In 1636, the poet and traveller John Taylor wrote: “Hertfordshire is a county that surpasseth all other countries and counties for making the best malt.”
Much of that malt went by cart or barge to London, but Hertfordshire also has a long tradition of brewing, as well as malting, and the county eventually developed several substantial breweries.
These included Benskin’s, of Watford, which at one point owned some 640 pubs from Brighton to Cambridge, and even supplied the House of Commons.
Today, Hertfordshire still has some 20 breweries, including one, McMullen’s of Hertford, which will soon be celebrating its 200th anniversary.
The county’s brewing and malting history is told in a new book, Brewing in Hertfordshire, by Martyn Cornell, to be published by Amberley Publishing on 15th November.
Martyn is an internationally recognised expert on the history of beer, who grew up in Hertfordshire and had his first job working on a newspaper in North Herts. He is an eight-times winner at the British Guild of Beer Writers awards, including five times in a row, from 2011 to 2015.
This deeply researched and well-illustrated book, by one of Britain’s leading historians of the brewing industry, looks at the long history of commercial brewing across Hertfordshire, and the often fascinating stories of the dozens of now undeservedly forgotten firms that once supplied the county’s pubs with their beer.
The book features a number of rare and previously unpublished images.
It’s Beer Today’s 20th anniversary this month!
I love updating this site, but it needs more Patreon supporters to survive into the future. Individual supporters are particularly welcome, and there are great options for commercial businesses which involve social media sharing, advertorial opportunities and advertising discounts. Find out more at patreon.com/beertoday.
