Gone for a Burton!

In a move that will cause dismay, sadness and possibly even anger amongst beer connoisseurs, brewing giant Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company - CMBC, have announced the retirement of the four remaining union sets at Marston’s Burton-on-Trent brewery. The reason behind this decision is the usual big-brewery excuse of cutting costs, although CMBC hide behind the claim that fermenting beer in the union sets is no longer viable. They argue that low volumes, caused by the decline in the UK cask market, means fermentation using the sets no longer makes economic sense, although they fail, dismally to explain why this should be.

The sets which constitute the Burton Union System, were first developed in the Victorian era, and were essentially a means of removing yeast from the beer, as the fermentation came to an end, and also a method of collecting it for use in subsequent brews. The system particularly suited the rather powdery yeast strains traditional in Burton on Trent, and because of the very clear beer it produced, it ended up being used by most of the breweries in the Burton area. The largest of the Burton Union Systems was at the Bass Brewery (sadly closed in 1982) which boasted 1,560 linked, 150-gallon oak casks, in double rows of 30, making 60 casks per set. Each set produced 200 barrels of beer at a time, and I was fortunate to witness the awe-inspiring sight of this system in action, during a visit I made to the Bass Brewery, in the late 1970’s.

The reason for the closure and destruction of this this system was one of cost-cutting – penny pinching by the company’s accountants, who held the simplistic belief that switching to more conventional fermentation methods, would have little or no effect on the finished product. Despite this argument being debunked by brewers and beer connoisseurs, Bass went ahead with the closure, leaving their Burton neighbours, Marston’s, as the last brewery in England to utilise this tried and tested method of fermentation.

At the time, Marston’s were proud to remain as the sole custodians of this unique system, and this pride was echoed in the company’s promotional material, at the time. Unfortunately, today’s Marston’s company bears little resemblance to the one that existed right up until the turn of the century, because in 1999, Marston, Thompson & Evershed Ltd, as it was then known, was taken over by West Midlands based, Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries Ltd. Whilst the latter were certainly a major player in the region, with their Banks, and Hanson beers, Marston’s was the better-known brand – due to the company's large, tied-pub estate, which ranged from Hampshire in the south-east, to Cumbria in the north-west.The merged company became known as the Marston's Beer Company, but this is not the end of the story. 

Before continuing, it is worth taking a breath and stopping to look at the Burton Union System in detail, to find out what made it unique, and so successful when it came to the brewing of Burton pale ales. At the brewery, fermentation begins in conventional, rectangular fermenters and after two days the partially fermented wort is transferred into 24 interlinked, 150-gallon oak barrels, known as a Burton Union Set. This historic process invigorates the yeast, clarifies the beer, and leaves unwanted flavours and dead yeast cells behind.  The beer ferments in the sets for five further days, with the yeast bubbling for the initial two to three days through stainless steel “swan neck” pipes into a yeast trough above. This offers a protective blanket of CO2 for the beer, and at the end of the process, the yeast is collected to be used for other beers or sold for Marmite.

Given this, why would you want to even consider, scrapping this unique system? The answer lies in the corporate world of multi-national brewing, because in 2020, Marston's disposed of its brewing operations, selling the assets to a newly formed joint venture with the Danish Carlsberg Group to create the Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC). Marston's plc holds a 40% share in the new group, but there are no prizes for guessing that it is the producers of “probably the blandest lager in the world” who wear the trousers.

Since the merger, CMBC has closed the following local breweries that were part of the former Marston's Beer Company.  Jennings of Cockermouth (2022), Wychwood of Witney (2023) and Hampshire-based Ringwood (Jan 2024), blaming in all cases fierce competition and the need to cut costs. CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona, said at the time, "CMBC’s proposal to close Wychwood brewery in Witney this November is the latest in a growing list of casualties at the hands of global brewers. It comes fresh off the heels of closing the Jennings brewery in Cumbria and selling off Ringwood brewery in Hampshire, and it is worrying to see the UK’s brewing heritage slowly erode. The diminishing consumer choice at the hands of the commercial giants is of great concern.”

When viewed against such a background, the scrapping of the Burton Union System comes as little surprise, especially given the reach of the multi-national Carlsberg Group. Currently, Pedigree destined for cask sale is fermented to completion in open fermenters, before being blended, prior to packaging, with beer brewed in the Union Sets. This practice will now cease, and conventional fermentation will be the order of the day. CMBC claim this will help ensure a high-quality cost product (whatever that means), while delivering improved sustainability and efficiency at the brewery, by reducing water and energy consumption. “Greenwashing” in other words!

The group’s director of brewing, Emma Gilleland went on to say that CMBC take great pride in the quality of their beers, and by moving cask Pedigree across to stainless steel fermenters, they will be able to deliver consistent, strong quality for their customers, going forwards.  Does that mean that Pedigree brewed in the Union Sets was of lower quality? Because that is what she appears to be hinting at.

The final piece of big-brewery, doublespeak is the statement, “We will invest in preserving two Union Sets which will remain at the brewery, so they can continue to be part of its future as enduring iconic symbols of British brewing.” In other words, these items will be on show as a museum piece, and nothing more than an empty, and rather cynical gesture to 150 years of brewing history at Burton – the former brewing capital of the world.  A Facebook page titled “Save the Burton Unions” has been formed, and already has attracted over 200 members. Its opening statement described the decision as a sad day for Burton, but the plan is to show Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company the strength of feeling in a considered and professional way.