Organising the beer list for any festival takes a lot of effort, skill, imagination and sometimes some luck that the right beer is available at the right time. There needs to be variety in styles, so something for every palate and beers that are either rare or exclusive. The Beer Ordering Team have excelled themselves this year and I’ve been pouring over the list picking out those I really want to try.
As this is the 50th anniversary of the Burton & South Derbyshire branch, three local breweries have produced special commemorative beers. I have covered ‘L’ Of A Beer from Burton Bridge Brewery in depth here, 3P’s from Woodville have brewed 50 Celebration which I am particularly looking forward to and then there is Tollgate’s Burton Five-0, a 5.0% premium bitter, their beers rarely disappoint,
There’s a proper Royal beer here too, Tower Brewery was recently visited by HRH King Charles III, who honoured the longstanding tradition of Burton Royal Ales that stretches back to 1902 with Bass King’s Ale. I know nothing about Ale To The King other than it is a 5.6% premium bitter. I believe it was served at Tower Brewery last Friday but this is the first time it is available to the wider public.
We have a first for the festival, with Burton’s newest brewery Outwoods (located under the Station Bridge, near the Roebuck Inn) supplying three firkins. Not only is this their festival debut, their beer has never been available outside of their brewery tap The Arches before! Golden Harvest, Platform No.3 and the delightfully named Fimbulvetr are all pints of history in the making.
Burton Bridge Brewery’s No Half Measures is being launched here on Thursday. This 4.5% Ruby Ale was a collaboration with Nottingham’s No Half Measures Collective and was brewed on International Women’s Day, it will also be available at Beer Debunked at the Canalhouse in Nottingham on Saturday.
There are a few interesting heritage beers: True North from Sheffield have brought Stones Bitter back to life, this beer was everywhere in the 1980s and I’ve only drank it from the striking orange can before. The Burton Bridge Brewery bar has Czar’s P2 which is based on the classic Bass P2 Stout and it has been conditioning in cask since last autumn. A little more recent and not a really heritage beer, but certainly one that seemed to be lost forever is Fownd‘s King Korvak’s Saga, this was a once staple at the Olde Royal Oak when owned by Fowne’s Brewery (note the different spellings) who went under a few years back, it is a might porter.
Sarah Hughes Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2024 winner Snowflake, makes a welcome return. It sold out quickly last year leaving many drinkers disappointed. At 8.0% it is as delicious as it is dangerous.
Carlsberg have provided a firkin of Martson’s Pedigree Reserve, a 5.0% version of their classic Burton bitter. Do I have high hopes for this? No, but will I be sampling it? Obviously, if only out of curiosity. There’s also Marston’s Old Empire, one of the beers that was discontinued recently, I’ve always enjoyed this IPA and this could well be my last chance. I wrote about the retiring of another Marston’s classic here.
Other beers on my list are Thornbridge Burton Union brewed 1838, Golden Duck’s Tinners Tipple and Nosey Parker, Gates Reservoir Gold which is always a treat, Blue Monkey’s 5.0% Cinder Toffee stout which I am told tastes just like it sounds and last but not least the two craft keg offerings from Burton’s other new brewery G3 Hazy Waves and West Side which are Gluten Free and full of flavour.
I’m be interested in what you are looking to drink and why. No doubt there will be a number of surprises to be found. The Cellar Team have been hard at work since Monday and the beer to be in excellent condition.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Burton & South Derbyshire CAMRA branch and celebrations kicked off at The Leopard on 5th March, which was the location of the inaugural meeting in 1975. The commemorations are set to continue at the annual Beer Festival to be held at Burton Town Hall starting on Thursday at 12:00. To mark the occasion, what better than a special beer, brewed by none other than Burton Bridge Brewery, who have been supplying the festival since 1982? Burton Bridge also have a long history of producing celebratory beers for the branch, the first being Festival Ale initially produced in 1983 and fittingly on sale again this year.
‘L’ Of A Beer pumpclip
“We have been talking to Emma and Al at Burton Bridge for some months about an anniversary ale,” explains CAMRA’s Dr Gary Lock. “We looked at historically brewed Burton Ales, different beer styles and settled on a full-bodied full-flavoured Extra Special Bitter. We felt this was a fitting and appropriate beer to celebrate the 50-year milestone.”
Last month the Head Brewer at Burton Bridge Al Wall oversaw the brewing of ‘L’ Of A Beer with help from Gary, the L referencing the Roman numeral for 50.
Head Brewer Al Wall in action
“It was an early start at 06:30 but it was great to be at a commercial brewery for a day and see the anniversary ale on its brew day,” observes Gary, who is a keen home brewer. “I was doing my best not to get in the way and to not distract them, but I was there from the start and was invited to support with emptying the sacks of fresh hops towards the end of the brew.
“I have placed a personal order for a pin as I expect it to be a cracker and well worth the wait. I look forward to inviting some friends over to help me drink it and enjoy a nice full-bodied full-flavoured 5% ESB. It will hopefully be a pint to be enjoyed and savoured.”
Emma Cole from Burton Bridge Brewery explains: “‘L’ Of A Beer is a special collaboration brew that pays tribute to the rich brewing heritage of Burton upon Trent and to those who campaign for its successful continuation!”
Brewer Jon Williams adding hops
“Crafted with a deep respect for traditional Extra Strong Bitters, ‘L’ Of A Beer showcases a dark, rich mahogany hue and a perfectly balanced malt-hop profile,” enlightens Al. “We’ve combined rye, barley, and a carefully selected hop bill to create a beer that is both bold and complex. Expect caramel and toffee notes, a touch of spicy rye, and a firm yet refined earthy hop bitterness.”
The Burton & South Derbyshire Beer Festival will have over 140 beers to choose from, a third have been sourced locally. There will also a vast array of real ciders and perries.
“It is important that the local breweries and Burton’s rich brewery history take centre stage with the anniversary,” reckons Gary. “We are showcasing the local breweries at the beer festival and there are a number of events through the anniversary year to support and promote the local pubs and cask ales in the region. The anniversary ale is a fitting part of our celebrations and wish to thank Burton Bridge for making it happen.”
‘L’ Of A Beer will be available at the Burton Bridge Brewery bar at the festival, along with Top Dog Stout, Stairway To Heaven, Stairway To Citra, Festival Ale, Brewers Gold, Masseys Golden Bitter, Masterpiece, Czar’s P2 and No Half Measures.
Burton Bridge Brewery festival bar
“We are really excited to have our own bar at the festival,” says a passionate Emma. “This is also the first time we have had our own proper bar at any festival since we took over a year ago. With ten beers, we are showcasing a mix of new beers and old favourites, we hope everyone will enjoy them as much as we love creating them. The new bar that we built encapsulates Burton Bridge to its core; following on from the ethos of reusing and repurposing that Geoff and Bruce demonstrated, we made it out of pallets that our malt arrives on. Building it was a collaborative effort between everyone in our lovely team and we plan to reuse it after the festival during the summer months in our pub beer garden.
“Many thanks to CAMRA’s Dr Gary Lock who at the last minute saved the day by loaning us four extra beer engines when the ones we had didn’t work! Also, a big thanks to Colorscan, and in particular Steve Webster, who sorted all the artwork and our big pump clips that adorn the front of the bar. This all goes to show what a great beer community we have here in Burton.”
‘L’ Of A Beer will no doubt prove very popular and it will also be on sale at Burton Bridge Inn from Thursday, after that in bottle and other pubs in the free trade. What are the odds that it is the first beer to sell out at the festival?
For all the homebrewers among you, Al has kindly shared the recipe.
Hops Bitterness 2.45g/l Target Boil end hops 4.9/l Goldings (this was very scientific, as that made exactly 10kg, so no need to weigh out any quantities of hops, just use entire boxes!)
Fermentation O.G. 1.050 and A.B.V. of 5% Strike water temperature 76°C, mash temperature of 67.5°C, as it was decided that the beer required more body than some of other Burton Bridge beers Collected at 22°C and fermented at 23°C with Burton Brewery yeast strain Dropped to 18°C for one day post fermentation for a Diacetyl rest, then down to 8°C for packing into cask
Popular local publicans Craig and Loz Pearce have left The Dog, which they had run since 2021 and moved over the water to The Elms on Stapenhill Road. As we sit in the bay window peering through the trees onto the Washlands, it’s easy to see the attraction of the move.
“We had thought about another pub, the town centre is no place to bring up children, but we’d not be looking seriously,” says Craig. “A few weeks ago we wrote down a list of places we’d like, The Elms was number one. It was fate as we found out the place was available the next day!”
They gave notice on The Dog and ended up with the unenviable task of running two pubs for a fortnight.
“We are doing cobs Wednesday to Sunday, pork pies from Friday until they are gone and we are looking at the return of Burton Tapas and Marmite & Cheese straws,” lists Loz when asked about food.
They are also planning on live music, artists are encouraged to get in touch, there will be a regular Open Mic, a music quiz and the will be upgrading the dartboard area.
“Oh, the Bass? Yeah it’s staying,” laughs Loz, she’s been asked this many times in the last few weeks. “It’s on point too, I want the title of The Best Bass in Burton when the competition returns.”
It may be mid-January, traditionally the month where the licenced trade struggles but this hasn’t stopped people heading out to The Junction in Stretton. The pub first opened in 2018 and recently changed hands last November.
“My locals tell me that they are seeing so many new faces in here,” confirms Fraser Chatburn who runs the place with his wife Karen. “I was going to drop from six hand pulls to four but as you can see I haven’t, there aren’t many pubs in the area that have this many cask beers available at one time.”
On the bar sits a Bass water jug, produced in 1977 to commemorate the opening of the Bass Museum and the bicentennial of the brewery.
“That’s there because it was Bass that first brought me to Burton 29 years ago,” says Fraser explaining the significance. “I ran pubs for Whitbread in the South-East and after gaining a degree at Stafford Uni, I worked for Bass in Burton for ten years.”
Fraser had been looking for a pub for a good while: “I made enquiries about the Alfred and then found The Junction was up for grabs. I used to come in here pre-COVID with an elderly neighbour, it has easy access and wide doors for the toilet etc.”
The Junction used to be a Blythe Brewery house and although now free of tie the Ruby Mild remains a permanent fixture.
“It’s a cracking 5% and we go against the grain at The Junction as the locals love dark beer, it’s our best seller at two and a half firkins a week. We also have stouts and porters on from Shiny, Front Row and Collyfobble.
“I want to keep my purchasing local for ales and lagers. Ciders are from Yoxall and Ashover and gins are from Nelson’s in Uttoxeter! We have a permanent gluten free and vegan friendly lager which is Thornbridge’s Lukas and one hand pull is dedicated gluten free.”
So far, the pub has sold beer from local brewers: 3P’s Brewery, Front Row Brewing, Little Brewing Company, Leatherbritches Brewery, Heritage Brewing Company, Mr Grundy’s Brewery, Brunswick Brewing Company, Lymestone Brewery, Shiny Brewery, Thornbridge, Collyfobble Brewery and of course Blythe Brewery.
Fraser and Karen have made a few changes, the pub is now open seven days a week due to demand, from 16:30 during the week and 12:00 at weekends and they are doing cold food throughout the week, with hot roast potatoes at Sunday lunch, there’s also a monthly quiz he hopes will prove popular.
“We celebrated Burn’s Night, or should that read Chatburn’s Night, by having haggis on the bar,” laughs Fraser.
And if he wasn’t busy enough building up his new business, Fraser is also the organiser of Tap Into Tutbury and is in the early stages of planning the second event which will take place 15th to 18th May. He has approached the venues from last year and thinks he has a few extra on board for 2025 making a total of ten, it is anticipated that it’ll be bigger and better than last year.
There has been a lot of building work on the old National Brewery Centre (NBC) site in the last six months, until recently it was hidden by a tall wooden fence, but this came down recently and the nearly finished Molson Coors Brewing Company (MCBC) offices are now visible. It’s doubtful that anyone needs a recap but for those who need a refresher on 12 September 2022 MCBC announced the sudden closure of the NBC, which was also home to the National Brewery Heritage Trust (NBHT) archives and the Heritage Brewing Company (HBC). Despite the public backlash the closure went ahead, and plans had to be made to secure the archives and the future of the HBC. Initially the HBC closed but later started brewing at the Burton Bridge Brewery and bought the business in May of last year.
Building work at the old NBC site
The future of the archives and a new Brewing Heritage centre is what Dr Harry White, the Chairman of the NBHT is here to talk about.
“That seems a long time ago now,” says Harry when asked about the progress since October 2022. “Over those two years it feels as though the NBHT’s feet have rarely touched the floor. Once Planning Solutions had vacated the NBC site and the NBHT was permitted access, our first goals were to meet and build relationships with those volunteers from the NBC who were prepared to work with us and to meet, build relationships and agree a way forward with both MCBC and East Staffordshire Borough Council.
“From the outset of 2023, the NBHT’s key priority was to preserve and protect the archives (all 500,000 of them). This required removing them from their shelves in the attics of the NBC building, packing them up into suitable archive-quality boxes (>3,000), and storing them safely on the NBC site (which at the time was rapidly becoming a building site) in the expectation that the premises ESBC were in the process of acquiring and refurbishing in Station Street would meet our requirements for the archives. We also needed to pack and label the archives in such a manner that their contents remained in an accessible format.
“The trans-shipment of the archives to their current home (now named the Brewery Heritage Centre) in Station Street began towards the end of 2023, and was completed by the summer of 2024, and all those who were involved in this process deserve an enormous round of applause!
Dr Harry White
“Also, during the summer of 2023, the NBHT started to produce a photographic record of all the artefacts on display across the entire NBC site, again no mean feat, since this included a multitude of items from across the entire malting and brewing processes up to and including public houses, via dray wagons, railway memorabilia and board rooms. However, these records have stood us in good stead as during 2024, with building work progressing at a pace across the NBC site, the NBHT was faced with the task of trying to find new storage areas for many of these items.”
Having overseen the move of the archive, the NBHT have been an integral part of designing a state-of-the-art experience at Bass House on High Street.
“At the end of 2023 the NBHT was asked to join a multi-disciplinary High Street Operations Group convened by ESBC to produce plans for the redevelopment of the old Bass HQ site in Burton High Street. The NBHT’s role has been to advise both the architects and visitor attraction consultants on the team on the scope, content and format of a proposed Brewing and Pubs Heritage Centre which will form an integral part of the overall scheme. In addition to providing an immersive, mixed media public walk-through tour explaining the heritage and impact of the UK brewing industry through the centuries, the Heritage Centre will also provide a safe, secure and permanent home for the archives, and it will be based in what was previously the HQ offices of Bass, a magnificent late-Victorian, Grade II listed building.
“The High Street Operations Group met regularly throughout 2024 and hosted a series of well-attended Public Engagement meetings in October to communicate its proposals and to seek views. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and the plans for the High Street development have now been formally submitted into the Planning process.”
The new Brewery Heritage Centre on Station Street
What are the plans for 2025?
“Over the last two year it has become increasingly apparent that the NBHT needs to increase both its skill sets and its numbers. The reality is that we are a very small (and increasingly ageing) band of enthusiasts who have been asked to step up and fill a gap. We’ve been happy to do that, but equally we recognise that to succeed in our goals for the future we need to increase our professionalism.
“Towards the end of 2024, we therefore started to actively seek out like-minded individuals both from across the wider brewing industry and also from the world of museums and archives, and at the NBHT’s November AGM, I was delighted to announce the appointment of two new trustees: Anthony Hughes, MD of Lincoln Green a Midlands-based brewer and pub operator, and Tom Stainer CEO of CAMRA. Both Anthony and Tom broaden the expertise and experience of the NBHT and I look forward to working with both of them during 2025.
“In terms of our immediate plans for 2025, they are based on increasing public awareness of the range of material in the archive combined with better management of the artefacts, whether by prioritising their repair, refurbishment and/or cleaning, or by exploring options for their loaning out and where deemed necessary, disposal. I recognise this is a contentious area, but where we have numerous duplicate items (malt shovels is an obvious example) then we need to make some sensible decisions, albeit whilst adhering to national museum standards.
“A third area on which the NBHT needs to focus during 2025 is fund-raising. As we have recognised the need to increase the level of our professionalism, then we have recruited (on limited hours contracts) suitably qualified staff, and we see this becoming the norm for the foreseeable future. We therefore need to put in place adequate and secure sources of funding. For the last two years the NBHT’s activities have been supported financially by both MCBC and ESBC, a situation that we recognise cannot continue indefinitely. 2025 will therefore see the NBHT increasingly reaching out to other sources of potential funding, both private and public. Dialogue with the National Heritage Lottery Fund regarding the Heritage Centre has already been opened.
On a personal level, I spent many a happy hour at the NBC archive, but the facilities were basic and limited in space. The new premises on Station Street are a marked improvement.
“They are superior in every respect,” agrees Harry. “Although in the short term the archives are not accessible because they need sorting into some form of recognisable order, they are stored in secure purpose-designed boxes, either on secure shelving or in purpose-designed cabinets, all of which are in environmentally controlled rooms. This had not been the case at the NBC for a number of years.”
Beautiful staircase in Bass House
Were all the artefacts saved?
“If they were properly documented and accessioned artefacts belonging to MCBC, then yes, they have been saved. In the immediate aftermath of the closure in October 2022, the owners of any artefacts on loan to the NBC were contacted and items were returned if so requested (mostly vehicles). Also, and where appropriate, certain items have been loaned out to companies/other museums for safe-keeping and display (eg. a brass/bronze Victorian Steels Masher made by Robert Morton has been loaned to Briggs of Burton for display in the lobby of their Technical Centre).
“Doubtless further rationalisation decisions will have to be made, as we simply lack sufficient storage space, but any such decisions will always be made according to national museum guidelines and also with a view to the stories we want to see told in the new Heritage Centre.”
What are your hopes for the long-term future and have these changed since the closure?
“My hopes haven’t really changed over the last two years, but they have become far more focussed and tangible. As things stand at the moment, I have high hopes that the High Street project and associated Heritage Centre will gain traction. It is our mission to share the importance of the brewing and pub industry with the people of the town and beyond. We are excited by the plans and believe the development promises to make Burton upon Trent the national hub of British brewing and pub heritage.
“There is a strong desire from within ESBC and the architects and consultants involved to make this succeed and we all feel very positive about it. Now that the plans and design concept for the Heritage Centre have been drawn up and submitted to the Planning Authorities, we in the NBHT can start talking to the wider brewing industry to gain their support and input. So, a lot to do, but I firmly believe it’s worthwhile.”
Last year the new people behind Burton Bridge Brewery launched the first in a of a series of beers based on the legendary Stairway To Heaven recipe called Stairway To Simcoe. Each is a variation on the original brew and is accompanied by a striking reinterpretation of the pump clip.
“Stairway To Heaven is a good starting base for our experiments, a nice beer that lends itself to showcasing other hops,” reveals Head Brewer Al Wall.
Stairway To Heaven was first brewed at Burton Bridge Brewery in 2000 for a pub called The Vine in Wednesbury. The now happily retired Head Brewer Bruce Wilkinson explains how they came to be approached.
“The Landlord was a great Led Zeppelin fan and he had had breweries brewing a 5% pale beer for him. After he’d fallen out with the third brewery producing it, he rang us and asked if we’d do it,” recalls Bruce. “He wanted two barrels a week, so we said we’d need to sell it out to free trade and we came to an agreement to pay a royalty on each barrel of Stairway that we sold.
“I struggled a bit with the recipe as no one would tell me much apart from it was a pale 5% beer with a traditional hoppy aroma. I brewed it with pale malt, 25kg sugar and we used Northdown hops with a soft bitterness and we late copper hopped it with Fuggles and Goldings.
“We then found out why he kept changing breweries, he wasn’t very good at paying! He had this etched window in his pub with the Stairway To Heaven logo, this became the pump clip. He went bust owing us some money, so we stopped paying the royalties and around that time Geoff (Mumford) found out the trademark had fallen through, so we registered it.”
Stairway To Heaven went on to become one of the most popular Burton Bridge Brewery beers.
“It is difficult to say how many beers we will do,” wonder Al when questioned about the long term future of the Stairway To … series. “It depends on what hops we want to trial or what we find interesting. The first one was done using Simcoe as that is our brewer John Travis’s favourite hop. The second was Nelson Sauvin, which was to trial an entirely different type of hop. Stairway To Centennial was selected after conversation with Ben at Charles Faram and going forward we will be leaning on them quite a bit for help selecting the right flavours and or combinations of hops. We have talked about doing one with Strata, another with Citra (or Citra & Mosaic) and another with Styrian Dragon. They won’t all be showcases for single hops, they may have supporting hops to help if a single variety would be too flat or uninteresting.”
So far, the three beers have proved very popular, Stairway To Simcoe winning the Best Beer on the Burton Ale Trail last September.
“They have been selling really well!” exclaims Brewery Manager Emma Cole. “Nathan and Terry in sales keep requesting more of them. We will keep doing them as long as there is demand and really popular ones might end up getting repeated. I’m looking forward to getting them in bottles in a few months and they have been really popular in mini casks too.”
At the time of writing the Nelson Sauvin variant is on at Burton Bridge Inn and Centennial is on the bar at The Spirit Vaults in Melbourne, We are also promised that another in the series will be available at the forthcoming Burton & South Derbyshire CAMRA Beer Festival, so if you are sure that all that glitters is gold, make sure you go and buy one.
When Carlsberg issued a Press Release in November detailing the cessation of a number of beers including Banks Mild, Old Thumper and two Marston’s beers, Old Empire and 61 Deep, but there was one glaring omission: Marston’s Owd Rodger.
When did this legendary Burton brew become so inconsequential that it’s demise didn’t even warrant a mention? Are Carlsberg intending to it bury it in a nameless grave?
Marked simply as “delisted” on their website, the remaining bottles are currently being sold off cheap, so I messaged Carlsberg for further clarification of the beer’s future in the hope of receiving an in-depth explanation, apologising for their oversight and expanding on the reasons for halting production. I didn’t get one and any attempt at eliciting further comment was in vain. I reproduce the statement here in full.
“Unfortunately, this product is no longer in production.”
Eight words. Eight bloody words! Spoken like a true bunch of accountants or a word to that effect.
Owd Rodger was “a strong specialist dark beer … shrouded in mystery. Although typical of the ales exported to the Baltic in the 18th Century, legend has it that Owd Rodger is brewed to a 500 year old recipe named after its creator. Medieval monk or Elizabethan innkeeper, he certainly knew his beer” according to the mid-1980s bottle label.
The original Burton Ales were around in the 1600s, possibly even earlier, the beer that initially put Burton on the brewing map, predating both the rise of India Pale Ale and the founding of Marston’s brewery by a few centuries. Described as nut brown in colour, strong and sweet, Burton Ale could be bought for a premium price in London by the mid-1600s and would later be exported to the Baltic reaching as far as Russia, only stopping in 1806 when French Emperor Napoleon imposed an embargo on British exports.
Although the recipe may claim to be 500 years old, Marston, Thompson & Evershed’s Owd Rodger was launched as a Strong Ale in November 1908. The label was registered as trademark number 305,015 on 27 July 1908 and it was available in cask and bottle. Marston’s bottling setup, known locally as the “Nut Brown”. was sited near Crossman Street at their Albion Brewery and as was typical for the times, it was a very basic process; no cold storage, straight from the cask via a 24 head bottler with all the labels affixed by hand using female labour.
Early adverts described the beer as “the drink for cold weather … a fine old ale the colour of port,” and it “resembles the beers of bygone days. Its exquisite flavour and invigorating properties make it an ideal Winter Drink.” During the First World War the gravity was presumably reduced, as adverts from the early 1920s boasted “at pre-war strength.” In 1923 a dozen half-pint bottles would set you back 8/6 which was a lot of money in those days.
By the mid-1930s the beer was well established as their seasonal winter warmer, three bottle sizes were available: nips, small and large (presumably the last two being half pints and pints). A cask, designated with the mark No.6 sold for 226/- per barrel in 1933.
Production was paused in 1943 due to restrictions of beer gravities imposed by the government during the Second World War, rather than reduce the quality the company chose to discontinue Owd Rodger until conditions improved, it was certainly readily available by 1950.
It underwent a rebranding in 1966, becoming a Barley Wine and the recipe was also changed slightly increasing the Original Gravity to the 1077-1085 range. It came with the following warning in the 1980s “… deeply satisfying and very ‘more-ish’ – but take care!” It would also be called a Strong Country Ale in the 1990s.
Not without its accolades, in 1987 it won the best beer in its class at the Brewing Industry International Awards, which was equivalent to an Oscar, it was described as a “Burton brewed brainscrambler” and it was also lauded by the Derby Telegraph’s Beerhunter as his favourite beer of 2018 described as “powerful, at 7.4%, it’s bursting with fruity flavours, in a Christmas pudding sort of way. It’s smooth and satisfying.”
I have fond but very fuzzy memories of The Bridge at Branston stocking Pins in the 1990s which were stillaged in a small room next to the bar, there was something sacred about asking for a beer that the Landlord had to leave the room to fetch! It was there that I learnt that no matter how I tried, and believe me I did, I could never finish the third pint. Perhaps I should have stuck to Pedro instead, a half and half mix of Pedigree and Owd Rodger that was a firm favourite in Burton?
So then, to try Owd Rodger for the final time. I’m assuming a twelve month shelf-life (this has a best before 31/12/24) and an extended period of cellaring prior to bottling, so the last brew of Owd Rodger would have been late 2022 or early 2023. It had a fruity nose, was dark in colour with a slight red tinge and boasted a complex taste. Initially the fruit came through, followed by warmth from the alcohol, then the sweetness, slight bitterness and an aftertaste of sweetness. Although Owd Rodger is not an authentic Burton Ale, due to the use of whole leaf aroma hops (ales traditionally did not use hops in the 17th century) it was the closest remaining relation to the early Burton beers and anyone who could tell you different hasn’t been around for a very long time.
Looking back, Owd Rodger has been under threat for a few years, the last time I saw it on cask was pre-COVID and I can’t recall seeing it for sale outside of the local area, ever. This historic seasonal and regional beer never stood a chance against Carlsberg. It has been well and truly rodgered.
Apart from the blindingly obvious, what do Gates Reservoir and Burton Bridge Bitter have in common? Both started out life as a home brew; Reservoir in Stuart Gates’ kitchen and the recipe for Burton Bridge Bitter was finalised by Bruce Wilkinson using Boots Home Brew Kits.
Outwoods Home Brewing Club (OHBC) launches at Outwoods Brewing Company on Thursday 3rd October 6.30pm until 8.00pm (and the first Thursday of each month thereafter) and aims to be of interest to home brewers of all abilities, promoting discussion about all aspects of the hobby. This isn’t the first home brewing club held in the town, Marston’s founded one in 2016 in their DE14 Nanobrewery and it was thriving nicely until COVID arrived, hopefully the OHBC will be able to generate the same level of interest.
Chris and Sam Murphy
“My wife Sam and I began homebrewing some years back, starting with a Nutbrown Ale; we paused for a while, but over the last year or so we have really gotten back into it again,” says Chris Murphy co-founder of the OHBC. “From wines to beers, it’s an amazing and rewarding hobby creating your own brews, the same as people who have allotments and grow their own vegetables.”
“I still think of myself as a home brewer at heart, cask is my new learning curve which I’m loving!” says Colin Trowell of the Outwoods Brewing Company who opened in July. “I still use a lot of the same equipment I did back in my garage, the same suppliers for my ingredients and kegs, same recipes, just the volume has changed and the selling point.”
Chris: “We met Colin the day Outwoods opened, we absolutely fell in love with the place and the beers he produces. He is a very approachable young man, with an amazing aptitude for brewing. Having spoken to Colin about the OHBC, Sam and I knew this was the right place, person and time to start the club.
Colin Trowell of Outwoods Brewing Company
“Being novices Sam and I had the thought to start the club to gain more knowledge about brewing. Being able to talk to other homebrewers and holding the club at the Outwoods Brewery will engage the brewing community in Burton and surrounding area. With Colin’s wealth of knowledge and experience and having the brewery on site, it will make the club one of the best.”
Colin: “The format will evolve over time, like one meeting will be about different hops and I will have 40 on show that people can smell and talk about the hop profile and which recipes I use them in etc. I’ll do the same with malt, but that is less fun. I will do technical demos on my old little kit, as it’s the same process as how I brew now. The ideas I have for OHBC are insane!”
Sam will be organising trips, club events, guest speakers etc. and is keen to promote an all-inclusive atmosphere at the OHBC.
“Anyone interested is welcome to join, even if they don’t homebrew yet but are thinking about it. All sexes and ages are welcome, the more people we can engage, the better the club will be,” says Chris excitedly. “All three of us have a passion for beer, brewing and all things related to Burton on Trent, the history of brewing in Burton and the industry of brewing throughout.”
The Outwoods brewing kit
Chris: “The OHBC is set up to bring together like-minded home-brewery fanatics who want to get together to drink each other’s brews and chat about all things beer and provide an excellent resource for learning. Most of all make it fun and not too serious!”
Outwoods Home Brewing Club will be held at Outwoods Brewing Company on Thursday 3rd October 6.30pm until 8.00pm.
In late August CAMRA released a statement to the effect that the long-standing National Chairman Nik Antona would be standing down with immediate effect, due to being diagnosed with a serious medical condition. Following a vote by the National Executive over the weekend, Ash Corbett-Collins. who has held the position of Vice-Chairman since November was elected as Nik’s successor.
“I want to thank Nik for all of his support over the last six years together on the National Executive,” says Ash respectfully. “He was also one of the first people I met in CAMRA when I went to my first branch meeting almost a decade ago and he’s been a friend ever since. His knowledge, skills and experience have been invaluable to supporting me in the various roles I’ve had over the years.”
Ash was interviewed in the early days of The Beertonian in 2018, just after he had been elected to the CAMRA National Executive (link here).
“When we last spoke, I’d not long moved from Swadlincote to Birmingham. Since then I’ve gotten married (in 2021) and I’m now in the process of buying my first house in Sutton Coldfield. My wife and I also adopted our dog Vinnie, a Bedlington Terrier crossed with a Lurcher, he now accompanies us on our trips to pubs and brewery taps across the country.”
How have things changed with CAMRA in that time?
“Obviously the last few years CAMRA has faced major challenges, like all membership organisations. The pandemic and lockdowns meant that we couldn’t run our usual festivals and many are still finding their feet. It’s a credit to the volunteers locally that Burton was able to stage the Great British Beer Festival Winter, which has been major boost to our profile and generated a surplus that we can put towards our campaigning activities.
“Another major change is in how we work; the pandemic forced us to quickly adopt a remote/online approach. Of course running meetings online doesn’t have the same social benefits as meeting in a pub but it has allowed us to work faster and more efficiently. Whereas national working groups used to meet quarterly, we now often meet once a month for shorter, more focused sessions.”
What are the main challenges facing the organisation in 2024?
“CAMRA today is facing a number of challenges: while our retention rate remains incredibly high at almost 89% year on year, we aren’t attracting new members at the rate we used to. A lot of this is down to the cost of living crisis, we know that similar organisations are struggling with recruitment as people tighten their belts. That’s why it’s so important to support festivals across the country as they are our main source of recruitment. We’re looking at how we can boost this nationally but at a local level we’re encouraging members to sign up their friends and drinking buddies; people they already know support our aims of protecting and promoting real ale and the Great British pub. If everyone signed up just one friend over the next 12 months we’d double our membership!
“We’re also still seeing an ageing active membership, while we’re eternally grateful to the hard work that volunteers do, we have to be realistic about the fact that we can’t rely on the same people forever. That’s especially true of physically demanding tasks such as the set up and takedown of festival equipment. Many people ask me how we get more young people involved in CAMRA but I think that’s a difficult ask when so many of them simply don’t have the spare time, energy or money when they are starting their careers and families themselves. We need to be encouraging our members who are at the next stage in their life, maybe their kids are becoming independent, their careers are settled or they are recently retired. These members are more likely to have the time and energy to get involved in the Campaign.”
What does the role of National Chairman entail?
“It is still a voluntary role so I’ll be continuing do this alongside my day job, I’m a Bid Manager for a connectivity company, which has taught me the importance of time management and team building, skills that lend themselves to my new role in CAMRA. I’m also involved in my local branch, where I’m the Good Beer Guide, NBSS and Pubs Database Coordinator. I also run the Pub and Club of the Year competitions. It’s a lot to juggle but I have to be smart with prioritising and also be honest and hold my hand up when I don’t have the time to do something. At the end of the day, we’re all volunteers and we respect that people’s family, friends and work come first, but CAMRA is a huge passion of mine and I’m privileged to be able to part of the team stewarding it towards its next fifty years.
“The role of National Chairman is multi-faceted: on paper the primary duty is to lead the National Executive, the twelve national directors elected by our membership at AGM, but it’s also about setting the strategy and vision for the Campaign and working side by side with the Chief Executive, who is responsible for our paid staff, to deliver it. The National Chairman is also expected to be a figurehead for the Campaign and I’ll be talking directly with colleagues across the industry as well as with decision-makers in Government to drive CAMRA’s message.”
Ash is a proud Burtonian, what does he think of the current pub scene in Burton and why does it appear to be bucking the trend of pub and brewery closures?
“My Mum and my Nan both still live in Burton so I’m often visiting, which is always a great excuse to visit the pubs, brewery taps and clubs across the branch. It’s great to see so many thriving and new openings such as The Arches, it’s already on my list for next time I visit. I think Burton benefits from still being known nationally as the Home of Brewing and people come from across the country to visit. There’s also a great community around the pubs locally and events like the Burton Ale Trail have encouraged people to get out and try new ones, and the Burton Ale Trail attracts visitors from as far as Scotland, but we can’t take it for granted.
“The publicans and brewers are still struggling and that’s why CAMRA is calling on the Government to reduce VAT for hospitality businesses, reduce the duty paid on draught beer and reform business rates. These three core asks are vital to safeguarding the sector over the next few years. The new Government is keen to get Britain growing and to do that it needs to support our pubs and clubs. They already contribute £34bn to the economy and provide over a million jobs but with 50 pubs a month closing that is in danger. No matter whether someone is a CAMRA member or not, we’re urging them to contact their local MP and ask them to support our Great British pubs before it’s too late.”
I’ve never understood why CAMRA issues Wetherspoon vouchers. If the campaign is about protecting the British pub why offer an incentive to visit a chain that sells so cheaply that other pubs cannot compete?
“CAMRA is a consumer organisation and we know that over half of Brits already think that the cost of a pint is unaffordable, the CAMRA voucher scheme provides up to £30 off over a calendar year and it can be used in a number of different pub chains to help drinkers make their pint more affordable. Thousands of pubs also choose to offer CAMRA members a discount on their beer simply by showing their membership card.
“I believe it’s important that there is a broad range of pubs that cater to the varying needs of all drinkers, it’s just as important that there are specialist bars serving weird and wonderful beers that excite some drinkers as it is that there are pubs offering affordable beers to those are mindful of the rising cost of a pint. It is also important to remember that the reason so many pubs are closing isn’t competition but because of the rising cost of doing business that we are urging the Government to address.”
How will you measure your success in the role and where do you see CAMRA being in five years?
“For me, success as National Chairman is about ensuring CAMRA is a thriving organisation at every level, that people want to be a member, understand how we are making a difference and are excited to volunteer to be a part of that. In five years, we’ll be coming to the end of this Parliament and I hope to see that our core asks of this Government have been enacted to help support our pubs and breweries. We’re going to continue working with partners across the industry to do that and be backed up by our army of thousands and thousands of volunteers.”
At first glance Inn-Uendo’s, Burton’s new Micro Pub / Bar looks like a classy joint; the jazzy green wallpaper and massive clock centrepiece suggests an upmarket Wine Bar but look closer at the pictures on the wall and you’ll spot the saucy seaside postcards, “Carry On …” film posters and the name will begin to make sense. And that’s before you’ve read the risqué cock-tail menu!
“I wanted a continental vibe, I’ve spent a lot of time in Benidorm so have loads of idea from visiting the bars over there.” Yes, Inn-Uendo’s is different and reflects the personality of owner Richard Peace, who is also known as Dicky to some of his friends.
“People can expect lots of laughter and a friendly environment, we are well known for making people feel very welcome. Maybe that’s why we’re so popular in town,” he says, the last part is probably tongue in cheek, or tongue somewhere else.
‘We’ refers to Richard and his partner Jason, who started their career at Blush in the town centre in 2009. Following its closure in 2015 Richard worked at the Devonshire Arms and latterly at the Burton Bridge Inn. He is well known around town and has a face that you’ve probably come across, so to speak.
Jason and Richard (credit: Netty Webster)
“I spent a good five years at Burton Bridge Inn but once the brewery sold it was time to move on. My vision for the last couple of years was to open my own place again, many people have said to me and Jason since leaving Blush that we are missed, and we really need to do something to create the fun atmosphere we are known for.”
Richard spotted the empty unit early 2024 and immediately knew he found the place he could slide in and make his own.
“The location and size was bang on, we finally got the keys in March and it’s been a long and stressful process having to go through planning permission but I knew it’d be worth it in the end.”
A full frontal view (credit: Netty Webster)
Along with the cock-tails, lagers, ciders and premium spirits, Richard has two handpulls and is fully committed to serving real ale.
“It is important to me to be offering real ale as this is what people know me for from working at the Devi and the Bridge. I’ve gained the experience to know how to keep a good pint and what people want. I won The Best Beer on the Burton Ale Trail in March 2022 when we launched the Ruby Red for Burton Bridge’s 40th anniversary, this is something I’m very proud of. We are not tied to any brewery so I can have anything on the pumps that I choose and what the punters request.”
Beer o’clock (credit: Netty Webster)
Inn-Uendo’s is on Station Street between Sainsbury’s and the Gurkha Lounge and opens this Saturday at 5pm. Why not slip in for a cheeky one?
