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History
Bathams have become a family born to brew. No fewer than five generations have been involved in creating a legendary beer of the Black Country. Batham’s Bitter, now regarded by some as one of the finest in the country, would never have been if it was not for the pernickety tastebuds of pub regulars in a quiet Worcestershire village, and the brewing skills of Mr D.B.A (Arthur) Batham. The Bitter (OG 1043) alongside the mild (OG 1036) has gained respect among drinkers far and wide who have visited any of the Bathams nine pubs over the past thirty years. The company has continued to expand from that day in 1882 when Daniel Batham senior became the landlord of the White Horse in Cradley Heath. Each of the Bathams pubs is steeped in character and history but none are more so than the famous “Bull and Bladder” – the brewery tap and really The Vine Inn, Delph Road, Brierley Hill which provides a colour frontage to the brewery behind. Its well known frontage emblazoned with the Shakespeare quote “Blessing of your heart: You brew good ale” has provided a warm welcome over the years for the many who have travelled to…
Beerology
To make beer, malted barley is ground to form grist and then mixed with hot water (called “liquor” in brewing terminology) to form a mash. The natural sugars dissolve out of the grist and the liquid (now called “wort”) is run off into a copper, where it is boiled with hops which give the beer its characteristic bitter taste. Please click here to discover all about our many awards for brewing. The wort is now transferred to the fermentation vessel and the brewery’s own unique strain of yeast is added. This fermentation process, lasting about five days, converts the sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide. At the end of fermentation, real (cask-conditioned) beer is allowed to mature in conditioning tanks for a few days before being racked into casks, often with the addition of a handful of hops to increase the aroma and flavour, and sugar to encourage a strong secondary fermentation. It is this cask-conditioning which continues to develop the flavour, character and maturity of real ale in the pub cellar until the cask is ready for use. Brewing and keeping real ale is not as easy as keg beer or lager, but the quality of the product more…
Our Brews
Bathams produce three diferent cask ales. Two available all year round (Best Bitter and Mild) and a Christmas special (XXX). Also, best bitter and the XXX are now available to enjoy all year round in bottles.
Awards
Pubs
Bathams pubs google map to go here
The Bird In Hand
The Britannia Inn
The Fox and Grapes
The Lamp Tavern
The King Arthur
The New Inn at Wordsley
The Plough and Harrow
The Plough Inn
The Royal Exchange
The Swan Inn
The Unicorn
The Vine Inn
Free Houses & Reseller Breweries
Off Licenses
Wier Am Yow?
Contact Form
Work For Us
Batham’s Racing
The Lamp Tavern Function Rooms