Mauldon’s Brewery, in Sudbury, open new Birch Building in honour of head brewer Steve Birch’s four decades of service
Suffolk’s oldest brewery have opened a new building in honour of its head brewer, who has been with them for 40 years.
The Birch Building, named for Steve Birch, had a ribbon cutting today (October 20) at Mauldons Brewery, based in the Chilton Industrial Estate in Sudbury.
The new structure is a cold room, where the brewery’s products can be stored at cellar temperatures to maintain their freshness for a longer period of time, as well as facilitating a doubling in size of the business.
The ceremony was attended by employees and friends of the business, including founder Peter Mauldon and Suffolk High Sheriff Mark Pendlington, who officially opened the building.
Of its naming, Steve said: “It’s a complete honour, I didn’t think it would be that, but it’s nice to recognised for 40 years.
“I think I’m the lucky one that I get to do a job that I’m really passionate about; I just see myself as a regular guy doing something I enjoy.
“Despite all this, it’s business as usual – we’ve got a great new expansion planned that I’m thrilled to be a part of.
“We’re just moving forward and continuing what we’re doing; this new facility will make our product better and better and will really improve its quality.”
Steve has produced a new beer for his 40 year anniversary called Brewer’s Bitter; it is a ruby ale to reflect the occasion, as well as having an ABV of four per cent.
The Birch Building will give Mauldons’ beers a 300 day guarantee; by storing them at the right temperature, they can be maintained in its cold room for 300 days and still be of the same freshness after that period as the day they were made.
Charlie Buckle, of the Nedging Hall Estate, is now the owner of Mauldon’s, with the brewery now using barley from his fields to create its products.
He gave a speech at the opening of The Birch Building, paying tribute to all of Steve’s hard work.
Charlie said: “Steve’s absolutely paramount to the success of Mauldons; we wouldn’t be here without him.
“He understands the ethos and mentality of the business, alongside being an amazing brewer
“We’d had shipping containers as cold rooms before but we knew we needed to build something new to expand the business, and it must have been one of the rare days that Steve wasn’t here when one of the team suggested naming it after him.
“I jumped at the idea straight away – it’s a fantastic way to celebrate him and what he’s done for the business.”
Mauldons can be traced back to 1795, when Anna Maria Mauldon started brewing at the The Bull Hotel, and was restarted in 1982 by Anna Maria’s descendant Peter.
Peter worked with Steve when he brought the brewery back, and still sees him as the young man he took under his wing back then.
He said:” When Steve started he was a novice and now has become a very knowledgeable man.
“Not many people stay in the same job for 40 years nowadays; he’s a classic example of if you enjoy the job you’re doing, you do it well.”
Mauldons has opened a bottle room where customers can come and view and purchase their products, and can even have a tour of the brewery.
Mauldons has also recently won a regional award for one of its beers, Suffolk Pride, which will now go on for national consideration.
The Nedging Hall estate own several pubs including The Lindsey Rose, which is 500 years old, as well as The Bildeston Crown and The Brewery Tap in Sudbury.
The Birch Building will use solar power to ensure it is completely self sufficient.
