Dorber's 25th Beer Guide

Mark Dorber, legendary licensee of the White Horse on London's Parsons Green, was presented last week with a special commemorative plaque by Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz to celebrate the White Horse's 25th consecutive appearance in cask beer's British bible.

Roger Protz commented: "This is the 34th edition of the Good Beer Guide, with 4,500 full entries of Britain's best beers and pubs.

The White Horse has featured in the last 25 editions of the guide and it is no coincidence that Mark Dorber arrived at the White Horse at the beginning of that period.

"Mark has done great pioneering work on raising ap-preciation of beer - particularly of Burton Pale Ale - leading to seminars on the subject and to many brewers on both sides of the Atlantic picking up the torch he has lit.

"It is Mark's enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment to training which has set his pub apart. His example is a lesson for all would-be publicans."

Ex-head brewer of the Bass Burton Brewery, Alex Seddon, was on hand, like his father before him, to demonstrate "the perfect pour" of his beloved Worthington White Shield and joined in with the eulogy to Dorber's 25 years:

"I remember Mark coming to the White Shield brewery in 1993 to brew a special IPA beside me and a team of young brewers. This was brewed for a festival of pale ales at the White Horse - one of many such beer festivals Mark has held there over the years.

"Most India Pale Ales nowadays have about 25 to 35 bitterness units, but Mark was intent on recreating the highly-hopped IPAs of the 1840."

Dorber said: "We've always been passionate about beer.

"Training has, I think, been a big part of our success. Ten of our

ex-cellarmen are now Master Brewers, spread out all over the world from Italy to the west coast of the US.

"I would encourage all publicans to look at the range of courses now provided by the Beer Academy for all their staff."