Museum is a taste of history
The guide at the Museum of Brewing in Burton-on-Trent asked me sternly which beers I had tasted in the bar. "I had a drop of Joules and Worthington E and a bottle of White Shield," I replied nervously, worried that he might think I wasn't fit to tour the exhibition. But the guide was delighted. "That's what I call beer," he said. "Trouble with young people is all they want is crystal clarity in the glass and lots of effervescence." It's the first time I've heard modern keg and lager beers compared to Andrew's Liver Salts. But it's an accurate description, as they both have the same short-term effect on the body. The museum is part of the brewing complex at Burton that used to house the Bass and Ind Coope breweries. It traces the history of beer making in Burton from medieval times to the modern day. The heart of the display is the story of Burton pale ale, the beer style that changed the course of brewing history. The Burton breweries and the museum are now owned by Coors. The Americans who control this slice of British brewing and history have been on a swift learning curve. They are delighted with the museum, while one Coors executive declared that Worthington White Shield was "the best beer I've ever tasted". Tucked away between the cooper's shop and the stables is the Museum Brewing Company. This is not so much a micro as a micro-dot plant. It can produce five barrels at a time and makes no more than 1,000 barrels in the course of a year. The equipment was built as a pilot brewery for trial beers by Mitchells and Butlers in Birmingham in the 1920s. In the 1990s, Steve Wellington, a Bass master brewer, had the kit transferred to Burton and he started to brew on it in 1994. The idea is to recreate old Bass beers that can be enjoyed in the spacious bar within the museum. The beers are also sold in selected pubs for example, Joules Bitter is available in the trading area of the former brewery in Stone in Staffordshire. Other beers, such as Bass No 1 Barley Wine and P2 Stout, are available in bottles and are sometimes sold on draught at Camra beer festivals. The only major change of direction at the brewery has been the return of Worthington White Shield, the revered Burton India Pale Ale. This is now the major brand in the brewery and is nationally available via Coors. Steve's pleasant task last year was to produce beers that celebrated the Queen's jubilee. There's a long history of such beers at Burton. The first King's Ale was brewed by Bass in 1902 and since then every coronation or jubilee has been marked by a beer so strong that it takes around 15 years to come into drinkable condition. For last year's jubilee, Steve brewed a Duke's Ale as well as a Queen's Ale, and the Queen, visiting Burton, pressed the button to start the mash. Steve admits that he can't always faithfully reproduce the recipe for an old beer as the records no longer exist. Joules Bitter, with a delicious underpinning of hops from Slovenia, is based on guesswork. Worthington E, on the other hand, one of the keg giants of the 1960s and 70s, is not a problem as it was a leading Burton brew. It was wonderful to drink, this intensely hoppy beer in cask form without the "effervescence". The Museum Brew-ing Company can also handle one-off cask beers for pubs. If you would like a beer brewed to your recipe and brand name, give Steve a call on 0845 6000598. I urge you visit the museum, a magnificent tribute to British brewing heritage. It's open every day except Christmas Day: details from 01283 511000 or www.coorsbrewers.com. Steve Wellington made my day with a taste of a remarkable bottle-fermented beer called Bullion. This is a 6.5% recreation of a Bass pale ale from the 1920s. I didn't mention to the museum guide that I'd also drunk this strong brew as well. He would have carted me away to the local clink to sober up before letting me anywhere near his exhibition. www.protzonbeer.com
