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The
Oakwell Brewery - Barnsley Origins: The Oakwell Brewery was founded by Paul and Guy Senior in 1858. Between 1858 and 1888 the Seniors built up a considerable tied-house estate which served their celebrated Barnsley Bitter. Competition in those days came from Clarksons Brewery, also of Barnsley, which was taken over in 1956 by Tennant’s Brewery of Sheffield (itself taken over by Whitbread's in the early 1960’s). The original Barnsley Brewery Company was formed on 7 August 1888 and it acquired the title and goodwill to the Oakwell Brewery. The new company quickly developed a reputation for its ‘Famous Oakwell Ales’, and in particular Barnsley Bitter. The tied-house estate continued to expand, mainly in the Barnsley area and in general the company prospered during the first half of this century. In 1957 a mutual trading agreement with John Smith’s of Tadcaster was concluded and in 1961 John Smith’s obtained full control. The brewery at Oakwell was closed in 1976 and Barnsley Bitter died with it. Reformed: In 1994 brewing re-commenced at a purpose built brewery in Elsecar. John Smith’s had placed the original yeast culture in the National Yeast Bank and this was accessed together with the original Barnsley Bitter recipe by new owner Mark Hunter. In 1996 a new management team was formed to build on Mark’s initial work. Their beers are distributed nationally by Beer Seller and are now more widely available. They are competitively priced too, Barnsley Bitter is often seen on sale for £1.20, or less... Beers: There are 3 regular beers. Barnsley Bitter (3.8% ABV) is a distinctive bitter with an even balance of hops and malt and a lasting aftertaste. A legend in its own lifetime, it has received CAMRA awards. IPA (4.2% ABV) has a flowery aroma and a fruity/hoppy taste and is worth searching out. Black Heart Stout (4.6% ABV) can be difficult to find but the roasted malt flavour and chocolatey, bitter finish rewards those who persevere. In addition Barnsley’s Glory (4.8% ABV) was produced to celebrate Barnsley FC’s promotion to the Premiership in 1997. Unaccredited The Willow Tree Brewery
- Pilsley Regular readers of Inn Spire will be aware that Chesterfield once had three breweries - Brampton; Scarsdale and Chesterfield. Besides home-brew pubs, the only other breweries in our area were Hills Cromford Brewery, which was taken over in 1914 by Offilers of Derby and Hollis's Willow Tree brewery of Pilsley, our feature for this issue. The Hollis family was well established in the village of Pilsley. John Hollis was a farmer and blacksmith, who also set up a basket making business, the materials coming from a copse of willow trees on the farm. John's son, Reuben, took over from his father and around 1870 built a pub on adjoining land suitably naming it the Willow Tree Inn. Local folklore has it that his home brewed ale was so popular that he decided to build a pub to market his product. Whether this is fact or not the beer must have been very good as by about 1878 he had established the Willow Tree Brewery and began to acquire further pubs. Amongst these were the Nags Head and Elm Tree in Clay Cross, the Miners Arms, Grassmoor and the Alma, North Wingfield (called Miners Arms at that time). He may also have owned, (but not confirmed), the Waterloo, Pilsley; Furnace Inn Clay Cross (now the Old English); Boot & Shoe, Grassmoor and Crown Inn, Higham. Further development of the brewery was halted by Reuben's death in 1898, at the age of 58. It appears that up to his death he had remained the licensee of the Willow Tree. However, his nephew William Hollis then took over the pub. Reuben's wife, Ellen continued to run the brewery and farm until around the start of the first World War, when brewing ceased. The last record was in a Trade Directory of 1912. Brewing probably ceased because Ellen was in her 70's and had no children at home to take over the concern. Although she had five children, three of them died very young, leaving two daughters who had married and moved out of the village. Ellen died at her daughters house in Derby in 1926. After the closure it is not known what arrangements were initially made to supply beer to the pubs, but the Chesterfield Brewery later leased the houses under an arrangement known as the Hollis Trust. This arrangement continued even after the Chesterfield Brewery was taken over by Mansfield Brewery in 1935. The pubs were eventually bought outright by Mansfield Brewery in 1944 for £31,000. All the Hollis pubs still survive today, although none currently appear in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. The Willow Tree Inn has been recently refurbished retaining a traditional lounge and tap room. A new licensee is due to take over as this issue goes to press, traditional ale will be available, although which beers will depend on the new landlord. A building close to the pub which may have been used for malting, later being converted to a cinema and electrical shop, has recently been demolished, removing the last traces of the Willow Tree Brewery. John Hirst Whim
Brewery - Hartington Joe Allsop is the head
brewer at Whim Brewery, Hartington, Derbyshire. Here are five things you may
not know about Joe: Unfortunately Joe is good at his job and it is unlikely that the position of head brewer at Whim will become available in the near future......apart from in your dreams. Whim Brewery is to be found deep in the Derbyshire Dales in Hartington, near Buxton. Actually Hartington is some 2 miles away down a farm track. Whim was the idea of Giles Litchfield who began converting redundant outbuildings at Whim Farm in September 1993. Most of the equipment was purpose built although some conditioning tanks were obtained from Springhead Brewery at Sutton-on-Trent. The brewery can produce around 30 barrels per week using water from nearby Biggin. Giles is now more involved with Broughton Brewery and day-to-day running of Whim is now in the capable hands of brewer Joe Allsop, with invaluable support from Ruth Baker and Dennis Fox. Chesterfield CAMRA members were very fortunate to visit Whim earlier this summer. This involved a tour of the brewery, which included a very knowledgeable explanation of the brewing process and how different tastes are achieved by Joe, followed by an excellent lunch of locally-produced ham and Hartington cheese kindly prepared by Ruth. This was complimented by a few pints of Hartington Bitter. Whim’s beers have won a number of beer festival awards over the years. You can find them at over 50 outlets including The Derby Tup (Whittington Moor), The Barley Mow (Bonsall) and The Thorn Tree (Matlock). They also have their own pub - The Wilkes Head at Leek - where all the beers are available. The 1998 Good Beer Guide describes it as “a basic, lively, three-roomer where robust conversation is the norm”. Tasting notes for the
regularly brewed beers are: Magic Mushroom Mild (3.8%) Ruby black in colour, this mild is well-balanced with a complex mix of flavours, hence its unusual name. Sweet finish. Hartington Bitter (4.0%) Light golden in appearance, this thirst quenching session bitter is fruity and light. Use of hops from both Worcestershire and Slovenia gives it a distinctive hop character. Well balanced with a dry finish and spicy floral aroma. Hartington IPA (4.5%) Pale, very light in colour and full in body. Malt flavours predominate. Slightly sweet finish combined with distinctive hoppy bitterness. Another beer where German lager hops are used. Old Izaak (5.0%) Named after Sir Izaak Walton, this beer is produced for the winter months. Dark golden brown in colour, it is rich and malty with a nutty/roast flavour. This leads to a dry and warming well-rounded finish. Also available as a bottled beer. In addition to these, a number of special and one-off brews are produced. Unaccredited This webpage was last updated on Sunday, 02 September 2007 |
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