Harrogate indie brewery's iconic beer which started as a homebrew wins major supermarket chain listing

First created ten years ago, Rooster’s Brewing Co is celebrating seeing Baby-Faced Assassin win a listing with major UK retailer Waitrose.

As the Hornbeam Park-based brewery gets ready to see its flagship IPA go live in stores across the UK from Monday, November 6, Tom Fozard, Rooster’s Commercial Director, said: “Having first created Baby-Faced Assassin as a homebrew recipe back In 2011, I never could have imagined the success the beer would go on to enjoy.

"As a small, family-owned, independent brewery, we’re delighted to mark its 10th year of being a Rooster’s beer with the news of its continued success.”

Waitrose is only the latest in a line of major stores to fall in love with the 6.1% ABV India Pale Ale following the likes of ASAD and Morrison’s.

Baby-Faced Assassin was first brewed as a homebrew by Rooster’s Commercial Director, Tom Fozard in 2011, while he was working at a local specialist beer shop in Leeds.

Later the same year, Tom, alongside twin brother Oliver, now Rooster’s Head Brewer, joined Rooster’s as part of an eventual change of ownership spearheaded by his father, Ian.

A trial batch of the beer was brewed under the Rooster’s banner in 2012 and yielded a handful of 750ml sharing bottles showcased at the European Beer Bloggers Conference.

At first, the Fozards resisted calls to re-brew the beer, as they focused on other projects.

Eventually, the brothers bowed to public pressure and Tom’s original 25-litre batch recipe was passed to Oliver to be tweaked in order to make it commercially viable.

The first cask-only batch of Baby-Faced Assassin was released as a one-off brew in November 2013.

Rooster’s was among the first breweries to invest in their own canning line in 2014 and launched three beers, including Baby-Faced Assassin, to market in January 2015.

The move further helped Baby-Faced Assassin to become one of Rooster’s standout beers in cask, keg and can with multiple national and international awards.