ALE fans are being invited to raise their glasses with Tatton Brewery when it hosts a live beer-tasting session online on Saturday, April 4 at 7pm.

Customers are invited to join owner Gregg Sawyer as he gives a guided tasting of their newest beer, Tatton Ten, a 4.4% Tropical Pale Ale brewed to celebrate their tenth anniversary.

Gregg Sawyer said: “The quote from Hilaire Belloc springs to mind: ‘When you have lost your inns drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England’.

"Well, I don't think we have lost quite yet, but the overnight closure of pubs and bars due to COVID-19 has been devastating for producers, landlords and beer drinkers alike.

"The drinks trade will probably feel the impact of this for many months. So, I wanted to find a way to keep our customers connected with the brewery and give them something enjoyable to engage with during this time of isolation.

“The thing I miss the most about going to the pub is sharing stories with friends, so that’s the essence of what I want to recreate with the online tasting session.

"I’ll talk about the beer, and maybe, just maybe, entertain and edify with a few stories too.

"I’m aiming for around 15 minutes but people who know me may appreciate that it could end up slightly longer, if I get carried away with my story-telling.”

The first online tasting session will take place at 7pm on Saturday, and will be live simultaneously on Tatton Brewery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Gregg added: “We’re planning to do the online tasting sessions every weekend and we thought we’d start with our newest beer, Tatton Ten.

"First brewed in February, a lot of people won’t have had chance to try it yet.

"It will be great to hear what people make of it and also to see which beer people would like to join us in tasting for our next online session.”

Production at the brewery has reduced dramatically with the hiatus in trade business, but beer is still available for customers to buy directly in beer boxes of 5, 10, or 20 litres.

The brewery is now offering an online shop with free local delivery.

All the beers from the core range are available to buy: XPA, Blonde, Gold, and Best - as well as Tatton Ten - and perennial springtime favourite White Queen.

The brewery team are going to great lengths to maintain the health and safety protocols both at the brewery and in their delivery process.

The brewery has also set up a ‘Cheers’ fund where members of the public are invited to nominate someone they would like to say thank you to, for their work as a keyworker or volunteer.

Each week, they will select a deserving individual and they will send them some beers to say ‘Cheers’ for the work they have done. Nominations can be made through the brewery’s social media channels.