King tries ‘supercharged' spirit on trip to brewery

Telegraph

24-02-2025

The King could not resist sampling the local beer as well as a 'supercharged' spirit made with hops during a visit to the home of British brewing.
His Majesty was pulling a pint at the family-run Tower Brewery in Burton upon Trent when he was asked by John Mills, the owner, if he would have a 'slurp'.
The monarch chuckled, noting that if not, he was 'in the wrong place'.
Mr Mills then told the King about a 41 per cent proof liquor he had created called The Spirit of Burton, explaining that it was a distilled version of one of his strong IPAs.
The King sniffed the clear liquid before taking a sip.
'Mmmm... interesting,' he said, with a laugh, adding: 'Yes, it's supercharged.'
He was also given a potted history of the town's brewing background from Dr Harry White, the chairman of the National Brewing Centre in Burton.
'I'm learning fast,' he said, before telling an aide who tried to move him along: 'I'm having a fascinating history lesson.'
Dr White told the monarch how India Pale Ale had become synonymous with Burton after the first beers were shipped from the town to India in 1822.
Earlier, the monarch helped change a tyre during a visit to the JCB headquarters in nearby Uttoxeter, where he marked the company's 80th anniversary with a tour of the factory floor.
He was shown around the £5.7 billion construction company's Staffordshire HQ by Lord Bamford, 79, the executive chairman who is one of his friends.
The King walked the assembly line of the company's iconic backhoe loader, which was invented by the company's founder, the late Joseph Cyril Bamford, and is considered a symbol of British manufacturing excellence.
He helped fit a tyre to the machine before he was shown how to refuel JCB's recently developed hydrogen-powered combustion engine.
Team leader Becky Bayliss, 32, said his wheel changing effort was 'perfect'.
Earlier this year JCB celebrated the production of its one millionth backhoe loader.
The first backhoe was produced at its Uttoxeter factory in 1953 and Ken Harrison, 100, is the last known survivor of the original production team.
As the King was introduced to Mr Harrison, he said: 'Are you sure you should be here today? I'm very impressed. It must have done some good, I must say, to get to 100.'
He added: 'I hope you got your message on your hundredth birthday? I'm so glad the system works.'
Lord Bamford, who retired from the House of Lords last year, took over the company from his father, Joseph Cyril Bamford, in the 1970s and is now one of the UK's wealthiest businessmen.
He and his wife, Lady Bamford, 78, who founded the Daylesford Organic farm shop chain, are long time friends of the Royal family.
Last June, Lord Bamford joined the King and Queen in the traditional carriage procession at Royal Ascot, while James Middleton, younger brother of the Princess of Wales, celebrated his 2021 marriage to Alizee Thevenet with a reception at the Bamfords' exclusive Château Léoube estate in Provence.