(Produced for Ales & Tales) Name: Emily Sadler
Age: 26
Occupation: Manager of The Windsor Castle Inn
- What was your first drink?
Well the first drink worth talking about that I tried was Sadler’s Jack’s Pale Ale of course! The first batch my dad and brother brewed together in 2004. It was such an exciting experience to taste this real ale that was historically brewed 104 years previous by my great grand father in Oldbury where the original Sadler’s brewery had opened. From that first taste of real ale I was hooked and in fact JPA, as the ale is now called, is still my favourite! Perhaps it is the combination of its citrus, refreshingly zesty flavours plus a little good old-fashioned sentiment that makes this beer so great.
- What are your hobbies and interests?
Outside of work I enjoy going out for nice meals with friends and family, hunting for fabulous real ale pubs! I like to get out into the countryside when I can – I recently went camping with my boyfriend Gareth in Wales, that was fantastic. We went up the Black Mountains, which was breathtaking on a sunny day, we could see for miles! We also found some excellent real ale & cider pubs in Leominster & Hay on Wye. I also enjoy chilling out after a busy day at The Windsor by reading, listening to music; I even enjoy doing a spot of cooking too! I love going to concerts/festivals when I can but it’s sometimes difficult to find the time. I’m off to Worcester beer festival this week and obviously next week we’ve got the Black Country Beer Festival that I’m really looking forward to – fingers crossed for sunshine this year! :)
- What is your favourite beer?
Ooh there is just so many to chose from… as I mentioned earlier JPA has got to be my all time favourite but also I am loving Sadler’s Hop Bomb at the moment so refreshing and packed full of flavour! It’s quite strong for me at 5% but I’m partial to a swift half after work.
- What is your favourite:
-Food?
Chinese, Dim Sum, Seafood, Sadler’s beer battered Fish & chips! Mmm!
-Drink that's not Real Ale?
My dad has just started making home made ginger beer (Grandpa Sadler’s Ginger Beer) that we’re selling at The Windsor Castle at the moment– it tastes sooo good! It's so gingery it knocks your socks off! It has a delicious spiced flavour to it; really refreshing too, it’s definitely worth a taste!
-Music?
I like all types, genres and eras of music – I do love the old classics! I like playing a mixture of folk, blues, jazz music at The Windsor – I love playing the new album by Hugh Laurie at the moment- he plays a mixture of piano and acoustic guitar covering a great mixture of blues classics, everyone really seems to enjoy it – it’s toe tappingly good!
- How did you get started in the trade?
I had always worked in pubs and restaurants part time and thoroughly enjoyed it so when we got permission to convert part of our premises in Lye into a Tap House beside the brewery I was thrilled! Once I had finished my degree in Birmingham I joined the family business, moved in to the pub and have ran The Windsor Castle ever since. I really enjoy working in the trade – it can be a lot of hard work at times but it's really rewarding especially when customers return time after time and enjoy and appreciate the great home made food, real ale and I’d like to think excellent service we provide. I love the buzz of a heavingly busy Saturday night!
- What's the history of your pub?
The Windsor Castle Inn, Lye is historically named after the Sadler’s Tap House in Oldbury, which my Great Grandfather owned and first opened in 1900 beside The Windsor Castle Brewery. Although brewing ended here in 1927, my Grandfather John Caleb Nathaniel (known as Jack) was bought up in the brew house and passed on his passion and knowledge of brewing. Once we had re-started the brewery in 2004 we decided to not only sell to the trade but also through our own off license on site so that people could come and buy a few pints of Sadler’s ale to take home with them or take to one of the local curry houses. The ball started to roll from here and our thoughts of opening a Tap House began to grow. So in April 2006, after a lot of hard work converting and reinventing what was Sadler Print, the premises was transformed and The Windsor Castle Inn, Sadler’s Tap House was opened. We have just celebrated our 5th Birthday!
- What are your aspirations for the business?
We have just gained permission to convert the flat above The Windsor Castle into three letting rooms. Changing the Tap House into a B & B is really exciting – I want to develop the flat into three high-class bedrooms for our customers to stay and relax in in our lovely pub. Our “Brew a Beer Days” have taken off and we have a lot of people visiting us from all over the country it will be great to offer them a place to stay with a hearty Windsor Castle breakfast in the morning! I plan on opening the pub for breakfast to everyone not just our over night guests
I hope to continue our growth and popularity, continually improving our service and products. We aim to grow as a business and expand where possible; it would be fantastic to win awards, find a second pub and do it all over again!
- What's the best and worst thing to happen in the industry in the last 5 years?
-Best
The appreciation for real ale and real food! The popularity of real ale has increased dramatically over the past few years and we are all very much more aware of the importance of knowing where are food comes from, that it is locally sourced, that the quality is high, and that it is home made! This increased awareness and appreciation has contributed to our success and popularity.
-Worst
The increasingly high beer duty and VAT is the worst thing to happen to the industry. Prices are soaring making it difficult for customers and publicans alike & the number of pubs that have closed over the last 5 years!
- How do you feel CAMRA could help you in your business?
By providing your continued support, awarding our hard work and successes where possible, advertising our pub and brewery, advising other local CAMRA groups from around the Midlands and the Country to give us a try, supporting our beer festivals and events. Keep up the good work in raising awareness for the most fantastic drink that is real ale!
- Which is your favourite pub? (Can be anywhere in the country as long as you don't own it)
My favourite pub for location and quality of food is The Ferry Boat Inn, Helford. It is located in the most idyllic spot situated on the waterfront of Helford Passage near Falmouth in Cornwall. You can sit outside on a sunny day right on the sea front eating and drinking local produce. All their seafood comes from local fishermen and their oysters and shellfish come from the river the pub is situated on – Lovely! Obviously I can’t pop there any time I fancy so day to day I like all pubs that stock a great range of real ales, ciders and interesting local drinks and produce; pubs that make an effort to stand out, be a bit different and stock and look after real ale!
