Burton's Beer Brewing History

It is the home of Marmite, as well as the place where Branston Pickle was first created.

However, many would argue that Burton's position during the 18th and 19th centuries as the beer brewing capital of the world makes the previous two creations pale into insignificance.

Local history shows that Burton helped shape the drinking habits of not just the British Isles, but places as far flung as Prussia and India. At its peak in 1890, 32 breweries in the area were producing three million barrels of ale a year, while employing more than 8,000 workers.

Of all the beer that was being sold in Britain, 25 per cent came from Burton. In order to link the breweries with their distribution partners, 87 miles of railway track was laid in the town to support the 25 ale trains which left Burton every day. At this point there were 32 level crossings dotted around the town.

And the building of rail links between Burton and the ports in Liverpool and Hull opened up new opportunities to export across the world to the outer reaches of the British Empire. For example, India Pale Ale was specially brewed to ensure it lasted the long sea voyage to India.

Yet, the obvious question to ask is why did Burton become a beer brewing hub? The answer is that the area has been blessed with water rich in both minerals and dissolved salts, which in turn, allow for a greater proportion of hops, a natural preservative, to be included in the beer. The more hops that could be added to the beer, the further afield the beer could be exported and the brewers of Burton took full advantage of this natural blessing.

Due to the popularity of ale, Burton's brewers were held in extremely high social regard, with many having seats in Parliament. The most powerful, such as Henry Allsopp, were also ennobled, leading to this elite group being nicknamed the Beerage.

However, the turn of the 20th century witnessed a sharp decline in breweries and beer sales due to the amalgamation of producers and tougher anti-drinking attitudes enforced by the UK's Liberal Government of 1905-1915. Burton's finest were unable to locate any new international growth markets for ale and so the number of breweries shrunk from 20 in 1900 to only eight in 1928.

However, despite the downturn in demand for beer, the saying 'Gone for a Burton' is rumoured to have been created for a Burton beer advert in the early 20th century. The commercial showed a group of men, missing one person, due to the fact that 'He'd gone for a Burton'.

The decline in the number of breweries continued throughout the century, and by 1980 only three remained Bass, Ind Coope and Marston's. Nowadays, Burton Bridge brewery is the only independent brewer left.

Although not as dominant as it once was, Burton has provided the world with millions of pints of ale.

And to that point only one word can be uttered cheers.

Burton Mail bringing you all the latest local news and Sport for East Staffordshire, South Derbyshire and North West Leicestershire areas.