Barrel tap

Y2006.4.41

Barrel tap, brass

What is it?

A barrel tap related to Boddington’s Brewery.

Background History

Boddingtons originated from Strangeways Brewery, which was believed to have been founded by grain merchants Thomas Caister and Thomas Frain in 1778. Henry Boddington arrived at the brewery in 1832 to work as a travelling salesman for the company, but in 1850s borrowed the money to become the sole proprietor. It was a wise investment. Manchester was growing into the world’s leading industrial city, with thousands of thirsty workers living in often unsanitary conditions. The alcohol content of beer killed germs in the liquid, which meant it was often safer than drinking water in the past. By 1877, Boddingtons had grown to become the biggest brewery in Manchester. At this time, they were producing more than 100,000 barrels of beer a year.

The brewery was bombed during World War Two, but after the war Boddingtons undertook a major construction programme to modernise the Brewery. Members of the Boddington family continued to run the brewery until 1989, when the business was purchased by the Whitbread Beer Company. Boddingtons were producing 600,000 barrels a year by 1994, by which time the beer was as ‘the Cream of Manchester’ because of its creaminess. However, Whitbread were sold in 2000 to Interbrew who decided to close Strangeways in 2005 after 227 years of brewing. Today you can still buy Boddingtons, but it isn’t made in Manchester.

This tap is of the type used with cask beer, a type of traditional ‘real ale’. The cask is laid on its side, the centre tube is hammered into a hole in the end of the beer cask, then a spout is attached for each tap. Rather than being pumped the beer simply flows out due to gravity.