Shropshire brewery which has survived and thrived to provide fresh, cold and refreshing beers brewed with craftmanship and care

Breweries have been a part of the region for centuries, providing the welcoming aroma of hops and yeast in the air across the region and many different types of beer loved by thousands.

In the wake of the news of the planned closure of Banks's Brewery in Wolverhampton, the Star wants to support our local breweries and show that there are still many out there producing quality beers to be enjoyed in pubs across the region.

As part of our Backing Our Breweries campaign, we are going to look at what different breweries do, how they grew and built up their reputation, what their products are, how they continue to run in what are difficult financial times and what makes them special.

It's a story which starts in the 1400s when a group of monks in an Augustinian monastery near Stone began brewing beer as a hobby and found that the beer was so well-regarded that they began blessing every barrel and marking it with a red cross.

That began a journey for a brewery with the symbolic red cross, making it the sixth-oldest beer trademark in the world, and progressed to Salford and back into Stone where James Prescott Joule and, latterly, Francis Joule established the Joule brewery, reviving the monk's recipe and the red cross trademark.

Joule's Brewery became a bigger and more popular part of the pub scene in Stone and across the south and west Staffordshire and north Staffordshire area, with the brewery in Stone and 200 pubs, including the Red Lion in Market Drayton.

The future seemed darker, however, after Bass Brewers took control and, in October 1974, closed the brewery and all the pubs and attempted to brew Joule's beer in Burton, but found that the water source wasn't the same in Burton as in Stone.

Decades later, Steve Nuttall, then a brand manager at Bass, rediscovered the long-lost Joule’s name and in 2009, he and Chrissie Nuttall revived the brand, securing the trademark rights from Molson Coors and opening Joule’s Brewery in Market Drayton, the fourth Joule’s brewery, in 2010.

Sitting above the same aquifer that once fed the Stone brewery, the current brewery stays true to heritage methods, featuring an infusion mash tun, copper with a “cat and mouse” gauge, hopback for whole hops, and top-fermenting ale vessels.

Georgia Charlton-Briggs, brand manager at Joule’s Brewery, said the focus was on brewing great beer to be enjoyed in the right setting.

She said: "At Joule’s Brewery, we believe there’s nothing quite like a proper pint of draught beer.

"There’s a depth of flavour and freshness that just can’t be bottled, which is why we choose to serve our beer exclusively on draught.

"For us, draught beer is all about craftsmanship - it’s beer as it’s meant to be enjoyed, straight from the cask or keg, with every pour showcasing the full character of the brew.

"This approach isn’t just about quality; it’s about keeping our brewing traditions alive and making sure every pint of Joule’s is the best it can be."

The brewery also uses modern brewing technology and keep quality at the heart of what it does, as well as using pure spring water, with Market Drayton being chosen as our home because it sits above the same Triassic aquifer that supplied the original Stone brewery.

The water, drawn from 60 metres below, is naturally hard, perfect for brewing pale ales.

Ms Charlton-Briggs said the brewery brewed around 5,900 barrels a year and worked to produce beers which were fresh, full of quality and made best use of the water.

She said: "We take great pride in our Cold Beer, Green Monkey, a naturally matured lager brewed to the German Purity Laws, ‘Reinheitsgebot', which is our core cold beer and remains a staple on the bar year-round.

"On cask, we proudly brew three core beers: Citra Blonde, Pale Ale, and Slumbering Monk and, alongside these, we have a seasonal cask line that delivers 12 different beers a year, changing with the seasons.

"Our batch beer line is where our brewers get to experiment with new styles and flavours on cask, also producing 12 unique brews a year.

"Our beers are brewed for the three counties we serve. If people from other regions enjoy them, that’s great, but ultimately, they’re designed for the local community.

"After all, when in Rome, drink as the Romans do - have a Joule’s.”

Joule's Brewery best beers

Green Monkey 4.3%

Clean & fruity with a good bitter-sweet taste, it is stored (laagered) for twice the amount of time to naturally achieve its sparkling, crisp flavour. With some sweetness on the nose and with delicate floral notes, it contains no artificial ingredients, preservatives or additives.

Pale Ale 4.1%

The traditional Pale Ale is clean, crisp and perfectly balanced, rich in malt, fruit and biscuit character and complemented by a satisfying bitter finish. Brewed with a blend of crystal malt providing a biscuity base and tipple malt creating a sweet caramel flavour.