Marston's plc (LSE: MARS) is a brewery which owns over 2,000 public houses in the United Kingdom and is the world's largest brewer of cask ale.^[3] It was known as Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries plc until 2007 when it rebranded as Marston's. In 2011 it had a 1.1% share of the UK beer market.^[4]

Company history[link]

In 1834 John Marston established J. Marston & Son at the Horninglow Brewery at Burton upon Trent. Marston & Son Ltd amalgamated with John Thompson & Son Ltd and moved to Albion Brewery, where the company still operates.^[5] Banks & Co has been brewing at the Park Brewery since 1875.^[6] The Company was formed in 1890 as Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries by the amalgamation of Banks & Co. with George Thompson & Sons and Charles Colonel Smith's Brewery.^[7] It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1947.^[7] It acquired Camerons Brewery in Hartlepool in 1992^[7] and sold it to Castle Eden in 2002, whilst retaining some of Cameron's tied pubs .^[8]

In 1999 the Company purchased Marston, Thompson & Evershed of Burton upon Trent (including Marston's Brewery which had been founded in 1834).^[7] Also in 1999 the Company purchased the Mansfield Brewery Company of Mansfield which, in contrast to its other recent acquisitions, was soon closed down. Brands still bearing the Mansfield name are brewed elsewhere in the group.^[7]

In 2005 Marston's Brewery took over production under licence from Interbrew of Draught Bass, succeeding Coors. Later, in 2005, the Jennings Brewery of Cockermouth was also purchased and in 2007 Hampshire based Ringwood Brewery, which was established in 1978, and brews Best Bitter, Fortyniner, and Old Thumper, was acquired.^[9]

In 2007 the Company changed its name from Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries plc to Marston's plc.^[10]

Operations[link]

The company now owns and operates five breweries: the Park Brewery in Wolverhampton brews Banks's, Hanson's and Mansfield beers; the Marston's Brewery in Burton upon Trent brews Marston's and Bass; the Jennings Brewery in Cockermouth;^[11] the Wychwood Brewery in Witney (which includes the Brakspear Brewhouse); and the Ringwood Brewery in Hampshire.

The company also operate around 2,150 pubs and bars situated across England and Wales, comprising around 1,650 tenanted or leased pubs and around 500 managed pubs – of which 40 are hotels.^[12]

Brewing methods[link]

Marston's Brewery makes use of water from the famous Burton Well,^[13] reputedly discovered by Benedictine monks in the 13th century.

Marston's is also the only remaining brewer to use Burton Union Sets; a system whereby fermentation barrels and troughs are linked together by a complex system of copper and brass pipework. The basic principle is one of preventing excessive beer and yeast loss through foaming, but the consequence is that the beer is both in contact with more wood and in contact with more beer (fermenting in a bigger volume). This results in a vastly more consistent flavour; and very little chance of a whole batch being ruined. All other large-scale brewers have abandoned this method in favour of stainless steel vats, which while they assure (through volume) a consistent flavour, do not permit the use of traditional yeast varieties. They also make selective use of the unusual double dropping process which introduces complex flavors due to a period of accelerated yeast growth.^[14]

Beers[link]

Bottle of Marston's Oyster Stout

The current range is as follows:^[15]

Marston's also brews Draught Bass for A-B InBev and Tetley's Bitter, Mild and Dark Mild for Carlsberg^[16]

Marston's Pedigree[link]

Marston's Pedigree is a bitter; it is Marston's flagship brand, selling 150,000 hectolitres in 2010.^[17] It is the only beer to use the oak Burton Union System so that it is fermented in wood; the ingredients are mineral enriched Burton Water, Maris Otter barley, and Fuggles and Goldings hops. The cask-conditioned and canned versions are 4.5% abv; since April 2009, the pasteurised bottle versions have been 5% abv.^{[18][19][20][21]}

Sponsorship[link]

• Wrexham FC - Under the terms, the Mold Road Stand at the Racecourse Ground will be renamed the Marston's Stand, while the brewery will also become the supplier of beers to the club for sale inside the ground and also at the club's function and hospitality rooms. And recently it was revealed that Marstons would be the new sponsors of Cambridge United. Marstons have signed of sponsorship for Abbey Stadium south stand.^[22]

• England & Wales Cricket Board - Marstons became the official beer of the England Cricket team after a deal in February 2007. The three year deal stipulates that Marstons will be the official supplier of beer at all home Test Matches and will have exclusive beer advertising rights.^[23]

See also[link]

• Brewers of Burton

References[link]

External links[link]

• Marston's PLC website
• Marston's Beer Company divisional website
• Marston's Inns & Taverns, the managed pub estate
• Marston's Pub Company, the leased and tenanted estate
• RateBeer

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Woody Jackson is a Vermont artist who is best known for his paintings of cows and pastures that appear on Ben & Jerry's ice cream cartons and marketing displays. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1970 and received a masters degree in fine arts from Yale Art School in 1980. Jackson now lives outside of Middlebury, Vermont with his wife and five sons.

Famous for Holstein cow paintings, he is inspired by the barns and hills of Vermont dairylands. Not all of his paintings involve cows, as evidenced by his intensely hued watercolors of churches and landscapes of New Mexico. Woody has also embarked on a new career as a writer, having authored the children's book Counting Cows; and its sequel, "The Cow's Alfalphabet". Woody Jackson's company, Holy Cow, Inc., markets his cow goods worldwide. Artist's Statement:

"All my artwork has always been inspired by the land, from apple orchards, vegetables gardens, New Mexico deserts, dairy farms, and even the New York City waterfront. The land in turn is changed and inspired by time and the seasons. The light is different through the day and month to month.As I write this, it's the first day of summer, and nature is luxuriant with greens and slashes of color of flowers blooming. But it's not just the visual but the sounds and smells of the seasons that propel us forward or back into revery. The lilacs, the peonies and now the roses fill the air, the birds wake us and the wind rushes through the leaves. It's a multimedia symphony of sensations. I love every month and its music. My...[artwork]... celebrates both from the perspective of the dairy cows of Vermont. They provide us with the beautiful landscapes of our farms and the architecture of our barns, not to mention the rich cream, milk and cheese. The farmers are at the mercy of the weather and the seasons that nature gives us. I hope that nature is bountiful for us all in the coming year, and that your days are full and cherished. May the cows be with you."^[1]

During the 2007 French presidential campaign, posters were placed in Parisian Ben & Jerry's scoop shops depicting a Jackson-style black and white Holstein cow wearing a sign saying "Vote For Woody". It was an advertisement for the company's internationally-held "free cone day".

References[link]

External links[link]

• Woody Jackson website

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