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[Moscow Mule]

History

[edit] Ram Brewery

The earliest records of brewing on Young's brewery site are of pub landlord Humphrey Langridge in 1581 distributing beer brewed at the Ram Inn at Wandsworth, which was then a village in Surrey. The site of this inn is today the Brewery Tap. Records from 1675 show that the brewery was run by the Draper family, and in the 18th century, the Trittons purchased the brewery. It was purchased by Charles Allen Young and Anthony Fothergale Bainbridge in 1831. Since then it has been associated with the Young family, and until 2006 the last chairman of Young & Co belonging to the Young's famiy was John Young, OBE (the great-great-grandson of Charles).

[edit] Brewing and supply of beer
Horses and dray carrying beer casks
Horses and dray carrying beer casks

In 1835 a beam engine was installed, which was in regular use until the 1980s. In 2006, the brewery was a mix of ancient and ultra-modern plant, which produced a wide range of beers. Young's claimed that the Ram Brewery was the oldest British brewery in continuous operation.

The company produced three regular and a series of seasonal and occasional cask ales, keg lagers, and several filtered and pasteurised bottled beers. Young's also contract brewed several beers for InBev, such as Courage Best and Mackeson Stout.

Young's had a number of animals resident in its brewery. There was a ram, a number of geese and about a dozen working draught horses. These horses and drays were still used up until the closure of the brewery in 2006, for local deliveries of beer to locations within a mile or two of the brewery.

The brewery supplied Young's public houses, in London and the area to the south-west, which still number over 200. It also sold to many other pubs and supermarkets. Beer was also exported to many European countries, Canada, the United States and Japan. These sales and distribution are still carried on behalf of Young & Co through its operations with Charles Wells.

It is unclear when the company will replace all of its pubs defunct 'Ram Brewery Wandsworth' signage. The brewer however insists that it is dedicated to keeping the ram as the company logo.

[n5gooner]

Richard had kept 2700 Muslim prisoners as hostages against Saladin fulfilling all the terms of the surrender of the lands around Acre. Philip, before leaving, had entrusted his prisoners to Conrad, but Richard forced him to hand them over to him. Richard feared his forces being bottled up in Acre, as he believed his campaign could not advance with the prisoners in train. He therefore ordered all the prisoners killed. He then moved south, defeating Saladin's forces at the battle of Arsuf on 7 September 1191. He attempted to negotiate with Saladin, offering his widowed sister, Joan of Sicily, as a bride for Saladin's brother Al-Adil, but this was unsuccessful. In the first half of 1192, he and his troops refortified Ascalon.

[Moscow Mule]

History

[edit] Ram Brewery

The earliest records of brewing on Young's brewery site are of pub landlord Humphrey Langridge in 1581 distributing beer brewed at the Ram Inn at Wandsworth, which was then a village in Surrey. The site of this inn is today the Brewery Tap. Records from 1675 show that the brewery was run by the Draper family, and in the 18th century, the Trittons purchased the brewery. It was purchased by Charles Allen Young and Anthony Fothergale Bainbridge in 1831. Since then it has been associated with the Young family, and until 2006 the last chairman of Young & Co belonging to the Young's famiy was John Young, OBE (the great-great-grandson of Charles).

[edit] Brewing and supply of beer
Horses and dray carrying beer casks
Horses and dray carrying beer casks

In 1835 a beam engine was installed, which was in regular use until the 1980s. In 2006, the brewery was a mix of ancient and ultra-modern plant, which produced a wide range of beers. Young's claimed that the Ram Brewery was the oldest British brewery in continuous operation.

The company produced three regular and a series of seasonal and occasional cask ales, keg lagers, and several filtered and pasteurised bottled beers. Young's also contract brewed several beers for InBev, such as Courage Best and Mackeson Stout.

Young's had a number of animals resident in its brewery. There was a ram, a number of geese and about a dozen working draught horses. These horses and drays were still used up until the closure of the brewery in 2006, for local deliveries of beer to locations within a mile or two of the brewery.

The brewery supplied Young's public houses, in London and the area to the south-west, which still number over 200. It also sold to many other pubs and supermarkets. Beer was also exported to many European countries, Canada, the United States and Japan. These sales and distribution are still carried on behalf of Young & Co through its operations with Charles Wells.

It is unclear when the company will replace all of its pubs defunct 'Ram Brewery Wandsworth' signage. The brewer however insists that it is dedicated to keeping the ram as the company logo.


End Of The Ram Brewery

On May 23rd 2006 the company issued a press release[1] announcing that the Ram Brewery was to close and brewing to be moved to the Eagle Brewery in Bedford owned by Charles Wells by 2nd October. The two companies brewing divisions formed a new venture, under the name Wells & Young’s Brewing Company Limited, which is jointly-owned by Charles Wells (with a 60% stake) and Young's & Co (with a 40% stake).

The brewery officially closed at the end of the business day on Monday, 25 September 2006. The brewery closing story was carried by BBC London news.

Chairman John Young died on 17 September 2006, days before the closure of the brewery, whilst the final brew was being run at the Ram brewery Wandsworth. Beer from the last brew was served at his funeral on 29 September 2006.

Following the closure of the Ram Brewery, Fullers is the only significant brewery still brewing in London

[edit] New Base In Wandsworth

Young & Co are still based in Wandsworth. Until June 2007 they were based at the offices at the Ram Brewery however after that they moved into their new state of the art Head Office, literally round the corner from the former brewery site.

[edit] New Warehouse

In March 2007 Young's brewing operations: "Wells & Young's Brewing" opened their state of the art eco friendly warehouse a mile away from the Eagle Brewery in Bedford. This will reduce carbon emmissions and congestion in and around the Eagle Brewery. The warehouse took 22 weeks to build and recycles the rainwater from the roof.

[edit] Courage Brands

In January 2007, Wells & Young's bought the brewing and marketing rights of the legendary Courage brands, Courage Directors, Mild, Light Ale and Best from Scottish & Newcastle. S&N will keep a minority stake in the brands.

[Moscow Mule]

Cheddar cheese is a hard, pale yellow to orange, sharp-tasting cheese originally made in the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset. Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese in the UK, accounting for just over 50% of the country's £1.9 billion annual cheese market. Cheddar cheese is quintessentially English, but has been widely adopted and changed in English-speaking New World countries such as Australia, the USA and Canada, including French Canada.

[Moscow Mule]

History

It has been made since at least 1170. A pipe roll of King Henry II from that year records the purchase of 10,420 lbs at a farthing per pound (£3 per tonne).[2]

Central to the modernisation and standardisation of Cheddar cheese was Joseph Harding in the nineteenth century.[3] For his development and propagation of modern cheese-making techniques he has been described as the father of cheddar cheese.[4] Harding was responsible for the introduction of this very English cheese into Scotland and North America. Joseph Harding's son Henry Harding was responsible for introducing cheddar cheese production to Australia.[5]

[edit] Production

[edit] Process

Main article: Manufacturing of Cheddar Cheese

Cheddaring refers to an additional step in the production of cheddar-style cheese where, after heating, the curd is cut into cubes to drain the whey, then stacked and turned. Strong, mature Cheddar, sometimes called vintage, needs to be matured for up to 15 months. The cheese is kept at a constant temperature often requiring special facilities. As with cheese production in France, some Cheddar cheese produced in the UK is matured in the caves at Wookey Hole and the original caves in the village of Cheddar itself.

[edit] International Taste

Cheddar-style cheeses are produced in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Canada, the United States, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia (where it is sometimes called Tasty cheese), Sweden and Belgium. Much of this cheese is mass-produced and quality varies enormously. The strong flavour develops over time, with a taste diverse enough that food packaging will usually indicate a strength using adjectives such as mild, medium, strong, tasty, sharp, mature, vintage, and may also indicate the maturation period.

[edit] Status

Cheddar cheese has become too widely produced to have a protected designation of origin (PDO). However, the European Union recognises 'West Country Farmhouse Cheddar' as a PDO. To meet this standard the cheese must be made in the traditional manner using local ingredients in four designated counties of South West England: Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall.

However, the Slow Food Movement, encouraged and advised by Neal's Yard Dairy, has recently created a Cheddar Presidia, claiming that only three cheeses should be called 'Cheddar'. Their specifications, which go well beyond the West Country Farmhouse Cheddar PDO, require that Cheddar be made in Somerset, and with traditional methods, such as using raw milk, traditional animal rennet, and a cloth wrapping.[6]

A number of large commercial food companies have in recent years established well known brands in the UK for their Cheddar cheese (Pilgrim's Choice, Cathedral City, Davidstow etc.). This move is considered by some to be a safeguard against the possibility of Cheddar cheese receiving 'protected designated origin' status in the future. Some companies have also considered relocating to Cheddar, Somerset if this occurs.

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[Moscow Mule]

Status

Cheddar cheese has become too widely produced to have a protected designation of origin (PDO). However, the European Union recognises 'West Country Farmhouse Cheddar' as a PDO. To meet this standard the cheese must be made in the traditional manner using local ingredients in four designated counties of South West England: Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall.

However, the Slow Food Movement, encouraged and advised by Neal's Yard Dairy, has recently created a Cheddar Presidia, claiming that only three cheeses should be called 'Cheddar'. Their specifications, which go well beyond the West Country Farmhouse Cheddar PDO, require that Cheddar be made in Somerset, and with traditional methods, such as using raw milk, traditional animal rennet, and a cloth wrapping.[6]

A number of large commercial food companies have in recent years established well known brands in the UK for their Cheddar cheese (Pilgrim's Choice, Cathedral City, Davidstow etc.). This move is considered by some to be a safeguard against the possibility of Cheddar cheese receiving 'protected designated origin' status in the future. Some companies have also considered relocating to Cheddar, Somerset if this occurs.

[edit] Character

Like many cheeses, the colour of Cheddar cheese is sometimes modified by the use of food colourings. In parts of the United States and Canada, Annatto, extracted from the tropical achiote tree, is used to give Cheddar cheese a deep orange colour. The origins of this practice have been long since forgotten, but the three leading theories appear to be:

* to allow the cheese to have a consistent colour from batch to batch
* to assist the purchaser in identifying the type of cheese when it is unlabelled
* to identify the cheese's region of origin.

Cheddar cheese was traditionally packaged sometimes in black wax, but commonly in larded cloth, impermeable to contaminants but still allowing the cheese to breathe, though this practice is now limited to Europe and to artisan cheese makers. In the United States, Cheddar cheese comes in several varieties, including mild, medium, sharp, New York Style, Colby/Longhorn, white, and Vermont. New York style Cheddar cheese is a particularly sharp Cheddar cheese, sometimes with a hint of smoke. It is usually slightly softer than milder Cheddar cheese. Colby/Longhorn Cheddar cheese has a mild to medium flavour. The curds are still distinct, often marbled in colour, varying from cream to yellow. Cheddar that has not been coloured is frequently labelled as "white Cheddar" or "Vermont Cheddar", regardless of whether it was produced in the state of Vermont.
A bowl of cheese curds
A bowl of cheese curds

Cheddar cheese is one of several products used by the United States Department of Agriculture to track the dairy industry; reports are issued weekly detailing prices and production quantities. The state of Wisconsin produces the most Cheddar cheese in the United States; other centres of production include upstate New York, Vermont, and Tillamook, Oregon.

Cheddar is also a good source of vitamin B12 and therefore recommendable for vegetarians. A slice of vegetarian Cheddar cheese (40 g) contains about 0.5 µg of vitamin B12 (required daily intake for an adult is 2.4 µg).

Famous Cheddar cheeses from Somerset include Keen's, with a strong tang, and Montgomery's, with an apple after taste and the unpasteurised Cheddar made by the Gorge Cheese Company in Cheddar itself.

[edit] Record sized Cheddar cheeses

White House historians assert that U.S. president Andrew Jackson held an open house party where a 1,400 pound (635 kg) block of Cheddar cheese was served as refreshment; this block of cheese would later serve as direct inspiration for two episodes of the Emmy-award winning television series The West Wing.

A cheese of 7,000 lbs (3,175 kg) was produced in Ingersoll, Ontario in 1866 and exhibited in New York and Britain; it was immortalised in the infamous poem "Ode on the Mammoth Cheese Weighing over 7,000 Pounds" by James McIntyre, a Canadian poet.

In 1893 farmers from the town of Perth, Ontario produced The Mammoth Cheese, at a weight of 22,000 lbs (10,000 kg) for that year's World's Fair in Chicago. When placed on exhibit with the Canadian display, The Mammoth Cheese promptly crashed through the floor and had to be placed on reinforced concrete in the Agricultural Building. It was more written about than any other single exhibit at the fair, and received the bronze medal.

A still larger Wisconsin Cheddar cheese of 34,951 lbs (15,853 kg) was produced for the 1964 New York World's Fair. It required the equivalent of the daily milk production of 16,000 cows.

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cheesy!

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