Today is Peter Martin’s birthday. Pete was, among other hats, head brewer at Driftwood Spars, Cornwall. He was previously skipper of the Bathtub Brewery, a Stithians-based nanobrewery, where he honed his craft.
Pete pictured in the Driftwood Spars brewhouse with brewery cat, Mouse. Photograph: Driftwood Spars
He passed away in 2020, much too soon — as did fellow Cornwall brewing stalwart Roger Ryman, of St Austell Brewery — and his influence on the Cornish brewing scene, which punches well above its weight around the UK, was enormous.
His birthday generally coincided with the Driftwood Spars’ first beer festival of the year, dubbed The Dark, The Light, and The Saison in recent years. It took place again this last weekend, virtually, of course, as these events must so at the moment, but Pete’s spirit held sway over the occasion.
And there was one very appropriate reminder of ‘Fluffy Pete’, as he was known, after a particular jacket he was fond of modelling: Pete’s Mild. Clever name for a beer remembering the most mild-mannered of fellas.
Pete’s Mild has been created by new head brewer, Mike Mason, formerly head brewer at Brewhouse & Kitchen, in Lichfield. I say new head brewer, he’s been there nearly a year now, but such has been the nature of the last 12 months he’s been beavering away out of sight, without Driftwood Spars’ regular flow of visitors.
The beer (4.5% ABV) is ruby red and quite fruity for a mild, but then Pete was always one for challenging expectations. Caramel malt offers good balance. The hops are Challenger and Mystic. The intention is that Pete’s Mild will be brewed every March, around the time of Pete’s birthday. A great easy-drinking beer in which to raise a glass to our departed and much-missed friend. The label, incdientally, features Pete’s wood carving of Neptune, which stands at Charlestown. He was a prolific sculptor as well as brewer.
Saturday was a cracking afternoon. Beforehand, Driftwood Spars had sold boxes of festival beers featuring not only their own brews, but also guests from the likes of St Austell, Harbour, Wild Beer Co, Penzance Brewing Co, and Solvay Society.
Mike gave us a tutored tasting of Seaberry saison, produced under Driftwood Spars’ Cove craft beer banner, and also introduced to Seth Pascoe, of the Cornish Seaberry Co, who fascinated with his stories of getting sea buckthorn to grow in Cornwall, after worldwide travels researching his subject.
St Austell Brewery production manager, Rob Orton, talked us through Cardinal Syn, the brewery’s Belgian dubbel, and reminisced about how Roger had come up with the idea of brewing the beer. Wild Beer Co brewer Sam Shrimpton was equally eloquent in guiding us through the complex blending process behind the dark and intensely warming Dakurodo imperial stout. And Harbour head brewer, Genevieve Upton, told us the story behind a lager collaboration with Queer Brewing Project, which includes ingredients from the brewery’s own herb garden.
It all took place on Zoom, of course, and I have to say that the chat in the brewers’ room at the end was fascinating. Alas, what was said in the brewers’ room stay in the brewers’ room.
