Charity ale honours Titanic Brewery founder

Staffordshire brewer Titanic has brewed a charity ale in honour of its founder who died this month.

John Pazio died on 4 December, aged 60, following a long illness. He launched Titanic in 1985 in Stoke-on-Trent and the project was later taken on by Keith and Dave Bott.

The Titanic Founder's Ale will be available in the brewery's five pubs in Stoke, Burslem, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford and Stone, for a limited period. A donation of 10p will be made to Pazio's favourite charity, the Edridge Fund, from each pint sold.

Titanic managing director Keith Bott said: "I shall always be grateful to John for giving me a chance to pursue a career in the brewing industry.

"Titanic Brewery was John's venture and when he could not carry on, I - along with Dave and our father - were fortunate to be able to raise the funds to take it on.

"John was a kind and generous man who could often be seen enjoying a pint in the brewery tap - the Bulls Head, Burslem - long after he was forced to sell the brewery.

"It was a measure of the man that he never felt any bitterness and remained a great supporter of Titanic Brewery throughout his later life."

John Pazio's wife Janet said: "John would have loved the fact that a real ale was being produced in his memory.

"He was a great supporter of the Campaign for Real Ale and was really pleased to see that Titanic Brewery was thriving."