Sustainability has always been important to the McCaigs, and their new Eco-cellar illustrates their ability to back up conviction with action. Burying half of it in the ground, using clever construction methods and installing both solar panels and a sedum roof means the brewery saves the equivalent of 6.5 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Mary Ann comes from a brewing background and David used to work for Whitbreads, so it was perhaps an understandable – if bold – move to go it alone when David was made redundant in the early 1980s. Settling in the middle of the Blackdown Hills, they draw their water from the head springs of the River Otter and produce a small but fine family of beers and a number of seasonals.

Joined by son Patrick, 2005 saw their new high tech brewery come into production. A few years later the “mini Otter” brewery arrived, providing scope for trialling new brews as well as consistency checks – watch this space. Recycling is followed assiduously throughout the brewery (see below). So much so that the brewery team of 30 produce the grand sum of one bag of waste a week.

Tours are solely for groups by arrangement. See Course details below for more on the newly opened Green Shed.

And check out the excellent video from the Otter website about A Day in the Life. It’s enough to make you get your CV out and apply for a job there right now.

Silverware

• Otter Mild – 2010 Gold SIBA Awards
• Otter Head – 2 Gold Stars, 2010 Great Taste Awards 
• Eco-cellar – Eco Building of the Year, 2010 Commercial Property Awards

Annual Events

• Beautiful Days Music Festival – family festival, August
• Exeter Food & Drink Festival – April/May
• Glastonbury – June – 600 firkins of Otter Ale & Bitter were drunk in 2010

Eco-initiatives

• Cellar – Otter has built the UK’s first underground eco-cellar out of low carbon materials. It includes numerous energy saving measures and a living sedum roof.
• Cleaning water – A series of willow beds treat all waste water before it is returned to the River Otter in pristine condition.
• Recycling spent ingredients – yeast goes to a local piggery, brewers grains go to feed local cattle, spent hops become excellent leaf mulch for gardeners

Community

Otter supports numerous local projects, sports teams and schools

Trade bodies

CAMRA, SIBA, Taste of the West, Slow Food Devon, Devon Environmental Business Initiative

Visited Spring 2010