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Although the weather forecast was not very promising, in the event there was no rain and the temperature just on the pleasant side. We started in the Great Western in Wolverhampton, promptly at 11.00. This is a fine, multi-roomed, 19th century pub that has a strong local following and also attracts large numbers of visiting enthusiasts. There were four Holden’s beers on plus Batham’s Bitter and two interesting guests. We reluctantly tore ourselves away after just one pint to catch the bus to Sedgley.
After a short walk we reached the Bulls Head, another Holdens pub. Although this is more of a local’s pub, we were made very welcome and enjoyed the (mainly) Holden’s beer.
Another shortish walk brought us to the famous Beacon Hotel, home of the Sarah Hughes brewery. The small Victorian tower brewery closed in the late 1950s but reopened around 1990. The Beacon is a fine multi-roomed pub, with a very unusual central servery, and was very busy indeed when we arrived. The most famous beer is the strong Ruby Mild but the others are well worth sampling. Sample we did, as enthusiastically as time and a busy schedule allowed. The Mild was in great form and all of us did it full justice.
Again, it was with some reluctance that we left to catch a bus to the Jolly Crispin in Upper Gornal. This has two rooms and about 10 beers on hand pumps. Between us we sampled quite a few before walking the short distance to the Britannia, down the hill and on the other side of the road.
Being a Batham’s pub, the beer range was just their Mild and Bitter. No problem for me as the Bitter is still one of my favourite beers. This is another fine multi-roomed place with a strong local following, but a warm welcome for “strangers”. The Brittania, too, was very busy and we had to sit outside in the warm sunshine. The pork pies were much appreciated.
By now it was time to head back to Wolverhampton to return to Birmingham, as some of the party had trains to catch back to their home towns. However, several of us had time for one last drink together in the Shakespeare, just off the lower end of New Street. Since being added to the Nicholson chain the beer range has improved and it is handy for New Street station.
All in all then, a very good day out. Only eight of us managed to make the Social this time but all the five pubs were good and so was the beer and conversation.
Ron
MCBA Co-ordinator |
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Visit to Thornbridge Brewery
On the 24th March 22 CBA members visited Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell, Derbyshire. The party consisted mainly of MCBA members but also included representatives from the Northern group as well as from Cambridge Craft Brewers
The weather was extremely kind to us, being mild and sunny and after meeting up at the Peacock in Bakewell to sample some excellent High Peak ales, we made our way along the river to the new riverside brewery.
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The riverside brewery was installed and commissioned in 2009 and is a 30 barrel plant. It is a four vessel system consisting of a mash kettle capable of single infusion, step infusion or infusion-decoction mashing, a "Helios" Lauter Tun, a whirlpool kettle with a thermosiphon external calandria boiler and last but not least, a Rolek Hopnik hopback (see photo) for introducing hop character and aroma via late hopping. |
The hot and cold liquor tanks are 15000 litres each and there are nine 30 bbl/50hL fermenters and four 60 bbl/100hL fermenters. There is a dual tank yeast propagation/storage system, a Seital centrifuge and a Vigo/Cimec bottling line that can deal with 1-2000 bottles an hour! The brewery can if required brew up to twice a day. A view of the brewery is shown below: |
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We were made very welcome by all the staff including Alex our guide and sampled some great beers. The first one we tried was called ‘White Swan’, which at 3.5% ABV was quite low in gravity but very tasty. It is white gold in colour with aromas of light bitter lemon, a hint of herb and a subtle spiciness. This was followed by one of my favourites, ‘Kipling’, which is described as a South Pacific Pale Ale. This is a golden blonde beer (5.2% ABV) with aromas of passion fruit, grapefruit and mango. An initial sweetness and full body are balanced by a lasting grapefruit-like bitter finish. This beer is single hopped using Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand. The last one we tried was a monster, weighing in at 7.7% ABV and was an Imperial Russian stout called ‘St Petersburg’. This is rich and dark with subtle peatiness and with molasses, liquorice and chocolate all evident.
Overall we had a very enjoyable day and certainly one of the best brewery tours I have been on.
Allan G |
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Overall, I believe that 2010 was another good year for the MCBA. For the second year running, total membership grew slightly, and all the meetings were very successful. Once more, some valuable publicity was gained through articles, and illustrations, in Brewer‘ s Contact. I was able to attend flve out of the six meetings in the year and each meeting was full of interest and nearly all were well attended. It was very pleasing that, in addition to what might be termed the ”hardcore attendees‘ , we also had a number of new members coming along. Even better, was that most of these were relatively young and, going by the beers they brought along, already competent brewers.
An important agenda item for all our meetings is tasting beers brought along by members. It is very gratifying to note that the standard, if anything, was even higher in 2010 than in the previous year. It is very unusual now to flnd a beer with a brewing fault that has not already been recognized by the brewer. Several of our group found some success in both the Skipton and Sutton competitions.
Another standard agenda item, introduced this year, following a suggestion by Allan G, is a brewing theme or topic. This has worked well and towards the end of the year was reinforced by a previously circulated questionnaire. Looking at the results gives a useful opportunity for some focused discussion and aids t he subsequent write-up for our website.
In addition to the normal round of meetings Allan G organised a very interesting visit to Marston‘ s brewery in Burton-on-Trent. I must admit that I was not sure whether I would enjoy a visit to a large commercial brewery but in the event I did and so, I think, did everybody else. The highlight was being able to see the unique Burton Union system in action. The luncheon provided as part of the cost was good and the Pedigree was in top form. After the visit we also managed to visit a couple of pubs, including the excellent Coopers, and one of the beers that they had on was Jaipur.
The bottle-swap initiative, organised by Gregg P, has continued and this year we met twice at Burton-on-Trent, exchanging around 12 bottles in total. I feel that this is a very valuable exercise and personally I can give much better feedback if I am trying a whole bottle rather than just a few cms in a glass. Bottle-swapping does not have to take place in a group — equally valuable, and much easier to organise, is a swap between just 2 or 3 brewers. I have been doing this for several years now with an experienced brewer and I am in no doubt that both my brewing skills and knowledge have improved as a result.
At the Burton-on-Trent meeting we had a tour of the Burton Bridge brewery and a talk and Q&A session with the head brewer that was very worthwhile. The meeting was very good too and this was an excellent flrst attempt at organising and running a meeting by Dave H (and Tracey).
Although I was unable to attend, Allan G had a very good meeting at his home near Leicester and it also raised £140 for the charity, Loros. Our thanks should also go to Peter F for his meeting in Nottingham, Ray C for Rugby, Steve O for Banbury, and Mike C for Chesterfleld.
 To round off the year we had our annual Christmas Social at the end of November, this time in some selected Black Country pubs. Although quite a long day and rather cold, we used trains and buses to good effect and visited some wonderful public houses. An unexpected bonus was being introduced to the Head Brewer of the Olde Swan brewery who, without very much urging at all, kindly put down his pint and took us around the small Victorian tower brewery at the back of the pub. A longer account of our day out is post ed elsewhere on our site.
Finally, thanks to all those who attended meetings, and/or visits, and the social. An especial thanks to MC, RC, and SO who have ran their meetings in Chesterfleld, Rugby, and Banbury for several years now and who are bowing out for a while as new venues are introduced. Last, but by no means least, many thanks to our webmaster James F, and his team of helpers, for signiflcant progress and improvements to our website.
In summary then, another productive, varied, and interesting year for our group. Another good year lies ahead for us, including a flrst; a joint meeting with another area group (Cambridge). There will also be a visit to one of the leading UK micro breweries (Thornbridge). I know it is difflcult, given our geographical dispersion, family commitments, and the like, but do please try to take part if you possibly can in one or more of our activities in 2011.
Ron A
MCBA Co-ordinator
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Despite the very cold weather we had an excellent day out. The turnout was smaller than the last two years but it was good to see new member Dave, attending his first MCBA event. Full marks too for Anita who drove with Steve all the way from Princes Risborough.
Six of us (I, Margaret, Dave, Ray, James and non-member John) made it to the Shakespeare in Dudley, a CAMRA National Inventory pub, for opening time at 11.00. Although run down and rather shabby, it is well-worth a visit. There is a small public bar at the front with a log fire burning in the grate, just the thing on a cold morning. On the other side of the bar there is a larger room and on the other side of the entrance corridor there is a third room, that looks to be disused, and disfigured by an ugly 1950’s fire surround. The only beer on sale was Theakston’s mild, served in oversized glasses. Although the keg version it was neither too cold or gassy and quite tasty. We limited ourselves to a half pint each, in anticipation of a long day.
The landlord was very friendly and helpful and we learnt that it used to be a Banks pub before being sold off a few years ago to Scottish and Newcastle (now part of Heinekin).
We then walked to the Courthouse and met up with Greg. The usual comprehensive range of beer was on offer as was good-value and tasty food. Between us a fair range of the beers were tried and all were in good condition.
A short walk then to the bus station and the X96 to the Merry Hill shopping complex. If, like most of us in the group, you don’t like these places then get out, asap. Easier said than done but eventually we found our escape and after a walk of 20 minutes entered the wonderful Vine (Bull and Bladder), home of Batham’s brewery. As promised the Christmas beer was available plus the Best Bitter and Mild. The former is meant to be 6.3% but I was told the day before, in another Batham’s pub, that it had turned out to be 7%. Whatever the strength, after some initial sweetness, it grows in complexity and doesn’t really drink its gravity. A first for me and, I think, everybody else.
Just after we arrived, in walked Steve and Anita, in need of refreshment after their long drive. Apart from the excellent beer, and the Best Bitter is still one of my favourites, there were very large ham and beef cobs on sale. Fresh and well filled and all of £1 each! Friendly locals too.
It was with some reluctance that we left the B&B and made our way to the bus stop to get the bus to Ma Pardoes, aka the Olde Swan. By now it was below zero but we didn’t have to wait too long for the bus that stopped across the road from our destination. We went into the famous public bar with the stove in the middle of the room and the metal ceiling tiles. There was good choice of beer and many of us settled for the Bumble Hole (5.2%) followed by the Christmas beer, malty and well balanced and 6% in strength. I seem to remember trying the light mild and Original as well.
Again the pub was full of friendly locals and one pointed out the head brewer to me with the suggestion that if we asked him nicely he might show us around the brewery. We did, and he did, leaving his pint on a table and taking us out side and then up some very steep steps to the top floor of a small (two-barrel) Victorian tower brewer. The most surprising thing about the brewery for me, apart from the fact that it survives and produces beer, is the wooden mash tun. Surely, there can’t be another one in the country still in use?
Overall then, a very good day out, despite the cold weather. It can be summed up quite simply as proper beer, proper pubs, and proper people.
Ron A
MCBA Co-ordinator
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Overall, 2009 was another good year for the MCBA. Total membership grew only slightly but the meetings were particularly successful and some valuable publicity was gained through articles, and illustrations, in Brewer’s Contact. For the first time since I joined the CBA, I was able to attend all six meetings in the year. Each meeting was full of interest and nearly all were well attended. However, it is a pity that we tend to get much the same group at each meeting. I know that it is not easy for many of our members to get to meetings because of distance, transport difficulties, family responsibilities, and so on, but hopefully we will see some new faces coming along in 2010.
Perhaps the real highlights were the number of comparative brewing and tasting exercises carried out. We normally do one comparative brew a year but in 2009 we did no less than three, and one has already been written up in Brewer’s Contact (Volume 9, Issue 4). The author did a first-class job and put a great deal of effort into the experiment and its execution. The meeting, organised by GP, was held in the magnificent Barton’s Arms in Birmingham and attracted a very large attendance. If you haven’t been to this pub then do try to get along. In terms of opulence and décor it is up there with the Philharmonic in Liverpool and Café Royale in Edinburgh. There is a good choice of beer and the Thai food is reasonably priced and better than that found in many Thai restaurants.
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The second comparison was an attempt at Bombay Ale to the recipe by the brewer of the top beer at the Sutton Festival in 2008 (Brewers Contact Volume 8, Issue 4). This meeting was held in the home of one of our members and is briefly mentioned in Brewers Contact (Volume 9, Issue 4). We had a truly excellent lunch and a barrel of our host’s hoppy and strong IPA – great stuff if like me, you like the style - was served through a hand pump. There was also a selection of his bottled beer. I am submitting an account of this brewing and tasting exercise to Brewers Contact.
The final comparison activity was suggested, and organised, by our host for the Loughborough meeting, AQ. This too, was very successful even if it did expose the tasting deficiencies of some of us, including me. This was an important and interesting experiment and, hopefully, an account will appear in a future Brewers Contact.
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The year was rounded off by a successful social – a tour of some of the hostelries in Derby. The beer was so good in the pubs we visited that the temptation to have more than one in each place was too strong and we only managed four visits, instead of the proposed six or seven. To cap it all off, the last place of call, The Old Silk Mill, had Thornbridge Jaipur on in excellent condition. To make matters worse, this was only discovered after we all had had one or two from the very good selection on hand pumps.
Finally, thanks to our other hosts; RC, MC, and SO, who organised the meetings where there were no comparative activities. All these meetings were informative, entertaining, and convivial. A final point is that the standard of beer brought along by members for tasting and feedback was very high indeed in all six meetings. |
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Ron A
MCBA Co-ordinator |
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