Thornbridge: Part of the Union

For the best part of 20 years, Thornbridge has been one of my favourite breweries. Quite possibly my favourite British brewery of all time. (And, just in case you hadn't heard, I drink a lot of different beers from a lot of different breweries!)

One of the things I like about Thornbridge is that they're not afraid to innovate, whether that means experimenting with contemporary ideas, or delving deep into brewing history. A couple of years ago, Thornbridge began an interesting project, very much in the latter category, when they acquired a 'Burton Union Set', and began a series of 'from the Union' beers - six of which I've now sampled.   

This unique method of fermentation is a fascinating part of brewing history, and one that almost died out altogether when Carlsberg-Britvic-Marstons (or whatever amalgamatory name they're calling themselves these days) stopped using their decades-old Union, and broke it up for scrap or salvage. Thornbridge salvaged some of it, which is where this story begins.

  

No history lesson today, folks! 

I'm not going to go into the history of the 'Burton Union', it's role in British brewing, and how we got to the point where Thornbridge is likely to be your only realistic option to try a beer fermented on a Union Set, because Laura Hadland has written an excellent article that sums up everything you might want to know. Read that before you read this!

I'm far too young to young to remember Draught Bass when it was brewed using the Union system (it ceased in 1981!) so my only real experience of 'Unionised' beer, before Thornbridge got hold of the kit, was Marston's Pedigree, which for many years was the only beer available that was fermented using this method. 

The Bass Unions (image from Brew Wales)

Like a lot of people, I've supped a fair few pints of 'Ped' over the past 30 years, and like many beers from breweries that were subject to mergers and takeovers, I consider it to have gradually declined to the point where I probably wouldn't opt for it, given a choice. Besides which, it's nowhere near as widely available as it used to be, even though the brewery behind it has grown much larger. Strange one, that. 

But in all honesty, I'm not sure I could've singled out the essential unionness of the beer, and that's because the defining feature of classic Pedigree was the sulphurous aroma known as 'Burton snatch' that sometimes overwhelmed any other sensation one might possibly enjoy when drinking the stuff. It really was very distinctive; almost eggy at times, back in the day. 

I don't know if the union process exaggerated this, but, all things considered, I suspect that only beer that underwent this unique form of fermentation was possibly not the best candidate to benefit from it. (Maybe that's why Marston's and their overlord paymasters decided to give up on it?)

Certainly Pedigree isn't as distinctively sulphurous as it once was, but given its overall decline into mediocrity, one can't read much into that either way. But it's time to unceremoniously cast the old guard aside, for we have plenty of shiny new Thornbridge beers brewed on their union set to review. Which might possibly be neither shiny or new...

 

The Thornbridge Union beers 

Jaipur

Let's start with the classic then; the beer that put Thornbridge on the map in the first place. Jaipur is arguably the definitive modern IPA, with its trademark citrus hop character balanced by a dry, moreish finish.

If you're anything like me, you've probably been enjoying Jaipur for as long as it's been with us. Cask, keg, bottle, can, whatever - it's spent the past couple of decades being pretty good, in whatever form one cares to consume it. 

There's no cask beer of a similar strength (5.9%) that has become as accepted and mainstream as Jaipur, and it's already spawned countless spin-offs and variations. But what is it like 'from the Union'?

The short answer is: surprisingly different, given that it's essentially the same beer prior to fermentation. 

It's far softer and more rounded than regulation Jaipur - think flowers in a meadow rather than tropical fruit - and while it doesn't have the punch and edge of the original, it makes up for that with a smooth, almost creamy sense of balance, and more pronounced earthy kind of malt profile.

So it serves as an extremely good control subject for illustrating just how much difference using a Union Set can make to a beer - a substantial one.

  

90 Shilling 

This one was a collaboration with Odell Brewing (Colorado) and comes in at 5.3%. It's a variant of Odell's own stronger beer of the same name, but given the Union treatment and a few other tweaks. I've always felt that the 90 /- name was something of a misnomer, because the regular version of the beer is very much an American Amber, rather than a Scottish Heavy, with big chewy malts and relatively aggressive hops upfront.

However, the Union version gently steers it back towards home, rounding off the edges and bringing a caramel biscuit character to the fore. (Yeah, almost like a Tunnocks, which is not inappropriate).

I'm a big fan of hoppy Amber/Red type stuff, so having those characteristics 'Unioned out' of the beer isn't going to please me. That said, it's another decent beer, and I appreciate the mellowness of it. And that's an emerging theme. 

 

Extra Special Bitter

Another one brewed to 5.3%; A collab with Fuller's, who are putting their own reputation on the line to some extent, famous as they are already for their own ESB.

ESBFTU

Again - smooth, mellow, balanced... the same adjectives are brought back into service because it's just a very drinkable beer. The nose hints at marmalade on burnt toast, and the underlying flavour profile is classic ESB; there's a stone-fruitiness and a bit of caramel, and it's not all that different to Fuller's version, especially when it's been kept well and allowed to condition for a while.

I like a full-bodied strong bitter, and this delivers. I just feel that given the way in which the Union process smooths everything out, they could've perhaps made this one a little stronger.  

 

Strong Dark Mild 

This is what I'd imagine an Edwardian era might taste like. There's a nutty malt character, and some roasty notes, with a generally 'retro' flavour that prods and probes my palate with an old broomhandle. 

Strangely, it morphs from one gulp to the next, with a wholesome satisfying aroma, momentarily becoming fairly sessionable, and then minutes later, it starts to drink like a big retro beer! It feels both stronger and lighter than the 5.5% it purports to be, which balances out, I suppose.

American Brown

This is a style that I sometimes struggle to get on with. American Pale - brilliant. American Amber/Red - absolutely love the stuff. But 'American Brown'... Hmm... it's just that it so often seems to translate into a very specific malt and hop combination that is less than the sum of its parts and which my palate finds borderline unpleasant. Sometimes without the borderline. (I have the same issue with many Black IPAs).

But the Unionisation makes this beer altogether more mellow. A transpenine collaboration with Track brewery from Manchester, it weighs in at 5.6% and drinks easily enough. The American hops are there, but they don't overwhelm (or irritate) and it's a very balanced beer, albeit not a particularly exciting one. 

  

Imperial Stout 

Based on the original 7.7 version of St Petersburg, this is the best of the lot, by some distance. It's a massive beer to begin with and one that I enjoyed during the early days when Thornbridge began to make their name. (I would say Halcyon days, but that's a different beer, and not one that's had the Union treatment - yet!) 

As one might expect, the fermentation mellows out the beer beautifully, chiselling off any notes of iron or blood that an underfermented stout of this strength might have, and rendering it easy to drink, despite the strength.

You get a nice chocolate-coated charcoal aroma upfront, then the Empire starts its invasion from all sides. There's a rich, robust maltiness with dark chocolate and burnt toffee loitering, and it's bitter, but not bitterly bitter, if that makes sense (and certainly not 'a' bitter!)

But it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. A stout that grows and expands across the senses, but exercises restraint - probably that pesky Union process making everything mellow and well-rounded again.  

If you get the opportunity to try this on cask, please take it! It's seriously good.

 

So, what's the overall consensus on these six beers? Well, I'm struggling to get beyond the word 'mellow'. The Union beers all seem to be mellower versions of what they'd be if they hadn't been fermented in this way. They're very drinkable; very balanced. Elevated, in a sort of 'but we're not trying to elevate' way. I like them.

It would be interesting to see what a session bitter from the Union would be like, and I guess at some point they should look at making a Pedigree clone with Burtonised water and see how that turns out.

Some of these beers were probably 'one and done' brews, while others might become regulars in the Thornbridge profile, depending on how the Union Set capacity aligns with demand. But, yeah, get out there and support the project and enjoy the beers. 

By brewing and drinking them, we're all playing out part in keeping beer history alive.