers to the Copper Dragon Bar Bistro for an evening of fine food and drink.

The event went like clockwork with a tour of the state of the art brewhouse followed by an exquisite 4-course meal specially created by our chefs Karl & Marie Reader.

The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all and it really showcased the high quality of cuisine and service that we are able to offer corporate customers.

For further information on our corporate conferencing and evening packages, please contact centre manager, Amy Tenant on 01756 702130.

The Puppy Walkers Group at the Visitors CentrePuppy Power

We recently had some very special guests to the Copper Dragon Visitor Centre in the form of the North and West Yorkshire Guide Dogs for the Blind Puppy Walkers Group and their dogs.

Organiser Jean Endersby wanted the guide dog puppys to experience a social environment and where better than to visit a brewery!

The 16 dog and 40 handler party took full advantage of the Visitor Centre facilities, highlights included a tour of the new brewhouse for the handlers followed by lunch in the Bar Bistro.

Guide Dogs for the Blind is one of Copper Dragon's favourite charities and it was a pleasure to host such a special day out for a group of very special people and dogs.

Roy Dutson, Cooper demonstrating the dying art of barrel making

Craft Brewers Visit

For the first in time 3-years, the Scottish & English sections of the Craft Brewers Association selected the Copper Dragon Visitor centre as the venue for their 80-Shillings contest. We were delighted to welcome the delegates who made full use of the conference and banqueting facilities.

One of the UK's remaining coopers, Roy Dutson demomstrated to delegates the art of hand-manufacturing a traditional 9-gallon cask using only traditional materials.

The gathering was deemed a total success by all who attended and we were proud to be asked to host such a prestigious event.

The Yorkshire Hotpots (aka the girls from the office!)Skipton Gala and party @ the brewery

It's nearly a year since Copper Dragon scooped top honours at the Skipton Gala 2008 winning best float in parade. With the 2009 Gala looming (13 June), the pressure's on to beat last year's effort with our 2009 theme, the "Yorkshire Hotpots" celebrating the success of the brewery Bar/Bistro.

Party Time!

The support from everyone last year was amazing and to celebrate the occasion, the Bar Bistro will be serving food (Bar Bistro menu & Specials Board) all day from 12 noon until 8pm plus we're hosting a post-gala party/BBQ (at the brewery 4-6pm) with live music courtesy of the brewery band (free burger for the first 100 visitors). All are welcome so come and join us and we look forward to seeing you on the day.

Pippin the Dragon proudly showing off cheque in the brewhouse

Staggering Effort

Congratulations to Stuart Cracknell aka Pippin the Dragon who took part in the recent Sue Ryder 2009 Mascot Gold Cup held at Wetherby Racecourse.

Stuart took top honours by individually raising the most for Sue Ryder Care (£620.00) and was awarded an additional £50 for his efforts.

Everyone at the brewery would like to thank Stuart for his continuing support and if anyone sees Pippin, the brewery mascot out and about, don't forget to shake his hand!

Brewery beauties Becci, Avril and Sarah, at your service!

Service with a smile!

Copper Dragon are once again proud to be principal sponsors of the 3rd Skipton Beer Festival being held at Skipton Town Hall 23-25th April. All 5 of our award-winning real ales will be available on hand pull being ably dispensed by our own brewery beauties, (from the left) Becci, Avril & Sarah.

In addition to Copper Dragon, there will also be a choice of over 60 other real ales on offer plus traditional Cider & Perry, European bottled beers plus a mild ale trail and hot and cold food.

The festival is open Thurs 5-10pm, Friday 12-10pm, Sat 12-10pm. There is an entrance charge of £2 on the door (free entry for CAMRA members). For further details visit the official festival website.

Assistant Brewer Matthew Taylor & Dougie Lampkin

On the Beer Trail

Copper Dragon was delighted to welcome 12-times World Trail Bike champion, Dougie Lampkin to the Copper Dragon Visitor Center today.

Pictured above with assitant brewer Matthew Taylor, local lad Dougie originates from Silsden and is rightly recognised as one of the finest trail bike riders in the history of the sport.

Dougie took time out of his busy schedule to take a tour of the new brewhouse and pop into the bar bistro for a pint of award-winning Golden Pippin and was 'very impressed' with the exciting new Copper Dragon visitor experience.

Dougie's 2009 season can be followed by visiting his website and everyone at the brewery would like to wish him the best of luck and look forward to welcoming him and his family again soon.

Pippin Past the Post

In celebration of National Cask Ale Week, Market Town Taverns asked customers from its 10-inns to nominate their favourite pint of cask ale.

The result? Copper Dragon Golden Pippin continues to be a popular choice with North and West Yorkshire drinkers who nominated it into second place beating off stiff competition from many other regional and micro brewers.

Pippin was originally created as a seasonal ale and now accounts for more than 50% of Copper Dragon's output and demand for this light and refreshing citrus ale continues to grow.

"I'm delighted to hear the news" responded MD Steve Taylor " its a refreshing change for a supplier such as Market Town Taverns to take the bull by the horns and decide to run such a competition. Naturally we're delighted to have done so well and would like to thank everyone that voted for our beer."

Coronation Street Star Visits Copper Dragon!

Coronation Street star Reece Dinsdale has recently paid a visit to the new Copper Dragon brewery on Snaygill Industrial Estate in Skipton to compare their ales with those served up in the Rovers Return!

The 49-year-old actor, who currently plays Joe McIntyre, in the long running ITV soap, was due to open the new £4 million brewery last November but was unable to attend due to filming schedules.

“It’s great to finally have a look around and taste the wares,” admitted Reece “and I have to say the Copper Dragon range of ales are as distinctive as they are refreshing. Watch out Newton and Ridley... there's a new kid on the block!”

Copper Dragon’s Head Brewer Gordon Wilkinson escorted Reece on a tour around the new 11,000 square foot brewhouse, visitor centre and bistro facilities and commented: “Being a Yorkshireman Reece recognises the importance of the hard work and passion that goes into our hand crafted ales. We might try and become a guest ale at the most famous pub on TV to help him feel at home!”

The brewery, which includes dedicated conference facilities, bistro and a comprehensive visitor centre, is now running daily brewery tours.

Founded in 2002, Copper Dragon is the first brewery to be based in Skipton for over 100 years and supplies Best Bitter, Golden Pippin, Scots 1816, Challenger IPA and Black Gold cask ales to over 1500 pubs across the UK as well as major supermarkets and foreign markets as far afield as Australia and Russia.

Anyone interested in booking a place on the brewery tours or enquiring about conference facilities can contact Visitor Centre Manager Amy Tennant on 01756 702130 or by e-mail amy@copperdragon.uk.com.

Welcome to the Copper Dragon Visitors Centre

The brand new Copper Dragon Visitors Centre is now fully open and incorporates a superb Bar Bistro fronted by Karl & Marie Reader (formerly of The Bay Horse Inn, Fence, Lancs); Brewery Shop packed with branded Copper Dragon clothing, gifts and bottled ales and of course, our brand new Brewhouse open for public tours.

The Bar Bistro

Created to a contemporary theme, the Bar Bistro serves a range of traditional pub favourites all freshly cooked on the premises starting with breakfast at 9am through to a late lunch serving from 11.30am to 3pm.

The setting is comfortable, welcoming and the perfect place to relax and meet family, friends or work colleagues. With free WiFi available, bring your laptop and catch up with work in informal surroundings.

The Brewery Shop

The new Brewery Shop stocks all five of our bottled ales, selected Copper Dragon Wines and a range of branded clothing and gifts. So if you are a Copper Dragon fan or are looking for the ideal present or gift, look no further!

Brewery Tours

Tours of our new Brewhouse are now available Monday-Saturday 12-noon and can be pre-booked. Parties are limited to a maximum of 20-people and start and finish in the Visitors Centre.

Conference Suites

Already our two Copper Dragon conference suites are proving popular. These self-contained rooms are situated within the Visitors Centre and have a capacity of 30-delegates and can be pre-booked for either half or a full day. Fully equipped with the latest audio visual equipment, these air-conditioned rooms are perfect for any business meeting.

For details on any of the Visitor Centre facilities, please call Amy Tennant (Visitor Centre Manager) on 01756 702130 for further information.

The Best is Bottled!

Due to popular demand, from 10th November 2008 our award-winning Best Bitter ale will be available by the bottle meaning that all five of our real ales can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home.

Quality of our real ales is paramount and the newly bottled Best Bitter tastes just as good as its cask equivalent thanks to the continuing efforts of our brewers.

The bottled ale still retains all the characteristics of its cask equivalent but we have increased the ABV from 3.8% to 4.0%.

Bottles can be purchased direct from the brewery by visiting our online shop @ www.copperdragonshop.co.uk or if you are passing through Skipton, call into our brand new Visitors Centre and visit the brewery shop.

Cheers!

Commissioning Success!

The new brewhouse is now fully commissioned and production will begin very soon. The plant as well as offering much higher production volumes will also improve the already impeccable quality of our four-ales.

News of brewery tours re-commencing will be posted on the website soon once finishing touches to the new building are completed so watch this space!

Inside the Lauter Tun, Click image to view 360 Tour

Beer-hunter David Aynesworth with his 1933 Bentley called The Brigadier

Yorkshire's Perfect Pint!

Copper Dragon brewery is to be featured on ITV's "Yorkshire's Perfect Pint" to be screened on October 27th.

The programme follows David Aynesworth, an intrepid follower of “real ale” travelling the county visiting breweries both big and small in his 1930s Bentley (The Brigadier) in search of 20 beers for the Great Craven Beer Festival.

David paid Copper Dragon a visit, sampled some of the ales and got a guided tour around the new brewhouse and premises. Managing Director Steve Taylor is 'delighted that the programme-makers chose to feature Copper Dragon which is now recognised as one of the fastest-growing breweries in Yorkshire'

The Copper Dragon episode will be screened on October 27th at 10.30pm.

Filming taking place outside Copper Dragon's new offices

Testing the advanced control panel

We're nearly there!

Construction and installation of the new brewhouse and plant are now finished and we are in the process of commissioning the new plant. Full production of Copper Dragon ales from the new facilities are scheduled for October 2008. The new brewhouse offers a three-fold increase in production meaning that Copper Dragon ales will be available in more outlets than ever before.

Tours of the brand new plant will commence in October and demand for these is already high. Tours will be available twice a day (11am & 2pm) during the week and also on Saturdays. Evening Tours will be available subject to prior arrangement.

We will also be opening our brand new Copper Dragon Visitors Centre in November where visitors can shop, dine and drink Copper Dragon ales from the source! Further details of this will be published shortly.

One of the new brewing vessels

Bottle beater

Copper Dragon has beaten over two hundred competitors to become a finalist in one of the most fiercely contended competitions in the beer industry, The Sainburys Beer Competition.

The brewery’s Scotts 1816 bottled ale has been chosen by an expert panel of industry judges along with 15 other finalists to take part in the final stages of the Sainsbury’s Beer Competition. The award for getting to this stage... a 40,000 bottle contract for Scotts to be sold in Sainsbury’s stores nationwide until September.

The subsequent two best-selling varieties will then be crowned overall winners, securing a contract to sell their beer in selected Sainsbury’s supermarkets for at least six months.

For many brewers like Copper Dragon, this is a once in a lifetime chance to showcase their ales on a national stage.  Head Brewer Gordon Wilkinson who brews Scotts 1816 says; “We jumped at the opportunity to take part in this competition and see getting to the final as a great reward for our team, whose commitment to producing great Beer has been unfailing.”

Sainsbury’s Beer buyer, Nic Storey says; “The Sainsbury’s Beer Competition will not only encourage customers to try something new but has allowed us to work with some of the most enthusiastic and passionate suppliers in the sector.  The competition is a great way to recognise their dedication by raising national awareness of some regional specialities and ultimately increase their production and sales.”

An aerial view of the new brewhouse as the flooring is laid

Not long to go now!

Work on the Copper Dragon new brewhouse and visitors centre continues despite recent appalling weather conditions. Construction of the brewhouse is nearly completed and as shown above, the finishing touches are being added which include the special heavy-duty flooring and advanced electrical systems.

As we speak, the brew plant is on it's way to the UK from manufacturers, Bavarian Brewing Technologies, with installation scheduled to begin on Monday, 25th August. The grain hoppers are being constructed on-site (below) and if everything goes according to plan, the new brewhouse will be making its first pint by the end of September 2008. Highlight of the week was the installation of the giant Copper Dragon Brewhouse signage which passers-by can't miss!

Keep watching this space for latest brewhouse news and thank you to everyone who has contacted us and shown their interest and support for this exciting project.

The grain hopper silos being constructed

The giant new Brewhouse signage

The new racking area looking through to the brewhouse

A view of the Brewhouse with new flooring

New Brewhouse Plant

New Ownership!

Copper Dragon brewery are delighted to announce that the famous Bluebell Inn, Kettlewell is now being run under Copper Dragon Estates management. We would like to extend a warm welcome to its loyal customers and Bluebell manager, Dean and his staff plan to build upon the Bluebell's long established tradition of offering fine food and well-kept Copper Dragon ales to all it's customers.  

Beer, Hockey Sticks and Pigtails!

Every year Copper Dragon takes part in the Skipton Gala and 2008 was no exception despite a very cold and rainy June day!

Loaded up with bottles of beer, St Trinians-clad girls and friends of the brewery, the 'Girls Aloud' themed float headed off into Skipton rocking to the on-board sounds of T-Rex tribute band, Total Wrex!

The weather didn't manage to damp anyone's spirits and the passion and effort of all was recognised by the float being awarded 1st place in the float competition by the Mayor and Mayoress of Skipton.

Highlight of the day was a procession through the centre of town led by one of the brewery drays and of course, Pippin, the Copper Dragon mascot who was collecting money from the public for local charities.

Brewery Marketing Director, Ruth Bennett was impressed by how easily the office girls managed to transform themselves into St Trinian schoolgirls and adapt to the role! The sight of hockey sticks, short skirts and pigtails putting a smile on many a face!

We would like to thank all the friends and staff of the brewery for making the day such a success and an even bigger thanks to all the public and Copper Dragon supporters who generously gave money supporting local Skipton charities.

Next year, who knows, perhaps Doctors and Nurses!

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