King Charles wasted no time in raising a glass as he toured the home of British beer, sampling a locally brewed pint and a potent hop-infused spirit in Burton upon Trent. Visiting Tower Brewery — a proud family-run firm of 24 years —His Majesty proved he was game for a taste of the town’s finest.
His Majesty pulled a pint of Gone for a Burton, a traditional mid strength beer which is one of the brewery’s popular special brands. Owner John Mills, who joined the monarch behind the small bar, said: “Are you going to have a slurp of that, Sir?”.
Charles chuckled, noting that if not, he was “in the wrong place.”. Holding up his glass, he said: “To your very good health,” before taking a sip. “Are you selling this all over the place?” he asked. Mr Mills then told His Majesty about a 41 per cent proof liquor he had created with a colleague called The Spirit of Burton, explaining that it could not be called a whiskey as it is not matured but was a distilled version of one of his strong IPAs.
Charles sniffed the clear liquid before taking a sip. “Mmmm.. Interesting,” he said, with a laugh, adding: “Yes, it’s supercharged.”. He stood on a small platform to watch Mr Mills open the brewing steam hatch, which demonstrates the gravity-fed brewing process.
Aided by the height of the tower, it uses gravity to feed the grist case and supply the water pressure. His Majesty was given a potted history of the town’s brewing background from Dr Harry White, chair of the National Brewing Centre in Burton. “I’m learning fast,” he said, before telling an aide who tried to move him along: “I’m having a fascinating history lesson.”.
Dr White told the monarch how India Pale Ale had become synonymous with Burton after the first beers were shipped from the town to India in 1822. Charles asked if IPA was still made locally but was told that the term IPA was now overused. He also made a reference to his “attempts at Pub Is The Hub”, an organisation he founded in 2001 to support the industry.
He was given a bottle of The Spirit of Burton to take home, as well as several bottles of IPA and a bottle of 1902 King’s Ale, which was brewed by the newly crowned Edward VII in 1902 during a visit to the Bass brewery. He then started the mash, which involved some 400 casks of 36 gallons, and the beer was then stored to mature.
A limited quantity was released in 1905 and a larger batch in 1911 to mark his coronation and a large batch released in 1977 to mark the 200th anniversary of Bass, when every employee was given a bottle. For centuries, Burton upon Trent was the unofficial headquarters of British brewing, producing as much as a quarter of the country’s beer.
Many of the family-owned breweries that took advantage of the Staffordshire town’s calcium-rich water have long gone, but a handful remain. Outside, Charles chatted to local business owners, asking how many brewery’s remained in the town. Among those he met was Monica Halton, owner of Caribbean food company Patties Soul Food. “It can blow your head off,” the King joked.
The King also chatted to two women who work for the Burton Addiction Centre and the Sexual Abuse Rape Advisory Centre respectively, telling them: “Give my kindest wishes to your volunteers who struggle away.”. Chatting about football to John Widdowson, head of community at Burton Albion community trust, he said: “Most of these managers and coaches seem to come from Holland or Sweden.”.
