Ledbury Real Ales produce perfect pints.

It is owned and run by Ant and Kate Stevens and we took time out to chat to them about their business.

What is the name and address of your business?

Ledbury Real Ales Ltd, Gazerdine House, Hereford Road, Ledbury, HR8 2PZ

What do you produce/sell?

We produce and sell cask conditioned Real Ales selling into local pubs, restaurants and events with an emphasis on using locally grown hops and supporting the 26 local farmers who grow hops in the 'Hopshires' (Herefordshire/Worcestershire/Shropshire).

What is your most popular item you sell?

Its is a close call between Ledbury Gold, our 4.0% golden bitter which is brewed using First Gold (grown by James Hawkins in Dormington) and Fuggles (grown less than a mile from the brewery by Martin Powell-Tuck at Ashperton) or our Ledbury Bitter which uses Admiral hop (grown just for our use by Simon Parker at Instone Court in Bishops Frome) and Progress hop (grown by Tom Probert in Weston Beggard).

How and when did the brewery start?

We moved to Herefordshire in 2011 and started the brewery in 2012. It is the perfect place for a brewery as we are so close to where our key ingredient is grown. Hops and Herefordshire go hand in hand.

Have you seen an increase in demand for real ales?

Over the last few years there has been a decrease of real ales sales across the UK however, we have been lucky enough to have seen our sales increase over this difficult period for pubs and brewers.

Who do you supply?

We supply around 30 pubs located within a 30 mile radius of the brewery. In Ledbury town centre, you will always find us on the bar at The Prince of Wales, The Feathers Hotel and the Seven Stars. We also provide beer for events, weddings and parties.

Anything else you would like to add?

We are a small micro-brewery who pride ourselves on producing high quality beer and providing a friendly service. We have grown organically over the last 12 years and remain a comparatively small brewery. We have a core range of beers that are available all year round but also produce small batch beers on a seasonal basis. We are passionate about promoting local hops and hop farmers and are very lucky to work closely with the local Hop Merchant - Charles Faram Ltd - on their Hop Development Programme. The programme is designed to fast track new hops into the market. After making sure that they are viable for the local farmers to grow (good disease resistance and high yields) they are passed to the brewers to use (who look for good aroma & flavour in the finished beer). Only the most promising hops from over 10,000 possible plants per year make it to the brewing trials.