Residents celebrate Beer Day with a North East brewery tour

NATIONAL Beer Day was celebrated by Chester-le-Street care home residents with a multi-sensory brewery tour.

Residents from Pelton Grange Care Home visited Blackhill Brewery, when owner Chris Graham gave a lesson in beer making.

The tour included getting hands-on and smelling the separate ingredients and a step-by-step explanation of how the brew is made.

They were then treated to a tasting of the brewery’s hand-crafted ales, which are named after Durham coal mining seams, as owner Chris is a former miner.

One of the home’s residents, James Thompson, is losing his vision but the multi-sensory experience allowed him to get involved in the tour.

James used to live near the brewery and gave fellow residents a history lesson on the pubs and mines in the area during their trip.

He said: “I used to brew my own beer when I was younger and being able to feel and smell the hops and barley before they were put into the vat meant a lot to me.”

Another resident, Barry Wyatt said: “The brewery was very interesting, I’ve never been to one before and would like to visit again.”

Resident Dennis Fullerton added: “The beer had its own distinctive  taste and I found the talk very interesting.

“Lunch was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the day out with Margaret and my friends from Pelton Grange.”

Chris Hogan-Hind, home manager at Pelton Grange Care Home, on Front Street, said: “National Beer Day was a great opportunity to take the residents to a local, North East brewery for a tour.

“Everyone had a great morning, rounded off with a lunch of fish and chips at The Mooring pub and different beers. They’re now asking when the next one is.”