OnTap Magazine

A LITTLE HISTORY Wadworth is one of Britain’s historic family breweries, based in Wiltshire in the south-west of England. It was founded in 1875 by Henry Wadworth, who built today’s brewery in Devizes in 1885. Its most famous beer, 6X, was first brewed in 1923 and today Wadworth operates more than 150 pubs, most of them close to its home town. Charles Bartholomew, a great-grandson of Henry Wadworth’s brother-in- law and business partner John Smith Bartholomew, remains as non-executive chairman of the company. FEATURE CORONA CURVEBALL One such initiative was the new tasting panel he has set up. “Within quality assurance we didn't have a trained taste panel. We had people who were probably very good but not formally trained. I thought that was a great opportunity to get people engaged in the brewery, so we looked also toward the wider support staff,” Rob says. A team was selected and trained in sensory analysis. They now meet once a week to discuss and dissect the beers. “From there, the brewers review and say 'Right, where are the opportunities? How do we get better?' It's all about challenging ourselves again towards continuous improvement.” Earlier this year, Wadworth revealed plans to leave its ageing Victorian brewhouse and move to a new purpose- built site elsewhere in Devizes. Those plans have been placed on indefinite hold because of the Coronavirus crisis but the equipment in current use, while in some areas getting a little creaky, is still totally functional. “We manage to produce some great beers. We've got some pretty fancy silverware so it can be done,” says Rob. “We've got amazing engineers and amazing brewers and the combined experience really gets us to a place where we are able to produce great beer on a consistent basis. So where we do have potentially some challenges with old kit, we've got great people to make sure that we can manage that.” MARRYING INNOVATION AND TRADITION Much of Rob's time involves the production of the core range of ales, and primarily the well-known best bitter, 6X. But part of his remit is to respond to the market and so he's also pushing the innovation button with a continuous series of experimental brews. “Something that we've done is put some focus on new product development,” he says. “We did have seasonals but we're really trying to supercharge that, so we have what I call a feeder programme. Every month we produce some bespoke beer on the microbrewery that's two and a half barrels (409 litres). That goes down to one of our pubs for consumer feedback. We use different adjuncts, different raw materials, potentially different yeasts. We've done a range of different things that we would have never done previously. What I'm trying to work toward is creating a portfolio that we are ready to draw on so that when we see the opportunity to start launching new stuff, it's there and ready to go.” That's all part of the joy of brewing in England for Rob.While appreciatingwhat is historic and traditional, he's very much part of the future of Wadworth, helping to take the company into a new age and securing its future, as he sees it, for the next 50–100 years. That said, Rob continues to keep an eye on what’s happening in his homeland. “My heart is very much tied to South Africa and the friends and family who live there,” says Rob. “I definitely keep a lateral eye on what’s happening within the industry and quietly drop into the odd taproom to try out the beers when I’m back.” And who knows, perhaps one day he’ll bring his recently acquired knowledge from a historical brewery to introduce some new, old concepts to the South African scene. 22 | Spring 2020 | ontapmag.co.za