The Story of White Rat

From March 2025, you might notice a change to our best-selling beer – White Rat. This fresh look brings our iconic hoppy pale ale into a new era for Ossett Brewery, leading the charge for a wave of exciting new releases in 2025. But before we usher in this bold new chapter, let’s take a look back at where this game-changing beer began its journey. 

What is White Rat?

White Rat was first brewed in September 2011, originally known as Lab Rat, as a test brew at the Rat Brewery in Huddersfield. The now-iconic hoppy ale was designed specifically to suit the drinking preferences of regulars at The Rat and Ratchet pub, culminating in a 4% spiky pale ale that was – and still is – ahead of its time. 

We asked legendary Ossett brewer Paul Spencer about White Rat’s meteoric rise and what we can expect on the horizon: 

"American hops first arrived on the UK microbrewing scene in the ’90s, and by 2011, when White Rat was first brewed, hops like Cascade, Willamette and Centennial were becoming familiar to those in the know,” explains Paul. "By adding huge (for the time) quantities of US-grown Cascade, Columbus and Amarillo hops at the end of the boil, White Rat burst onto the scene as one of the hoppiest cask beers available, packed with citrus, tropical, and pine aromas, alongside a mouth-puckering bitterness." 

It soon became Ossett Brewery’s best-selling beer, winning countless awards and recognition across the UK and beyond. "Initially, White Rat was brewed on a very small scale – only twenty casks per batch – at the Rat Brewery in Huddersfield, but one brew per week soon became two, and two became four.” Paul adds. 

Let’s face it – you can’t argue with the 2.8 million pints that have been supped since day one. "When demand started to outstrip supply at the Rat Brewery, the decision was taken to move production to the much larger facility at Ossett. This allowed the beer to grow from a local favourite to a nationally available brand – all without changing the original recipe or compromising quality in any way…" Today, we brew 6,000 litres six times a week to keep up with demand from drinkers after something hoppy, bold, and intensely aromatic. 

So, what's next for our brilliant brew?

It’s not just an updated clip for our rodent friend… "Since its creation, White Rat has been popular from the start, and it has been a joy to witness its growth as a cask beer brand and the pleasure it brings to people. The decision to make the beer available in other formats, starting with cans, will make it accessible to a whole new audience – and will hopefully win it a whole new army of fans.” 

Where can I get it?

This iconic beer remains available in cask in pubs and bars across the UK and is now also available in 440ml cans on our webshop. Don’t worry – the White Rat recipe remains untouched.

Same beer, new rattitude. 
 

www.ossett-brewery.co.uk