This week we are celebrating our branch’s longest-operating brewer; Tring Brewery Co.

Celebrating its’ thirtieth anniversary this year, Tring Brewery was founded in 1992 by Richard Shardlow, setting up shop in a small location off Akeman Street, central to the west-Hertfordshire market town.

Richard comes from brewing pedigree as his father Peter was a brewer, with Richard himself completing a pupillage in brewing at both Ruddles and Devenish respectively, followed by a move to Greene King. Richard’s time at Greene King concluded as he joined his father Peter under the banner of Brewing Design Services, a brewery engineering company that went on to build close to 300 micro-breweries worldwide. Having globe-trotted for a number of years, Richard settled down with a brewhouse of his very own in November 1992. Tring Brewery was born.

Tring Brewery’s first beer was Ridgeway Bitter, a traditional style of English bitter that found favour with the townspeople of Tring, who had been without a brewery for over fifty years (Tring Brewery is thought to be one of many brewers who have existed in the town’s history – the last of these, Rodwells, shut in 1923).

Ridgeway Bitter is still very much a core brand to this day, though the copper-hued session beer relinquished its’ gauntlet of ‘flagship brew’ in the year 2000, the same year that saw Andrew Jackson join as co-director, jumping ship from a role in product development at Whitbread.

Alongside Richard, Andrew set to work expanding Tring’s range of ‘Legendary Beer from Hertfordshire’, creating colourful brands that took their namesake and imagery from home-counties folklore. Side Pocket for a Toad was created in the year that Andrew joined and took its’ title from the Hertfordshire phrase of the same wording, alluding to the uselessness of something (“As useful as a side pocket for a toad” – much akin to ‘chocolate teapot’). As a crisp and hoppy golden ale (at a super-sessionable 3.6%) ‘Side Pocket’ grew quickly to become Tring’s flagship brand, cementing its’ place as a modern regional classic for imbibers across the home-counties.

Not before long, Tring’s set of legendary beers were propelling the brewery to new heights, and under the guise of Andrew and Richard, the brewhouse was moved to its’ expanded home on Dunsley Farm in 2010. The new space afforded the brewers with much needed capacity, alongside a dedicated brewery shop to serve takeaway draught ale and bottled beers to thirsty local drinkers.

Today’s core range of ‘legendary beer’ includes classic styles such as golden ale, bitter and stout, flanked by IPAs, barleywines and ruby ales. Tring’s core range of 11 is complemented by one of five seasonal specials and one of twelve monthly specials to boot. Tring’s monthly specials see the brewer collaborate with a local charity/non-profit organisation to inspire new beer themes and designs. In exchange for their twelve new beers, the team at Tring Brewery raises funds and awareness on behalf of their collaborator throughout the calendar year.

If Tring’s core range, seasonal special or monthly special aren’t enough to whet your appetite then their innovative keg range of Raven King IPA, Lunardi’s Pale and Alchemist Lager (brand new as-of-writing) surely will. A whopping 17 beers may be found pouring from the taps on Dunsley Farm at any one time!

Tring’s on-site brewery shop is not just a refill station for fresh draught beer. Locally produced independent wares such as Chiltern Charcuterie (Berkhamsted), Yvette’s Chocolates (Potten End), Chiltern Artisan Biltong (Wendover) and Puddingstone Gin (Tring) commonly feature on the rustic displays and repurposed wooden barrel-tops. The shop’s booze offering is bolstered further-still by a range of ciders from the distinguished territories of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset, with mead, merchandise, memberships and more on offer Monday through to Saturday.

Both Fridays and Saturdays see a self-service sampling bar in use at the brewery shop, with five pumps dispensing tasters completely free-of-charge. Saturdays also see the brewhouse area open for visitors with twice-monthly brewery tours. Thursday evening tours are also available as part of Tring’s event roster, featuring open tap beer and fish & chip supper for up to 35 punters per session.

Today, tours of the brewhouse reveal the original 8-barrel kit, belittled by the newer ‘main kit’ which produces 30-barrels and the newest 200l kit. The 200l ‘test kit’ was installed less than five years ago and is the all-important proving ground for Tring’s new lagers, hazy IPAs and other such styles. With the discerning drinker in mind, it is not uncommon for Tring to craft 20 new beers in a twelve month window, each produced with innovative techniques and a palate for the progressive.

As a decades-long champion of cask beer, Tring Brewery will always have a footing in tradition, though a passion for innovation and quality is propelling them into the future with each passing day. Here’s to thirty years of Tring Brewery, and to many more to come!

CHEERS

MID-CHILTERNS CAMRA RECOMMENDS..

A bottle or two of Tring’s Death or Glory barleywine. As both their most award-winning and strongest beer, this luscious ale is delicious and deceivingly easy drinking!

FIND THE BEERS..

The Bull (Berkhamsted), The Full House (Hemel Hempstead), Kings Arms (Tring), Monks Inn (Hemel Hempstead), Castle Inn (Tring), The Goat (Berkhamsted), The Crystal Palace (Berkhamsted), The Bell Bovingdon, Crown & Sceptre (Bridens Camp) and many more.