Burton Old Cottage Brewery Company’s new old beer Dual Diamond is starting to find its way into pubs, one being The Weighbridge (in the Grainwarehouse / Travelodge carpark just off Derby Street). With the sun out on the hottest 19 April in seventy odd years The Beertonian needed no excuse to pop down for a sample and to canvas the opinion of those that really matter; the publican and his regulars.
George Lambert, the Landlord and owner of The Weighbridge is mightly impressed,
“It’s going down really well,” he says, then has to break off the conversation to pull another pint of Dual Diamond for a thirsty customer, in fact all of the pub are on the Diamond, except for one cider drinker and those who are driving. “I put one on last Wednesday night at nine o’clock and it had gone by Thursday at nine, and we closed at half ten on Wednesday and didn’t open until five on the Thursday! We sold a firkin in seven hours.”
In other words that is 72 pints, which is some going! The Weighbridge regulars are also in agreement.
“It’s an excellent brew,” praises Ed Morris. ” I was lucky enough to try a sample from a cask of the first brew; everyone who tried it liked it.”
“Beautiful,” surmises Barry Degg. “George keeps it very well, it’s a nice drink. Be good to have it on here all the time.”
Cliff Croft agrees, “This is my first taste of it, I did have Double Diamond but I can’t remember what it tasted like. This is really nice.”
“One of the better beers,” says Alec Chamberlain. “I am really enjoying it.”
The conversation then turns to the past and the original Double Diamond of which Dual Diamond is a modern day version of.
“Double Diamond was one of the first keg beers with Worthington E, Watney’s Red Barrel” says Alec.
“Double Diamond wasn’t very good!” Laughs George.
Ed drank a lot of Double Diamond in the 1970s, “It was part of the staple diet of pubs and Working Men’s Clubs,” he recalls. “I remember it being a little bit weaker. It was a good session beer.”
“I drank keg Double Diamond years ago, it was fizzier, gassy and sweeter,” says Barry. “It was nice; I used to put a Triple A in it at the end of the night!”
Triple A, Ind Coope’s infamous barley wine, is another beer in need of a comeback but for now the Diamond is sparkling nicely in The Weighbridge.
I really need to get down there and give this a try. I remember Double Diamond from my childhood, my dad used to drink it a lot.