Here for beer

WHEN John Arkell decided to open a brewery on his farm in 1843, he could never have imagined that 160 years later the great fermenting vats would still be bubbling away with gallons of glorious golden beer.

And if he had dared to believe that the business would still be in the hands of his family, he might have been accused of drinking too much of his own brew.

But next month, the ale will be flowing when the brewery celebrates 160 years of turning barley and water into beer.

The remarkable thing about the brewery is that the beer is still made in much the same way as when John Arkell served his first pint.

John grew barley on his farm, in Stratton, and opening a brewery was a profitable way of using his crops.

He could not have chosen a better time. Brunel had just chosen Swindon as the site for his railways works, and John's beer was soon quenching the thirst of thousands of GWR workers. Demand soon outstripped supply, and a larger brewery was opened on the current Kingsdown site in 1861.

It is now one of the finest examples of a Victorian steam brewery anywhere in the world.

It may be powered by electricity today, rather than steam, but the basic principles of brewing remain largely unchanged.

It is one of only 33 family breweries which remain in the UK, and is Swindon's oldest company.

Everyday Arkell's rich, aromatic ales set taste buds tingling at the firm's 101 pubs dotted around the South West.

The firm also has four clubs and an off-licence. A new pub, the Tawny Owl, is opening later this year in Taw Hill.

Besides the familiar favourites the light and hoppy, 2B, the malty, amber coloured 3B, the rich, dark, Kingsdown, and the silky Smooth, the brewery has also produced new beers to suite changing tastes.

Bee's, launched in 2001, was the firm's first organic ale.

Made from organically grown barley and honey, the beer has a light, fresh taste.

And the brewery has a long tradition of making seasonal and commemorative beers, such as the Welcome Ale, made to mark the Queen's visit to Swindon in 1997.

The firm's managing director James Arkell, 52, explained why he thought the firm had been so successful.

He said: "The core strength has been good management, which has been inherited by different family members.

"The family have always lived locally, and we enjoy drinking beer.

"We are involved in everything from choosing the colour of paint for our pubs to deciding whether to buy a new outlet.

"We also have loyal staff, who enjoy working for us.

"If we are to survive for another 160 years, we need to remain managerially slim and keep extending our line of pubs."

Other members of the Arkell family are still closely involved in the business.

Peter Arkell, 80, James' father, is the firm's chairman.

And James' son, George, 24, works for the business, as does his cousin, Nick, 47.

Earlier this year, a special beer, called Moonlight, was made to celebrate Peter's 80th birthday and his distinguished wartime career. Peter was a night-flyer, and led many daring missions during the Second World War.

Members of staff have great dedication to the business.

Assistant brewer Robert Mercer, 38, wanted to work for the company because his father, Lou, was employed there.

His brother Philip, 41, also works there.

Robert said: "I have worked here for 22 years, since I left school.

"I used to come here at weekends with my dad, and love it.

"It's a friendly place, and I love the job. I also love the old buildings."

Chris Dicks' father and grandfather worked at the brewery and Chris, 35, has worked there for 19 years. He said: "It is just such an interesting job helping to turn a brown, sugary substance into a gorgeous ale."

Arkell's is also very much involved in the community.

James Arkell is chairman of Swindon Cares, the umbrella group of businesses and community groups set up to raise money for local charities.

Arkell's will be celebrating its anniversary with a beer festival between September 12 and 13. Visit www.arkells.com for details.

And they have been brewing it in town for 160 years

The beer-making process at Arkell's has remained largely unchanged since the first pint was brewed in 1843. The process is:

1 Malted barley from East Anglia is mixed with hot water.

2 The mixture is left to settle in huge mash tuns, where starches turn to sugar.

3 The brown liquid, called wort, is boiled in a copper for an hour-and- a-half.

4 Hops are added to flavour the mixture, which is then filtered.

5 The wort is cooled.

6 The mixture is transferred to a fermenting vessel, where yeast is added to turn the sugar into alcohol. It ferments for up to five days before being pumped into casks.