Hertfordshire Ale tapped at Parliament’s Strangers’ Bar

One of Hertfordshire’s best-selling ales has been served at Strangers’ Bar in the Houses of Parliament, with MPs raising glasses to the local brew.
Side Pocket for a Toad, Tring Brewery’s flagship beer, was nominated through the parliamentary Guest Beer initiative by Victoria Collins, MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted.

As part of the nomination, Tring Brewery beer sommelier Jared Ward was invited to Parliament for a tour of Westminster, and a tipple of ‘Toad’ at Strangers’ Bar - Parliament’s private pub.

Named according to Tring Brewery’s theme of local legend, Side Pocket for a Toad takes its’ title from an old-Hertfordshire saying which alludes to a sense of uselessness, akin to a ‘chocolate tea pot’. Far from useless as a beverage, ‘Side Pocket’ celebrated a quarter-century of brewing last year and was proclaimed ‘Hertfordshire Beer of the Year’ at the St. Albans Beer and Cider Festival in November.

Jared Ward, beer sommelier at Tring Brewery, commented on the occasion: “To have Side Pocket for a Toad nominated for service at Westminster is truly historic. What started as an unconventional name and playful mascot twenty-five years ago, soon morphed into the brewery’s champion ale and remains top of the pack after all these years.

We’d like to thank Victoria Collins for her work in getting Tring ale into Strangers Bar. We relished the opportunity to tour the hallowed halls and chambers, and to prop up the bar at one the country’s most exclusive pubs. To have our local representative give us this platform is a very special moment indeed for Tring Brewery.”

Victoria Collins, LibDem MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, remarked: “It has been great to be able to champion a brewery within the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency in Tring Brewery. It was such fun to pour a pint of Side Pocket for a Toad in Strangers’ Bar. Here’s to supporting local.”

Tring Brewery’s parliamentary visit comes at a time when conversations in the beer industry are dominated by discussions concerning on-trade VAT relief, Market Access Review for independent brewers and consideration for Cask Beer to recognised as an asset of Intangible Cultural Heritage - with each topic raised by Jared at Strangers’ Bar.

Though the Tring Brewery’s visit to the Houses of Parliament has concluded, Side Pocket for a Toad will continue to be served at Strangers’ Bar in weeks to come, with cellars stocked with four more casks of ‘Hertfordshire gold’.

Here’s to local ale poured at the heart of Westminster. Cheers!