There seems only to be an upside for Daleside, the little Harrogate brewery that grows bigger every day.

Visitors to the Great Yorkshire Show last week literally had a taste of that success when Daleside launched Greengrass Old Rogue, the eighth ale in its growing prize-winning portfolio which has been putting a bit of pow into North American beer-buffs' pow-wow.

Already Crack Shot, which is Daleside's ancient recipe steeped in the annals of that feisty lass Trooper Jane Ingilby (Yorkshire's answer to gun-totin' Annie Oakley of Annie Get Your Gun) has hit the bull's-eye in New Jersey, US, and Quebec, Canada.

All of which has meant that the staff of seven full-time and two part-time people generating a turnover of about £500,000 a year is expected almost to double by the end of next year, with an extra seven jobs planned.

Now, as Daleside founder Bill Witty considers moving out of the brewery's premises in Camwal Road and into yet bigger headquarters in the town, he is pitching for the title of the 1998 Evening Press Business Venture of the Year.

Bill, a farmer-turned-brewer, was a founder member of CAMRA 30 years ago when it was a campaign to save rather than introduce real ales. His love of a genuine pint stemmed from the Witty family tradition of brewing which goes back more than 600 years when the Wittys arrived in England from Belgium.

Powered by that ancestral memory, he started The Big End Brewery off Otley Road, Harrogate, ten years ago, premises which had capacity for just five barrel production.

Three years later Daleside Brewery was born as he converted a 1,500sq ft carpet warehouse in Camwal Road into a 20-barrel plant, at first producing Daleside Bitter, Dalesman Old Ale and Monkey Wrench and gradually extending the titles and production to about 70 barrels a week as discerning pubs, beer merchants and eventually supermarkets took growing orders to meet rapidly- increasing demand

Bill is in charge of transport and his son, Craig, is head brewer. Not involved but illustrative of the Witty expertise is Bill's eldest son, Mark , also a brewer, who lives in California and won a gold medal for one of his beers at the Denver 1995 Beer Festival.

It was Monkey Wrench, a 5.3 per cent ABV dark, strong, smooth and malty ale with a touch of sweetness which became the Daleside Brewery's first product available in both bottles and casks and one which won greatest acclaim, earning first prize in last November's CAMRA Winter Ales Festival in Glasgow.

There was growing demand abroad for this and many of its new products, particularly when advisers from Business Link North Yorkshire helped the brewery to draw up a strategic plan for development, including the opening up of Canadian markets through a DTI trade mission.

Those Daleside Ales with historical connections have proved especially popular abroad.

These included Morocco Ale, an ancient and secret recipe found at Levens Hall, near Kendal in the Lake District, said to have been used by its occupant, Colonel James Graham, courtier of James II in Morocco who brought back the eastern spices on which the brew is based.

Crackshot (5.5 ABV) was launched in April at Ripley Castle, where in 1644 Trooper Jane Ingilby held Oliver Cromwell as musket point when he sought shelter overnight after winning the Battle of Marston Moor. Her ancestor, Sir Thomas Ingilby was to pass on the recipe to the brewery having discovered it in the castle archives. "She has been the inspiration behind the beer - a gutsy lady with a lot of bottle," says Sir Thomas.

Now comes Greengrass Old Rogue, based on the Yorkshire character in the Heartbeat TV series which was filmed in Goathland.

Craig Witty says: "We have already had big interest expressed in New Zealand, Australia and Canada for Greengrass, where the television series is big.

"Bill Maynard, the actor who plays Greengrass hasn't tasted it. Sadly, he had a stroke last year and is also diabetic, but he pours his friends a pint with pride!"

If the brewery should win, how would the £2,000 cash prize be used? "On promoting our products," says Craig. "We are pushing exports very hard, particularly in Scandinavia - mainland Europe is daunted by our strong pound - and it all helps."

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