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BREWERY FOCUS From Old Bob to BOB We catch up with Philip Downes in deepest Gloucestershire “We expect this man to producing Faust and Hurlimann win us some more under licence. prizes,” said Wickwar A new contract with Labatt founder and MD Ray precluded the use of a mash tun to produce the lager wort, Downes left Penny as I met him in the in 1992 and the plant closed soon cosy office cum visitors afterwards. Next stop was Ushers at Wickwar Brewing Co bar at the recently much- Trowbridge, which had just bought The Old Brewery expanded Wickwar itself back after the Grand Met- Station Road Brewery. Philip Downes’ Courage merger. He spent seven Wickwar career at Ridley’s in years there before smelling closure Gloucestershire Chelmsford was cut short again and moving on for a short spell GL12 8NB UK at the St Peters micro in Suffolk. 01454 294168 when the family decided Early 1999 found him at Ridley’s in www.wickwarbrewing.co.uk to sell its 73 pubs to Essex Greene King last autumn. “A much bigger brewery than you would think,” he told me. “We did a lot of contract bottling in the old By Roger Putman returnable 275ml packages.” Ridley’s iconic Old Bob survives in bottle and some of his old portfolio should have seen it coming when is still on the G-K seasonal listing. Ithe Chairman asked about forward materials contracts,” mused 1860 brewery buildings ‘the medal winning brewer of Now he has what must be the biggest Ridley’s Old Bob. Now he has office in the brewing world. His desk bobbed up again at Wickwar, which is situated in the huge 14-metre high is situated just off the M5 motorway brewing hall built in 1860 for Arnold north of Bristol & Co. “A bit chilly on a non brewing Downes has had a varied career to day,” he said. “This is what brewery date. He took a Food Technology owner Ray Penny calls ‘Fermenting sandwich course at Reading Room 2’ as the current brewhouse University which once appeared as a occupies less than half of the vast suitable qualification for a brewing (450m2) floor space”. job but then he found that no one Arnold’s had already been brewing wanted it. Unphased he worked in in the little South Gloucestershire pubs for 18 months to amass town for 60 years when it sufficient funds to put himself amalgamated with Perrett in 1887. through the very last M.Sc. course at Arnold Perrett had 325 houses in its the old Birmingham Brewing School heyday and it passed to Cheltenham back in 1987. As soon as he had Original Brewery for £450,000 (a finished his viva examination – the tidy sum in those days) and closed in end of official proceedings – he was 1924. The Cheltenham Brewery off down the road to join Davenports became West Country, that passed to under John Davies. He was there for Whitbread in 1963 and the plant is 16 months before Greenalls closed now a Tesco supermarket! the place, then he went to Brains The substantial stone-built Splot Brewery in Cardiff. This Arnold, Perrett brewery was used as venture was a 180 barrel lager plant a cider factory until that was closed set up at the bottling stores by Bulmers in 1969. The brewery is The BREWER & DISTILLER • Volume 2 • Issue 7 • July 2006 • www.ibd.org.uk 14 built in an old quarry beside the MAIN PICTURE: The Birmingham to Bristol railway line. Wickwar copper is The site was quarried to provide almost on the boil material for the nearby Wickwar tunnel so the brewery was built with two basement-floors of cellars with another vaulted semi-submerged racking level and the brewing hall in top. The buildings were used as a wine warehouse but while the roof of the old brewery started to rot, the bottom cellars found a new use maturing casks of champagne cognac for Bristol Spirits, which is still on the site. Another wine distributor, Heritage wines, also occupies a stone extension alongside the 1860 structure. This little industrial complex attracted Ray Penny who opened his micro brewery in the old coopers shop just over the road and sold his first cask when it was legal to do so after the provisions of the infamous Beer Orders came into force in April 1990. Ray brewed 10 barrels at a time with an electrically-heated copper and wooden-clad open FVs in very cramped surroundings. By 2003, he was brewing twice a day for four days making 80 barrels a week. He originally planned a 30- barrel plant but with his future plans that would soon not be big enough either so when the lease on the old brewery came up he found an Wickwar has six 50- barrel dish-bottomed fermenters. The BREWER & DISTILLER • Volume 2 • Issue 7 • July 2006 • www.ibd.org.uk 15 BREWERY FOCUS A view of the Cotswold Weston super Mare and up to stone built brewing hall Gloucester, Cheltenham and over to showing a very open Swindon.” and airy aspect. The Current targets include Hereford and false ceiling still hides Salisbury so Wye Valley and the machinery which Hopback will have increased took power from a large competition. There are three water wheel outside. salesmen, North and South split by Surplus electricity was the M4 and a national accounts used for one of Britain’s manager who will get busier as earliest street lighting Wickwar forges more links with the schemes. larger pubcos. “Business is steadier” “We have just completed our first year in bed with the big boys,” Penny enthused. “We find the business is now steadier as a result of the expansion we have undertaken. The market has changed to be more tied, pubco estates are investor with £1 million for a far Bristol aged 32. That was back in getting bigger and we cannot larger project. Penny bought a 300- 1984 and he was soon running three increase our sales without breaking barrel per week plant with 1000kg more, one of which was the Antelope into their markets. Before the mash tun, copper/whirlpool and six on the seafront slipway at Mumbles investment we were losing business, 50-barrel fermenters from the near Swansea people wanted our beers but we defunct Oakhill Brewery down in “Rather far away but good pubs could not necessarily access the Somerset and moved into Arnold do not come on the market very market. Reaching a certain critical Perrett’s old brewery. The BTB plant often. The potential here was huge mass was essential for the future. We dated from only 1997 and was as the previous proprietors limited have a good product, good refurbished by the same firm before the local student population to one merchandising and brand imagery, installation in the renovated drink each and banned water sports we offer good service and are brewhouse building in late 2004. enthusiasts completely!” financially sound. January 2006 Brewing thus returned after a gap of But the structure of the industry concluded with not a single bad debt 80 years. changed, the pubs became leased, for the first time in sixteen years!” the rents went sky high and Penny he said with some relish. Hilton gig got out. Wickwar today has a single There are single bulk drop offs for Ray Penny was a DJ. He had a pub in Bristol but he is on the look Courage Cellarman’s Reserve, a deal regular Saturday night gig at the out for cask led pubs anywhere with Punch and JD Wetherspoon, Hilton in London’s Park Lane. A road within his footprint. He rattled a box Waverley TBS, National Drinks accident forced a long convalescence of coloured pins suggesting there Distributors and two of Brain’s which he spent propped up behind the was plenty of scope to make wholesaling subsidiaries which look bar working in his friend’s pub. additions to the 375 already stuck in after sales to South Wales. Bitten by the pub bug, he took a the distribution map on his wall. “This is on top of the direct tenancy at the Cadbury House in “We cover Bristol, down to deliveries to Enterprise pubs under Opposite sides of Station Road …with the brewery behind. The pipes used to take cider to a The old coopers shop – home to Wickwar Brewing The Victorian stone buildings and the office maturation building across the until 2004. entrance… yard. The BREWER & DISTILLER • Volume 2 • Issue 7 • July 2006 • www.ibd.org.uk 16 Mashing at Wickwar: FAR LEFT: The 1000kg BTB mash tun now with a new domed top and laser cut plates. LEFT: The mash hydrator and top mounted graining arm motor with the 180° turn in the bucket and chain grist conveyor loop. the SIBA Access to Market scheme. after Ray’s house. BOB is a 4%ABV Tesco Challenge winner, Coopers “BOB gets 8% Here Wickwar will drum up the pale beer (23°EBC) and 25BU. which is a golden ale and Rite crystal which gives business, the pubs order as normal Wickwar use 5–8% torrified wheat Flanker – the unofficial rugby beer a long satisfying via Enterprise, the consolidated to ensure a good head and all the rest with a delicious 2oz per barrel of dry depth of traditional demand is passed on to SIBA which is malt, all Maris Otter from hopped Styrian Goldings. With English ale texture. alerts the brewery. On delivery to Warminster Maltings. Hops are all seasonals, the total comes to There is little dry each pub, a copy of the note passes 5kg Freshpaks from Charles Faram.