It is reassuring to see that some traditions of the brewing industry have not died out. On Thursday 7 October, Euan Findlay had the rare experience of being Trussed In. This is the ceremony, said to date back to the 14th century, in which an apprentice cooper (the proper name for a barrel maker) graduates to being a fully skilled ‘journeyman’.
This particular event was held at the T & R Theakston’s brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire and was their first in twenty years. The ceremony, which had been postponed from May 2020 because of the pandemic, was performed by coopers from around the country. After the ritual of the ‘ringing of axes’, Euan was rolled around the brewery yard in a purpose built hogshead (a 54 gallon cask) in front of an audience of colleagues, family and friends. I understand that, in earlier times, the candidate would have been doused with the likes of stale beer and wood shavings. The end of Euan’s five year apprenticeship was then formally marked by his dismissal as an apprentice and engagement by Theakston’s as a staff cooper. He was also welcomed into the Federation of Coopers.
Theakston’s is one of only two breweries in the UK who retain an in-house cooperage and they still use wooden casks, especially for their most famous product, Old Peculier. To celebrate the trussing in however, a new beer was created, a pale ale called Stave Bender. Prior to the event, Simon Theakston, the brewery’s joint managing director, said, “We have not had a Trussing In Ceremony for over 20 years so we are very much looking forward to this special occasion. We look forward to welcoming Euan into the company and toasting the moment with a pint of Stave Bender. While coopering is no longer practised in many breweries across the country, we have always maintained the tradition and we’re also now seeing a renewed interest in the craft as many traditional and new brewers are seeking to explore more cask-conditioned beers.”
With thanks to John Cryne for passing this story to me.