This year, it is 175 years since the formation of Fuller, Smith and Turner as a company and 25 years since the first brewing of one of my favourite standby beers for both cheese and chocolate tastings.
In 1995, to celebrate 150 years of brewing, the then Head Brewer, Reg Drury, created a 6.3% ABV bottle-conditioned beer called 1845. It quickly proved to be a success, winning CAMRA’s Champion Bottled Beer of Britain competition three times, the last in 2018. It also was the start of Fuller’s experimenting with recipes from their old brewing books, a project continued by Reg’s successor, John Keeling.
Sadly Reg passed away five years ago but he left a number of brewing legacies. He championed quality cask beer, working to refine beers such as Chiswick, London Pride and ESB which resulted in all three of them winning CAMRA’s coveted Champion Beer of Britain award at one time or another. That didn’t however mean that he was a traditionalist. Reg experimented and perfected the use of conical fermenters and a bottom fermenting beer yeast for real ale at a time when most in the industry said it couldn’t be done. The influence of his work can be seen in many modern breweries.
CAMRA acknowledged the impact he had made by giving him a special award when he retired in 1999. Dave Goodwin, CAMRA’s Chairman at the time, said, “His example shows what can be done when someone believes strongly and passionately in the future of a quality product. As Reg retires after more than 40 years, his influence will be with us and the drinking public for many years to come.” In reply, Reg said that the success of ESB (which has won the Champion Beer of Britain three times), was proof of what a brewery and CAMRA could achieve together and that he was fortunate to have had three outstanding CAMRA brewery liaison officers (BLO). Reg explained, “We have to work together and it is terribly important that we and our BLO can discuss things quite openly.”
Reg brewed the first batch of 1845 with Prince Charles as a guest. The recipe is based on the beer styles of the 1840s and uses Golding hops, plus pale, crystal and some amber malts. As brewers have reached back into the past for inspiration, amber malt is now a little easier to get but, back in 1995, it was a problem. A maltster was asked to produce a batch specially. This beer was one of two beers used at Fuller’s 150th anniversary celebration lunch at the Griffin Brewery. The other was an India Pale Ale, the forerunner of today’s Bengal Lancer.
What makes 1845 special is that it is matured for 100 days before release. Fuller’s, of course, have their Vintage Ales which they have encouraged people to lay down before trying. However, 1845 is a much more cost effective way to taste how a beer ages and is also readily available. Despite having a shelf life on the bottle of two years, a mellowed three year old 1845 is complex, with fruit cake aromas and flavours overlaid with hints of marmalade and toffee and a pleasant spiciness. It really is not difficult to see why it was a three times winner.
Christine Cryne
Editor’s note: the three BLOs were Jim Scanlon (CAMRA’s Chairman 1986/1988), Bernie Peel, who did the role for 13 years, and of course, Christine herself.