Ale and hearty times for brewers world (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Ale and hearty times for brewers world

2:37pm Wednesday 14th October 2009 in

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Real ale is enjoying a renaissance and lovers of the amber nectar have christened West Yorkshire as Britain’s brewing capital.

A recent report from the Campaign for Real Ale showed there were now 34 breweries in the county with Bradford playing a key role in the industry.

There’s a frothy exuberance among many of the area’s micro breweries which have sprung up in recent years.

Since the 1970s, when big brewers forced bright beer served through electric pumps down the throats of long-suffering ale lovers, there’s been a welcome return to hand pulled cask conditioned beer.

From the newest upstart to venerable brewers like Keighley’s Timothy Taylor’s, now in its 151st year – and far from being a micro brewery – demand for their brews is growing.

Even so, Timothy Taylor’s boss Charles Dent sounds a note of caution, even though the firm has just completed a better than expected trading year.

“We’ve done very well considering the general state of the industry but it would be foolish to predict any big improvement for the year ahead.

“We’re very lucky that a lot of people like our ales and enable us to be a small brewery with a big name,” said Charles.

Timothy Taylor continues to punch above its weight. Although the company owns only 28 managed and tenanted pubs and one night club, its range of cask conditioned ales sell throughout England and in parts of Scotland.

It has enjoyed celebrity endorsement from the likes of Madonna, actor Hugh Grant and even wine expert Oz Clarke.

Mr Dent has been an outspoken critic of excise duties on beer, which he said had had a crippling effect on some parts of the industry.

He said excise duty on beer was six times higher than in France.

Mr Dent said: “We are all operating in a tough climate which has not been helped by a grasping Government which sees us as an easy target and continues to push up excise duties to levels which are damaging brewers.”

Taylor’s continues to plan for the future, with a new distribution depot due to open soon opposite the brewery.

A year ago, new offices opened on the site of founder Timothy Taylor’s original house and a brewery extension is planned for 2010. The firm has also invested in a new effluent treatment system which will improve its green credentials and cut costs.

This has continued the £12 million or so investment already made over the past decade, which has enabled Taylor’s to increase output to around 60,000 barrels a year. The effluent plant cost another £900,000 and the brewery extension is expected to cost in the region of £2.5m.

Charles Dent said: “The business climate will remain challenging in the year ahead but we are fortunate to see growing demand for our ales and believe that well-run pubs serving the best English cask ales will survive.

“The reputation of our own brews means that Timothy Taylor’s beers are being sold further afield than ever before.”

While small against the giant national and international breweries, Timothy Taylor’s is now the Bradford district’s largest brewer.

At the other end of the scale is Salamander brewery at Dudley Hill where things are looking good.

The two-man firm has become a three-man one with the recent appointment of Richard Makepeace as full-time delivery driver.

This will enable founder directors Chris Bee and Dan Gent to focus on brewing and business development.

Chris said: “Richard’s appointment is a big step forward for us and is due to increasing demand for our beer which is now sold as far afield as Cumbria and Lincolnshire.”

Salamander is approaching its tenth anniversary.

It currently produces 30 barrels a week, from session beers at 3.8 per cent gravity up to stronger brews at 5.2 per cent which are sent to around 150 pubs. Not having to go out on deliveries leaves Chris time to focus on future planning, which includes the prospect of bottling Salamander beers, possibly from next year.

“We’re very happy at the moment with the demand for our products as real ale has become more popular and the prospects of future growth as we have the room to expand,” said Chris.

Down the road in Shipley its a similar story.

Paul Simpson, managing director of Saltaire Brewery said the firm had been brewing to full capacity all this year and had added a fourth fermenter to cope with rising output Production had risen from 60 brewer’s barrels a week to 80. There are plans for two more fermenters at the Dockfield Lane brewery, which had space for expansion.

Paul said: “Demand for good distinctive beer has snowballed and we’ve benefited from that growth. Whilst we focus very much on the local market, we deliver within a 50-mile radius although through deals with national pub chains, Saltaire beer can be found as far away as Aberdeen.”

Its bottled brews are listed by retailers such as Tesco, Waitrose and Booths. Growth means Saltaire Brewery is recruiting at least one extra person to join its six-strong team.

Like Salamander, Saltaire Brewery offers tours and also, on the last Friday of the month a drop-in session where people can gather to sample the products .

Copper Dragon, which operates from a new £4 .5m brewery and visitor centre in Skipton, has enjoyed record sales of cask and bottled ales .

The brewery, based on Snaygill Industrial Estate, recently reported a 50 per cent jump in turnover to £4m, with staffing levels also up by 50 per cent to 45 employees.

Steve Taylor, managing director of Copper Dragon, which last November opened the town’s first new brewery for 100 years, said: “This is supposed to be a slow time in the brewery trade but we are operating at near full capacity with our cask ales and sales of bottled beer going through the roof.

“We are in the enviable position of having to turn away demand from foreign markets but that is an issue we are actively addressing.”

In its first year in 2002, Copper Dragon turned over £300,000 and is now achieving that every month.

Nearly half a million pints are sold every month in pubs across the UK along with around 25,000 bottles through retail outlets. Those numbers are growing rapidly by the month and Copper Dragon ales are now available from Newcastle across to Carlisle down as far as the Midlands.

Steve said: “There is a lot of doom and gloom around at the moment and it’s good to be bucking the trend.”

Established in 2002, Copper Dragon supplies its range of cask ales to more than 2,000 pubs as well as major supermarkets and foreign markets as far afield as Australia and Russia.