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Two or three weeks ago, a beer which many local drinkersthought had actually been discontinued, received some unexpected publicity, onthe social media pages of a well-known Tonbridge pub. Its appearance on theNelson Arms’ website, and subsequent sampling by a number of local drinkers,including me, sparked a debate amongst members of our local WhatsApp group. Thebeer in question was Walter Hicks Special Draught – HSD for short, and it isdescribed by the brewery as a “truly classic ale of considerable depth andcomplexity.” Some admirers go further by claiming that this 5% strong, cask aleis a suitable alternativeto a well-rounded premium red wine and an obvious match with steaks and otherred meat dishes.Named after Cornishman Walter Hicks, who founded the St Austell Brewery in 1851, Hicks Special Draught is brewed with plenty of maltand large quantities of English Progress and Golding hops, Hicks is today, the oldestand most traditional of St Austell Brewery’s core beer range. So why did someof us think the beer had been discontinued?
The prime reason is that HSD is rarely seen outside of itsCornish heartland, unlike relative newcomers, Tribute and Proper Job. I firstheard of the beer as student, when a friend and I spent a week’s holiday inCornwall, at a caravan site on the edge of Perranporth. We were aware that StAustell were one of the few remaining independent brewers in the county, and ona previous visit my friend had come across an extra strong beer called Walter Hicks Special.We didn’t realise initially that the latter was a St Austellbeer, until we came across it at a local pub. There weren’t that many StAustell pubs in that part of northern Cornwall, as regional brewery Devenish,along with national brewers such as Courage and Whitbread controlled many ofthe local pubs. But after trying a few pints of HSD, we declared thisfull-bodied beer with its of hints of esters and fruity biscuit malt flavours,was one well worth seeking out.
That task wasn’t easily undertaken in the Greater Manchesterarea, where we were living and studying, and neither was it feasible in ourrespective home counties of Staffordshire and Kent. For this reason, HSDspecifically and St Austell ales generally, fell totally off my radar. When Eileenand I opened our Off-Licence in 2001 and started serving real ale to take awayby the pint, beers from St Austell occasionally featured on our list. This wasprimarily due to a beer distributor, known as the Beer Seller. One particularcustomer had lived in Cornwall for several years, and whilst discussing localbeers, as we sometimes did, St Austell was one of the breweries whose name croppedup. Interestingly, my customer friend told me the beer used o be known inCornwall, as “St Awful!”
Things of course changed with the arrival of Roger Ryman, asSt Austell’s head brewer, in 1999. Until his untimely passing in 2020,following a brave battle with cancer, Roger oversaw significant modernisationand investment in the brewery which successfully combined the company’s pridein traditional values, with modern and efficient brewing methods. He leftbehind a legacy that continues at the company to this day. Over the two decades that followed his appointment, Rogerand his brewing team played a leading role in the company’s growth and success.He was responsible for transforming St Austell Brewery’s portfolio of brands –including its three flagship beers: Tribute Pale Ale, Proper Job IPA, and KorevCornish Lager, but little mention was made of the company’s most legendary ale,HSD, which was eclipsed by Tribute and Proper Job.
So, like several of my drinking friends, I was surprised tosee its appearance on the Nelson Arms’ website. Of course, I had to pop alongto the pub and give it a try, which I did on a rather wet and windy EasterMonday, where during a relaxing afternoon session, I enjoyed a couple of pintsof this legendary beer. The first thing that struck me was its traditionalbrown colour, especially after becoming used to the pale coloured Tribute andProper Job. Regardless of appearance, I enjoyed this strong and full-bodiedCornish ale, brimming with rich malt flavours, and bittered with plenty of traditionalEnglish Fuggles and Golding hops. I made mention of this on the WhatsApp group,which was where a comment came back from a friend that he found the beer a bit underwhelmingand rather thin to what he’s remembered.
Various comments passed back and forth until one made by alocal CAMRA member, who works in the hop industry explained that he’d heardRoger Ryman describe at a conference that, over the years, he had graduallyupdated all of the older St Austell recipes, by making them more hop-forward,in order to give then a more modern feel. This would make sense, as well as accounting forthe change in flavour and make up of HSD, that our other friend had noticed.Nelson landlord Matt, had acquired several casks of HSD, andthe beer is still shown as “on sale” on the Real Ale Finder App. Given thetransport logistics between Cornwall and Kent, it made perfect sense for Matt toorder a number of casks, and judging by the subsequent, and very positive feedback,it was a gamble well worth taking. Finally, for those of us who might not have tastedHSD for a long period of time, it afforded the perfect excuse of renewing our acquaintancewith this, perhaps, slightly older style of cask beer, albeit with a moremodern twist.

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