Book Review – ‘The Firkin Saga’ by David Bruce
Back in 2001 I was enjoying breakfast with pub wizard David Bruce at Simpson’s on the Strand when he told me about his latest venture the Capital Pub Company that was fundraising at the time. But he deterred me from investing a few quid in it because as an impoverished journalist I would not benefit from the tax perks given to high-rate tax payers.
Needless to say it was a massive success and I’d have been well in the money without any tax breaks. Thanks very much David! This aside, I’ve lots to thank David Bruce for. Along with all other beer drinkers and pub goers we owe him a debt of gratitude for his serious contribution to the industry.
Just how much is evident in his new book, ‘The Firkin Saga – Brewing up entrepreneurial adventures and pioneering tales with the Prince of Ales’, (published by Right Book Press in July) in which he runs through his myriad achievements. As with all David’s tales he tells it with great humour. He is a master of mixing business with fun/pleasure and this makes the book a great read.
He takes the reader right through from the early days when he had the radical idea to open a brewpub in South London. Everyone tells him it’s a sure-fire way to lose money but he ignores the naysayers and the Goose & Firkin proves an immediate runaway success. More Firkins follow and the puns come thick-and-fast.
The impact of this chain was felt throughout not only the UK but also in the US. In 1982 he did a presentation at the American Homebrewers Association’s Conference in Boulder, Colorado when he told them that he’d done four brewpubs in London and just brewed on-site and sold straight to the customers. These homebrewers could not believe it – beer straight from the brewery to the bar!
It’s a rip-roaring read as he takes the reader on the entertaining Firkin journey. The book then moves into part two and his post-Firkin adventures are brought to life. In 1992 he returned to the US having sold off the Firkin chain in 1988 for £6.6 million, which left him with £4.6 million after paying off the loans, and he recognised that craft brewing was really taking off. He was an original investor in Brooklyn Brewery among others that would contribute greatly to defining the brewing scene in the US.
Other UK ventures followed including the Capital Pub Company that proved to be a winner for David and his partner in the business Clive Watson. Various City Pub Companies then followed. Alongside his influential pub activities David has also been incredibly proactive on the charitable front notably his great work with the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust.
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable canter through the life and times of David Bruce who is a swashbuckling type of business adventurer. If there were more people like David then not only would the pub sector be a much more entertaining place but so would the world.
Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider