The only active brewery left in Chelmsford??

On a chilly Saturday morning in late January, several members of CME CAMRA gathered together to visit possibly the only active brewery remaining in Chelmsford, or, to be more accurate, Great Baddow. Located only a stone's throw from the old Baddow Brewery, we were welcomed by Hans and his father to show us around and share a beer or two. Hans Oelofse and his son Ben started brewing Blueshack beer in 2014 - named after their garden shed where the brewing was taking place. Having expanded their operation, Chelmsford Brew Co was formed in 2017 and now produce a range of beers in cask, keg and bottle form. Take a look at Blueshack Beers or Facebook for more information.

Onto the beers... We were met by the welcome sight of a tapped firkin of Port Jackson! This one is an all too rare combination of a flavoursome porter combined with a session strength ABV of 4%. A well balanced combination of malt with hints of coffee and chocolate, it was well received by this author, who purely in the interests of research, felt the need to try a couple more.

Next up was "Radio Wave", a beer brewed in the style of an "American Pale Ale" Usually, the combination of the words "American", "Pale" and "Ale" has this particular drinker beating a fast retreat, mainly due to on the admittedly few occasions I have tried an APA, I have found it akin to sucking a gooseberry, I dare say some welcome the experience, each to their own perhaps.
However, for research purposes, I was willing to give it a go. Wow! I am glad I did, yes there are citric flavours within but these are not over-powering. These are far more subtle - rather than an assault on the senses - and they leave an impression of tropical fruits more than the British gooseberry, thankfully. To me, at least, this would be an ideal beer for warmer times to come (hopefully) in spring and summer. Then again, I wasn't complaining having it in late January.

Hans is the bar manager at the Lion Inn, Boreham which has his full range of cask ales to buy at the bar without needing to have a meal. The brewery tap is the nearest outlet for the brewer's beers, hence the new tasting room at the brewery will be the brewery tap. Currently, Chelmsford Brew Co have their beers distributed by Gray & Sons as well as being available at the Lion Inn in Boreham and on occasion at the King's Head in Great Baddow. To my knowledge, bottle, casks and kegs are also available direct from the brewery, although it would be an idea to check on availability first.

Many thanks to Hans and his father for inviting us and sharing their time and beers.

IHR.