Gun Brewery
Microbrewery
in
Heathfield,
East Sussex,
England 🏴
Associated Venue: Gun Brewery Saffrons Taproom
Established in 2015
Contact
Description
We brew at Gun Hill, on a beautiful 140 acre organic mixed farm in the Sussex Weald. The farm has a history of hop growing and some survive to this day in the hedgerows. It’s a lovely place to be and a lovely place to brew.
We spent a year refitting the barn, and installing all the equipment ourselves, before selling our first pint in January 2015. In making our beer we aim to tread lightly on our surroundings. We generate much of our own power from a 15kw solar array; heating from a wood powered boiler and our spent grains keep the local livestock happy.
All the water used for brewing comes from our own spring source deep below the organically farmed land. The water is microfiltered and UV treated to ensure its purity without the need for chemicals. It’s delicious and great for brewing.
Five years on from launch, plenty of awards and some 2 million pints later, by 2020 we were a team of 9 and when we started moving fermenters outside, it was obvious that to keep moving forward, we were going to need a bigger boat. We couldn’t expand in our current building, and really didn’t want to move away from the spring water and the farm. Both of which are part of our DNA. So we looked into the idea of actually building Brewery 2.0 from scratch here.
In August 2020 we were granted planning permission and began building in September. All being well, we hope to move in December 2021.
We spent a year refitting the barn, and installing all the equipment ourselves, before selling our first pint in January 2015. In making our beer we aim to tread lightly on our surroundings. We generate much of our own power from a 15kw solar array; heating from a wood powered boiler and our spent grains keep the local livestock happy.
All the water used for brewing comes from our own spring source deep below the organically farmed land. The water is microfiltered and UV treated to ensure its purity without the need for chemicals. It’s delicious and great for brewing.
Five years on from launch, plenty of awards and some 2 million pints later, by 2020 we were a team of 9 and when we started moving fermenters outside, it was obvious that to keep moving forward, we were going to need a bigger boat. We couldn’t expand in our current building, and really didn’t want to move away from the spring water and the farm. Both of which are part of our DNA. So we looked into the idea of actually building Brewery 2.0 from scratch here.
In August 2020 we were granted planning permission and began building in September. All being well, we hope to move in December 2021.
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle shared in London - thanks to Kenny. Pours deep brown with a foamy, light khaki head. The nose holds toasted pine, earth, flowers, orange peel. Light sweet flavour with lots of minerality, dry pine, faint cocoa, toasted bread, light grain, more citrus rind. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Finishes with nips of resin, earth, wood, cocoa. Just OK overall.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Sep 2016
at 12:59
8/10
Great smoke on this one. Drinking it for the 350th anniversary of the great fire in the big smoke.
Tried
on 05 Sep 2016
at 19:03
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Cask at Middle Farm Shop, Firle near Lewes, East Sussex. A hazy golden/orange coloured pour with a medium bubbly white head on top. Hoppy, fruity, sweet orange aroma. Tastes quite hoppy, fruity, orange, bitter/sweet. Bags of flavour in this one. Very nice, will seek this brewery out again.
Tried
from Cask
on 30 Aug 2016
at 17:07
8.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Cask at CBC, Covent Garden on 28th August 2016. Hazy gold/amber with thin off white foam. Intensely smoky aroma. Arich and intense smokiness in-mouth with hint of chorizo. A fine bitterness and lasting smoke in the finish. Zingy mouthfeel and a fair amount of body. Exquisite!
Tried
from Cask
on 29 Aug 2016
at 07:39
7.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Cask at CBC, Covent Garden on 28th August 2016. Hazy gold with thin off-white scantly lacing foam. Hoppy aroma with citrus peel and fine grapefruit. Zesty and fruity citrus in-mouth with tangerine, grapefruit and bitter orange peel. A fresh, fruity kick. A bitter, citrus and grassiness finish. Zingy mouthfeel and light body.
Tried
from Cask
on 29 Aug 2016
at 07:35
3.8/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 4
Flavor 3
Texture 4
Overall 4
Sampled @ ChrisO Pre-GBBF Shindig. Hazy pale yeallow color, virtually no head. Smell and taste like dishwater water and insect repellant. Not nice.
Tried
on 12 Aug 2016
at 07:26
3.3/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 3
Flavor 3
Texture 4
Overall 3
Sampled @ ChrisO Pre-GBBF Shindig. Hazy pale yellow color, small white head. Smell and taste some malts, some citrussy hints, yeast, tea, herbs or spices, slightly lemony as well. Average body and carbonation. Don’t like it.
Tried
on 12 Aug 2016
at 07:16
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle at Chris and Ruth’s pre-GBBF Shindig, 2016 (Sunday sesh.). Hazy gold pour with a white head. Grapefruit and lemon aroma. Refreshing sour citrus angle in the flavour. Very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Aug 2016
at 16:24
7.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle at Chris and Ruth’s pre-GBBF Shindig, 2016 (Sunday sesh.). Hazy yellow pour with a white head. Lemongrass and grapefruit aroma. Lemon, grapefruit and herb flavour. Refreshing, tasty brew.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Aug 2016
at 16:15
7.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 4
Overall 8
Tap @ Cask Pub and Kitchen, shared with beerhunter111. Hazy a bit pale yellow color, average sized white head. Aroma is lightly malts, quite fruity and hoppy. Taste lightly malts, hops, quite nicely fruity again and nice fruit hop bitter, bitter finish. Decent body, firm carbonation. Pretty nice though.
Tried
from Draft
on 08 Aug 2016
at 06:41