Thurstons Brewery started life in the kitchen of The Crown pub in Horsell in 2012 and while their ambitions have since soared they still haven’t moved very far – next door, in fact

Great British Life: Thurstons on tour at Ripley Farmers' MarketThurstons on tour at Ripley Farmers' Market (Image: Archant)

Thurstons Brewery

The Horsell Brewing Company, 102c High Street, Horsell, Surrey GU21 4ST

Tel: 01483 729555

Web: www.thurstonsbrewery.co.uk

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Person interviewed: John Mintram, co-founder

Your best-seller? Our best selling beer is Horsell Gold at 3.8%. I think it goes down well because it’s a light easy drinking session beer.

Your personal fave? As there are three of us working at the brewery, there are three answers to this. George’s favourite is the milk stout, because he likes a full bodied dark beer; Simon likes Chobham Treacle because of its complex taste structure; and I like our Saison because I’m quite into Belgium-style beers, and it is the best most refreshing beer straight from the fridge on a hot summer’s day,

Your most unique? Chobham Treacle. It’s our winter warmer at 5% and we add treacle from the Chobham Treacle Mines* into the boil which gives the beer a full and complex flavour.

*not really, but we love the legend of the Chobham Treacle Mines!

One you wish was yours… Doom Bar, because they sell 18,000 tubs a week. Well it would be nice to sell 18,000 tubs of beer a week wouldn’t it?!

What’s next stage for your brewery? We are always looking at new beers, and have a couple planned for this year. Our bottled range is always growing too. Expansion is also in the planning stages at the moment, but hopefully not too far away.

Finally, where’s the best place for people to try your beer? The Crown Horsell is our tap room by default, as we started our brewing in the kitchen. The beer is ever changing as thankfully the locals get through it quite quickly. We also supply quite a few other local outlets, the White Hart in Chobham, The Half Moon in Windlesham, The Inn @ West End, The Fox at Fox Corner, The Jolly Sailor in Farnham, The Thyme at the Tavern in Chertsey, to mention a few. Not forgetting Cellar Magneval in Woking, as our saison is their house beer and they are the reason we brew it.

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