A beer from a North West brewery is now on tap at a government bar after being nominated by a borough MP.

Joseph Holt is known as one of the region’s best-loved beer makers with a number of their pubs based in Bury.

Its 175 Pale Ale, which was brewed to mark the family-owned company’s 175th anniversary this year, will be served at the Strangers Bar in the House of Commons.

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The brewery, which has been in the same family for six generations and which runs 127 pubs across the North West, was established by weaver’s son Joseph Holt in 1849.

In 1860, he purchased the company’s site in Cheetham, close to Manchester city centre, where the Joseph Holt brewery has been making beer ever since, including the 175 pale ale.

CEO Richard Kershaw said: “It has been a huge honour to know that our beer is available at the very heart of government.

“I can’t imagine that my great-great grandfather Joseph Holt, who started the company, would ever have imagined that one day beers made by our family brewery would be served in the Palace of Westminster.”

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The 175 pale ale came to the attention of Parliamentarians after Bury South MP Christian Wakeford nominated it to be served as a guest ale in the Commons bar.

The beer itself is a blend of ale, lager, crystal and wheat malt as well as home-grown Harlequin hops which gives it a particularly distinctive character, infusing the brew with subtle hints of stone fruits, ripe damson and juicy plum to balance any bitterness.

Richard added: “Family brewers play such a vital role in the hospitality industry and the communities they serve, producing quality beer using the best of local expertise.

“Our heritage-rich products reflect the tradition of our brewery, and it is an honour that what has always been enjoyed by local communities in the North West is now being enjoyed in a prestigious location in Parliament.”