Grand Opening of Craft Brewery

The Grand Opening of The Shoulder of Mutton Craft Brewery in Chapel Road,
Weldon, took place on Friday 30th January. Present were Andy Sawford, MP
for Corby and East Northants, and Anthony Dady, Mayor of Corby Borough
Council, as well as officials from the Peterborough, Northamptonshire and
Rutland branches of The Campaign for Real Ale. Pub regulars and many
visitors joined in the celebrations to enjoy complimentary hot lamb and pork
rolls while raising their glasses to celebrate the past, present and future
success of the revitalised pub.

Head brewer Graham Moorhouse has had a great affinity to The Shoulder
since he was a teenager. Back then, the bar was always packed as villagers
and steelworkers mixed easily, exchanging the stories of their day. Nearly
forty years on, he finds the welcome as warm as ever and the beer is that
little bit special as it is made in the basement just below. Graham first made
beer from malt extract from the local chemist aged 16, and has continued to
learn about the magic of the brewing process and enjoying the amber nectar
to this day. He now brews with the finest available English and Belgian
malts and hops from four different continents.

The Shoulder always offers beers from local and regional
breweries but delights in customers choosing its very own
beer, always fresh and hugely popular with the discerning
locals. Since the brewery started in August 2014, the pub
is also seeing visitors from further afield, attracted by the
grapevine and wanting to try both traditional and new world
beers made in Weldon.

The beers evoke a nostalgia for the past bearing names like
Dragline, a 3.9% Golden Ale named after the giant machine
so often associated with the steelworks in the area; Rosie’s
Sweatbox, a sumptuous dark ale named after a WWII
bomber that crashed just a few fields from the pub in 1944;
Weldon Cupola, a 3.6% ale for hopheads named after
the unique cupola atop Weldon church. Weldon Windmill
4.2%, named after the last working windmill in the village
that fell in 1915 following a storm, evokes memories of the
tastiest of bitter beers gone by. These are supplemented
by monthly specials including seasonal beers, red ales,
auburn ales, chestnut and oatmeal stouts, milds and light
ales, conditioning or planned for the next few months and
all of which have a local story to tell.

The Grand Opening was also a proud occasion for the
hosts, landlord and landlady Bogdan and Rada Vujnovic,
who have been at The Shoulder of Mutton for two and a half
years, devoting their time and hard work to make the pub a
great community venue.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Village Connect,
Bogdan and Rada are offering readers a free bottle of
house wine or two pints of one of the Shoulder of Mutton
beers on food orders over £20 with advance booking
and a mention of Village Connect.

Shoulder of Mutton

Shoulder of Mutton

Shoulder of Mutton

Shoulder of Mutton