The people's brewer

Marston's head brewer Stephen Brooks has seen a few changes since he started work at the brewery in 1975. He reflects on 30 years of brewing and tells JO de MILLE why there's no room for egos in an increasingly marketing-orientated world

Once upon a time, a Marston's head brewer would preside over the brewery like 'God Almighty, and when it came to anything to do with beer, pubs, distribution and technical things, what he said went he had great power. So says Stephen Brooks, who has held the position since 2002.

Things have changed considerably since Brooks joined the company as a shift brewer working alongside head brewer Allan Alpin. Under Alpin's reign between 1967 and 1984, when there was still a lot of heavy industry all over the Midlands and the north-east, 'the miners would take three or four pints of beer to work to keep them going throughout the day. This meant a lot of low-gravity, often quite hoppy, beers sold in vast quantities.

Alpin also launched Marston's first lager in 1977, Marston's Pilsner Lager, and a variant for north Wales called Marcher Lager, which was carried through by the next head brewer, Paul Bayley, who then phased them both out in the early '90s.

Brooks, who joined Marston's straight after his A-levels in 1975, appears to share few of the all-powerful, godlike qualities he attaches to the former head brewers. As he celebrates 30 years with the company, his approach to the job and long-standing career seems to reflect the changing face of the industry.

'Back in the old days, recalls Brooks, 'there was a strict hierarchy of head brewers, second brewers, under brewers, shift brewers, foremen, charge hands, labourers and boys. While it's been a gradual change, the people who work on the shop floor are now highly educated people who have specialist knowledge. They don't need to be told what to do. The company also used to employ a great deal more people at the brewery, which included a full-time 'gang of painters and builders.

The business of brewing beer

Brooks admits the role of head brewer has changed as the hierarchy has broken down and other parts of the brewing business have taken on increasing importance. 'Head brewers are well-known throughout the ind ustry, but the real power we wield within our own area has probably diminished in our own company.

Brooks' main duty is to produce beer and maintain its quality, and he says there's nothing better than mashing in a brew: 'There's a sense of creativity in that I'm making something that people are going to enjoy and appreciate, he says. But he also finds that a lot of time is spent poring over numbers and budgets.

However, Brooks accepts that times have changed and does not yearn for the old days. He says: 'It would be egotistical of me to say I wish things were like they were in the old days. Those people were often quite autocratic and you don't always get the best out of people, working like that.

Brooks believes that one of the greatest changes he has witnessed during his 30 years with the company has been the continual move away from traditional ale towards lager and other drinks. While Marston's produced its own lager until the early '90s, this meant producing a beer at a low unit cost to attract the volume customer something that, as a relatively small company, it just couldn't sustain. Not only that, but Brooks says Marston's brewing technique using the renowned Burton Union system 'didn't lend itself well to the brewing of lagers.

Brooks explains: 'While you used to find Burton Union systems all over the UK, with several in Burton, they gradually fell out of favour as they're quite labour-intensive and difficult to use. But Marston's maintained them as they believed they gave a certain quality to the beer.

It all comes down to good taste

Brooks strongly believes there will always be a core group of discerning ale drinkers, as well as drinkers who are new to the category: 'Ale sales are falling, but sales of Pedigree tend to stay fairly constant, which means we're finding new drinkers from somewhere.

'Younger people are always looking for something a bit different and so I wouldn't be surprised if we started getting more younger drinkers. Lagers tend to be a bit samey in taste, whereas ales are often much more flavoursome.

What gives Marston's ales much of their taste, Brooks believes, is the sulphury flavour of the Burton water, which many claim has a cleansing action on the palate. 'You drink one, he enthuses, 'but it doesn't satiate your palate with flavours, like some of the heavier-hopped beers, which tend to leave a strong taste long after you've drunk the beer.

He believes the ale brands that are falling by the wayside are the ones that have lost their individual appeal or have been compromised in some way, and cites moving away from cask conditions as an example of this.

Brooks says he wouldn't be surprised if the future ale industry was populated by more brands, with one or two of them rising and gaining national ground. He can't see volumes growing, however, unless there is a 'major change in people's drinking habits.

Brooks has already witnessed a dramatic shift in drinking behaviour as people have become focused on their jobs and a more professional working culture has developed.

He also says that the demise of the mines and the increased presence of operated machinery in the workplace has had a significant influence on the trade.

'The industry certainly didn't used to do as much work in the afternoons, there was a lot more hospitality. In the '70s, we also used to give our workers a monetary allowance so they could buy beer to take home.

Leaving a lasting impression

As long, boozy lunches have died a slow death, something that has come to fruition during Brooks' time at the brewery is marketing. 'It was hardly a word you heard mentioned when I first started you didn't have marketers or a marketing department for the business. Even now, I only deal with our internal marketers, who come in with various ideas.

But, Brooks has also played his part in the creative process by helping to launch Old Empire as part of a marketing challenge to come up with a definitive Burton beer. His idea was that it needed to be an India pale ale, as this was what put Burton on the map in the 19th Century.

Looking at the long length of service given by the former head brewers, which in the case of George Peard was 31 years, it seems this is just one of many challenges he has to look forward to. He humbly concludes: 'It is quite an honour to be among the five head brewers ever employed by Marston's. I don't know whether I'll continue the trend of serving for many years as head brewer a lot of these guys are quite illustrious people in the industry and they're quite a hard act to follow. I'd be happy to get a few years in.

Marston's head brewers 1924-2005

1924-1936RAS Pearce

1936-1967George Peard

1967-1984Allan Alpin

1984-2002Paul Bayley

2002-presentStephen Brooks