History of brewing museum set to open in Burton

Burton's brewing museum is back in business

Burton-on-Trent in East Staffordshire is set to become the home of the National Brewery Centre.

This national beer museum will be based at the site of the Coors Brewers visitor centre, formerly known as the Bass Museum.

Brewers Molson Coors originally closed the visitor attraction in 2008 saying they couldn't afford the running costs.

Its new owners, Planning Solutions Ltd, hope to have it up and running again by Easter 2010.

Molson Coors said the visitor centre had been costing them £1m a year, so decided to hand it over to a company that specialised in visitor attractions.

Planning Solutions Ltd have now taken over the site and insist they will update many of the existing features and include new technologies to help tell the story of brewing in Britain.

Coors said it would provide the buildings and artefacts at a peppercorn rent, along with £200,000 to help get the attraction running.

A family attraction

John Lowther - Chief Exec at Planning Solutions Ltd wants the new museum to appeal to families more, not just beer drinkers.

He thinks that his company's experience of running similar ventures will be the key to the centre's success.

"It's a question of core competencies, Coors and Bass before them were brewers and not visitor centre managers. That's what we do for a living."

Roger Protz, editor of the Good Beer Guide, was on the steering group set up to find someone to reopen the museum.

He says there was a period when he was wondering if it was ever going to open again.

But now Roger thinks the new venture is a good all-round solution and everyone has to get behind it.

Fascinating history of brewing

"Britain remains a great brewing nation. We've got the most fascinating history of brewing in this country and it's all going to be on show in the museum."

Burton has long been at the centre of Britain's brewing industry.

In 1777, William Bass started his own brewing business in Burton. One hundred years later Bass was producing more than 1 million barrels a year.

Coors bought Bass in 2002.