King Charles pulls himself a pint during visit to family-owned brewery
25 February 2025, 09:45
The King pulled himself a pint when he visited a brewery making a name for itself in the country's former centre of beer production.
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Charles visited family-owned Tower Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, where dozens of breweries shipped millions of barrels of beer across the country and the globe during the industry's 19th century heyday.
After pouring a pint called Gone for a Burton, a traditional mid-strength beer brewed by Tower, brewery owner John Mills cheekily asked Charles: "Going to have a slurp of that, sir?"
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The King replied that if he was not, he was in the "wrong place", and held up his pint as he said: "To your very good health," then joked: "I could pass the rest on to them," as he looked at the press.
Mr Mills joined the King at the brewery's bar, pulling himself a pint of his Imperial IPA in the town from where India pale ale was first exported in the 1820s, but then suggested they try something stronger.
Behind them was a bottle of The Spirit of Burton, a 41% proof Tower spirit distilled from IPA which, if left to mature, would be the basis of whisky.
After taking a sip the King, who is known to like whisky, seemed to approve, and said "interesting - yes it's supercharged".
The King met local business owners, charity workers and executives from other brewery firms and chatted to Monica Holton, from Burton upon Trent, who set up her Caribbean spice company Datties Soul Food during the pandemic.
Charles said Caribbean dishes "can blow your head off", and the entrepreneur replied "especially the jerk chicken".
Talking to another group, the conversation turned to football and Charles joked: "Most of these managers and coaches seem to come from Holland or Sweden."
Before leaving, he was presented with a bottle of the spirit he tasted and another of King's Ale, a commemorative tipple bottled in 1902 from a batch of beer his great-great-grandfather King Edward VII helped to stir when he visited the Bass brewery in Burton.
