Horsford's Own Pint

 

If you're not a beer drinker, then you could be forgiven for thinking that the days of local brewing are long gone. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Horsford's own 'S&P Brewery', on Drayton Lane, has been going from strength to strength since its launch in July last year. Recently born it may be, but the father and son brewery partnership has a respectful eye on the past as well as a keen one on the future.

 

Indeed Horsford's S&P Brewery has successfully resurrected the proud name of one of Norwich's finest brewers. The history of the Steward and Patteson (S&P) brewery is rich, dating back to the 17th Century, and it too was a father and son enterprise. During the sad demise of Norwich breweries last century, it was bought out by Watney's, leading to the closure of hundreds of pubs and an end to brewing at their Pockthorpe, Barrack St. site in 1970.

 

The S&P trademark was bought in 2012 by Andy and Tom Keely for use at their fledgling Horsford brewery. Experienced home brewers already, resurrection of the S&P brand had been a long held dream. The very land their micro-brewery now sits on was itself sold by S&P, back in 1927, to one of the company's barrel makers, Albert Davis, who bought the two acre plot for a shocking £45.

 

S&P make beer with water drawn from their own well. Since last year the micro-brewery has been supplying ale not only to Horsford itself but to pubs around Norfolk, including some particularly well known Norwich real ale houses. Their launch customer was the Horsford Brickmakers, a pub that has featured all four of S&P's brews to date: 'First Light', 'Barrack Street', 'Eve's Drop' and 'Darkest Hour'.

 

Seeing their launch ale on a pump at the Brickmakers was a moment of proud satisfaction for Andy and Tom. As Andy put it to me:

 

“Launching at the Brickmakers, just down the road from our own business in Horsford, was the product of a great deal of hard work. But seeing 'First Light' for sale in The Fat Cat, possibly Norwich's most reputable real ale pub, was the moment I knew we had arrived.”

 

It's often argued that the less travelled pint tastes the best. So look out for our own S&P Horsford brewed beer in The Horsford Brickmakers, The Marsham Arms, Drayton's Bob Carter Centre, Costessey's Bush and nearly two dozen other bars in and around Norwich.

 

The old S&P logo can still be found around Norwich, from the wall of The Bell to the inside of The Unthank Arms, but the brewery itself is alive and thriving . . right here in Horsford.

 

For full details of beers, featured pubs and a little company history visit the S&P Brewery website.