Please check out our story on page 4 of this week’s Wokingham.Today newspaper. The story will be published on their website next week: https://www.wokingham.today
Our Story in Wokingham.Today
Author: Peter Rhodes
CAMRA Magazine Feature
If you haven’t seen it already, we are featuring in CAMRA’s ‘Mad Cow’ magazine, issue 63. Look out for us on page 17.
To see the full magazine, please click here
We Exist!
We exist! We are real! And we are happy to reveal our location in Wokingham as Unit 4 Southgate House, directly opposite the Gig House. The unit build is in progress and the window covers are up. Stay tuned for updates on our progress, including the grand opening date. Happy Monday. Cheers!
Sneaky Peak
Who wants to see a sneak preview of one our micropub design options? Our build starts next week and we’re in the final stages of choosing our colour scheme. Have you guessed where it is yet?
CAMRA Presentation a Success
I had the great pleasure of presenting to the Campaign for Real Ale Berkshire South East branch this week. What a bunch of fantastic people. They are very knowledgeable and it became obvious we share the same passion for the promotion of our awesome beer industry. I look forward to pouring a pint for CAMRA’s members when we open. Cheers, CAMRA!
Valentines Day Flowers or Floors?
Some people might get excited over the prospect of flowers arriving at the door. Not for us. We are getting excited over other things, like what flooring to go in our tap room. It’s the simple things!
Homage to Headington 1928
We recently discovered that the last brewery to be based in central Wokingham was the Wellington Brewery (owned by Headington & Son), closed in 1928 and it felt only right to pay homage with an acknowledgment of their existence.
“In 1928 the Wellington Brewery closed and brewing on a large scale in Wokingham came to an end. It had been started by Robert Dunning who built on land behind the Chair public house in Denmark Street which he owned at the time. The Chair was renamed the Duke of Wellington but was later demolished. In 1861 it was a small business employing only 4 people but then expanded taking advantage of the opening of the railway.
On Robert’s death in 1864, his son Thomas took over and by 1877 it was selling 2,500 barrels a year. In 1899 the brewery was sold to Frank Headington whose son, John ran the brewery. By 1920 the brewery supplied beer to 15 licensed premises that the Headingtons owned.
The brewery and pubs were sold to Ashbys of Staines in 1920, who had their own brewer, who then closed the Wellington Brewery.
The associated photograph was taken in the 1975 when the brewery building housed the Berkshire Craft Centre before being demolished.”
Source: Wellington Brewery · Wokingham’s Virtual Museum (wokingham-tc.gov.uk)
Made in China
So we have just ordered 3 brand new 300L double jacketed conical fermenters for the brewery… from China! This is the first time we have purchased machinery from China and the idea of it scared us. But when you’re tight on budget and tight on space, you have to go with what is best, regardless of where it comes from. Not only did we have to negotiate the technical specification details with English as their second language (the delightful salesman told us he was happy to speak in ‘Chinglish’), having to arrange the delivery from port to our site was a new experience, too. Port fees, document handling fees, terminal handling charges, oh and there’s the actual delivery charge, too! But we know they are going to look nice and shiny in the tap room. So worth it. Happy New Year, China.
Venue Preview
A little sneak preview of where our micropub is going to be… Negotiations are still taking place so we don’t give too much away, but we’re very close to the works commencing to build our new venue. We’re so excited!
