Brewery profile

The home of Harvest Pale…

…and its new 40brl brewery in ...

The good burghers of Nottingham must have been mortified to learn that historical novelist Jack Whyte reckons that their famous outlaw son Robin Hood might have been a Scotsman. Yet they can be proud that the city’s largest brewer Castle Rock is increasing annual output by 10,000 barrels this year on the back Castle Rock of winning the prestigious CAMRA Supreme Champion Brewery Beer of Britain Award for its delicious Harvest Pale Queensbridge Road beer by installing a 40 barrel brewhouse. Nottingham NG2 1NB Hood together at once – and Castle by Roger Putman T: +44 (0) 115 985 1615 Rock mobile bars are always much in evidence. www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk Chris Holmes studied economics he brewery is the hub of a 22 and spent four years in the City T estate whose official name working for Slater Walker where he is Tynemill, a shell company bought no doubt must have learned a deal off the shelf in 1977 to buy the first about wheeler dealering. A quieter pub in Newark just down the River life beckoned and he became Senior Trent. The ensuing three decades Economics Lecturer at Nottingham have been a roller coaster of a ride Trent University, then Trent Poly. encapsulating all the change in the This post, he admitted, gave him lots brewing scene up to the “ludicrous of free time in which to indulge his choice of cask beers” – Chairman greatest passion – which was beer Chris Holmes’ words not mine – we drinking. He was a keen early have today. There are 29 micro- supporter of CAMRA and helped brewers within 25 miles of found the Nottingham branch. He Nottingham and if the quality is became National Chairman in 1975. good, Holmes will support them for he has a policy of not flooding his Time to indulge with his own brands although if He wanted to own a pub to allow he did I doubt too many customers himself even more time to indulge would be disappointed! and saw his chance in Newark. That Tynemill Ltd trading as Castle town originally had two breweries; Rock Brewery stretches from Warwick and Richardson which Boston in the east, in the north, joined John Smith’s in 1962 and Burton on Trent in the west, James Hole was taken into the in the south but Courage empire in 1967. When firmly centred on Nottingham, with Courage grabbed John Smith in the brewery nestling not too far from 1970, there was clearly a local the 40m cliff face of the Castle. The monopoly and many pubs were medieval fortification is long gone shuttered. Holmes thought he could replaced by a late seventeenth reopen the Kings Arms as a century mansion – famously freehouse with a bank of cask hand costs – vive le status quo! depicted on millions of packets of pulls, a trading concept hardly heard Holmes’ pub strategy was simple; Players cigarettes but the long of at the time. He was turned down he would only own pubs that he was passage down to the foot of the rock and the appeal process took him happy to run and happy to drink in. which must have been useful in King expensively to the High Court. His He surmised that there must be John’s day is still extant. There are adversary was the local LVA and he enough customers out there, who many touristy pageants throughout says that it was only after the thought the same way as he did, to the summer including attempts to settlement in his favour that he make a go of it. He takes the view get the most people dressed as Robin discovered Courage paid the LVA’s that the licencee knows the local

40 Brewer & Distiller International • August 2011 • www.ibd.org.uk Brewery profile

Tynemill director and is able to Main picture: Vents for supply almost any beer in the the copper, its gas country while James Clay helps with heating exhaust and hot liquor tanks at Castle imports. Rock Brewery in Marstons Oyster Stout spares for Nottingham. not stocking Guinness on margin grounds and Bitburger is a Above: The view of the prominent lager. A deal with Carling brewery buildings in and Grolsch has been superseded by Traffic Street. Carlsberg and Heineken as the latter two brewers offered a superior deal. The pubco’s ‘one over the eight’ promotion is now it its eighth year – some items from the house list including wine, spirits and food and of course beer are marked with a ‘8’ badge.You get a card stamped for every purchase and once you have collected eight you can redeem it for one of the eight. This 11% discount scheme is a popular one which His pub strategy engenders loyalty, brand recognition was simple; he and some 86,000 cards were traded would only own in 2010. To keep the brand in pubs that he was people’s minds, there is beer in bottle.You can get Harvest Pale happy to run and brewed, sterile filtered and bottled happy to drink in. by Marstons listed by Morrisons, He surmised that Tesco and Asda and for bottle there must be conditioned fans there is its big enough customers sister, still pale but without the “out there, who Yankee hops - Elsie Mo which is thought the same packaged by Hambleton. way as he did... area so within some rules, they are suppliers are Bateman and Everards. Not interested in brewing allowed to take some risks including If a pub has 12 hand-pulls perhaps Originally Chris Holmes said he was the guest beer portfolio. seven of them will not be Castle not interested in brewing but the Remember there were few micros Rock beers. Some pubs are 90% opportunity came in 1997 with some in 1977 so he started off with cask beer, the Canalhouse in 15 pubs in the estate. The tiny Marstons Pedigree, Sam Smiths Nottingham city sells the most lager Bramcote Brewery set up in a double Bitter,Youngers No. 3 and a local but the average split of the beer sale garage at the rear of founder Philip mild and bitter from nearby is 80% cask. Tony Eastwood of Darby’s brother’s house in Kimberley. Today his largest wholesalers Small Beer is a Nottingham’s suburbs was

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threatened with closure. The beer found the Nottingham Brewery Co. was sold at Tynemill’s Victoria pub Needing another brewer, he found in Beeston a couple of miles away Pete Wooding, originally trained at and soon became the best seller. The Shipstones in the City which was local council then had second closed by Greenall Whitley in 1991. thoughts about granting planning Pete designed a new 22-barrel plant permission for a brewery in leafy which was sourced from the defunct suburbia. With outhouses vacant Cambrian Brewery and formulated beside Tynemill’s Vat and Fiddle pub the recipe for Harvest Pale. (originally Whitbread’s Grove) just a stone’s throw from the railway Finding ‘Beer of the Year’ station in the centre of As Castle Rock pubs probably sell a the City, a joint third of their own beer and rest are venture was formed guests, they have regularly polled as the Castle Rock customers to find the ‘Beer of the Brewery. With it came Year’ to give a steer to next year’s Hemlock, a 4%ABV stocking policy. Back in 2002 it was Top left: Sacks of precrushed malt from Fawcett quaffing ale and clear that golden ales with a distinct and Muntons about to be conveyed to the grist hopper. named after the local citrus hop were already popular with Hemlock Stone rather Oakham JHB, Deuchars IPA, Top right: The mash tun and liquor tank viewed than the plant rich in Archers Golden figuring strongly in from above. pyridine alkaloids the list. The brewery already brewed Above right: Extra mash hydration below the which saw off Elsie Mo a 4.7%ABV very pale original tangential unit. Socrates in 399BC! product with a pump clip depicting a Above: The underback with the slot to accommodate the The seven-barrel plant moved 1940s pin up, the sort which used to swinging run off arm. The inset shows the high and low level from the garage and in 2002 the adorn the noses of B-17 Flying switches to control the flow to the copper. original brewing partners left to Fortress bombers. The source of the

42 Brewer & Distiller International • August 2011 • www.ibd.org.uk Brewery profile

name is more prosaic being derived (making five in total) was soon walkway. Both working floors have from low colour Maris Otter or L C producing over 100 barrels a week. been treated with resin in a pleasing MO. The first brew of what was to By 2009 nothing more could be yellow colour. With the copper just By 2009 nothing become Harvest Pale at 3.8%ABV squeezed out of the existing plant cast into the hopback with Cascade more could be with a colour of 9°EBC and 30BU with inflexible pipework, low and Centennials on the plates, the squeezed out of was sent off to the Nottingham Beer ceilings, low beams and not a lot of aroma was simply heavenly. The rest the existing plant Festival as Trammie Dodger as all storage space. There was no of the building is a rabbit warren of with inflexible the local breweries were charged opportunity to increase the footprint little offices once no doubt the scene pipework, low with celebrating the inauguration of of the brewery as the adjoining busy of many a painful interview but they ceilings, low the city’s new tramway system. Then pub near the station and close to the are useful for storing merchandise, beams and not a it was Champion at SIBA’s Midland Tax Office (hence the name – The beer mats and bar towels, outside lot of storage competition also in 2003 and Vat & Fiddle) was shifting over ten bars and other ‘stuff’ recovered over space. CAMRA’s National Best Bitter in barrels a week. With another 17 the years as ‘it might come in “ 2007. It came through as Supreme years to run on the lease, Castle handy’. The Head Brewer’s office Champ in 2010 after winning the Rock nearly considered staying just was devoid of anything apart from Golden Ale category. It is the only as they were rather than moving to an apparently unused desk but he has beer to have won two different an industrial site somewhere else in equipped a tiny micro lab next door CAMRA categories with a beer of town. Luckily and just in time, the where he is working up procedures substantially the same specification Probation Service moved out of the to carry out aerobic micro analyses. thus showing how a style-based adjoining premises behind the Smooth and easy was how Chris competition is fraught with its brewery in Traffic Street. Holmes described the £800,000 problems. Holmes did not know what the project but ‘off the record’ he Victorian building was used for admitted that it was a nightmare and 100 barrels a week originally but the three-storey brick it was running some three months The current Head Brewer is Adrian building with large windows on the late when the winning news came ” Redgrove, a Bristolian who first and second floor provides a from Earls Court. Commercial graduated from the Watt in 1999 and light and airy brewery with most of Director Colin Wilde, who joined worked at Brakspears until it closed the central floor removed apart from the firm when it had but nine pubs, and then Wentworth inYorkshire. He the materials store, so that you can said that nobody rang up asking for arrived in December 2004 and with look down on the brewplant and supplies as they knew there would the addition of two more FVs fermenters from a mezzanine be none. Already production of

Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd “Putting Quality into a Pint”

Independent Family Maltsters since 1809

Manufacturers of the finest Pale Ale, Crystal and Roasted Malts

All Malts delivered ON TIME to your specification, crushed or whole. Main products include: Maris Otter, Halcyon, Pearl, Tipple, Optic and Golden Promise Ale Malts together with the complete range of Speciality Crystal and Roasted Malts.

Other speciality products include Malts manufactured from wheat, rye, oats and sorghum.

Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd Eastfield Lane, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 4LE Tel: 01977 552490/552460 Fax: 01977 519076 E-mail: [email protected]

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Hemlock and Elsie Mo had ceased conveyed up to the grist case where plates. On just the second brew, the as most was sold through the it is directed into the top via one leg hop seed filter failed and the There is an Tynemill estate and 3.5%ABV of somebody’s old jeans – paraflow plates got blocked so now underback with an Sherriff’s Tipple was factored out to transferring 1100kg of crushed malt with a low volume under the hop intriguing cut away Tower in Burton behind the is a dusty operation. The mash tun back plates, any recirculation is slot which allows company’s only pub in that town. had a tangential chamber for dispensed with. In the old plant, the the swing arm Even the Directors had a pact not to hydration but direct liquor input fermenters were top filled and ‘valentine’ to be drink Harvest Pale to help eke out through nine narrow jets each at cracking a union allowed the ingress adjusted during supplies but the twinkle in Chris different angles had to be added to of adequate air. Now oxygen is run off. Holmes’ eye suggests that at least get an adequate mix. There is an added at 4.5 litres a minute which one of them cheated! underback with an intriguing cut will be fine-tuned once Adrian gets a The brewery equipment was away slot which allows the swing dissolved oxygen meter. The yeast “ recovered from the aborted Wild arm ‘valentine’ to be adjusted during was originally from Kimberley and operation at Weobly in run off. Little in the brewhouse is Greene King is happy for Castle Herefordshire. The idea was to fully automatic with operations Rock to keep using it. The yeast is produce only bottled organic beers initiated from an EMDEC touch lodged with Cara and replenished but the market was not ready for screen although there are high and every 12-15 generations. The them and with a 2006 40 barrel low level switches in the underback pitching heat is usually 18°C but Abbott brewery to pay for, the to control flow to the copper. being exceedingly cold in early receivers were called in and Castle January, the winter figure is nearer Rock picked up a hardly used piece Throttled back 22°C in chilly weather.Yeast is of kit for probably half the price of a Wort is circulated in the copper and cropped from the top using a ” new one. AB (UK) factored the deal the rather bulbous gas coil does not Flotronic air pump, it is collected in and provided other vessels to meet have a great deal of heat exchange sterile buckets and transferred to a Castle Rock’s requirements. The area and hot gas flow has had to be stirred 2.5 barrel refrigerated tank to base equipment was a cold and hot throttled well back so that energy is be held at 3°C until needed. liquor tank (gas fired), a wedge wire transferred to the wort and does not There are seven employees bottomed mash tun, a copper heated go straight up the chimney. It takes working with Adrian in the brewery. by a T C Williams gas coil (205kW) 75 minutes to get on the boil and There is no own distribution, that is and five tall enclosed FVs. To this then wort is boiled for a further 90 predominantly undertaken by Libra was added a second hot tank, this with hop additions at full and 60 Drinks Nottingham, and more time electrically heated to allow minutes. For Harvest Pale this would distant deliveries are undertaken by double brewing, more cold liquor be equal charges of Centennial with pallet hauliers. All casks are owned, storage plus chilling again to allow a little Cascade. Then as much mainly from Kammac, Castle Rock two brews successively, a hop back, weight again of Cascade and will not even countenance plastic a racking tank and two 100-barrel Chinook is put in the hop back. All tubs and three houses are still large German fermenters which have been hops are cone in Freshpaks from enough to take 36 gallon barrels. In fitted with external coil jackets at 40 Charles Faram. I asked whether fact they wish to purchase more and and 80brl levels and smartly clad to Adrian was happy with evaporating have discovered there is a world complement the other five. just a barrel from a 35 brl charge to shortage! Malt is all precrushed by Fawcett be told that it was a lot more than Dirty casks are brought in from Below: Making auxiliary and Muntons. Harvest Pale gets a they got in the old copper! Libra and placed on a four station additions to FV. blend of lager malt and low colour There is a 20-minute stand in the rinser for ten seconds where they are Bottom right: The Maris Otter fortified with 5% hop back before running to FV. The also manually pressure jetted to embryo microbiology torrified wheat. The bags of malt are size of the wort pump has given remove the old label. They are then laboratory. emptied into an auger chute and problems sucking debris under the transferred, again manually, to an

44 Brewer & Distiller International • August 2011 • www.ibd.org.uk Brewery profile

The old 22brl brew plant awaiting sale.

AB (UK) washer which gives a a beer having a name before there is recovered prerinse at 65°C, 1.5% a recipe. A proportion of sales adds used for events, a base for tours and Head Brewer Adrian caustic at 70°C followed by a rinse up to around £3000 a year and the perhaps even a little two-barrel Redgrove has a beer back to recovery. Two men can wash Trust is then able to get nine times experimental brewery – you should with Chairman and Founder Chris Holmes in some 60 units an hour which are that from a fund set aside from the have seen Brewer Redgrove’s eyes the Vat and Fiddle bar. stacked on pallets and lifted up into Landfill Tax – a useful transfusion of light up! I the racking area behind the capital for good works no fermenters. doubt. January’s 25 barrels was With no upstand in the FV, the calledYaffle which is the local brewery relies on settlement for 18 dialect word for a green hours in the racking vessel to control woodpecker. Sadly by the time yeast count. A second settling and you read this, it is all be gone – Well Hopped! racking vessel has now been billed as a cask pilsener, it is installed ready for the summer trade. pale, fermented at a slightly Auxiliary is added to FV and again lower temperature with to racking vessel. Beer is racked German hops which I guess directly from the vessel via a single ticks most of the lager boxes Briggs racking cock and isinglass is and it really tasted good – sorry jugged into each cask. A nearby for whetting your taste buds working lab area stacked with break when you cannot sample it. samples and beer ex FV, RT and cask After my visit the Poppy and showed how earnestly Brewer Pint opened in the Lady Bay Redgrove was tuning his still new area of , it is 40-brl process as he ramps up leasehold and will be managed production to nine brews or 360 by Castle Rock under contract. barrels a week. That will be 17,000 It is actually owned by a barrels in 2011 against the 7,000 separate company formed produced in 2010. under an Enterprise Investment Scheme as banks are currently Name before recipe unable to support such outlay We returned to the Vat and Fiddle to but private stakeholders who sample the portfolio. As well as the know the credentials of a Hop Factors & regulars, 4.0%ABV Preservation thirty-three year old pubco, Merchants Since 1865 with an intriguing touch of chocolate which has been the Good Pub on a normally-coloured ale and Guide’s Pub Chain of theYear Screech Owl, Harvest’s even three times, are more than hoppier cousin at 5.5%ABV. Owl is happy to dig deep. Beside the Charles Faram & Co Ltd. named from twelve ‘seasonals’ a Vat, with the old brewkit sold The Hop Store, Monksfi eld Lane, Newland, Nr Malvern. WR13 5BB year with names derived from on and the area clear of Tel: + 44 (0) 1905 830734 species under threat as agreed by equipment, the full cask area Fax: + 44 (0) 1905 831790 Colin Wilde and the Notts branch of can be secured and properly Email: [email protected] the Wildlife Trust. attemperated and the rest will Website www.wellhopped.co.uk This must be the only example of become a visitor centre to be

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