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Award-winning Wolverhampton brewer celebrates 10th birthday of his first pint

He first got the taste for brewing beer at home and the ale was so good that business went through the roof.

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Demand for Gary Morton's ale soon overwhelmed the limited space where it was produced in the garage of the property in Brewood Road, Coven.

So he launched a micro brewery in his own name at an industrial unit in Essington from which flows 21 different regular beers and several one-off specials.

Then he set up a micro pub from which to sell the award winning Morton Brewery range and the Hail to the Ale in Pendeford Avenue, Claregate has been listed in the Good Beer Guide every year since it opened.

It has won five major awards and is currently Wolverhampton's pub of the year.

So 55-year-old Gary, who quit his job as a buyer to concentrate full-time on the beer, had plenty to celebrate on the 10th anniversary of the brewing of his first home-made pint.

He confessed: "We have been overwhelmed by the success and support of the local people which has allowed the brewery to grow and the pub to do well."

His wife Angela is an equal partner in both businesses and the couple's two sons – Tom aged 22 and 18-year-old Peter – work for it along with two other members of staff.

He started brewing at home in November 2006 and was toasting its success the following May when the beer went on sale for the first time in local pubs.

By January 2008 trade was so good that he moved to the brewery from his garage to the industrial unit in Essington and converted a former furniture shop into Hail to the Ale which opened as the West Midlands first micro pub in September 2013.

His wife Angela, aged 52, who runs the pub with him said: "It's fantastic, we're absolutely chuffed to bits at the way things have turned out."

Gary explained: "I have always enjoyed a good pint and decided to try my hand at brewing my own.

"I liked the taste and luckily so did many other people.

"The more interested I became, the more I realised there was to learn."

He single handedly produces around 900 pints a week from the brewery, the bulk of which is sold at his pub.

He said: "The secret is consistent quality and service."

Gary has no plans to increase the micro brewery.

He explained: "We are where we want to be with our own micro pub serving beer from our own micro brewery."

Fittingly Hail to the Ale will be the venue for the 10th anniversary celebrations which start at the pub tomorrowand continue until Sunday.

Along with the brewery's regular ales there will be specials on tap such as Ginger Glory, Beer Maria, Ale'Derflower, Decennium and Skagway.

Gary grew up in Brewood, attending Wolgarston High School, before moving into the lock trade, frist working at WJ Goodwin in Walsall.

His family they bought T Morgan & Sons in Willenhall.

After running for 25 years he 'fancied a change in career' and started the brewery.

His wife Angela grew up in Walsall, attending Pool Hayes School in Walsall. They met at WJ Goodwin.

Gary said: "The change in career was a wise move."

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