The Grainstore Brewery has won an award for its popular pale ale, Zahara.

This is the first award won by Zahara, although their other brews have been recognised in local and national competitions since the brewery was first set up in 1995.

The Grainstore Brewery was formed through the collaboration of two friends: Tony Davis, formally Head Brewer and Production Director of Ruddles Brewery, and Mike Davies, Managing Director of Davro Fabrications.

For several years having driven daily past the derelict Victorian railway building on his way to work, the seed was planted in Tony's mind that it would make an ideal for a small brewery and Tap room.

The old building had originally been used for storage of grain from the surrounding farms and thence its onward dispatch by rail, but after a chequered history it had been boarded up and abandoned for about ten years. The opportunity arose when Tony left Ruddles after a series of take-overs and Mike had returned from an engineering foray into France, for the dream to come to fruition.

Having received the keys in January 1995, renovation began.

The Grainstore is a popular bar and brewery in Oakham. Image credit: The Grainstore.

The old three storey building offered the potential of becoming and ideal traditional tower brew house with raw materials being taken to the top and finished beer emerging from the bottom, all through the natural gift of gravity.

Following renovation of the building, sourcing, modification and positioning of the brewing plant within the top two floors, the brewery tap on the ground floor was furnished and opened its doors for business in September 1995. The 15 barrel brew house (50 x 11 gallon casks), turned out its first brew of "Cooking" two months later.

Now passed to Tony's son William and his business partner Peter Atkinson to echo the past, the brewery continues to build on its strengths brewing traditional English Ales and supplying hundreds of free trade outlets as well as wholesalers and beer festivals nationwide.

This month, the brewery has welcomed another success in the form of the inaugural award for their extra pale ale, Zahara.

Pepterborough Beer Festival crowned Zahara as a top beer of the festival. Image credit: Peterborough Beer Festival.

Peterborough Beer Festival awarded them second place for being one of the top beers at the festival, while Ossett Brewery snatched gold and bronze for Posh Rat and Voodoo.

This weekend, The Grainstore team are hosting their 23rd Rutland Beer Festival to celebrate the bank holiday.

Find out more about Bank Holiday events going on in and around Rutland here.