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Breweries — it’s beer and it’s brewed here
History is bunk said Henry Ford, but the roaring megs of Springhead Brewery beg to differ…
On a modern industrial estate, a mile away from the River Trent, a few miles from Newark, sits Springhead Brewery. Base camp is a brick-built, single-storied home that swaps romance for brewing effiiciency — the brewery moved to this place in 1992, took over one unit and it now has four. Beer is brewed here amidst an internal landscape of stainless steel, pumps and undeterminable metal instruments. Outside, the sound of a train can be heard as it rushes by. The Old North Road is near — the Romans came this way. Innumerable armies, including Cromwell’s god-fearing troopers, also came this way — the names of the brewery’s beers are a reflection of that robust time. Roaring Meg was the name given to a siege mortar. Shirley Reynolds is the brewster, a rarity and a memory of a time when women dominated the mash tun. ‘I came here to work in sales in the late 1990s,’ she says, ‘and I was tempted to brew.’ On brewing day, which is usually three times a week, 50 barrels are produced: grist case, mash tun, brewing kettle, fermenting vessels, the traditional route to market of an English ale brewer. The brewery has a pub, the Bramley Apple in nearby Southwell: an old 19th century premises of honest charm, located in a Georgian street, where the houses wear their wisteria with pride. Here, and throughout the region, try their beers: East Midlands ales with a dash of sweetness and delicate citrus notes. Tasting notes Springhead Bitter, 4%: light citrus nose; a fuller body on the palate than Liberty; is slightly sweet, dry; grainy biscuity/breakfast cereal on the palate with some nut and toffee. Very dry finish. Try it with pasta. Charlie’s Angel, 4.5%: fruity aroma; on the palate lemony, citrusy, and a sweetness remeniscent of boiled sweets which counterpoints with the dry graininess from the malt. Bittersweet, dry finish. Pasta. Willys’ Wheatbeer, 5.3%: this is 100% malted wheat. Willys was Mayor of Newark at the time of the Civil War. Pale gold. Sweetest of the beers so far. Fragrant nose with an petrol-like Riesling note; also a hint of Burton sulphuriness and whispers of elderflower. Fruity with a dry finish and more hints of elderflower on the palate. English wheat beer style; nothing to do with Bavaria or Belgium. Tandoori. Roaring Meg, 5.5%: estery, spirited nose with hints of ripe peach skins, some banana. Bitter dry finish, fruity surge mid palate; citrusy, soft ripe fruit: almost like a British tripel in flavour terms. Very dry beer — also a dry grainy Weetabix finish. A luscious spirited summer’s day ale. Try it with seafood and Stilton. Goodrich Castle, 4.4%: light colour. Sprigs of rosemary are used at the time of late hopping instead of hops. There’s ginger in the nose, plus herby rosemary hints — not excessive. Dry finish. Some make bread with it. A bottled version had a creamy palate though rosemary was still apparent on the palate. Try it with Tandoori or Yr Fenni cheese. Leveller, 4.8%: the nose is toffee, plus roast and smoky notes; the palate has toffee and nuts with a creamy mouthfeel and is also bittersweet. Try it with pasta.
Shirley Reynolds: Springhead’s brewster with the tools of her trade
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