Old Tom: 125 years of Robinsons’ award-winning ale

At 125 years of age, Old Tom – Robinsons’ award-winning ale – is lively and well, and purring beautifully. The legendary beer, created in 1899, was named after the brewery cat by head brewer Alfred (Fred) Munton, and stays true to the original recipe.

The story begins in 1827 with William Robinson, landlord of the Unicorn Inn of Stockport, which evolved into the Unicorn Brewery supplying and acquiring pubs in and around the town and throughout the North West.

Today, Robinsons has more than 240 pubs, inns and hotels across the North West.

Robinsons Brewery 125th anniversary. Image: Kurt Thomas Old Tom is brewed in 60-barrel batches, which equates to 36 gallons per barrel or 288 pints, so each brew produces 17,280 pints. Once the beer has been brewed, it is cooled and transferred to open fermentation tanks and carefully monitored at around 22°C for seven days before being shipped to the packaging centre in Bredbury.

The multi-award-winner has been described as ‘dangerously drinkable’ and over the years there have been variants including Young Tom, Chocolate Tom, Blonde Tom and Ginger Tom.

The 125th birthday was celebrated on November 2 with a new Old Tom bottle design and plenty of festivities, including the return of return of Old Tom on Cask at selected at Robinsons, Titanic and Kirkstall Brewery pubs

Robinsons Brewery 125th anniversary. Image: Kurt Thomas Old Tom is available at selected Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, ASDA, Booths and Co-op stores across the UK.. Robinsons Unicorn Brewery, Lower Hillgate, Stockport SK1 1JJ, robinsonsbrewery.com