B R E W E R Y

Fat Cat Bitter
Norfolk CAMRA Bitter of the Year 2011

Fat Cat Honey Ale
Norfolk CAMRA Speciality Beer of the Year 2009

Fat Cat Wild Cat
Strong Bitter Gold Medal Winner at the Norwich Beer Festival 2009

Fat Cat Cougar
Strong Bitter Gold Medal Winner at the Norwich Beer Festival 2010 / Norfolk CAMRA Strong Bitter of Year 2011

Fat Cat Porter
Norfolk CAMRA Porter of the Year 2011

05/12/2010 - No news yet! (read more)

Chris Riches worked for Colin Keatley as bar manager of The Fat Cat pub between 1995 and 2008. After Colin set up the brewery Chris was hired as brewery manager and deals with the day-to-day running of the brewery, as well as organising swaps with other breweries such as Dark Star and Crouch Vale.

It had always been an ambition of Colin’s to have his own brewery. After setting up the Fat Cat Brewery in 2005, Colin enlisted the help of Ray Ashworth and Mark Winter. Together they created Fat Cat Bitter 3.8% which Colin describes as “The best beer he have ever tasted”.

Ray Ashworth set up Woodfordes brewery in 1981. He went on to win Champion Beer of Britain twice, with Norfolk Nog in 1992, and Wherry in 1996. Ray retired in 1999 but a few years later, after a conversation with Colin Keatley, decided to join The Fat Cat Brewery as a consultant Brewer.

The Fat Cat Brewery was opened on 26 September 2005 by Roger Protz, editor of 'The Good Beer Guide', and Beer Drinker of the Year 2004. That moment was the culmination of a long-held ambition of Colin Keatley, Landlord of 'The Fat Cat', CAMRA's Pub of the Year 1998 and 2004. Colin had bought 'The Wherry' on Lawson Road earlier in the year, and transformed it into 'The Shed', a popular pub and music venue run by Ryan Burnard, but Colin's main interest was the space on the premises he had set aside for the Brewery. He had already assembled the team that would be working there, and the brewery had gained a huge boost when Ray Ashworth, formerly of Woodforde's, agreed to take part in the project as the brewery's consultant. Ray was hugely successful at Woodforde's, and won the brewing world's highest accolade, Champion Beer of Britain, with two of his beers, Norfolk Nog and Wherry. The day-to-day brewing was to be done by Mark Winter, son of David Winter, of Winter's Brewery.

With a first-rate team assembled, work began on the first brews. Two beers were to be available at the brewery's launch, Fat Cat Bitter and Top Cat. After several test brews were trailled at the Fat Cat, the favourite candidates were chosen after collating hundreds of feedback cards from customers. Both of these brews have proved exceptionally popular, and have been sold ever since at the Fat Cat and its sister pubs. Since the launch, many seasonal brews have come and gone, and two more beers have become permanent fixtures on the Fat Cat Beer lists: Marmalade and Honey Ale. New brews are constantly in development, for the latest news on these, please visit the news section.

An exceptional year for the brewery was confirmed when the 2006 Norwich Beer Festival awarded third prize in the 'Strong Bitter' category to Fat Cat Marmalade, the first award the brewery has achieved. By the end of 2006, the Fat Cat Brewery has also started selling four of its beers; Fat Cat Honey Ale, Fat Cat Wild Cat, Fat Cat Marmalade and Fat Cat Stout Cat, in 500ml bottles.

Click here to see The Fat Cat Brewery Photo Gallery >