It's a dog's life running a successful independent brewery as Guzzling Greenwood finds out at North Yorkshire's Rudgate Brewery.

Having a dog with a taste for first wort isn't compulsory for breweries these days, but Bodie the black Labrador is an important team member at North Yorkshire's Rudgate Brewery, which celebrates ten years of successful beer-making this month.

An occasional bowl of the infused malt, which has the consistency of a soup made from chocolate Maltesers, helps to keep the stalwart staff member sweet - despite her "Bozo" nickname.

Luckily the remaining two-legged workers who are allowed free reign of the Tockwith business have made anything but a dog's dinner of the brewery's first-rate products which are sold to more than 150 outlets across the UK.

Based in a former armoury building on the edge of a disused World War Two airfield, Rudgate is well equipped to fight its corner in the crowded small brewery market.

It's main weapon is its award-winning beer, which has already scooped a handful of gongs this year. Viking was named overall champion beer of CAMRA's Best Yorkshire Real Ale competition and was just beaten into second place in the bitters section at The Great British Beer Festival by the eventual supreme champion, Deuchars IPA.

Former Bass employee and Rudgate top dog Richard Louden bought the fledgling company a decade ago, just months after it was set up, and has seen its output spiral from three to four barrels a week to as many as 30.

With 36 gallons in a barrel that's a lot of beer by anyone's standards and the product is travelling as far afield as Whitley Bay and Peterborough, as well as becoming a regular in many North Yorkshire pubs.

But owner and managing director Richard, 54, who says the vast majority of his custom comes from repeat orders, despairs at the tight York market which he is persistently trying to break into.

He says that tied pubs don't give landlords the freedom to buy local products. "The market is getting more and more difficult for us. The big pub companies are buying up left right and centre leaving us little room to move. York is a disaster."

Rudgate is perhaps best known by beer lovers for two bitters, Viking and the slightly stronger Battleaxe, but it recently launched a range of popular Brewer's Choice beers, which seek to take advantage of the range of raw ingredients available to the flexible small brewery.

The most recent addition to the stable is Jorvik, a strong, golden continental lager sold in a shapely 660ml bottle, which should be a welcome addition to any modern beer drinker's fridge.

Richard is justly proud of his products which are created using Yorkshire malted barley, English whole hops and water from a local bore hole at the 15 hectolitre brewhouse, which sits in the middle of the maze-like Marston Business Park.

He says the secret of good beer is in the raw materials and attention to detail, but he adds that he is "very protective" of the eight-year-old yeast which lies at the warm heart of the magical brewing process.

What does the future hold for the business? Well, apart from trying to force a wedge into the York market, Richard hopes to utilise some of the brewery's remaining capacity, and of course there is the tenth Anniversary Ale to look forward to later this month as well as Rudolf's Ruin and Crimble Ale in December.

"We have got the capacity to do some more," says Richard, "we are not resting on our laurels. We would like to sell more in York but the local industry needs a kick up the backside."

It can only be a good thing that such a dogged performer continues to thrive on the outskirts of York - cheers.

Updated: 10:18 Saturday, November 02, 2002