Joseph Holts (brewery)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Holt is a brewery
in Manchester
, England founded in 1849. Holt's claims to be the only brewery still selling beer in hogshead
s - 54 gallon
barrels.
, a textile village north of Manchester. He began work in Manchester as a carter in Harrison's Strangeways Brewery. In 1849 he married Catherine Parry, who helped him finance a small brewery behind a pub on Oak Street, Manchester.
In 1860, he purchased the current brewery site on Empire Street, Cheetham. His reputation in Manchester endures; in 2007, readers of the Manchester Evening News
voted him "People's Champion" in the "Greatest ever Business Leaders" awards. In 1882, Joseph passed control of the breweries to his son Edward, by which time he had established a chain of 20 public houses; he became Sir Edward Holt and Lord Mayor of Manchester in 1908. Edward died in 1928 and the company was passed to his son, Edward; it is still in the hands of the same family. For more than thirty years, Peter Kershaw, a former rackets and real tennis
champion and a notoriously frugal man, was chairman of the brewery. His son, Richard Kershaw, the great grandson of the original founder, joined him on the board in 1980 and, since the death of his father in 2000, is the Chief Executive.
There are 127 Holt's pubs in Greater Manchester
.
Draught
Bottled
Canned
Holt's is one of only a few remaining UK breweries able to supply their beers in Hogsheads, the largest barrel size, carrying 432 pints (54 gallons) and weighing roughly 660 lbs when full.
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England founded in 1849. Holt's claims to be the only brewery still selling beer in hogshead
Hogshead
A hogshead is a large cask of liquid . More specifically, it refers to a specified volume, measured in either Imperial units or U.S. customary units, primarily applied to alcoholic beverages such as wine, ale, or cider....
s - 54 gallon
Gallon
The gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...
barrels.
History
Joseph Holt, the son of a weaver, was born in 1813 in UnsworthUnsworth
Unsworth is a residential area of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It is seven miles north of the city of Manchester and four miles south of Bury.-History:...
, a textile village north of Manchester. He began work in Manchester as a carter in Harrison's Strangeways Brewery. In 1849 he married Catherine Parry, who helped him finance a small brewery behind a pub on Oak Street, Manchester.
In 1860, he purchased the current brewery site on Empire Street, Cheetham. His reputation in Manchester endures; in 2007, readers of the Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
voted him "People's Champion" in the "Greatest ever Business Leaders" awards. In 1882, Joseph passed control of the breweries to his son Edward, by which time he had established a chain of 20 public houses; he became Sir Edward Holt and Lord Mayor of Manchester in 1908. Edward died in 1928 and the company was passed to his son, Edward; it is still in the hands of the same family. For more than thirty years, Peter Kershaw, a former rackets and real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
champion and a notoriously frugal man, was chairman of the brewery. His son, Richard Kershaw, the great grandson of the original founder, joined him on the board in 1980 and, since the death of his father in 2000, is the Chief Executive.
There are 127 Holt's pubs in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.
Products
Holt's public houses offer a selection of Holt's draught, bottled and canned alcoholic beverages.Draught
- Joseph Holt's Bitter
- Joseph Holt's Mild
- Joseph Holt's Smooth (Nitrokeg bitter)
- Joseph Holt's Black (Nitrokeg mild)
- Joseph Holt's Crystal
- Joseph Holt's Crystal Cold
- Joseph Holt's Diamond
Bottled
- Humdinger
- 1849
- Touchwood
- Maple Moon
- Sixex
- Thunderholt
- Fifth Sense
- Two Hoots
- Bitter
Canned
- Holt's Bitter
- Holtenbrau
Holt's is one of only a few remaining UK breweries able to supply their beers in Hogsheads, the largest barrel size, carrying 432 pints (54 gallons) and weighing roughly 660 lbs when full.