Barnard: The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland

A public brewery in the 18th century

A public brewery in the 18th century. Illustration taken from Volume 1 of Barnard's Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland.

A public brewery in the 18th century

A public brewery in the 18th century

A public brewery in the 18th century. Illustration taken from Volume 1 of Barnard's Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland.

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Having completed research on the Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom, Alfred Barnard was prompted to make a similar tour around the breweries of Great Britain and Ireland. Over the course of two years (1889-1891), he visited establishments in England, Ireland and Scotland. 

His aims in the books are to educate the reader on the manufacture of beer and also to make known the history of some of the most well known brewers, such as Guinness. 

The first two volumes are concerned with the larger breweries, while the in the third volume the author deals with smaller breweries. He points out that  these smaller breweries are just as interesting as the larger ones, due to the antiquity or fame of the brewery or to the character of their beer. The fourth volume continues with the theme of smaller breweries and what they have to offer. 

Born in 1837, Barnard grew up to become a grocer in Kensington. Later, as secretary of Harper's Weekly Gazette, he visited 162 distilleries; 129 in Scotland, 29 in Ireland and 4 in England between 1885-1887 to create his Whisky work. He died in Croydon, South London in 1918, aged 81.