The Brewer's Tale

Born next-door to a pub in 1940, just in time for the Sheffield Blitz, Frank Priestley went on to spend a life steeped in brewing, drinking and the enjoyment of beer.

From a young apprentice, he worked his way up to become a master brewer at the famous Castle Eden brewery. Frank shares with the reader his fascination for the way brewing is done, and he weaves in anecdotes about his diverse colleagues, his skilled working life and the unique beers that the individual breweries produced.

His tale covers the years from 1959 to 1979 and he left when the traditional brewing industry in Britain reached one of its lowest ebbs. But Frank is now delighted to see the revival of interest in good beer and he ends the book with a brief round-up of some of the best pubs in England where he has had the pleasure of drinking a pint.

Frank?s account of the fortunes of the British brewing industry over three critical decades is an important contribution to the history of our brewing heritage. His story is informative, lively and heart-warming.

Author Biography

“Frank Priestley began his working life as a young laboratory
assistant at Tennant Brother’s Brewery in Sheffield. Through home study, he worked his way up to become a Brewer and in 1973 he gained the Diploma of the Institute of Brewing.

In due course, Frank became Senior Brewer at the prestigious Castle Eden Brewery in Co. Durham but by then, a massive restructuring of the industry was beginning, which resulted in changes that are evident today.

Frank is now retired and lives in Wirksworth, Derbyshire.”