Brookes uni creates limited edition beer to celebrate our 150th anniversary

John Henry, an Indian pale ale named after the university’s former principal, John Henry Brookes, will be officially launched on Thursday ahead of the uni’s anniversary celebrations in 2015.

The beer was created by Brookes grad Ed Murray, owner of Shotover Brewing Company and will be sold in the Colonnade store on Gypsy Lane from Friday.

Ed says: “The concept came from Beth Hill who came to the brewery on behalf of the university with the idea of creating a special beer.

“We could have just slapped an Oxford Brookes logo on to any of our existing beers, but we wanted to do something special.”

The brewing team from left: Josh Walker, Billie Doyle, Beth Hill (Brookes Uni), Ed Murray.

The enterprising graduate added: “We went into the historical records to find out what the beverage would have tasted like 150 years ago.

“The result is a recipe is based on 1865 Indian Pale Ale. It’s almost a collectors item in itself, a little piece of history.”

So for those still recovering from the cancellation of the SU Oktoberfest event and want to have an idea of what a beer from 1865 would taste like, fear not – John Henry has got you covered.