Worthington Brewery
Industry | Brewing |
---|---|
Founded | 1761 |
Founder | William Worthington |
Headquarters | , |
Owner | Molson Coors |
Worthington Brewery, also known as Worthington & Co. and Worthington's, is a British
When William Worthington died in 1800, his brewery was one of the largest outside London. Horace Tabberer Brown, a chemist employed by Worthington, pioneered brewing science in the separation and cultivation of pure yeast strains from 1866, and the brewery was the first in the world to systematically use a laboratory in the brewing process from 1872. Worthington & Co merged with its major Burton rival Bass in 1927. Until the 1960s the Worthington brand, in bottled form, ranked alongside Bass and Guinness as one of only three beers with nationwide distribution. However, bottled beer sales declined as keg beer grew in popularity throughout the 1960s, and the Worthington brewery closed in 1965. The beers continued to be brewed elsewhere, and the Worthington brand has remained prominent up to the present day.
The Worthington brand was purchased from Bass by the American brewing company
The Worthington brand has had an association with
History
William Worthington (1723–1800) was born at Orton on the Hill in Leicestershire, the fourth child of William Worthington (1687–1742), yeoman farmer, and his wife, Elizabeth.[1] In 1744, he moved to Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire where he worked as a cooper at Joseph Smith's brewery.[1] In 1760, Worthington purchased the brewery from Smith's successor, Richard Commings, for £320 (equivalent to £50,000 as of 2021)[2].[1]
By the 1780s, the brewery probably had an annual output of around 1,500 barrels, similar to the rival breweries of Benjamin Wilson and
Worthington's eldest son, also named William (1764–1825), assumed control of the company following his father's death.
The railway network joined Burton in August 1839, which made it much more economical to distribute beer throughout the country.
From 1886, Worthington began to acquire
By the 1920s, in bottled form, Worthington was one of only three nationally distributed beer brands, alongside Bass and Guinness.
In 2000, Bass was bought by the Belgian brewer Interbrew. The Competition Commission ordered Interbrew to divest itself of a number of its recently acquired brands, and Worthington was bought by the American brewer Coors, who later became Molson Coors in 2005. In 2004 Coors announced that they would no longer advertise Worthington on a large scale.[25]
Overview
Worthington's Creamflow (3.6% ABV)
White Shield
Worthington's White Shield (5.6%
In 1829, Worthington launched East India Pale Ale, their first IPA. It was exported to British expatriates across the Empire, mostly officers and civil servants, as the soldiers tended to drink the cheaper porter.[31] In the 1870s it gained the White Shield logo, and by the end of the nineteenth century took on this name with drinkers.
By the 1960s White Shield had become a cult drink brewed in small quantities for a dedicated following; production in 1965 was just 15,000 barrels as drinkers switched to filtered and pasteurised bottled and keg beers.
In 2000, a total of 500 barrels were produced; this was forecast to grow to 1,000 barrels by 2009.[36] In 2010, production was moved to the newly constructed William Worthington's Brewery, a microbrewery based at the National Brewery Centre in Burton.[10] It also produces other Worthington beers such as Red Shield and seasonal beers.[37] In 2012, increasing demand saw White Shield production moved to the main Coors brewery in Burton.[38] In 2013, Roger Protz described White Shield as the highest selling bottle conditioned beer in Britain.[39]
Advertising
1920s print advertisements linked the brand with
Logo
The brewery's blood red heart shield and dagger logo was introduced in 1863.[40] The name was changed to Worthington's in 2002 and shield became more obviously heart shaped.[41] The shield was restored in 2011, and the brand's design was modified to resemble its 1920s appearance.[42]
Sponsorship
Worthington's is involved in sponsorship of
Since 2011, the brand has sponsored the St. Simon Stakes at Newbury Racecourse.[50]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Christine Clark, 'Worthington, William (1723–1800)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 17 April 2012 (Subscription or UK public library membership required)
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Mathias, Peter (1959). The Brewing Industry in England, 1700-1830. CUP Archive. p. 186. GGKEY:DYD5N29F6JD. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Nigel J. Tringham, ed. (2003). "Burton-upon-Trent: Economic history". A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 9: Burton-upon-Trent. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ a b c Hamlin, Nicholas J. (Autumn 2009 – Spring 2010). "Britain, Bengal, Burton and Beer: George Hodgson and the Development of India Pale Ale" (PDF). Jur. 8 (1 & 2): 12–18. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ David Mayhall (November 2011). "Desert Island Beers – Steve Wellington". Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ a b 'Burton-upon-Trent: Economic history', A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 9: Burton-upon-Trent (2003), pp. 53-84. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=12335 Date accessed: 23 June 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-09516-7. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d A. Barnard, The noted breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, 1 (1889), 409–48
- ^ a b "William Worthington's White Shield Beer, IPA microbrewery beer - Burton upon Trent - Heritage". Worthingtonswhiteshield.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-8264-3460-9. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ "Worthington & Co Trade List". North Wales Chronicle. 17 October 1891.
- ^ The blog of a noted beer historian: Cornell, Martyn. "Worthington 'E' is NOT a Burton Ale". Martyn Cornell. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ History of Brewing in Burton upon Trent by C C Owen (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2050-0416.1987.tb04474.x/epdf)
- ISBN 978-0-415-09516-7. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d Christine Clark, 'Manners, Arthur (1879–1968)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 17 April 2012 (Subscription or UK public library membership required)
- ^ "Tied Beer and Free". The Economist. 2 May 1953.
- ^ Wellington, Steve (2009). "Early Brewers" (PDF). Scandinavian Brewers' Review. Vol. 66, no. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 January 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-13-217299-8. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- ^ "Bigness in Brewing". The Economist. 8 April 1961.
- ^ "Bass, Mitchells & Butlers". The Economist. 25 January 1964.
- ^ "A Report on the Supply of Beer" (PDF). Monopolies Commission. UK Government. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ Roger Protz (1 December 2011). "White Shield: A Worthy Champion". Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "The Market" (PDF). Competition Commission Beer Report (Report). 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ "Massive deal for Thwaites". Off Licence News. 20 February 2004.
- ^ Alcoholic Drinks: Euromonitor from trade sources/national statistics (2012)
- ^ "William Worthington marks microbrewery's first birthday with strong sales figures". 31 January 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "£1,000 of Worthington's TO BE WON!". South Wales Echo. Cardiff, Wales. 9 September 2002. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Molson Coors Direct". Molsoncoorsdirect.com. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
- ^ "Champion Bottle-conditioned Beers".
- ^ Philip Williams (1 March 2001). "Jewel returns to Bass crown". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ a b Fort, Matthew (22 September 2007). "Vintage beers". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ a b Jackson, Michael (29 August 1992). "Drink the beer, swallow the tonic". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ Williams, Philip (1 March 2001). "Jewel Returns to Bass Crown". Birmingham Post.
- ^ Protz, Roger (21 February 1998). "Last orders: Bass bottles out". The Guardian.
- ^ "Expansion for White Shield microbrewery". Burton Mail. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ "Molson Coors Opens New British Cask Ale Brewery". FoodAndDrinkBusiness.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
- ^ Roger Protz (7 June 2012). "New livery for historic Burton IPA". Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ Protz, Roger (30 November 2013). "A spoonful of yeast makes beer age well". Protz on Beer. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ "Worthington's logo goes back to basics". Morning Advertiser. 18 March 2002. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ^ "Restyled Worthington's takes new heart". The Grocer. 16 March 2002.
- ^ Angus Montgomery (25 August 2011). "Landor rebrands Caffrey's and Worthington's ales". Design week. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ "Partners and Sponsors". www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk.
- ^ Scarlets (20 September 2010). "Worthington's becomes official sponsor of Scarlets rugby". Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "Worthington's extends partnership with Ospreys". Ospreys Rugby. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "Pontypridd RFC & Molson Coors / Worthington's - a winning team". 17 October 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "Oldham News | Roughyeds News | Roughyeds agree new sponsor deal". Oldham Chronicle. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
- ^ Simon Ellery (16 October 1998). "Bass Brewers splits consumer account". PR Week. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ Charlie Wright (28 September 2011). "Carling poised to call time on League Cup sponsorship". The Grocer. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ "Newbury racecourse packs them in". getreading.co.uk. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
Bibliography
- Barbar, Norman (2005). Century of British Brewers Plus. New Ash Green, Kent: Brewery History Society. ISBN 978-1-873966-11-2.