Brewing

In 1636 the poet and traveller John Taylor wrote, 'Hertfordshire is a County that surpasseth all other Countries and Counties for making the best malt.' Much of that malt went by cart or barge to London, but Hertfordshire also has a long tradition of brewing, as well as malting, and the county eventually developed several substantial breweries. These included Benskin's of Watford, which at one point owned some 640 pubs from Brighton to Cambridge, and even supplied the House of Commons. Today Hertfordshire still has some twenty breweries, including one, McMullen's of Hertford, which will soon celebrate its 200th anniversary. This carefully researched and well-illustrated book by one of Britain's leading historians of the brewing industry looks at the long history of commercial brewing across Hertfordshire, and the often fascinating stories of the dozens of now undeservedly forgotten firms that once supplied the county's pubs with their beer.

For centuries, Nottingham had a reputation for brewing good ale. In the seventeenth century, the diarist Samuel Pepys referred to Nottingham ale being sold in London. The city – and Nottinghamshire in general – relied upon a water supply very similar in character to that of Burton-on-Trent, giving rise to beers with a very soft and pleasant taste. The number of breweries was influenced by the nearby barley-growing areas. This book delves into the history of the old commercial breweries in Nottinghamshire; Nottingham itself was probably unique in that the soft red sandstone caves underneath the city were ideal for the storage and fermentation of beer, being deep and cool, allowing the beer to be kept at a constant temperature. Breweries exploited this advantage and one – the Nottingham Brewery Ltd – advertised its products as 'Rock Ales'. A high proportion of the pubs and beer houses in the city and the county had small home-brew houses attached and beer that was sold only at their pub. A selection of home-brew pubs are listed – but it is probably the larger firms that will prompt the most nostalgia. Most people will fondly remember the massive Shipstones and Home Ales breweries in Nottingham, and also Hardy Hansons, James Hole and Warwicks & Richardsons in Newark; nevertheless, many other old-established breweries in the county are recalled in this comprehensive and meticulously researched book.

The county of Kent holds a unique place in the history of brewing in Great Britain. When hops were first cultivated in this country around 600 years ago, introduced by Dutch and Flemish merchants, it was at Westbere, just outside Canterbury, where they were grown. Indeed, the Kentish soil proved so suited to the growing of Humulus lupulus, the Latin name for the hop, that the Garden of England soon became the centre of the British hop industry. Perhaps this is why brewing was one of Kent's major industries for many, many years. The market town of Faversham is home to Shepherd Neame – the oldest surviving brewer in the country with a history that can be traced back to the mid-sixteenth century, perhaps a little earlier. Despite its hop heritage, Kent was not immune to the decline in regional brewing that blighted the post-war years. However, in the last decade or so a spectacular renaissance has taken place, and from the dark days of the mid-1990s when the county had only a handful of brewers, it can now boast in excess of forty. Kent is also the birthplace of the micropub, small and independent pubs that put the focus on locally sourced produce. They have helped revive the brewer's art in Kent and, in doing so, written the latest chapter in a charming and very colourful history. This fully illustrated book explores both the rich history of brewing in Kent, and all that the county has to offer today.

At the start of the eighteenth century London had almost 200 breweries producing close on 2 million barrels of beer every year, making the mighty metropolis the brewing capital of the world. By 1976, when the once-mighty Whitbread halted production at their famous Chiswell Street headquarters, there were only nine brewers left in the capital. The story of brewing in London is the story of the rise and fall of an industry that gave the world such famous beer styles as porter, stout, brown ale and India pale ale. It is a story of innovation and growth, and ultimately of decline and homogenisation. This fully illustrated book explores the colourful and fascinating liquid history of brewing in the capital, from the glory years when the likes of Barclay Perkins, Charrington, Truman's and Whitbread were household names, through to the dark days of the 1970s and 1980s when the industry's decline looked terminal. But this is a story with a happy ending for, as Brewing in London reveals, the noble art of beer making is once again thriving in the capital as an ever-increasing number of micro and craft brewers have transformed the city into one of the most exciting beer destinations on the planet.

Brewing in Burton upon Trent tells the story of the Brewing Capital of the World. Back in the twelfth century the Abbots of Burton began to produce beer; the dissolution of the Abbey in the sixteenth century saw inns and alehouses appear, many selling beer brewed on site. The first recognisable brewery was Benjamin Printon's, established on Horninglow Street in around 1708. By 1780 there were thirteen, many exporting their ale to the Baltic and all using the water taken from wells deep under the town. By the 1820s a new market had opened up – India: Allsopp's, Bass and Salt's quickly began to export India Pale Ale. The Trent & Mersey Canal, built in 1774–75, allowed further expansion, but it was the coming of the railway in 1839 that led to massive growth – by 1888 there were thirty-one breweries employing over 8,000 men producing over three million barrels per annum. The twentieth century saw bankruptcies and mergers, and the formation of giants Bass Charrington Ltd, Allied Breweries Ltd and Marston, Thompson & Evershed Ltd. Today Burton still has a vibrant industry – Marston's, Molson Coors and the smaller concerns Burton Bridge, Tower, Heritage, Black Hole, Gates, Old Cottage and the newest addition Burton Town.

Cheshire at one time was an important contributor to the brewing industry, with the epicentre being Warrington. From old photographs, we see that many northern pubs (especially those in Liverpool) bore the words 'Walkers Warrington Ales' in large letters, the company later becoming Tetley Walker. Then there was G. & J. Greenall, the famous Warrington distillery with those iconic advertisements spoken in a Russian accent: 'Vladivar Wodka from Varrington'. Their brewing arm was Greenall Whitley Ltd, which was founded by Thomas Greenall in 1762. The company went from strength to strength, adding surrounding brewing companies to its portfolio. Another well-loved Warrington brewery was Burtonwood, with its famous Burtonwood ales. The large Burtonwood brewery site is now shared by Thomas Hardy Holdings and the Molson Coors Brewing Company. It is the latter that now continues the tradition of brewing at this location. So from 1867 to the present day, the village of Burtonwood has been a byword for excellent ales and stout. In this title, Paul Hurley explores the rise and fall of these brewing companies and others, while highlighting the wealth of excellent small breweries, first-class micro-breweries, and pubs with their own micro-breweries, that Cheshire still has to offer nowadays.

Beer originated in the Middle East about 8000 BC and took another three-and-a-half millennia to arrive across the Channel in Britain. In sixth-century Sussex – the kingdom of the South Saxons – social life centred upon the alehouse. Throughout the Middle Ages, brewing remained a domestic occupation: beer was sweet, and flavoured with herbs and spices. By 1600, when Henry Stanton was brewing in Crawley, the use of hops to flavour and preserve beer had become standard practice. The growth of the large commercial brewers was a product of the Industrial Revolution, from which era date famous West Sussex family concerns such as the Hentys of Chichester, the Ockendens of Crawley and the Constables of Littlehampton. That these are no longer with us is due to a long process of acquisition during the twentieth century. With the takeover of the last of their line, King & Barnes of Horsham, in 2000, brewing in West Sussex was left to just a handful of small independents. Yet today there are nearly thirty breweries in this part of the county. This fully illustrated and informative book pays homage to the brewing heritage of West Sussex while celebrating the current outpouring of creativity known as the microbrewery revolution.

'Gloucestershire is a poor county for real ale': that was the sad assessment of the county's brewing heritage in the 1976 Good Beer Guide according to the Campaign For Real Ale. Just two breweries were in operation then, supplying only four real ales. The ubiquitous Whitbread PA was easy to find, but it took a determined effort to seek out the delights of XXX, BB and SBA from the highly regarded and picturesque Donnington Brewery near Stow on the Wold. It was all a far cry from the glory days of brewing in Gloucestershire, when most towns could boast their own local brewery, producing beers of character. It's tempting to be overly sentimental about the closure of much-loved breweries such as Wintle's Forest Brewery of Mitcheldean, Tayler's Cotswold Brewery of Northleach and so on … but there were economic and social factors that made such rationalisation inevitable. With the closure of the Whitbread Flowers Brewery in Cheltenham in 1997, it was feared that the rich history of brewing in Gloucestershire was under threat. However, nearly twenty years later, Gloucestershire is awash with breweries producing truly wonderful and distinctive beers. Indeed, beer drinkers have never had it better. Cheers!

The story of beer and brewing in Britain is a diverse tale. Like a deep, amber ale, the development of the brewing industry is rich and full of depth. The history of brewing in Britain is a cornerstone of the country's culture. Dating back to the Domesday Book, where more breweries were recorded than wineries, through to the glory days of the Victorians, the industry and the popularity of brewing in Britain has sky-rocketed in the past twenty years with the rise of the micro-brewer. Proving that real ale will never die, the huge number of small craft brewers across Britain show that demand for the industry is still high. In this illustrated book, the Brewery History Society divulge images from their extensive archive to tell the intriguing story of the growth of this significant industry. First setting the scene with the foundation of Sumerian brewing, detailed chapters look at the development of the industry during the medieval period through to the Victorians and the modern brewers of today. Filled with anecdotes and interesting facts, they explore the history of the industry and its important role in the national heritage of Great Britain.

Seen together for the first time, this fascinating collection of nearly 200 images illustrates Dorset's rich and varied brewing history. The brewing industry of the county is explored from the nineteenth century to the current crop of micro-brewers, with their remarkable range of ales, bringing history up to date. Aspects such as malting, transport, tied pubs and advertising are included in this comprehensive history, which provides an overview of Dorset's brewing heritage before looking more closely at individual concerns in geographically based chapters. A valuable insight into two centuries of changes in the brewing industry is provided by the wealth of photographs and prints. Informative captions complement the images, making the book an entertaining reference point. There was a time when most Dorset towns had a brewery chimney as a landmark. While many remain, some have fallen by the wayside. Across the county the number of micro-breweries continues to rise, reinvigorating the industry. The authors will take the reader through their individual stories. Fully illustrated, the book will inspire the reader to visit a Dorset pub and buy a Dorset beer.