Young's Brewery
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Young's is a British regional brewery founded in 1831 by Charles Young and Anthony Bainbridge when they purchased the Ram Brewery in Wandsworth. It is one of the two remaining large London breweries. On May 23rd 2006 the company issued a press release announcing that the Ram Brewery was to close and brewing to be moved to the Eagle Brewery in Bedford owned by Charles Wells by October 2nd. The two companies are to form a new company, under the name Wells & Young’s Brewing Company Limited, which is to be owned by Charles Wells (with a 60% stake) and Young's (with a 40% stake).
History
The earliest records of brewing on Young's brewery site are of pub landlord Humphrey Langridge in 1581 distributing beer brewed at the Ram Inn at Wandsworth, which was then a village in Surrey. The site of this inn is today the Brewery Tap. Records from 1675 show that the brewery was run by the Draper family, and in the 18th century, the Trittons purchased the brewery. It was purchased by Charles Allen Young and Anthony Fothergale Bainbridge in 1831. Since then it has been associated with the Young family, and today the chairman of Young's Ltd is John Young (the great-great-grandson of Charles). In 1835 a beam engine was installed, which was in regular use until the 1980s. Today, the brewery is a mix of ancient and ultra-modern plant, which produces a wide range of beers. Young's claim the Ram Brewery is the oldest British brewery in continuous operation.Brief details
The company produces three regular and a series of seasonal and occasional cask ales, keg lagers, and several filtered and pasteurised bottled beers. Young's also contract brew several beers for InBev, such as Courage Best and Mackeson Stout.
Young's has a number of animals resident in its brewery. There is a ram, which perpetuates the trade mark, a number of geese and about a dozen working draught horses. These horses and drays are still used for local deliveries of beer to locations within a mile or two of the brewery.
The brewery supplies its own public houses, in London and the area to the south-west, which number over 200. It also sells to many other pubs and supermarkets. Beer is also exported to many European countries, Canada, the United States and Japan.
Beers
Young's beers include:
- Young's Bitter; a 3.7% abv bitter, commonly known as as Ordinary. Ingredients include Maris Otter and crystal malt; Fuggle and Golding hops. Available as a Cask conditioned ale, or filtered and pasteurised in 500ml and 660ml bottles.
- Young's Special; a 4.5% abv bitter. Ingredients include Maris Otter and crystal malt; Fuggle and Golding hops. Available as a Cask conditioned ale, or filtered and pasteurised in 500ml bottles and cans.
- Waggledance; a 5.0% abv pale ale with the addition of South American honey. Ingredients are pale and crystal malt, Fuggles and Goldings hops together with South American honey. Available in the cask and filtered and pasteurised in 500ml bottles. "The waggle dance is a movement a bee performs to alert the hive of a source of nectar." Waggledance was originally owned and brewed by Sunderland based brewer, Vaux and was bought by Youngs and moved to London when the Vaux brewery was closed in 1999.
- Special London Ale; a 6.4% alcohol by volume bottle conditioned strong pale ale. Ingredients are Maris Otter and crystal malt; Fuggles and Goldings hops. Goldings and Target hops are added after fermentation. Won gold medal for bottle conditioned beer at the 1999 CAMRA Great British Beer Festival. Has occasionally appeared in the cask.
- Old Nick; a 7.2% abv barley wine. Ingredients are pale and crystal malt; cane sugar and Fuggles and Goldings hops. Available filtered and pasteurised in 500ml bottles. Occasionally available cask conditioned.
- St George's Ale is a 5.2% abv pale ale. Ingredients are Maris Otter and crystal malt; Fuggles and Goldings hops. After fermentation it is dry hopped with English Pilgrim hops. It is available filtered and pasteurised in 500ml bottles, and occasionally, at 4.3% abv, cask conditioned.
- Double Chocolate Stout is a 5.2% abv stout. Ingredients include real dark chocolate.
- Oatmeal Stout
External links
References
- Helen Osborn, Inn and Around London. Surrey Fine Art Press. ISBN 0951816705.
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