Black Country AGM 2026

The location of the BHS AGM 2026, photo taken in 1992 by Mike Brown

The location of the BHS AGM 2026, photo taken in 1992 by Mike Brown

Black County Breweries: Brewery History Society AGM and Visits, 5th and 6th June 2026

A Selection of photographs from the Society's AGM weekend at Bathams, Sarah Hughes and Holden's Brewery Ltd

Bathams 5th June 2026

Head Brewer Alice receives her coverted BHS Visits Certificate from Meetings Secretary Phil Wilson

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  Courtesy Ed Wray
• 
  Courtesy Ed Wray

Photographs courtesy of Mick Connors

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The Lamp. (See: Matthew Smith, Queens Cross Brewery

The official business being conducted at the 2026 AGM, held in the Lamp Tavern

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  Courtesy Mick Connors
• 
  Courtesy Mick Connors
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  Courtesy Mick Connors
• 
  Courtesy Mick Connors

Sarah Hughes 5th June 2026

Photographs courtesy of Mick Connors

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Visit to Holden's Brewery Ltd – Park Inn, Woodsetton. 6th June 2026 by Chairman Susan Chisholm

Our group of 20 BHS members assembled in the bar of the Park Inn at just before 10:00. Some of us who had arrived early had looked around outside and puzzled on the large signage painted on an outside wall declaring Hopdens brewery. The large bottling facility was in a yard to the side of the brewery and pub premises.

Once everyone who had booked was confirmed as present our guide, Debbie Stewart, greeted us. Debbie is the regular tour guide and this was a scheduled tour – we did not meet the brewer or owner.

We started upstairs in the boardroom where Debbie gave us a brilliant outline of the history of the Black Country and of Holdens. She had previously worked for many years in the nearby Black Country Museum and her knowledge of the area and its history was immense. She explained that the Holden family had purchased the Park Inn, brewhouse and malt store in August 1915 during the first world war from Atkinsons. When it came to registering the business they were assigned the name Hopdens brewery seemingly an amalgam of hops associated with brewing and the ‘den’ from the name Holdens. Debbie outlined the industry of the Black Country during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries – steel working, coal mining, metal working etc all requiring manual labour. The work force could often have an allowance of 20 to 24 pints of ale per day – this would have been quite a weak ale approximately 2.7% Alcohol and replaced the moisture lost during the strenuous working day. Debbie also spoke of the health issues created by the smog and water pollution from the heavy industry. Beer was safer to drink.

From the boardroom we were able to view the beer conditioning tanks below us before moving into the brewhouse. The malt store contained all bagged malt from Crisps – very pale barley malt, torrefied wheat, coloured malts and oats. There was no brewing, this being a Saturday but we were able to view the Porteous roller mill and wooden grist case followed by the copper masher and the now stainless steel wooden clad mash tun. A typical brew gives 36 barrels of finished beer. The ancient boiling copper is still used and is cleaned manually. Hops are vacuum packed Fuggle leaf hop for most brews with some aromatic US grown hops for special more modern beers.

We continued down the very step wooden stairs to the ground floor where the hop back stands next to the paraflow wort cooler. The cooled wort is then transferred to the open fermenting squares where the Holdens yeast is added. Rounding up our group and retrieving the stragglers we then proceeded to the cask and keg racking area before returning to the bar. Here we were treated to four ‘sticks’ or third pints of a range of Holdens beers staring with mild and working through Golden Glow to Special.

These great beers accompanied our lunch of cheese and onion roll, pork pie, black pudding and home made pickle. As well as this treat Debbie arranged a goody bag for each person – this contained a half pint beer mug and a bottles beer of a beer of our choice. Many of us, not surprisingly chose the Old Ale at 7.2%. All agreed that Debbie had been an excellent guide over the almost three hours and we had all learnt a lot about the Black Country and Holden's Brewery Ltd.

The Chairman presented Debbie with a certificate the thank her and Holden's Brewery Ltd and to mark our visit.

Photographs courtesy of Mick Connors

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