Dave Wickett was a lecturer in economics but decided to take up commercial brewing in 1990 and opened Kelham Island Brewery. The rest as they say is history. The first time I encountered Dave was in 2004 when a bloke called Mr Wickett from some brewery or other kept on leaving messages for me at reception. I was almost as busy then as I am now and I assumed he was trying to sell me something or accuse me of getting his daughter pregnant so I ignored him. The temp receptionist put him through to me by mistake and I encountered Dave’s assertive charm for the first time. He was a lot more restrained than I would have been in his position.
Dave explained that he was in the beer trade and hailed from Cornwall and asked if he come around the brewery when he was next visiting the area. He failed to mention that he had just won Champion Beer of Britain! Dave is a modest man. Since that first tour I have bumped into Dave a few times and have always enjoyed his company and his beer.
Last month Dave’s son Ed was down on some in at the deep end work experience at Sharp’s. Dave came down collect Ed after his last day at work and popped up to my office. It was then that I learned that Dave is terminally ill with cancer. I didn’t expect to get as upset as I did and I resolved there and then to make a beer in Dave’s honour and donate the money from the sale of the beer to a charity of his choice.
The beer will be a bottle conditioned strong golden ale which will be bottled into a limited run of 1000 champagne bottles. I asked Dave to select the hops suggesting that some of the US hops that Dave helped make so much a part of modern UK cask ale brewing would be fitting. Dave went for Willamette, Amarillo and Cascade. Dave is coming down in July to help with the brew.
The beer will be called DW and the proceeds of the sale will go to a Cornish hospice charity. I’ll update the blog as things progress.
Any help in promoting sales of the beer would be gratefully received.
9 comments:
send me across a bit of text for the blog and some info on where people can get it and when and ill put a little something on the blog in the hope it helps!
ps put me down for a bottle of the beer, more than happy to part with some cash for such a good cause!
That's terribly sad news about Mr Wickett. Let me know if we can help with distribution/mail order.
Thanks Guys I'll update you once we get to work on the brew.
Stu, very sad to hear.
If it's available mail order from somewhere, put me down for a bottle (or I'll try to get my dray/caskwash colleague to pop in - he's got a caravan down somewhere near-ish to you).
cheers
MikeMcG
Put me down for a couple of bottles once brewed! Always glad to help a good cause.
If you know Dave Wickett, you know that he is one tough cumstomer. He has the fighting spirit of his countrymen in spades and he's already beaten the pants off the odds that were initially laid in front of him. I expect to have the real DW around for quite a while. In the meantime, let's promote this great product!
Roger Oliver, Teaneck, NJ USA.
I'd like to get a few bottles of this. Any chance it will be selling at the GBBF ?
Jon Scudamore
Sorry if GBBF not the best proposal, but just thinking how to get my hands on the beer. DW and Bray Hill in Rock being - co-incidentally - two such important beacons in my formulative years I cannot but feel destined to pour some of this brew down my neck. I might just drive down there and get some. Great idea Stuart and good luck.
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