When the announcement came on Monday 12 September that the National Brewery Centre was to close at the end of October, there was an instant public backlash. A Facebook group “Save our National Brewery Centre” was made, a petition created that at last count had over 8,000 signatures and there was a protest march through the town on Sunday. One person who didn’t attend the march was Dr Harry White, the Chairman of the National Brewery Heritage Trust. In this exclusive interview Harry speaks openly and honestly on the closure and his hopes for the future of the archives and artefacts that make up Burton’s unique brewing collection.
“I can understand and sympathise with the marchers wanting to express their personal feelings and sadness about the closure of the National Brewery Centre and for them to want to show solidarity with one another and be seen to be doing something, but ultimately going on a march is not going to solve the need to find a permanent safe home for the NBC collection,” states Harry before adding realistically. “The NBC closure is going to happen, so best to focus efforts on how to keep the collection together, in Burton and safeguard it for the future.
“I think a lot of the emotion being generated is because people want instant answers to some complex questions which are going to take a while to be resolved,” he adds.
What Is Happening Currently?
There are a lot of talks taking place to secure the future for the archives and artefacts.
“I believe Molson Coors, East Staffordshire Borough Council and the National Brewery Heritage Trust all share a common purpose of trying to find a best-fit solution for the collection in Burton,” says an optimistic Harry.
So how much dialogue currently is there between MCBC, ESBC and yourselves? Do you agree that there appears to be a lot of confusing information coming out?
“A lot of discussions are taking place between all three parties, and no I’m not aware of any confusing information being circulated by any of us. As soon as there are clearer plans in place I’m sure these will be shared.”
The Public Reaction
Was the scale of the public outcry surprising?
“Yes, and in many ways that is to be welcomed, but I feel a lot of it has been an instant gut reaction rather than serious thought as to the underlying reasons why.”
There has been a noticeable rise in Facebook posts showing people visiting the NBC since the announcement of the closure, this may be regulars going for one last look around, but no doubt others are taking the opportunity to visit for the first time before it is too late.
“We’re all sad to see the NBC site close and feel extremely sorry for employees and volunteers who are losing their jobs, but the decision to close the site has to be viewed within the broader context of the current economic climate, and in particular the difficulties facing the hospitality industry.”
Harry doesn’t sound like he was too surprised.
“No, I wasn’t,” he reveals. “The NBC has been very reliant on hospitality and events activities and of course COVID meant the site was closed for the best part of two years.”
How long had discussions been taking place between MCBC and PSL and when were the NBHT informed of the decision?
“I was officially told of the plans for closure in September, after the agreement between PSL and MCBC was signed. However, I was made aware during August that discussions between PSL and MCBC were taking place.”
On the recent march the chants were very much aimed at MCBC, although ESBC have taken a lot of criticism in the media.
“ESBC are spear-heading a major initiative to regenerate Burton town centre and attract visitors to the town. Their intended purchase of the Old Bass High Street site offers them huge scope and potential to re-orientate the town centre and create something special both for Burtonians and visitors alike,” compliments Harry. “They have offered and are keen to rehouse not only the archives but also the important brewing artefacts displayed at the NBC as part of their overall plans for the High Street site.”
The Archive and the NBHT
“The NBHT are a registered charity made up of volunteers whose objectives are to protect and preserve the archives and artefacts, ensure they stay together in Burton and encourage greater public awareness and accessibility. For over a decade the Trust has operated independently of PSL, who have operated the site and MCBC who own the site and most of the collection.”
Most of the archive is not on public display, so many people will not understand the range of materials that the NBHT look after, can you explain what there is and their current storage requirements?
“The brewing artefacts on the NBC site include items of malting and brewing equipment from Victorian time onwards, together with ancillary plant such as a huge steam engine and various forms of road and rail transport for both raw materials and finished beer.
“In addition to raising funds through membership subscriptions and donations for repair and refurbishment of some of the artefacts stored and displayed at the NBC, the Trust’s main activities in recent years has been to increase public awareness and accessibility to the vast array of brewing industry archives stored in the attics in the NBC. To help realise this goal a small team of volunteers have been working on producing a digital catalogue of the archives and publishing this via a public access website: http://nbcarchives.co.uk/“
The archives consist of approximately half a million items, embracing breweries, brewing companies and public houses across the UK, and date from the mid-1700s to the present day. They include brewing records, personnel records, engineering plans, sales records, and photos as well as audio visual material.
“The archives are unique and because they cover such a breadth and depth, should be considered the crown jewels of the collection. It is intended that they will form a key part of the proposed new museum in High Street. The archive collection is currently stored in a space that is less than 200 square metres in size and so there will be enough room at the new museum to house these effectively.”
The Immediate Future
What can we expect to happen in the next few weeks?
“I understand that the NBC site will close to the public at the end of October and PSL will vacate the site by the end of November. Sometime in the new year MCBC proposes to begin the sensitive redevelopment of the site focused on the main building. The building known as the Joiner’s Shop, which was the home of the original Bass Museum, and a number of other areas are not, as I understand, part of MCBC’s immediate development plans for the site, and so these buildings can be used to continue to store the collection.
“The Joiners’ Shop and its contents will remain as is in the interim, as will a number of the vehicles in the yard, including the Robey steam engine, unless the owners request their return. The immediate priority will be to find appropriate temporary storage for the various items of malting and brewing equipment currently on display in the Gallery area of the NBC.”
The proposed use of shipping containers has been the subject of a recent rather controversial article on social media.
“That article ignored the context within which the use of such containers were mentioned. They wouldn’t be used for items for which they weren’t suitable,” says a frustrated Harry.
Will the paper archives be stored in the Joiners Shop?
“No, it is intended that the long-term permanent home for the archives will be as part of the new museum in the town on High Street. For the interim the Trust and ESBC are working together to find a safe and secure location in Burton that actually improves access and availability to residents and tourists.”
The Long-Term Future
“ESBC passed a resolution at its meeting in late September to work with the Trust and MCBC on maintaining a space for celebrating Burton’s brewing heritage. The High Street site is a central feature of the Town Development Plan, proposals which were published in 2021. A core aim of this is the transformation of Burton into a major tourist destination. Hopefully the relocation of the important brewing artefacts displayed at the NBC will support and help realise this ambition. With respect to the artefacts, the Trust believes that first and foremost they should be kept in Burton.”
Will the High Street solution work with regards to capacity and accessibility, who would be best suited to run this facility? Where will the money come from?
“The High Street site far exceeds the NBC in terms of size and depending on what the final overall plan for the site is, public access should not be an issue. How the site will operate, who will be responsible and how it will be funded are issues currently under discussion. In terms of funding, although the initial set up costs could potentially be covered by government grants, I believe a key ambition for the site is that it should be self-funding in terms of covering its operating costs. To do that it will need to be multi-purpose as opposed to simply a museum.”
Do you think that the Heritage Centre on High Street could work better than the NBC?
“Because the archives are mostly paper and/or card they need to be stored in a humidity and temperature-controlled environment, which the current NBC doesn’t lend itself to easily,” reveals Harry. “So yes, I think the proposed new museum on High Street, assuming it is properly set up and financed, offers a far better environment for the archives, and artefacts, and should ensure their safety and security for future generations to come. There is also an opportunity to look at how a modern museum could operate, linking the existing offer of the NBC with new, immersive technologies that could encourage more visitors.”
What can the public do to help secure the future of the archive?
Anyone who, like us, cares about preserving the town’s brewing archives and artefacts, should consider joining the Trust and supporting our work. Find out more by visiting our website http://www.breweryheritage.com/“
It can’t be just me thinking that it’s been a bloody long time since the first week of September. In a matter of weeks we’ve lost two Burton Ale Trail venues out of fifteen, but should we be worried for the future of the BAT, I think not.
The fate of The Alfred Ale House has probably been coming for a while, whilst The Brewery Tap was a real bolt from the blue, but I don’t foresee any of the remaining thirteen in imminent danger and that is in part thanks to your continuing support; I’m not saying the BAT is all that is keeping some pubs open but it certainly makes for an amazing weekend of trade every six months and it has led to a number of you becoming returning customers between the BATs. Every pint helps!
Historically pubs come and pubs go; for an extreme example you need only look at the list from 1914 at the end of this post for all the unfamiliar names, this is without those that came and went in the last 108 years and a few glaring omissions, but two in a month? That could well be unprecedented.
The Brewery Tap and The Alfred Ale House are closing for different reasons, the first either a shortsighted decision from an uncaring multinational or the fault of the local council (delete as applicable, I choose the former) and The Alfred Ale House, well we can only but speculate but my guess is it is for similar reasons that did for the much missed Derby Inn, however one thing is certain with another period of difficult trading ahead this winter the pubs need you as much as ever.
The original idea for the BAT was for a one off post Lockdown shot in the arm for the local licensed trade but it outgrew this almost immediately with cries for a second event before the first had even started. With the fourth BAT in the planning stage, like it or love it it’s not going away. I’m not sure how long something has to exist to become an institution but we will keep doing this until we find out.
You’ll note that between events the Facebook group ticks over advertising gigs, tap takeovers and other such beery events and that’s because unlike your traditional here-one-weekend-gone-the-next beer festival, the pubs are open all year and rather than being staffed by volunteers, the people serving you do it for a living and are very grateful for your custom.
I’ve started to notice a few articles and social media posts where the phrase “… like they are doing in Burton upon Trent” or similar is being used, so yes there are other people and towns watching what we are all creating here: a network, a community, something that will guarantee the survival of our pubs. Burton Ale Trailers you can be proud of yourselves!
If this week has shown one thing, it is that there is still a lot of pride in Burton regarding it’s brewing history. If you are reading this you will know this is a subject very close to my heart, unsurprisingly I have taken the news of the closure of the National Brewery Centre hard. I’m angry, I’ll even admit I’ve even lost sleep over this.
Although some of the reaction has been fueled by shameless political point scoring, Molson Coors could never have anticipated a backlash of this magnitude.
Keep your hands off our history!
The message is clear, the National Brewery Centre must stay open.
If Molson Coors are foolhardy enough to defy public opinion, then a replacement facility must be found quickly for the artefacts, vehicles and the beautiful horses that call the National Brewery Centre home.
I don’t think for a minute that the archive is in danger of being binned (as one scaremonger has suggested), I have total faith in Dr Harry White and the team at the National Brewery Heritage Trust that it will be looked after with the respect and care such a priceless collection deserves, although no doubt given the option, they’d be happier for the material to stay put. The proposed Bass House solution is the great unknown and I can’t see it being as good as the current facilities at the National Brewery Centre.
The loss of the Heritage Brewing Company will be keenly felt by beer drinkers, personally I am particularly fond of their Masterpiece and P2 Stout. The brewery has changed hands and names a few times in the last 40 odd years, it’s been known as the Museum Brewery and the White Shield Brewery. It doesn’t deserve such a cruel and sudden end; the beers are too good for that.
Another victim is the on-site pub The Brewery Tap which has been part of The Burton Ale Trail since its inception; it has been an integral part in the event’s success and future trails will feel that loss. It has been a pleasure to work with Sarah Tooley and her team, their enthusiasm will be greatly missed.
I don’t know what else to say really, this is awful moment for the town brought about by a company who really should be protecting and promoting history, not destroying it.
“Elated, surprised, gobsmacked … I didn’t think we were in the running at all … I can’t believe it, I just don’t know what to say,” says a genuinely surprised Julie Latham, Landlady of The Roebuck Inn on hearing the news that her pub has won ‘The Best Bass in Burton 2022’ competition, which was held last Saturday on ‘National Bass Day’.
After taking a few minutes to compose herself, Julie continues: “My staff and I are so pleased to have won this, I’d like to thank everyone behind the bar for their hard work on Saturday and of course the Judges for holding our Bass in such high esteem and recognising what our regulars have been telling us for years.”
Julie Latham (Landlady of The Roebuck Inn) and a pint of the best Bass in Burton
A short list of six permanent Bass houses was drawn up following a vote on Social Media: The Constitutional Club, The Coopers Tavern, The Devonshire Arms, The Elms Inn, The Roebuck Inn and The Waterloo Inn all made it through for the chance to be scored by groups of independent Bass aficionados, to answer a question that has been debated countless times, who serves the best Bass in Burton?
Out of all the Burton beers, Bass is the most historic and important. The link between Burton and Bass stretches back to 1777 and without Bass the town wouldn’t be what it is today. Very little is left of the Bass empire: two breweries on Station Street (one disused), Bass House on High Street, some offices, a few Maltings, the Water Tower next to the Washlands … not much to show for a company that once spanned the whole town.
Bass may have ceased as a brewer over 20 years ago but the beer Draught Bass is still produced in Burton by Marston’s under licence from owners AB-InBev.
“Yes the Bass of today isn’t exactly the same as I remember drinking in the 1980’s, but it is still one of my favourites,” reckons competition organiser Ian Webster. “Marston’s do a fantastic job, they have captured that nutty malty taste perfectly.”
The result was incredibly close, the margin between first and second being only a few marks.
“At one point I thought it was going to be a draw,” laughs Ian. “The standard of the Bass from all six pubs was incredibly high, I noticed slight variations in each pint which is down to the cellaring technique, the way that the beer is served and so on.”
The runners-up are The Devonshire Arms, the pub being a few hundred metres along Station Street from the winner.
“First of all we’d like to congratulate Julie and her team at The Roebuck Inn for the title of ‘The Best Bass in Burton 2022’, I’ve drank it a few times ‘up the road’ and it’s always top notch,” says a gracious Carl Stout, who along with his wife Nicki keeps The Devonshire Arms. “Secondly we’d like to thank everyone who took part and those who took the time to vote for us.
“In the three years since buying The Devvie, it is the most Bass we have sold in one day. On a personal note, to finish second in the Burton and South Derbyshire CAMRA Pub of the Year and now second in ‘The Best Bass in Burton 2022’ is an achievement we at The Devvie are very proud of.”
The competition is set to become an annual fixture for Bass fans.
Julie: “Now for the hard part, defending the title next year.”
The next ‘National Bass Day’ and ‘The Best Bass in Burton 2023’ will be held on Easter Saturday 8 April 2023, why not save the date and if you are a Bass lover why not come and join the Judges next time?
I went to the Constitutional Club in Burton upon Trent recently; it sits literally a stone’s throw along High Street from Bass House and was founded by monies from Lord Burton. It proudly serves one beer on draught, what else but Bass? Newly acquired Bass drip mats are on every table, the club printed them up themselves as they can’t get hold of the official versions. Now let that sink in for a minute, Bass is the tenth best selling cask ale in the country and the brewery do not produce drip mats! There are also no posters, adverts in the press, pump clips are hard to come by, the only item a publican can get hold of are pint glasses. There’s something wrong here.
Generally, I try to keep a cordial relationship with breweries, but I have given up with AB InBev who own Bass as I have never come across such apathy towards a brand. It’s not like its just any brand either, it is Bass for goodness sake! The Red Triangle! It is the most recognisable Trademark in the world! The label for Bass Pale Ale was trademark number one (the Red Triangle itself was number 913)! Bass was once the greatest brewer in the world and AB InBev really couldn’t give a toss. There’s something really wrong here.
Marston’s, once arch rivals of Bass have brewed the beer under contract since 2005 at their Albion Brewery on Shobnall Road; Lord Burton would have wept. Marston’s do an excellent job too; it has that malty nuttiness that I remember from when I first drank it in the late 1980’s. It’s not “Bass” Bass but it is Bass and a damn fine drink too. Many argue that it is better than Pedigree and they are right.
There’s another form of Bass, an imposter in a Bass bottle. It is brewed at the Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I Brewery at Salmesbury (aka Shamelessbury), Preston and pales (pun intended) in comparison to the Marston’s brew. The only time I’ve had it in the last ten years was on the cancelled 2020 National Bass Day when there was no Draught Bass in the world to be had. There’s something really really wrong here.
So today is the first National Bass Day, not a bright idea from the AB InBev Marketing Department, but of one man, a Burtonian now living Bakewell way called Ian Thurman and it’s developed a life of its own. Think about it, tenth best selling cask ale in the country and it is being promoted by a passionate amateur, one who gets no support from the owners? I’d be embarrassed, no wonder the triangle is red, it is blushing.
Hang your head in shame AB InBev. If you don’t want the brand, sell it.
I originally wrote this at speed a few weeks back, apart from the odd tweak here and there and the removal of a “fucking”, I stand by what I wrote, so here it is.
“We are celebrating Oktoberfest here at Brews of the World this year to showcase the finest beer that German has to offer,” states Robin Ludlow. “We have always longed to host an event like this and this year we are finally able to do it.”
For those unfamiliar with the concept of Oktoberfest, Robin explains: “It is a German folk festival held annually in Munich, usually lasting sixteen to eighteen days ending on the first Sunday in October. The festival originated on 12 October 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the Crown Prince of Bavaria.”
“Even before the original Brews of the World opened as a shop, we wanted to do Oktoberfest,” agrees Chris McCormack. “We are big fans of German beer, the history and traditions. There are so many stories, so many different styles, with an amazing range of flavours, aromas from the five basic ingredients of malted barley, wheat, hops, water and yeast. It is something that has fascinated us. Burton beer was exported all over the world, so we thought we’d do it the other way and bring Bavarian beers to Burton.”
The event started on Friday and goes on for ten days.
“We never do anything by halves!” laughs Chris. “Now we’ve got the extra ten taps, we can do events like this, tastings, tap takeovers …”
Toria, Robin and Chris take a breather on a busy Friday night (Credit Hayley Ward)
Oktoberfest is a massive party, with music, food, beer and merry making. The modern festival involves six Munich breweries.
“Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten,” Chris lists. “We have three of the Oktoberfest beers on, I believe that Augustiner haven’t made on this year, although we do have Augustiner Helles in bottle.”
Brews of the World have stocked German beer from when they started in November 2017.
“We’ve always made a point of having German beer on sale, we started with the shop and had a range of bottles,” says Chris. “When the bar opened we always made a point of having one Helles Lager and one Wheat Beer on tap. We hope it brings sone colour to the local beer scene. The pubs in Burton are largely based on Cask Ale but there is a big fan base for Craft Beer and we hope this is just another feather in the Bavarian hat of Burton!”
Along with the three Oktoberfest beers, there is a vast selection of other beers to try.
“We’ve gone pretty much across the board,” reveals Chris. “We’ve a Dunkel (dark lager), a smoked beer called Schlenkerla Kräusen, Jever Pilsner which is very bitter, Fruh Kolsch, we’ve also got Hallo Ich Bin Raspberry Berliner from Mikkeller which is an imitation as we couldn’t get the real beer … so a diverse range.”
A delivery of German beers
The Beertonian has long held the opinion that bland British Lager has given the style a bad name, something Chris agrees with.
“When it is ‘Brewed under license’ in particular!”
So what advice is there for those who are put off by the British versions of Carling, Carlsberg, Fosters etc.?
“The go-to would be the Tegernsee Helles, if you are unsure give it a try, have a half and you might find something you really like,” says Chris with an air of authority, before adding the following with a chuckle. “We try to give the impression that we know what we are talking about! Lager beer takes as much skill to produce as any other beer, a real lager is up there with Cask Ale, it does deserve recognition.”
In typical Brews of the World style, they are still catering for every palate.
“If someone wants traditional Cask Ale we have options from Burton Town Brewery, their Modwena Stout went down well yesterday and we have their Kolsch Lager on too. We’ve got Craft Beers, including a Blue Raspberry Ice Slush Sour from Play Brew Co. which is a shocking green colour, there’s traditional Cider, we’ve even got Gin!”
So far Oktoberfest has been really well supported, both Friday and Saturday nights have seen the place full.
“We had a few poke their head in the door but it was too busy, they came back later which was encouraging. I see big times ahead; I think the local beer scene is on the cusp of something special,” suggests Chris.
Why not pop in this week and support this local business by sinking a few steins? Brews of the World not only have a unique vision in the town but have made a lot of progress in the last six months and surely this is only just the start.
“One For The Lads” Ten Years of Gates Burton Brewery
A man walks into a pub, buys a pint and no this isn’t a joke, the beer in question is Gates Burton Ale and it has just been bought by the chap who brewed it.
“I drink my own beer as I believe it’s the best in the pub,” says Stuart Gates, this may sound like a conceited statement but anyone who has met Stuart knows him to be a quietly modest chap. “It’s a quality beer, consistent and I know the passion that has gone in to making it.”
“I’ve said to him many a time that I feel awful charging him the full amount,” laughs Julie Latham, who has just served him.
Julie is the Landlady of The Roebuck Inn in Burton upon Trent and Stuart has returned to the pub to talk about the tenth anniversary of Gates Burton Brewery which is being celebrated this month. This may suggest that he has not been in here for years but in reality, Stuart is a regular and always drinks his own beers. Both the pub and Julie play a significant part in the brewery’s history as this was where the idea to turn a hobby into a commercial venture first came about.
Fresh from school Stuart started work at Allied Breweries which once sat directly opposite the Roebuck. He worked there for 40 years, witnessing the rebirth of Ind Coope Burton Brewery in 1981, the merger with Carlsberg in 1992, the Bass takeover in 1998, the 2000 sale to Interbrew and company buy out by Coors (later Molson Coors) in 2002 before he retired in 2010.
Stuart and a pint of GBA in the Roebuck Inn
“I started in the Porters,” recalls Stuart. “It was a massive site in those days and we had to deliver all the post. Every Manager and Executive had a secretary, so you can imagine how much there was, it was unbelievable! I think there were fourteen of us at any one time. We had to take the teas to the Directors in the morning and afternoon too.
“I did that for three years and progressed when I was eighteen, then you went in the brewery wherever you could or where you fancied; that’s where it all began. I worked in Packaging where I was a Team Leader in Canning for a while and in the brewery: Brewhouse, Filtration and in the satellite Labs too.”
For a man who spent his entire working life surrounded by beer, it may seem unusual to want to go home and brew in his spare time.
“It’s different when you do it yourself,” Stuart explains. “In the brewery you are just following a process. We all have hobbies, some like to play golf and I liked to come home and brew. I’ve always been passionate about cask beer, a friend of mine started making his own when I was seventeen. He hadn’t got much money as he’d just started a family. I’d go round his house and try to drink this beer, it was from one of those kits and err a very acquirred taste. I said to John, one day I’m going to make some beer but I’m going to do it the traditional way and that’s what I did.”
Back in the 1970’s there wasn’t a great deal of choice if you drank cask bitter in Burton, there was Draught Bass, Marston’s Pedigree and the relative new comer Ind Coope Draught Burton Ale.
“My Dad used to drink Bass and my Uncle Pedigree, if they went to a pub and it wasn’t on they wouldn’t drink the other. My Uncle would rather drink Guinness than Bass,” he recalls.
Today this would be unthinkable but this led Stuart to his vision: “I wanted to make a beer that would stand up against Pedigree and Bass, I hope I’ve done that; I’m pleased with the way it turned out,” he says in his typical understated fashion.
His first attempt at brewing is lost in the mist of time, but after some thought he recalls: “I started brewing around 27 years ago in the kitchen. I used a big pan and one day I burnt the work surface! I’ve never done a kit, always a full mash so it was suck it and see. There used to be a mess in the kitchen, malt everywhere, Valda used to clean up; another wife would have gone mad but Valda supported me.
“I’d brew for the kids’ birthday parties, Christmas, Easter, barbeques, dinner parties, Bonfire Night … I’d brew a lot through the year but it wasn’t every week and it’d get drunk every time. I’d always take notes on how it went; I was so proud when they’d come round and drink my beer.”
Valda’s first pump clip for Gates’ Ales
In those early days Valda went as far to produce the first Gates’ Ales pump clip for their mythical pub the Reservoir Inn. It sits proudly in their conservatory along with three handpulls, although it is a sign of the popularity of Stuart’s beers that there isn’t a drop to be had. Something that Stuart apologises for with the offer of an invite in the future when there will be more than tea available.
There are a few funny stories that Stuart fondly remembers about his home brewing days where family ended up as willing taste subjects.
“I made one once and I took a sample into work, the Lab did a test for me. I knew it was bloody strong, they checked it and it was 7.3%! My brother-in-law Jerry worked in the Lab and he was coming round on the Friday night to drink it along with Valda’s brother. We had a dinner party and I set a handpull up in the kitchen. Sean said this is beautiful, how strong is it? I’d already primed Jerry before to not tell him it was 7.3%, I said it was 4.6%. We had three pints then served the soup out and his head went into it, he came round when we were serving pudding! Another day we’d had a barbeque and Jerry got in the taxi without his shoes as he’d had too many.”
As his interest and expertise increased, Stuart spotted some stainless-steel pipes at the brewery that nobody wanted.
“One of the Engineers cut it down for me, welded a bottom and put an element in so I’d got a boiler. I’d do a full mash in that, run off into a plastic bucket, clear all the mash out then pour it back in and do my boil, then add the hops. That would make a 36 pint pin, I did that for a long long time and that’s where I was when Julie had the first one in the Roebuck.”
TIME TO RETIRE?
In 2010 Stuart took early retirement from his job in the Filtration Department and decided there was only one place to have his send off.
“The Roebuck was the flagship for the brewery, so I’d spent a lot of time in there over the years,” laughs Stuart.
“You used to be able to spend your Beer Tokens in there,” adds Valda.
“I went in the Roebuck and spoke to Julie and said I want to have my leaving do in here, I’ll put some money behind the bar and I’d like to put a pin of beer on. She said yes! Valda did a pumpclip and it was called ‘One For The Lads’.”
“You asked would it be okay and can I bring some beer in? I said I’d put it through the handpull; it went down a storm,” says Julie. “Everyone just loved it, even the locals tried it.”
“I was a bit apprehensive of how it was going to go down,” confesses Stuart. “I knew it was a nice drink but I didn’t know how nice at that time. Julie said if you ever go commercial I’ll be the first to have it off you and she did, she hasn’t missed in ten years, apart from Lockdown obviously. She’s either had one or two a week.”
“One for the Lads” pumpclip
When Julie Latham took over the tenancy of The Roebuck in 2007 it was a troubled pub. Since 2000 it had spent as much time closed for business as it had open.
“The only regular customers were the Bower brothers,” says Julie, the Bower family having been the Ind Coope signwriters. “They’d turn up every weekend and if it was closed they’d carry on round the corner to the Devonshire. Consequently, they were our hardest nut to crack as they were used to seeing tenants come and go. It was consistency that got us going and the introduction of various real ales. Stuart’s beer became more and more popular.”
“Julie has been great to me, she’s made it happen and I’ve told her many many times,” says an eternally grateful Stuart. “She said ‘Stuart this pub wouldn’t be the same without your beer in it, there are lots of people coming in asking for Reservoir or GBA and if it isn’t on they walk out.’”
‘One For The Lads’ would later be renamed Reservoir Premium, but the recipe remains unchanged to the present day.
AT A PREMIUM
It’s a little known fact that it nearly wasn’t Gates Burton Brewery at all: “We pondered calling it Reservoir Brewery as we are on Reservoir Road.”
“Over the years when I was first brewing I made beers that I never really named, but once I got the flavour of the Reservoir I thought I’m not changing that, same with the Damn. Reservoir was originally called Reservoir Premium because it is a premium ale at 4.6%. I thought Reservoir would be a catchier name. I looked at Carling which used to be Carling Black Label and I thought well it worked for them …”
The original Reservoir Premium pumpclip c. 2011
“We wanted to redesign the pump clips with a ribbon on and we had too much wording, it didn’t work,” observes Valda, so the Premium was dropped.
“People would go in to pubs and say have you got any Reservoir Premium? The current pump clip does however say Fine Premium Ale underneath Reservoir.”
The first pint of Gates Reservoir Premium sold in the Roebuck in June 2011, Julie even remembers the customer: “It was Phil Hutchinson, he sadly passed away three years ago.”
ANOTHER BEER OR TWO?
Stuart needed to build up a portfolio so Reservoir Premium was quickly joined by two more beers in late 2011. The first was Damn which according to the tasting notes is a “smooth drinking Ruby Ale with chocolate malt tones and delicately hopped with a subtle sweet finish.”
“When the nights get dark people ask for the Damn, it’s more of a ruby beer and it always sold well in the winter time.”
“I’ve been your biggest seller of Damn,” says Julie. “It’s always gone well here as it’s 5.0% and my core customers don’t like weaker beers. If I have something 3.8% I end up throwing most of it away.”
The second new beer was Reservoir Gold, again from the tasting notes “full bodied, amber in colour, finely balanced with roast barley and gently hopped. Sweet finish. Deceitfully smooth.”
“I started brewing this in December 2011, it’s a different recipe to the Reservoir, a high sugar content is needed to produce an alcohol of 7.5%. I brew it annually.”
“There was one bloke who used to love the Gold, so he’d mix it with either the GBA or the Reservoir to make it a bit less potent,” reckons Julie. “We had the Gold on one Christmas lunch time and another guy came in and had three pints, he didn’t get up until Boxing Day. He completely missed his Christmas dinner, it bowled him over!”
Stuart’s second brewery with a three firkin capacity
WE’RE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER BREWERY
Business began to take off thanks mostly to Julie’s recommendations and before long Stuart was selling to other local pubs.
“I was supplying the Waterloo, then one or two others kicked in and I thought I can do this, that was the trigger really,” then something surprising happened that gave Stuart the confidence he needed. “There was a guy in the Black Horse that wanted to meet me as he’d seen the way my beer sold. He said money’s no issue with me, you build a brewery and I’ll pay for it. He didn’t care what it cost as it was worth investing in my beer. I came back home; would I take him up on it? No, I wouldn’t know where to begin, I’d still got my pin maker!”
As it was, Stuart had already got his eye on some old Dosing Tanks in the Blending Room back at Molson Coors and this would-be benefactor gave him the self-belief to invest in his business.
“They held a barrel and had been ripped out as they were having a new Blending Line. They were dumping them so I went to the Engineering Manager and said could I buy them? I paid £50 each. I bought three and made a fermenter, a mash tun and a copper. I could now brew two and a half firkins.”
The new brewery was built inside Stuart and Valda’s garage, although if the word garage conjures up images of a place of cobwebs and old newspapers, Gates Burton Brewery couldn’t be further from this.
“I had the roof changed, the joists covered up, it was all done clinically and a different floor put down. As soon as it kicked off and got busier I invested in another new three barrel brewery, so we converted it again six years ago; had the roof completely off put on a new pitched roof so it looks the part and I had to have a cold room as I’d nowhere to store twelve firkins at a time.”
Filling firkins in the current brewery
BURTON’S BEST KEPT SECRET?
One fact that might surprise you is that in ten years Stuart has never won a CAMRA award for his beer, this is understandably a sore point particularly as both he and Valda are loyal CAMRA members. What particularly irks him is that other beers with additives and flavourings get credited instead. Stuart thinks that these types of beer reduce the skill of the brewer as they disguise off flavours.
Another view point is that this lack of official recognition adds to the romance and legend of Gates Burton Brewery; you won’t find the beer outside a ten mile radius of Burton, it’s never been in a Wetherspoon’s and commercial bottling is also a none starter, although he has packaged a limited amount of Reservoir Gold in the past. Gates Burton Brewery is a true regional beer, a local secret as one Beer blogger discovered in 2013.
“There was a guy called The Beer Trotter that had come from London; he started at the Burton Bridge and he gave a story about each pub, ending up in the Roebuck where the Reservoir was on. He described it as ‘surprisingly well made, with a lovely fruit character balancing a nice malt sweetness making it more interesting than many regular bitters I’ve tasted over the years.’ This sort of thing makes you think you can do this; it gives you confidence.”
WHY DON’T YOU CALL IT GATES BURTON ALE?
2016 saw the introduction of Stuart’s fourth and up until now last addition to his beer range; GBA or Gates Burton Ale.
“Draught Burton Ale was my favourite drink and I used to try and replicate it as a Home Brewer. In the brewery it was well known what hops went into DBA, so I just played with the recipe. I used to have friends round who drank DBA and they’d say that’s not bad, well they never left any. I think I’ve got it spot on and a lot of people say it’s like the original.
“We used to go into the Roebuck on a Friday or a Saturday and drink the Reservoir or the Damn. Julie had what turned out to be the last ever cask of DBA, which was being brewed by J.W. Lees of Manchester at the time. I’d tried it but I didn’t drink it as it wasn’t the same as the original. When Julie told me they were finishing it completely she said why don’t you do it? I said I can’t even though I’d already got the recipe, I’d need a license to do it and I didn’t know how to go about it.
“There’s another guy who goes in the Roebuck who said why don’t you call it GBA or Gates Burton Ale instead? For the next month or so, every time I went into the pub they’d say why don’t you brew it? One night we came home late, we’d had a few, Valda found J.W. Lee’s email address and we put together an email that night between us. I told them that I know it sounds daft as we’re only a three barrel brewery but could I have the rights to brew DBA, because if it is going to die I’d like to keep it going. I said I can’t brew much but if I can have the recipe I could supply the Roebuck. There wasn’t places that had the DBA anymore, I think there was the Cross Keys at Tutbury too. I explained that the Roebuck is across the road from the brewery and it was their flagship pub. I said I wouldn’t pay for the recipe as it wouldn’t be worth it.
Julie Latham expertly pulling a pint of GBA
“This marketing guy emailed back, he said I’m sorry Mr. Gates, I love where you are coming from but I can’t do anything about it as we brew it for Carlsberg under license, so it’s them you need to talk to and he gave me the address of this guy at Carlsberg, so we emailed him. I mean a three barrel brewery emailing Carlsberg?” Stuart laughs at the audacity of this, but Carlsberg sent a reply. “He was nice and said we have got to have Board Meetings about the DBA as we don’t know what to do with it yet, but you are right it is a very underestimated drink. He said he’d be in touch if anything happened but he never did.
“In the meantime the Burton Mail heard the rumour that I was going to brew DBA, they rang me up and asked if I was doing it? I said I’m not, I’ve just been in touch with Carlsberg to see if I can.”
Then the story took an unexpected turn: “Lo and behold two weeks later Burton Bridge brought their version out, I couldn’t believe it! There was a big CAMRA thing about it and I thought blooming hell I feel really bad, my heart sank. They had it in the Roebuck but it didn’t sell very well, so Julie said the Bridge have done it so why can’t you? I thought blow it and that’s what I did. The old guys who drank DBA liked mine, although it’s not as powerful in the hop as the original because you’ve got the dry hop and the longer it stands in the cask the stronger the flavour. I knocked them down a bit so it’s a smoother drink but you still get the hop flavour.”
DEMAND OUTSTRIPS SUPPLY
Currently Stuart regularly supplies the following: Roebuck Inn, Devonshire Arms, Waterloo Inn, The Brewery Tap, Marston’s Club, Brews of the World and The Last Heretic in Burton, Cask & Pottle at Tutbury, Black Lion at Blackfordby, Spread Eagle at Etwall, Mickleover Sports Club, Golden Cup at Yoxall, Stretton Club, Rolleston Club and the Dog and Partridge at Marchington.
“Demand is definitely outstripping supply; three quarters of my customers are regulars. Now they don’t just want one, they want three firkins at once and it’s hard to keep up really.
“I can’t see me getting many more customers as these are all local, that is unless I start delivering miles out of town. I can’t really expand more than this, I always said I’d only drive a ten mile radius. I get calls from Stoke and Stone but by the time you’ve driven there and back there’s not much money to be made on a firkin so it’s not worth it.”
Equipment wise the current set up is as follows: “I have just one fermenter, I could ramp it up and brew 24 firkins a week if I had another but I’d have to employ somebody. I brew as much as I can; it’s a lot of beer when you put it into pints, it’s about 43,000 a year. I’d have to knock the garage down and start again or move to a new unit,” something that Stuart appears to have no enthusiasm for.
The brewery is sited on a quiet side street in the Shobnall area, a stone’s throw from Marston’s. Fortunately his neighbours are very supportive about living next to a brewery: “Next door will say when are you brewing, I love the smell! They have a barbeque each year and I’ll take a pin round. If anyone did complain about the smell I’d say it’s not me, it’s coming from Marstons! The only tricky thing is the malt delivery, they send great big lorries sometimes and you never know when they are coming. I’m considerate too, I try to be quiet when I’m cleaning my casks.”
“I sell my beers at a reasonable price, I haven’t put mine up for ten years and the malt has got more expensive, I don’t spend £10 on a bag I pay £25 for mine; Warminster, it’s the best you can buy, it’s a floor malt. Obviously you need your knowledge and your passion, but what you put in is what you get out. Hops are from Charles Faram, they are the finest. I use tap water and Burtonise it and I add Calcium Chloride to bring out the flavour of the hops.”
As for the yeast, Stuart isn’t forthcoming with this information; every man has his secrets. He does however have one very important tip for would-be brewer.
“If you write your recipes down you can repeat them. Initially I didn’t do this as I thought I’d remember. You want consistency in a beer and that’s what the customers want too. They don’t want to walk in to the pub and ask what’s it like this week? It might be nice, it might not be.”
MEANWHILE BACK IN THE ‘BUCK …
When asked about his proudest moment, Stuart has a good answer.
“One night we went in the Roebuck and the Reservoir was in the middle of the two beers I was trying to compete with, Bass and Pedigree, and I thought I can’t believe I’ve done that and to top it all the firkin sold out in two hours.”
Julie remembers it slightly differently: “Wasn’t it the Damn that sold in two hours?”
Stuart is then asked to pose for a few photographs, he is obviously uncomfortable with this so to distract him he is asked what does he look for in a beer?
“I like a traditional full-bodied ale, a nice balance of hop and malt, it’s got to be bright and have a good tight head and nice lacing,” he then takes a mouthful of GBA and holds the glass up to the light doing an unconscious quality check, which it passes.
“It’s not just been selling it and getting your beer out there, through this I’ve met some nice people. I’d like to thank all the Landlords and Landladies, friends and family. Burton people have been fabulous supporting me and they still are. Like that bloke who set up the Facebook appreciation group Keith B. Large, I’ve never met him but when I do the beers are on me!”
“I don’t think Stuart really believes how good his beer is,” comments Julie. “I’ve never known anybody care so much, he treats his beer like a baby, he sets his alarm to get up in the night to it if he needs to.”
“Yes,” agrees Stuart. “I’ll get up at 2am to check the Present Gravity.”
“If we wanted to go on holiday, it’d be ‘… but I’ve got a brew going!’” laughs Valda. “We went somewhere for three nights, it was cheaper to go for four but he wanted to get home to brew.”
“It’s a labour of love, especially in the early days but even now you worry, making sure it’s okay don’t you,” Julie adds.
Reservoir sitting in its rightful on the Roebuck bar between Bass and Pedigree
“You have to,” nods Stuart. “If you want a quality product …”
Stuart has taken his business as far as he can, with minimal advertising, no support from CAMRA and without a tied house, although the Roebuck is his unofficial Brewery Tap. His success has hinged on the consistent quality of his beers, friendly customer service and most importantly personal recommendation. His beers are universally cherished by Burton cask beer drinkers, an accolade that far outweighs any award that he could win.
“Just think soon you’ll be able to go in nearly every pub in Burton and have a Gates pub crawl, that’s remarkable!” he says with a big grin. “It makes me proud to be the most popular Burton brewed guest ale in the town.”
“I must be,” laughs Ash Ayling at the suggestion that he was crazy to have planned opening Burton’s newest pub Beeropolis during a pandemic.
Beeropolis will be Ash’s second venture after Bodell’s in Swadlincote and like Bodell’s this is in partnership with Pete Spittles from The Last Heretic. The pair took the lease of what was The Fuggle & Nugget on High Street in Burton upon Trent back in October 2020.
“We’ve completely refurbished the venue from the Fuggle & Nugget,” explains Ash. “I felt it was important to have a bar as a focal point, as during normal times its is the first place you walk up to in the pub. We’ve also removed the high seating to hopefully provide a more warmer and cosy feel.”
The pub decor is a celebration of Burton’s brewing history, with mirrors, labels and old pictures adorning the walls. The name is taken from a 1902 play on the word Metropolis which saw Burton described as “one vast brewery … a very City of Beer – Beeropolis.”
The pub promises to have a different approach to The Last Heretic.
“There will be more of a focus on craft keg than purely cask ale,” says Ash. “We’ve got twelve keg lines and a huge fridge full of some unusual cans: Amundsen, Brew York, Neon Raptor, Staggeringly Good and some other great craft breweries around the UK.”
For those with a more traditional taste don’t worry there’s plenty of Real Ale to be drunk.
“We have four handpulls, however expect to have around three Real Ales on at one time. If there’s sufficient demand, there will be four all the time; in Bodell’s we opened with eight cask lines, but sadly there doesn’t seem to sufficient demand to sustain them in Swadlincote. I hope the drinkers of Burton can prove otherwise,” laughs Ash. If there’s one thing Burton drinkers like, it’s a beer drinking challenge, especially against Swad!
Beeropolis opens to the general public this Thursday at 4pm although there is a soft opening for CAMRA members on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately due to the ongoing restrictions we’re limited with what we can do with regards a Grand Opening however we hope to have plenty of great and unusual beers to entice people down on our opening weekend.”
OPENING HOURS Wed & Thu 1600-2200 Fri & Sat 1500-2230 Sun 1300-1900
So you went to the pub last night and were asked to leave at 09:59pm, only to have the cold air hit your bladder and you had to beg to be let in again to use the toilet! Joking aside, what is the new 10pm Curfew all about, what are the Government trying to achieve and what will it do to local pubs?
“To be honest, I’ve been closing at 10pm the past few Fridays due to lack of trade,” admits Pete Spittles from The Last Heretic. “All in all I think it had to be done by the Government so as to keep the R number down.”
Richard Muir from The Weighbridge Inn isn’t so sure: “I really can’t understand what the 10pm Curfew is going to achieve? I have seen no evidence to show pubs are a big cause of the increase in cases. From what I have seen it is Care Homes and education settings that are the major contributors to this; what extra restrictions are in place there?”
“I believe our industry is being unfairly targeted,” agrees Mandy Addis from The Coopers Tavern. “Are they going to allow all takeaway shops to remain open after the 10pm curfew? You only need to walk down any street with one in to see people congregating without social distancing! Surely a 10pm Curfew will only encourage house parties?”
Carl Stout from the Devonshire Arms is worried about the impact on pub culture in general: “In the short term any restrictions will have a significant effect. Regular pub goers are creatures of habit and we have a lot of customers who enjoy a beer later in the evening, we just hope they will decide to visit the pub earlier in the evening. In the long term I worry that people will give up on pubs and some customers will not return even when we have a vaccine.”
“I also understand that the Government have to do something,” observes Lee Betts from the Derby Inn, “whatever that may be, it will always be wrong.”
“We were running on reduced hours anyway so hopefully the effect on trade should be minimal,” says Richard, something that is echoed by Lee, Pete and Mandy. “Having to enforce the rules won’t be fun but we will ensure we keep our pub as a safe and friendly environment as we always do.”
One thing is for certain, pubs need your custom and support as we enter what will be a long hard winter, just make sure that you’ve gone for a piss in good time before they ask you to leave.
Are Beer Festivals a thing of the past, well at least for the foreseeable future? With current restrictions a traditional event is out of the question obviously, even The Great British Beer Festival has gone virtual, however there is a Beer Festival happening in Tamworth starting this Thursday and running to Sunday, albeit with a twist.
The King’s Ditch
One of the organisers of the Tamworth Town Beer Festival is Adam Randall who has been part of CAMRA for around 25 years. Adam is the Membership Secretary and magazine editor of the Lichfield, Sutton and Tamworth Branch; so a dedicated and long serving member of the campaign.
“Replace is a strong word, but essentially yes,” muses Adam on the purpose of this event. “We were keen to keep our normal festival in people’s minds even though we can’t do it and provide the usual extra footfall for the town’s pubs; the normal CAMRA festival draws in a lot of visitors and the pubs have a busy weekend. a win-win, if you will.”
The lead pubs are the Kings Ditch, the Sir Robert Peel and Tamworth Tap.
“We have approached others but really they’re struggling to do much meaningful; they’ve yet to properly bounce back post lockdown. The lead three always were the strongest contenders in town for both choice and quality and that really has helped them bounce back. Over the weekend there will be 40+ ales, 40+ ciders, though the ales won’t or can’t all be on at once.”
The Tamworth Tap
Although the CAMRA logo is on the poster, this is not an official CAMRA event, however it is endorsed by the local branch.
“This is about giving something back to the pubs who in normal years are significant financial supporters of the CAMRA festival with generous sponsorship and supply of ales,” observes Adam. “Truth be told, we didn’t even think of consulting CAMRA HQ, there’s no financial involvement by the branch.”
Unlike the months and months of work needed to organise a big beer festival, the whole event has come together at a remarkable speed.
“We had the conversations with the pubs about five weeks in advance of the event. It’s so quick because all of the usual infrastructure issues disappear such as venue, equipment, staffing, setup etc.”
Sir Robert Peel
To keep costs at a minimum, festival t-shirts, commemorative glasses and official programmes will not be available.
“Honest answer is, we never really thought about it,” admits Adam regarding the programme. “As we’re not in control of beer ordering or when they go on, it’s a minefield of likely inaccuracy and disappointment, quite apart from cost. We will look at what online info we can provide.”
As for glasses and t-shirts: “Nah! It would involve us getting too deeply embedded in the event. The idea was really just to provide publicity and then let the pubs largely get on with it! If it became on ongoing event then there’d be the motivation to do more, but it really is intended just as a stopgap.”
The local publicans were unsurprisingly very receptive to the idea.
“If we had to twist their arms then we’d maybe have just abandoned it, no point in pressing others to take risks they’re not happy with. We have a strong relationship with them and they’re always supportive, but also because of the normal footfall issue as above, it should work for them in terms of pound notes! The key thing was knowing that the places were already strong on COVID measures, this won’t turn into a glorified reputation destroying rave and all are recommending or requiring booking.”
Promotion has also been kept very simple.
“Other than a small number of posters displayed locally, it has been almost entirely by social media and surrounding branches. We’re also strong on regular communication with our 1300+ branch members, so they’ll get a couple of emails on it.
“Primarily it’s been such a breeze, I’d say it’s important not to twist arms, and also manage expectations. Should an event be a damp squib, it’s important that the pubs went into it with open eyes i.e. won’t blame CAMRA!”
Such an event has naturally attracted a few negative opinions.
“We’ve had a few critics, people who think we shouldn’t be doing this in a time of COVID but otherwise we’ve had a really good response. We’re happy that the pubs have the measures in place to provide a safe but enjoyable environment, and we’re pleased to be helping both pubs and pub-goers edge back to normality.”
If you can, head over to Tamworth and support the event; The King’s Ditch have eight ales, 20 ciders and three perries, the Tamworth Tap twenty ales including a Welsh selection and twenty ciders and The Sir Robert Peel 15 ales including pub favourites and some from Yorkshire as well as six ciders. Booking is strongly advised for all three pubs, contact details are on the poster.
