Festival puts spotlight on the micro-brewers

Apr 25 2008 by Alastair Gilmour, The Journal

STATISTICS reveal that micro-brewers are responsible for one in every six pints of beer sold in this country. On first looks, it’s impressive; on the other hand, it’s a dispiriting fact if you calculate that five out of six pints aren’t.

Brewing is a difficult business to be in and it seems making the stuff is the easy part. Spiralling costs and worldwide shortages of malted barley and hops are an increasing concern – while exploring new outlets and persuading prospective customers that what’s on offer is a high-quality, naturally produced, additive-free product takes up most of everybody’s time.

Tomorrow, though, we’re going to celebrate all that’s great about real ale at The Journal Taste North East England Food and Drink Festival at Gibside, the National Trust treasure near Rowlands Gill. Some of the best in the region’s cask-conditioned beer will be on offer from Jarrow Brewery, Durham Brewery, Wylam Brewery and Geltsdale Brewery, which for the geographically-challenged, is an area straddling the Northumberland/Cumbria border near Brampton.

Significantly for a town steeped in history, the first beers Jarrow Brewery constructed in 2002 commemorate freedom, martyrdom and justice. The inaugural brew was Jobling’s Swinging Gibbet, a reference to William Jobling, the last man in the country to be hung in such barbaric style. Everyone, except those with an axe to grind, knew Jobling was innocent. Of the other beers, Jarrow Bitter celebrates the town as a whole and Old Cornelius highlights the late Cornelius Whalen, the last member of the 1936 Jarrow Crusade. Riley’s Army Bitter is another reference to that momentous event when 200 men marched the 300 miles to London from a region with 70% unemployment “with head held high and dignified” as Alan Hull sang in Lindisfarne’s Marshall Riley’s Army. And, as for Rivet Catcher, think shipyard, red-hot metal, a throwing action and a big bucket.

The Fathers of the Railways would have approved of developments at Wylam Brewery. George Stephenson, William Hedley and Timothy Hackworth, each with connections to the Northumberland village and the evolution of steam engines, can rest in the knowledge that their initiatives continue to influence local enterprise. Expansion at Wylam includes the use of steam travelling at 40 metres a second, at a temperature of 170ºC and a pressure of 100psi. And, the essence of the craft brewer is retained – not everything is fully-automated and it’s not a factory where buttons are pressed and lights flash as temperatures are reached; it’s very much a hands-on, traditional method of working with technology harnessed for efficiency and to soothe away the old back-breaking bits.

Steve Gibbs of Durham Brewery speaks for all micro-brewers when he says: “Our beers haven’t been pasteurised, filtered or messed about with so all the flavours are still intact.”

In 2005, Durham Evensong was awarded gold in the Real Ale In A Bottle category at the Great British Beer Festival organised by the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra).

“Evensong is a classic ruby red bitter which always reminds me of London Pride,” says Steve. “It’s originally from a 1937 recipe which we’ve tweaked. I’ve even tried some from the first batch we bottled in 2000 and it was absolutely brilliant. It’s a very stable, long-lasting, maturing product.” Evensong’s secret is in its balance – hop and malt content work perfectly together, producing a flavour profile that harmonises toasted maltiness and soft berry fruitiness.

Fiona Deal is known around Brampton in Cumbria as The Real Ale Woman, which she acknowledges is a touch better than being called The Bag Lady. The Geltsdale Brewery which she started up 18 months ago has been doing so well that a doubling of capacity is not so much on the agenda but is an absolute necessity.

Geltsdale beers are named after local landmarks around the stunning landscape where the tiny enterprise sits. They have earned their place in several pubs around their home territory and have been making inroads into the North East and further afield.

Fiona is a former archaeologist and worked in Carlisle schools and libraries. She says: “I had reached the point where I thought ‘why am I doing this?’ I had always planned on running a brewery and thought it was now or never. I went on a Rural Women’s Network start-up business course, then did a bit of training at Brewlab at Sunderland University. I’d already set up by then and found that by and large I was doing things in the right way.”

The region’s beer isn’t simply a mixture of water, hops, yeast and malt; you get history, geography, social development and entrepreneurship in every glass. Join us tomorrow; we might even finish with Evensong.

alastair.gilmour@ncjmedia.co.uk