Meet Jamie Allsopp, the man behind the famous Burton brand's revival, as the Devonshire bangs a drum for cask ale
JAMIE Allsopp, the man behind the revival of Samuel Allsopp’s beers, says maintaining a connection with Burton, where they famously originated, remains important to him.
Jamie, the seven-times great grandson of Samuel, is coming to the town’s Devonshire Arms on Thursday, November 19, to talk about the beers, all four of which will be available. Folk are invited to drop in and have a chat from 5pm onwards.
The event was the idea of Devonshire licensee Carl Stout, who wanted to do more than merely putting the beers on, as a couple of pubs in the town already have. He found a positive response when he asked Jamie to pay a visit.
“Initially we were asked to take part in the launch of the new Allsopp’s IPA,” says Carl.
“We decided to go one step further and showcase the full range of Allsopp’s casks.”
The Devonshire was already serving Allsopp’s keg version of Double Diamond – it’s still odd, to me, to see the famous but once despised DD logo back on a bar.
“DD has been a permanent fixture here for the last six months and proved to be very popular, so this seemed an opportunity to have the three casks Allsopp’s produce alongside it as well,” says Carl.
“The great thing about the Allsopp’s evening is that these guys love their products and are willing to travel to Burton to promote them and give them a go.”
There, to an extent, is the rub, that Jamie and the brewers will be travelling to Burton. Perhaps, in a perfect world, the beers themselves would be based here but, of course, it’s not a perfect world.
Back in 2024, in an interview with the esteemed beer writer Roger Protz, Jamie had said he wanted to brew in Burton.
I asked Jamie about the Burton connection. How important is it to him?
“Very. Samuel Allsopp brewed the first commercial IPA in Burton in 1822 and the brand belongs there,” he says, before confirming that he did initially aim to set up in the town.
“We did try. From 2023 we worked with East Staffordshire Borough Council and looked at sites in the town, including the High Street,” he says.
“There were some differing opinions from the council and it became quite complicated. Allsopp’s is now brewed at Kirkstall, in Leeds, who were ready to brew for us and had our recipes, a sales force and a fantastic track record of brewing cask ales.
“We were met with enormous enthusiasm and we get on very well with everyone in Kirkstall, hence the move.”
That’s absolutely understandable but Jamie has not given up on Burton, as I’m sure he will make clear at the Devonshire on Thursday: “It is still a hope,” he adds. “We stay in touch with the council and will look properly at anything sensible that comes up.”
So there you have it. It has been a sobering few years for a brewing heritage cherished by people in the town but, it seems, not by the big companies who own the big breweries.
What I think gives those of us who care hope is that there is still good news around, in the form of several determined small brewers and plenty of positively-minded licensees.
Carl Stout has no doubt about what still makes Burton tick.
“As well as the Allsopp’s showcase, we want to show what Burton is all about and that’s great pubs serving great cask ale,” he says.
“We firmly believe that there is still a strong demand for great cask ale. We see that here in the Devonshire and throughout the town.
“We do get frustrated when the industry is portrayed as doom and gloom. I would ask anyone to visit any of Burton’s hostelries on a Saturday evening and it’s quite clear that it’s exactly the opposite.
“We all understand that the town has lost some great pubs, like most other towns. Let’s celebrate those that have opened or reopened their doors and are doing a brisk trade.
“I can count four new establishments less than half a mile from here, as well as long-established venues, which gives Burton a great selection of pubs with different styles and tastes to suit everyone.”
Carl’s originally from Newcastle and while the Devonshire is a strong backer for Burton Albion FC – Carl’s son Jack bashes the drum on match days – he sees a difference in the topics of conversation.
“In Newcastle, in every pub, they’re talking about football,” he says. “In Burton, they’re more likely to be talking about beer. They talk about it all the time.”
He notes the upsurge in interest in Draught Bass as soon as brand owners InBev decided to promote it for the first time in many years.
(Bass’s future, with the proposed closure of Carlsberg’s former Marston’s brewery has been documented elsewhere: https://www.colstoncrawford.com/post/the-darkest-of-dark-days-in-burton-s-proud-history-as-carlsberg-announce-another-hammer-blow)
“These brands need TLC,” says Carl. “We’ve seen that with the Bass branding. In my opinion, this can make the difference.
“While other breweries believe there’s no future in cask ale, you just have to look at these two iconic Burton brands, Bass and Allsopp’s, who are going from strength to strength.”
Quite so.
I doubt the DD will be room temp, Richard, given that it’s a keg beer. But there’ll always be plenty of well-kept ales to go at in the Devvie 🙂
Good article Col. Double Diamond remember it well. May still have it somewhere a DD key ring.
'A Double Diamond works wonders, works wonders ... ' The advert is still ringing round my head. A go-to brand when I was in my later teens until Dick Wallis introduced me to Bass.
Such a good article on The Devonshire. I will venture out to partake, as long as it's NOT kept at nearly sub-zero, as my failing memory tells me. They were great years, but the beers of The Devonshire require several visits.