Buswell’s brews get a mention in CAMRA pub guide
A POPULAR Burbage pub has been making waves in the real ale scene after its artisan brewery was featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Buswell’s Brewery, based at The Lime Kilns pub on the A5, was named as one of the East Midlands’ top breweries in the 2020, according to the Good Beer Guide.
The brewery, which makes artisan craft ale, first started in 2017 and is run by Gary Buswell, who also owns the popular pub.
The Good Beer Guide, which reviews over 4,500 pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinkers’ guide to the very best pints in a variety of styles of pubs to suit individual tastes. Compiled by thousands of independent volunteers, it helps identify significant trends and themes locally and nationally.
Gary said that he was thankful to everyone who had tried his ales, adding that the acknowledgement from CAMRA was “surprising”.
He said: “I’m pleased, it’s good to know that my efforts have paid off.
“I know that a lot of people do home brewing and think it’s easy, but it’s not quite that simple when you’re doing it for other people, and there’s a lot of science behind it.
“I want to thank everyone who has drunk the beer. It’s like this is my little baby and I’ve been looking after it, and when the end product comes out and someone says this is nice…well!
“I got ideas of what I wanted to do, got mixes together, the grains, whatever I needed, then I tried it out and used people as guinea pigs - if they said yes, I carried on making it until I got 10 or 12 different ales.
“Once I was happy with that, then I started doing it properly and got a proper license. I then started selling on the bar (in the Lime Kilns) and went from there.”
Gary first started the brewery in 2017, producing his ales on a “small scale.” His best sellers include Sid Stout, a stout named after one of his ducks, a milder ale called Mollifier, and the Vulcan Bomber, which features chocolate notes.
He also produces a marshmallow stout, a ginger brew and a brown ale named after his grandad, called Bill’s Brown.
However, Gary says that he has no current plans to produce the ales on a larger scale and is happy selling them in The Lime Kilns, as well as at smaller beer festivals.
He said: “Because I make small batches, I’m able to take more care over it. It’s just me doing it, there’s no automated process and I watch over every step of it.”
Gary often makes ales at the request of his customers, including a special strawberry blonde ale for a birthday celebration. He is also planning a pumpkin ale for the autumn.