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The Away Fan’s Guide to Real Ale in Burton upon Trent (Part One)

by Ian Webster -

Burton upon Trent was once the Brewing Capital of the World, producing more beer than London. Since 1708 there have been over 100 breweries in the town, although now this number stands at seven; Marston’s, Coors, Burton Bridge, Tower, Heritage Brewing Company, Burton Town and Gates.

The town has a surprisingly high number of excellent pubs, many serving locally brewed ales and is the perfect place to explore prior to a game; so whether this is your first ever visit to Burton Albion or you’ve been before, there’s a lot to see and drink. The following guide in spilt into two parts (see the rest here) and lists the pubs from the closest to the furthest away from the Pirelli Stadium.

Enjoy your time in Burton, cheers!

THE GREAT NORTHERN

Where? Wetmore Road

Distance to ground? 0.3 miles / 6 minute walk

Geographically this is the closest pub to the Pirelli Stadium; but only just. This is used predominantly by home fans, although away supporters are made welcome. The Great Northern was a Marston’s pub for years and years before being added to the Burton Bridge Brewery estate, it is now a free house. They have two pool tables and a large room at the back with the finest darts facilities in the town.

Real Ale? There is always Marston’s Pedigree available and they have a guest beer on match days which is often Burton Bridge Bitter.

Food? Hot dogs, pies and cobs before the game.

THE BEECH HOTEL

Where? Derby Road

Distance to ground? 0.3 miles / 7 minute walk

If you are travelling by coach, chances are you will be directed here. The pub has an outside bar with Sky Sports facilities and the Landlord encourages a friendly atmosphere, so singing is fine.

Real Ale? Marston’s Pedigree.

Food? Standard hot and cold pub fare.

THE HANBURY ARMS

Where? Sydney Street

Distance to ground? 0.4 mile / 8 minute walk

A back street pub just off Derby Road, used to be one of the few Truman, Hanbury & Buxton pubs in town.

Real ale? Pedigree is a permanent feature, may have a guest.

Food? Cobs on Saturdays.

BURTON TOWN BREWERY

Where? Falcon Close, just off Hawkins Lane

Distance to ground? 0.5 miles / 10 minute walk

The brewery is visible from Hawkins Lane but is partially obscured by trees, look for the Red Hand logo on an industrial unit. They serve beer that is brewed on the premises; the mash tun is just behind the bar. Limited opening hours: Friday 1200 – 2000 and Saturday 1200 – 1500.

Real Ale? Albion, Black as your Hat, Thom Cat and Burton IPA are usually on, they are looking at expanding this to six.

Food? None, but you are welcome to bring your own.

THE DERBY INN

Where? Derby Road

Distance to ground? 0.5 miles / 11 minute walk

This is situated on the other part of Derby Road on a direct route from the railway station. Recently refurbished pub and one for the real ale drinker.

Real Ale? Three core beers: Draught Bass (now brewed by Marston’s, but still an excellent pint), Timothy Taylor Boltmaker and the excellent Titanic Plum Porter which is the best thing to come out of Stoke since oatcakes.

Food? Cobs on match days and ask about the pizzas!

ALFRED ALE HOUSE

Where? Derby Street

Distance to ground? 1 mile / 21 minute walk

A Burton Bridge Brewery house that was once the brewery tap for the long since demolished Truman, Hanbury & Buxton brewery which stood directly opposite. Again on the direct route from the Railway Station, a very spacious pub and one for the real ale enthusiast.

Real Ale? Lots! There are always six or seven Burton Bridge ales on and a guest. There is also real cider / perry during the warmer weather.

THE WEIGHBRIDGE INN

We regret to announce that The Weighbridge Inn closed in April 2019.

THE ROEBUCK INN

Where? Station Street

Distance to ground? 1.4 miles / 28 minute walk

Come out the Railway Station and turn right into town, The Roebuck Inn is the first pub you will come to. For years this was an Ind Coope house (look out for the sign and window as evidence) and is now run by Admiral Taverns.

Real Ale? There is always Draught Bass, Martson’s Pedigree, Abbot and Old Peculiar on handpump, along with a beer from Gates Burton Brewery which is brewed a few miles away, try the GBA or Reservoir if its on.

THE LAST HERETIC

Where? Station Street

Distance to ground? 1.4 miles / 29 minute walk

A short walk into town from the Roebuck you’ll find micropub The Last Heretic. They open at 11am on match days, an hour earlier than the other pubs. There is a beer garden out back if the place gets crowded.

Real Ale? Always at least three on, rising to five at weekends. They feature ales from all over the country as well as more local breweries like Tower and Gates from Burton and Leatherbritches, Falstaff, Dancing Duck and Black Hole from slightly out of town. There is always real cider available as well as Craft Beer cans.

Food? Cobs and pork pies.

Part Two

Auction Watch: Nunneley’s ceramic plaque

by Ian Webster -

Not that much is known about Nunneley’s brewery; it was founded at 21 Bridge Street, Burton upon Trent, c.1835 probably by Thomas Newton, by 1843 the business was being run by Joseph Nunneley who rebuilt the brewery on the same site and added a townhouse which still stands today. The company was floated on the stock market in 1888 as J. Nunneley & Co. Ltd, before merging with the Burton Brewery Co. Ltd. in 1896 whom were directly next door.

A ceramic plaque measuring 14.5cm in diameter advertising sold this week, the estimated price was £20-30, however it sold for an incredible £1,300!

 

We are not amused!

by Ian Webster -

A pump clip is just a pump clip right? It displays the name of the beer, the brewery and as long as it isn’t called Dizzy Blonde or something equally sexist then there’s nothing to see here; or so you’d think.

The Heritage Brewing Company recently came up against an unusual objection to their innocently named regal 3.8% Victoria Pale Ale.

“We had a strange situation with a customer,” exclaims Heritage Brewing Company’s Terry Boland. “They really wanted the Victoria Pale Ale, they’d tried it, loved it but wouldn’t take it because of the pump clip! They were anti-royalists and didn’t want Queen Victoria on their bar. So within ten minutes we’d changed it to the Good Ship Victoria and lo and behold he took the ale and is still selling it to this day.”

Up to me I’d have put this actress on the clip, as the publican was certainly sticking to their principles.

 

www.hertitagebrewingcompany.co.uk
@Heritagebrew
https://www.facebook.com/Heritage-Brewing-Company-743494845782073/

 

 

 

CAMRA & the other C word

by Ian Webster -


Right from the onset CAMRA has been all about change; when the founding members Michael Hardman, Graham Lees, Jim Makin and Bill Mellor sat in Kruger’s Bar, Dunquin on the Dingle Peninsula along the Kerry coast on Tuesday 16 March 1971 they were disillusioned with the current state of British beer.

Thanks to mergers, takeovers and the subsequent closing of smaller family run breweries, the so called Big Six dominated the market and through clever advertising they had conned the public into drinking keg beer that was gassy and lacked the taste of the more traditional cask ales, and so was born the “Campaign for the Revitalisation of Ale”.

Their regular organ “What’s Brewing” first appeared in June 1972 and contained a damning statement that Hardman had given the News of the World, ‘Much of the blame for the pathetic state of beer can be put on the drinkers … who have accepted the mass introduction of the adulterated sludge that is glorified under the name of keg.’

A then recent report from consumer organisation Which? was also presented to further sharpen their point, Which? concluded that breweries preferred to produce keg beer for four reasons: it was easier for the Landlord to keep, the shelf-life was longer, it tasted pretty much the same wherever it was served and of course it was more profitable.

The early membership was invited to submit local pubs that met CAMRA’s standard for a forthcoming publication known simply as “The List”, this would appear in November 1972 as “The Good Beer Guide”, albeit more of a large newsletter than an actual book.

CAMRA’s name had changed to the more familiar “Campaign for Real Ale” by the time of the first proper publication of “The Good Beer Guide” in 1974; just over one hundred brewers were listed within, many of which were still selling predominantly keg beer. Descriptions such as ‘nearly all pressurised’, ‘a disaster’, ‘a bad bet’ and most famously ‘avoid like the plague’ (which was quickly changed to ‘avoid at all costs’ after the threat of legal action from Watney) told a sorry tale. Today “The Good Beer Guide” lists over 2,000 breweries, all of them indebted in one way or another to the pressure group that took on pressured beer and won!

As a beer drinker just shy of turning 50 I have only ever enjoyed beer in a post-CAMRA world; it is hard to imagine the lack of opportunities my father and grandfathers had to find and enjoy cask ales. I am eternally grateful to the organisation that I take it for granted that cask ale is widely available. Mind you I am hardly the typical CAMRA member; along with my membership card, my wallet also holds my Brewdog Shareholder card. I like good beer; beer that is flavoursome, made to a high standard and well presented. To me good beer is good beer, whether cask ale or, dare I say it, the other C word.

Would the craft beer revolution have occurred without CAMRA? Although to some they are in league with Satan, craft beers are incomparable to the keg so vilified by Messers Hardman, Lees, Makin and Mellor. CAMRA were originally about breaking the stronghold of the Big Six, increasing choice, flavour and quality; craft certainly ticks these boxes. Although CAMRA do not support craft ale, it developed out of the cask revolution that they brought about.

There has been a lot written in the last few days about the fallout of last weekend’s Annual General Meeting and the outcome of the Revitalisation Project which aimed to bring the campaign up to date. The only change that was defeated was to represent all pubgoers’ interests and all beer and cider drinkers, and then only by 3% of the vote. Despite this CAMRA does continue to be a progressive organisation, remember they coined the term “Real Ale” so they can do what they want with it; be this expanding their remit to real cider and perry or recognising bottle conditioned beers. With a new National Executive containing amongst others the Young Members Coordinator Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA will continue to change with the times as it has always done. Having served at this year’s 39th Burton Beer Festival I was encouraged with the amount of next generation beer drinkers present.

I will not be cutting up my membership card, in fact I’d like to propose a toast to the future of CAMRA and you can do it with a pint of cask ale, craft beer, real cider or perry I am not fussed, but certainly not lager; we have to maintain some bloody standards after all.

Derby Inn weekly events

by Ian Webster -

The Derby Inn on Derby Road won the Silver Medal for Local CAMRA Pub of the Year. They have a regular quiz night every Tuesday, with a free cheese board. The winner gets beer! On Wednesdays they do a food night between five and eight o’clock.

Bass is always on and is in excellent condition, they also sell Timothy Taylor Boltmaker and an array of guest ales. It is just down the road from the football ground, so why not pop in for a pint before the game this Saturday?