Raising The Standard

I pulled the first pint in the Royal Standard in Derby last week. At a time when pubs are shutting up shop at an alarming rate, it was good to do the honours in a community local that has been saved from the demolition squad.

The wedge-shaped, brownstone building stands on a corner of Derwent Street. It's in the heart of a major redevelopment area and the local authority's attitude was simple: "We'll knock it down". It wasn't a case of cultural vandalism, as the pub had ceased to trade in 2006. But it would have meant that a vital local amenity would have been lost when new apartments and offices are built.

The knight in shining armour who saved the pub is Trevor Harris, who also owns a local micro-brewery, the Derby Brewing Company. Trevor is a stalwart of beer, brewing and pub-running in the city. I first got to know him when he owned the celebrated Brunswick Inn near Derby station. The inn, part of a group of Victorian cottages built for railway workers, had a brewery on the premises and such was the joy of Trevor's beers that people from all over the country used the rail network to visit the Brunswick.

When Everard's bought the Brunswick in 2002, Trevor moved on. There was no ill will: it was just that Trevor prefers to be his own man. Two years later, he launched the Derby Brewing Company and it's now a successful, thriving and expanding business, yet another example of how the cask beer sector is bucking the trend of overall decline.

Compared to the small, cramped brewery at the Brunswick, Trevor's new site, on the inevitable industrial estate, is spacious, with a mezzanine floor holding sacks of malt and hops alongside a malt mill and tanks for hot and cold water. Mash tun and copper on the ground floor supply three fermenters and such is the demand for his beers that Trevor plans to add two additional fermenters and to extend his cold store.

"I planned to brew once a week but now it's twice a week," he says. "When the new fermenters are installed, we'll increase production to 36 barrels a week and I'll need to take on a second brewer."

He supplies pubs in North Wales, Birmingham, Chester, Nottingham and Sheffield, as well as local trade in Derby. He is currently looking at the possibility of moving further south into Oxfordshire. Bottled versions of his beers Triple Hop, Business As Usual, Dashingly Dark and Old Intentional are on sale in 15 branches of Asda and 32 Tescos in the Midlands. "They agreed my price," he says firmly. "If they ever start demanding deep discounts, then I'll pull the beer out. There's no point in brewing for nothing."

The Royal Standard, also branded the Brewery Tap, is a brilliant shop window for Trevor's beers. He runs the company with his son Paul, who has a BA in business studies from Manchester Business School and also spent a year with Coors. The pub dates from 1862 and its name comes from the fact that it was allowed to fly the sovereign's flag. It's even reputed that Queen Victoria once enjoyed a drink there on a visit to Derby. The pub was closed for two years and it was in a bad state of neglect. Trevor and Paul have spent an eye-watering 100,000 renovating the site. (Left: Trevor Harris and his son Paul outside the boarded-up Royal Standard early in 2008).

Work has included sandblasting walls to reveal the original brick and stone, and restoring attractive stained-glass windows. It has two bars, a courtyard and a balcony with fine views of the River Derwent flowing a few yards away.

As well as his own beers, Trevor sells a good range of classic ales and lagers from other countries. The wine list is impressive while food is beautifully presented pub classics, such as fish and chips in beer batter and Cumberland sausages and mash, all from locally-sourced ingredients.

It's an impressive and delightful pub serving good ale and tucker. As a passionate and devoted supporter of Derby County football club, Trevor knows only too well that life has its downs as well as its ups. But I suspect the Royal Standard will be in the pub equivalent of the Premiership for many years to come.