There can be no better way to come into Windsor than by boat along the Thames with the splendid views of the castle as you approach but the day was made even more special by a visit to the Windsor & Eton Brewery (WEB), brewers ‘by appointment to the Queen’.
WEB occupy a group of units on a small industrial estate where it has been since it was set up in 2010. The project started when Paddy Johnson stayed the night with Will Calvert while ‘doing John O’Groats to Land’s End’. They were both between jobs and Paddy suggested starting a brewery and it went from there. The brewery’s founders were (and still are) a mix of four friends and ex colleagues. Paddy and Will met whilst working at the now defunct Courage Brewery in Bristol and Will met Jim when he was at nearby chocolate makers, Mars. Jim brought in his brother, Bob, who worked at Heinz. The partnership seems to have worked as each person contributed a different skill set. Paddy and Will brought brewing experience, Jim is a process engineer; (‘Pretty useful when setting up a brewery’ said Will) and Bob’s background is marketing. Despite not having a London postcode, WEB were founder members of the London Brewers Alliance (LBA) and Paddy remains a corresponding member of LBA’s committee.

The brewery has the same brew length as when they started (15 barrels) but the number of fermenters has grown substantially since my last visit during the Olympics, when WEB hosted a brewery visit as part of CAMRA London’s ‘London, City of Beer’ event. In 2012, there was some spare space on the ground floor but no longer, with 13 fermenters, a rack of wooden barrels for ageing beer and a mezzanine is used for storing malts.
The brewery have toyed with the idea of buying a malt mill but space and noise have put them off, explained Will although, somewhat ruefully, he noted that it might improve yields. The hops are stored next door in a cold store and, with the exception of the lager, which uses a wet Czech yeast, all the yeasts pitched are dry.
The first beer produced was Guardsman, a traditional British style bitter. This is still included in a range that covers a variety of styles and, of course, there is also the Uprising brand, where the beers are a bit more edgy. These were created by Paddy’s son who has since departed for the north and is brewing with Black Jack in Manchester. Regardless of the change in the market, 50% of the beer production remains cask, with a third keg and the remainder, small packaging (can and bottles). These days, WEB brew about eight or nine times a week and employ 30 people. Will commented, “We keep getting a little bit bigger and our aim is to get beer into our own premises but we’ll look for ‘windfall’ opportunities regarding outlets rather than chasing. We are looking for a diverse estate.”
The brewery has its own tap room (open six days a week), alongside their shop, the George in Eton and they also supply the Old Court Bar, which is attached to the Old Court Arts Centre. The latter fits in with Will’s ethos, “This is my home town. I want to leave something behind that has been a contribution to the community.”
Another good example of this is the Swan pub, near Greenham School. It was listed as an Asset of Community Value but had stood derelict for three years. A Community Interest Company was set up to buy the pub. A quarter is owned by the school, a quarter by Windsor and Eton and a half by the community. The school specialises in working with youngsters who have been excluded or have other issues and has the objective of getting them work ready; the Swan has a ‘schoolroom’ on the upper floor. Another charitable activity involves the sponsorship of a lion as part of the Lions of Windsor arts project which supports local charities. For more information on the Lions, visit https://lionsofwindsor.org/

to John Cryne
So what of the future? I’ll leave the last word to Will: “We want to be seen as one of the top regarded brewers through awards, bloggers and drinkers. It’s what people say about us that counts.”
Christine Cryne