CIVIL LIFE™ BREWING COMPANY

The Civil Blog

  • BEER TO GO
  • Civil Blog
  • About us
    • Contact us
    • Locating Us!
    • EMAIL LIST
    • Social Media Feeds
    • OUR LOGOS
    • Q & A
    • Who Are We?
    • The Civil Solar Panels
    • Employment
  • On Line Store

12/17/2015

Resurrecting the Great Forgotten Styles:  Burton-on-Holt 

0 Comments

Read Now
 
“What is Burton-on-Holt” you ask? It’s a Burton Ale, formerly a very popular style in England, originally brewed for export to Russia, Poland, and the Baltic states. The style is quite rare these days, though beers called old ales or winter warmers are brewed in the same vein. We brew our Burton Ale because here at the Civil Life, we champion the forgotten English beer styles (and the forgotten virtues, like civility).

Burton-on-Trent is northwest of London on the left bank of the Trent River in Staffordshire. (The Civil Life is southwest of the Arch on the east side of Holt Avenue). Burton-on-Trent is known among drinkers as the birthplace of IPA, but before the brewers there started churning out light-colored hoppy beers, they produced a darker, more malty brew known as Burton Ale.

The local water had a lot to do with how tasty these beers were. The famous eleventh edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911) explains it thus: “The superiority which is claimed for Burton ales is attributed to the use of well-water impregnated with sulphate of lime derived from the gypseous deposits of the district.”  We treat our incomparable Saint Louis city water with gypsum to achieve the same effect.

If you’ve tasted our Burton Ale, you know it’s rich and malty with layers of caramel, toffee, and spice, with enough hops to balance it and keep that malt richness from coming off as cloying. At a respectable 6% abv, it will warm you up while still allowing you to remain civil.

There are still some widely available English beers brewed in the classic Burton style. If you’ve had a Theakston Old Peculier, a Young’s Winter Warmer, or a Fuller’s 1845, you know the style and how good it can be. For the most part, though, the style has faded into history.

Martin Cornell says is his great book on English beer styles “Burton Ale is almost forgotten as a type of beer; a style famous for a century and a half that became obsolete within a couple of decades after the Second World War.” He quotes The Brewer’s Art published by Whitbread Brewery on mid-twentieth-century English beer styles: “there are four chief types of beer: pale ale, mild ale, stout and Burton.” Take note: the Civil Life still proudly brews all four of these styles.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, RAF pilots used to say of an airman who had been shot down, he had “gone for a Burton.” By extension, the phrase can refer to anything that has disappeared or been ruined or destroyed. As long as the Civil Life brews beer, that is not a fate that will befall Burton Ale. In fact, we will continue to resurrect the great forgotten styles. (Rejoice, our dark mild ale is returning soon!)
​
Please come down to the pub and join me for a pint of Burton Ale and some civil conversation. Feel free to read a few pages of Cornell’s excellent and informative book. Enjoy classic English beer styles in a classic English-style pub. Just don’t say you’ve gone for a Burton.  

​~ Dr. Patrick Hurley, Esteemed Barman of Tower Grove South 

Share

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Author

    The Civil Blog has returned.  It is predominantly authored by Civil Life Barman, Dr. Patrick Hurley, who can be found tending to our bar patrons on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  He is also responsible for tending to our draft lines, which is recognized as one of our most important tasks. Special guest writers will appear from time to time. We hope reading this blog will give you much insight about the Civil Life and most importantly help you understand a bit more about all of us that work here and the beers we put our hearts into.  

    Archives

    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Hours :
Due to COVID19 our Pub will remain closed until further notice.  We are now selling direct out of our online store at https://civil-life-online.square.site/ Until then, please look for our beer at St. Louis retailers and grocery.   If you have any further questions please use the email link below.  Thank you. 

Pickups are Fridays and Saturdays 2 to 6  & Sundays from 2 to 5 pm.  Orders will be only taken on line and will be paid prior to pick up.  

We appreciate your support. 
                                    Be Civil.    

NO PHONE NUMBER.  
  • Due to our small inside pub space we currently do not feel we could be safe to open for our staff and customers.  We currently are hoping to get our patios re-modeled during this shutdown and are hoping for an outdoor only opening in late September or early October. Hopefully.
  • Until then OUR PUB IS SADLY CLOSED FOR THE TIME BEING DUE TO COVID19.   WE WILL RETURN AND PROSPER.

PLEASE ALSO LOOK FOR OUR BEER AT LOCAL RETAILERS!
​
  •  Please access our online store by clicking the link above 
  • ​PLEASE ALSO LOOK FOR OUR BEER AT LOCAL RETAILERS
The Civil Life Brewing Co. 3714 Holt Ave. St. Louis, Mo 63116, USA, Planet Earth 
  • BEER TO GO
  • Civil Blog
  • About us
    • Contact us
    • Locating Us!
    • EMAIL LIST
    • Social Media Feeds
    • OUR LOGOS
    • Q & A
    • Who Are We?
    • The Civil Solar Panels
    • Employment
  • On Line Store