Tring Brewery

Tring Brewery Co. is an independent brewery based in Tring, Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom. Richard Shardlow established the brewery in 1992 after gaining experience with Greene King, Ruddles and Devenish. The business later expanded its leadership in 2000, when Andrew Jackson, formerly associated with Whitbread, joined as joint director. That same year the brewery introduced Side Pocket for a Toad, which became its flagship beer and one of the products most closely associated with the Tring name. The brewery operates from Dunsley Farm in Tring and is particularly known in the Home Counties for cask-conditioned ales. Its portfolio covers several traditional British beer styles, including bitters, pale ales, stout, mild and barley wine. The regular range includes Side Pocket for a Toad, Ridgeway Bitter, Colley's Dog, Brock Bitter, Drop Bar Pale Ale, Tea Kettle Stout, Pale Four, Moongazing, Death Or Glory Barley Wine and Mansion Mild. In addition to these permanent beers, Tring Brewery produces five seasonal ales each year and introduces a monthly special throughout the calendar year. A defining feature of the brand is its use of local Hertfordshire stories and folklore in beer names and product identity. This gives the brewery a strong regional character rather than positioning it as a mass-market national lager producer. The beers are presented within the tradition of British real ale, with cask service and varied strength and style providing the central product proposition. Tring Brewery has received recognition in regional and national beer competitions. Jack O'Legs won a CAMRA East Anglia Region Silver Award and a CAMRA Hertfordshire Gold Award in 2001. Side Pocket for a Toad received a SIBA East Anglia Region Silver Award in 2002, while Colley's Dog won CAMRA East Anglia Region Overall Silver in 2004 and became a finalist at the Great British Beer Festival in 2005. These awards helped establish the brewery's reputation among real-ale consumers and beer organizations. The available reference material does not identify a parent company, public listing, ownership group or overseas operating structure. The brewery's public identity remains closely linked to Tring and the surrounding Hertfordshire market, with its range, naming conventions and awards emphasizing regional independent brewing.

Tring Brewery Co. was founded in 1992 in Tring, Hertfordshire, by Richard Shardlow. Before establishing the brewery, Shardlow had worked with established British brewing companies including Greene King, Ruddles and Devenish. His background provided experience in the production and commercial traditions of British beer, which shaped Tring Brewery's focus on cask ales and a varied traditional range. The brewery subsequently developed at Dunsley Farm in Tring. Its location became an important part of the brand's identity, with the brewery presenting itself as a local Hertfordshire producer rather than as a geographically anonymous beer manufacturer. The core range uses names connected with Hertfordshire folklore and local stories, reinforcing the relationship between the beers and their place of origin. A significant development occurred in 2000, when Andrew Jackson, who had previously worked with Whitbread, joined the business as joint director. In the same year, Tring Brewery launched Side Pocket for a Toad. The beer later became the brewery's flagship offering and helped define its identity in the regional real-ale market. Tring's production has centered on cask-conditioned ales across several styles. Its regular beers include bitters such as Ridgeway Bitter and Brock Bitter, pale ales such as Drop Bar Pale Ale and Pale Four, the stout Tea Kettle Stout, the mild Mansion Mild, the stronger Death Or Glory Barley Wine, and other named ales including Colley's Dog and Moongazing. The brewery also produces five seasonal ales annually and a monthly special, allowing it to supplement the permanent range with rotating products. The brewery's competition record includes several CAMRA and SIBA distinctions. Jack O'Legs received a CAMRA East Anglia Region Silver Award and a CAMRA Hertfordshire Gold Award in 2001. Side Pocket for a Toad won a SIBA East Anglia Region Silver Award in 2002. Colley's Dog received CAMRA East Anglia Region Overall Silver in 2004 and was a finalist at the Great British Beer Festival in 2005. These results provide evidence of recognition within the regional and specialist beer community. The supplied reference material contains no information establishing a later acquisition, parent company, stock-market listing or change in the brewery's operating identity. Its documented history is therefore primarily that of an independent Tring brewery built around local provenance, traditional cask production and a broad rotating beer range.

1. 2005Colley's Dog reaches GBBF final

   Colley's Dog became a finalist at the Great British Beer Festival.

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2. 2004Colley's Dog wins CAMRA regional award

   Colley's Dog won CAMRA East Anglia Region Overall Silver.

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3. 2002Side Pocket for a Toad receives SIBA recognition

   Side Pocket for a Toad won a SIBA East Anglia Region Silver Award.

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4. 2001Jack O'Legs receives regional awards

   Jack O'Legs won CAMRA East Anglia Region Silver and CAMRA Hertfordshire Gold awards.

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5. 2000Andrew Jackson joins as joint director

   Andrew Jackson, formerly of Whitbread, became joint director of the brewery.

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6. 2000Side Pocket for a Toad launched

   The brewery introduced Side Pocket for a Toad, which became its flagship beer.

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7. 1992Brewery founded

   Richard Shardlow established Tring Brewery in Tring, Hertfordshire, drawing on previous experience with Greene King, Ruddles and Devenish.

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Independent Hertfordshire craft and real-ale brewery emphasizing cask beers, traditional British styles, seasonal variety and local folklore.

• Side Pocket for a ToadCask ale2000

  A 3.6% beer launched in 2000 and identified as Tring Brewery's flagship offering. Its distinctive name reflects the brewery's broader practice of connecting products with local Hertfordshire folklore and gives the beer a prominent place in the brewery's regional identity.

• Ridgeway BitterBitter

  A 4.0% bitter in the brewery's regular range. It represents Tring's emphasis on traditional British cask styles and forms part of the core selection offered alongside pale ales, stout, mild and stronger specialty beers.

• Colley's DogStrong ale

  A 5.2% regular beer and one of Tring Brewery's best-recognized competition products. It won CAMRA East Anglia Region Overall Silver in 2004 and was a Great British Beer Festival finalist in 2005, providing the beer with notable recognition in the specialist ale market.

• Brock BitterBitter

  A 3.7% bitter included in Tring Brewery's regular selection. It sits within the brewery's traditional cask-focused portfolio and complements the stronger Colley's Dog and the brewery's pale ale offerings.

• Drop Bar Pale AlePale ale

  A 4.0% pale ale in the permanent range. The beer broadens the brewery's offering beyond bitters while retaining the cask-ale orientation associated with Tring Brewery.

• Tea Kettle StoutStout

  A 4.7% stout that provides a darker style within the regular portfolio. Its inclusion demonstrates the brewery's production of multiple traditional British beer categories rather than a single signature style.

• Pale FourPale ale

  A 4.6% pale ale included in the regular range. It is one of several beers that gives Tring Brewery a choice of moderately strong, cask-oriented pale styles.

• MoongazingAle

  A 4.2% beer in the brewery's regular portfolio. Like other Tring products, its distinctive name contributes to the brand's characterful naming system and its emphasis on a local, independent identity.

• Death Or Glory Barley WineBarley wine

  A 7.2% barley wine and the strongest named beer in the documented regular range. It adds a high-strength, traditional specialty style to a portfolio otherwise centered largely on bitters, pale ales and other sessionable cask beers.

• Mansion MildMild

  A 3.7% mild that represents one of Britain's traditional lower-strength ale styles. Its presence in the regular range reinforces Tring Brewery's commitment to breadth within classic cask beer categories.

• Seasonal alesSeasonal beer range

  Tring Brewery produces five seasonal ales each year. The rotating seasonal program supplements the permanent portfolio and allows the brewery to vary its offer over the course of the brewing calendar.

• Monthly specialsLimited and rotating beer range

  The brewery produces a special beer for each calendar month. These releases create a recurring source of limited or changing products alongside the core beers and annual seasonal ales.

• 2000Launch of Side Pocket for a ToadProduct launch

  Tring Brewery was developing its regional portfolio after Andrew Jackson joined as joint director.

  What changed. The brewery introduced Side Pocket for a Toad at 3.6% alcohol by volume.

  Aftermath. The beer became the brewery's flagship offering and later received a SIBA East Anglia Region Silver Award in 2002.

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1. Tring Brewery
2. Tring Brewery official website