Elgoods
Encyclopedia
Elgood's is a family regional brewery in Wisbech
, Cambridgeshire
, UK. The North Brink Brewery was established in 1795, and was purchased by the Elgood family in 1878.
, west of Wisbech
's town centre. The brewery has operated since the late 18th century. Bought by the Elgood family in the late 19th century, the building on the site was renovated at the time of its purchase in the Georgian style, most of which is still used today.
During the First World War the brewery was fire-bombed by a Zeppelin
, and the shell of the bomb can still be viewed in the brewery museum. During the Second World War some of the metal vats and tuns were melted down, but the brewery retained its 17th century Eagle Foundry (Wisbech) Liquor vat.
In the brewery gardens there is a landscaped mound (on top of which stands "Brewery House"). This mound is the outside of the original cold store for the beer. During the First and Second World Wars the cellar doubled as an air-raid shelter. Today the cellar is unused, but the entrance is still visible from the current cold store.
that was salvaged from containers or barrels in a ship that sank in the English Channel
in 1825.
In 1988, several bottles of the brew were obtained from the sunken ship in the Channel. They were still in their original containers, with their wood stoppers and wax seals intact. When opened, the beer were said to taste like wet boots according to renowned brewer and microbiologist, Dr Keith Thomas.
Upon examining the beer under a microscope
, he found a small percentage of the yeast was still alive. He spend months growing this yeast and brewed a porter using an 1850 recipe.
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, UK. The North Brink Brewery was established in 1795, and was purchased by the Elgood family in 1878.
History
The brewery is located on the north-west bank of the River NeneRiver Nene
The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
, west of Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
's town centre. The brewery has operated since the late 18th century. Bought by the Elgood family in the late 19th century, the building on the site was renovated at the time of its purchase in the Georgian style, most of which is still used today.
During the First World War the brewery was fire-bombed by a Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
, and the shell of the bomb can still be viewed in the brewery museum. During the Second World War some of the metal vats and tuns were melted down, but the brewery retained its 17th century Eagle Foundry (Wisbech) Liquor vat.
In the brewery gardens there is a landscaped mound (on top of which stands "Brewery House"). This mound is the outside of the original cold store for the beer. During the First and Second World Wars the cellar doubled as an air-raid shelter. Today the cellar is unused, but the entrance is still visible from the current cold store.
Products
- Cambridge - 2006 CAMRA Gold Award for bitter
- Black Dog - 2006 CAMRA Silver Award for mild
- Greyhound
- Golden Newt
- Pageant
- FeElgood
- The FeElgood Factor - Chocolate flavoured, no longer in production
- Indian Summer
- Wenceslas Winter Warmer
- Double Swan - Proceeds from Double Swan are donated to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) reserve in WelneyWelneyWelney is a village and civil parish in the Fens of England, and the county of Norfolk. The village is situated immediately to the west of parallel Old Bedford River, River Delph and New Bedford River, which are here crossed by the A1101 road. The village is some south-west of the town of Downham...
- Windsor Knot - A special brew run to celebrate the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine MiddletonWedding of Prince William and Catherine MiddletonThe wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, when both were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their...
Flag Porter
Flag Porter is based on a traditional 19th century British recipe using yeastYeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
that was salvaged from containers or barrels in a ship that sank in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
in 1825.
In 1988, several bottles of the brew were obtained from the sunken ship in the Channel. They were still in their original containers, with their wood stoppers and wax seals intact. When opened, the beer were said to taste like wet boots according to renowned brewer and microbiologist, Dr Keith Thomas.
Upon examining the beer under a microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
, he found a small percentage of the yeast was still alive. He spend months growing this yeast and brewed a porter using an 1850 recipe.