A conversation over a pint at Derby’s Brunswick Inn has led to a debate in Parliament today on recognising cask ale as part of Britain’s cultural heritage.
Left to right at Westminster are: Alan Pickersgill, landlord of the Brunswick Inn, Derby; John Whitby MP, Baggy Shanker MP; tourism minister Steph Peacock; Jacob Collier MP; and Russ Gilbert, chair of Derby CAMRA’s beer festival committee
Derby South MP Baggy Shanker championed the city’s pubs and brewers, joined in Westminster by Brunswick landlord Alan Pickersgill and Russ Gilbert, chair of the Derby CAMRA beer festival committee.
The debate is the latest example of Shanker promoting Derby’s brewing sector in Westminster, after he arranged for Dancing Duck’s Ay Up to be served in Parliament’s bar last year.
In his speech, he praised the city’s brewers and publicans, including the Brunswick, the Falstaff in Normanton, the Needles in Alvaston, the Neptune, and Dancing Duck.
He also backed CAMRA’s Handpump Hijack campaign, which challenges the sale of non-cask beers through handpumps traditionally associated with cask ale.
Responding to the debate, tourism minister Steph Peacock acknowledged Baggy’s role in originally securing it and said cask ale culture was being assessed by an independent panel for inclusion in the UK’s domestic living heritage inventories.
The minister also encouraged brewers and publicans to take part in a public consultation on safeguarding living heritage next year, which will look at practical steps to keep traditions alive.
“An idea over a pint in the Brunswick has become a debate in Parliament, so it was only right to have Derby CAMRA there to help make the case for protecting cask ale,” said Shanker, Labour MP for Derby South. “Derby knows a thing or two about a proper pint. Behind every one are brewers and publicans who take real pride in their craft, and I’m proud to back them.
“Our pubs are where friends catch up, newcomers become regulars, and someone behind the bar knows your usual. They’re part of what makes Derby Derby. Recognising cask ale as part of Britain’s cultural heritage would give those skills the recognition they deserve and help pass a tradition with strong roots in our city on to the next generation.”
Alan Pickersgill, landlord of the award-winning Brunswick Inn, said: “A good pint of cask ale takes care, from how it’s kept in the cellar to how it’s served at the bar. At the Brunswick, we take pride in getting that right. Customers come back because they know they’ll get a good pint and a warm welcome, and that’s what running a pub is all about.”
Russ Gilbert, chair of the Derby CAMRA beer festival committee, added: “Our recent Heritage Beer Festival shows just how much enthusiasm there is for real ale in Derby, so it was good to take that message to Parliament and have our case heard. Behind every festival are brewers, publicans and volunteers who put so much into it. Thanks to Baggy for helping give their work the recognition it deserves.”
