THE SIGN HUNTERS

ENGLAND: A brewery-themed sign-hunt in Burton-upon-Trent

Written by Laszlo, 14 August 2018

Last Saturday, we travelled to Burton-upon-Trent, with the purpose of not only finding the welcome sign but also to check out what a place with a large number of breweries can look like. We could eventually not include a brewery visit due to lack of time, but there was a pint of Coors waiting for us in the local Wetherspoons pub, Lord Burton, that we tried which is known to be brewed by Molson Coors in their local brewery.

Burton-upon-Trent is a medium-sized town, about the size of Shrewsbury (with a population around 70,000). It is situated in East Staffordshire near Derbyshire and Derby itself and lies on the River Trent. Burton lies within the northern boundary of the National Forest. According to Wikipedia, the town centre is on the western bank of the river in a valley bottom; its average elevation is about 50 metres above sea level; the village of Winshill and the suburb of Stapenhill (see their signs among the photos) rise to 130 m and 100 m respectively.

Brewing has been Burton's major trade for centuries and it is home for a number of large and small breweries, including the previously named Coors - which is part of Molson Coors Brewing company which is being the world's third largest brewing company - and other, nationally known companies such as Marston's but Greene King has facilities here too. Among the micro ones, the most famous are Burton Bridge Brewery, Tower Brewery and Old Cottage Brewery. One of the most famous beers produced here in Burton is the Bass Pale Ale which once was the highest selling beer in the UK and was exported throughout the British Empire.

As you have hopefully guessed, even though brewing has made a massive impact on Burton, it is not everything about beer here. Have a look at my photos and find out what else I saw. Photos are followed by a video, too.