Wards Brewery Sheffield.

[sadbrewer 20]

On 08/09/2019 at 11:46, Grappler said:

I remember someone on here (years ago) saying the closest drink to Wards, these days, is Banks Best Bitter from the West Midlands.

 

I remember about 10 years ago, a "Wards Best Bitter" being on hand pull at the Sheaf Island, bottom of Eccy Road, it wasn't real Wards, of course, it would have been the Vaux version (I think Jennings Brewery in Cumbria had the rights to make a bottled version), a decent pint, but nothing like Wards.

 

The old head brewer wrote to The Star years ago, when the Vaux version started appearing, explaining why you can be the best brewer in the world, follow the exact recipe,  and it won't taste like Wards.  The high sulphur content in the water that was used to make Wards is what gave it that terrible smell when it was off!, but also added to the flavour when it was well kept. 

Having been a veteran of both Banks and Wards for many years I can honestly say great beers though they both were, they weren't similar in flavour.

  The article you mention I think was Paul Simpson the Head Brewer explaining why  Wards would be changing....probably in the mid 1990's.

  Wards yeast gave an excellent flavour and aroma, but did have a head retention issue.

The head would break up on the beer in what was known as 'cracked ice'....they could have cured it easily by adding a head retention compound, but being a traditional brewery they preferred not to. They decided to use the yeast of Vaux ( the parent company) instead... it cured the head retention problem but did change the flavour characteristics...still great beer, but tasted slightly different.

Edited September 12, 2019 by sadbrewer

[sadbrewer 20]

On 10/09/2019 at 18:33, FinBak said:

As far as I know Wards Brewery got their water Direct from the river Sheaf...Or used to.?

 

 

 

 

To be honest I think it's highly unlikely. Most breweries were built on the site of  a well or a  spring. Some areas became brewing centres purely because the local underground water supplies were really suitable...Tadcaster and Burton on Trent are the most obvious two, but despite being rural, Malton and the Isle of Axholme area also had several breweries due to the excellent water.... Rivers were often so polluted they couldn't be used.

   As brewers got bigger the wells often couldn't produce the volumes of water needed for the whole process, so the old well water would be used for the critical mashing process, and town mains water for the rest of the process.

[sadbrewer 20]

22 hours ago, Ontarian1981 said:

 You should have tried it in the County Borough in Rotherham, I was on the toilet for a week.

I could be wrong but I don't think the County Borough was ever Wards....certainly from the late 1960's on it was a Bass/Stones house....going from memory I can't ever remember a Wards pub in Rotherham at all other than the Crinoline.

[Ontarian1981 10]

4 hours ago, sadbrewer said:

I could be wrong but I don't think the County Borough was ever Wards....certainly from the late 1960's on it was a Bass/Stones house....going from memory I can't ever remember a Wards pub in Rotherham at all other than the Crinoline.

You could be right, the timeframe I am talking about was early 60s and I was as sick as dog after a night in theCounty Borough and an older guy at work said " that'll learn yer to stay away from Wards"lol. I never went in the place again. Funny enough I was Stones drinker back then too.It must have been really off that night, if what you say is true.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Ontarian1981

[St Petre 85]

16 hours ago, Ontarian1981 said:

You could be right, the timeframe I am talking about was early 60s and I was as sick as dog after a night in theCounty Borough and an older guy at work said " that'll learn yer to stay away from Wards"lol. I never went in the place again. Funny enough I was Stones drinker back then too.It must have been really off that night, if what you say is true.

Where was the 'County Borough' ?

[Jim Hardie 517]

28 minutes ago, St Petre said:

Where was the 'County Borough' ?

Rotherham.

[Ontarian1981 10]

1 hour ago, Jim Hardie said:

Rotherham.

Still there on Bridgegate,they just call it The County nowadays, I think. 

Edited September 13, 2019 by Ontarian1981

[Jim Hardie 517]

1 hour ago, Ontarian1981 said:

Still there on Bridgegate,they just call it The County nowadays, I think. 

Sorry, didn't see your earlier post.

In the 80s the landlord was a big lad, a ringer for Gareth Hale (Hale and Pace). On a Saturday night he used to bring some of his customers to the Tivoli after he'd closed up. One night at the death, ever keen to make sure they all got their round in, he assisted one of them to the bar by the scruff of his neck, lol.

[FinBak 12]

On 12/09/2019 at 15:46, sadbrewer said:

To be honest I think it's highly unlikely. Most breweries were built on the site of  a well or a  spring. Some areas became brewing centres purely because the local underground water supplies were really suitable...Tadcaster and Burton on Trent are the most obvious two, but despite being rural, Malton and the Isle of Axholme area also had several breweries due to the excellent water.... Rivers were often so polluted they couldn't be used.

   As brewers got bigger the wells often couldn't produce the volumes of water needed for the whole process, so the old well water would be used for the critical mashing process, and town mains water for the rest of the process.

Fair enough. What's that river called that runs DIRECTLY through the REAR of Ward's brewery..?

 

It's called the river Sheaf.   https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ACYBGNTF4w8mkPcKLqDxLiHSMVqY-meK6w:1568394665796&q=River+Sheaf&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgVeLUz9U3MCxOKckwksjJLC5RyE9TKM5ITUvLTM1JUSjKLEstKj7FiFAFY5tZFCXD2GUWhWlQtnFyToEFgp1rBGUnlZlVwPQaJVsYw9Snm5WXWULZyUU5hgZQdoqpaVkKXDy7suIUIxfEzKyqDFMoxzTZ2LKsEqrKtCQvpxgqYVRYWZkB02KSXFRlngWzuyK3IPsR41NGboGXP-4JS91mnLTm5DXGK4xcAj75-cWpOZVBqTmJJakpIflCRlxsrnklmSWVQlJcPFIcIO255qbpGgxSXFxwnhSPEhdvVMBFedFz6-T_C3UzcnEHp5aE5Pvmp2SmVQrVCFVxcfqm5iYBg9E_TciGi8s5PycnNbkkMz9PSI9LTEpIPxkuoA8JbqAFIlxYxJX0jXQvPbu9kVWdiw0iAnGUWXJegRYbB4sAowSjqfxOTXsrqDTPIlYB9LgEAPctKtXzAQAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiXo7C3pc7kAhVmRxUIHUGYBLEQ-BYIMDAd&sxsrf=ACYBGNTF4w8mkPcKLqDxLiHSMVqY-meK6w:1568394665796&cshid=1568394937804225&biw=1335&bih=581

 

The River Sheaf in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, flows northwards, past Dore, through Abbeydale and north of Heeley. It then passes into a culvert, through which it flows under the centre of Sheffield before joining the River Don.

 

On it's way there it passes RIGHT by Ward's brewery.

 

 

 

 

[FinBak 12]

You can see the river on 'Google Earth'...Right behind the  Brewery 'Tower'..

 

I do not know how to show that image here.!

 

 

 

 

[FinBak 12]

I sorted it...

 

Here's   one for you..!!

 

 

 

[slh73 32]

You mean the blue stripe on the map here? The one thats quite clearly labelled 'Porter Brook'

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ward's+Brewery,+Ecclesall+Rd,+Sheffield+S11+8HG/@53.3722862,-1.4838935,18z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4879827b657e5327:0xe2ec00d33245f751!8m2!3d53.3726191!4d-1.482138

 

The Sheaf goes nowhere near Ecclesall Road. it comes from the peak district, through Millhouses and Abbeydale, down to Heeley, and on into the City Center. The Porter Brook joins the Sheaf somewhere under Midland Station.