COLLECTING BREWERIANA

Breweriana is another one of the more recent collecting trends. Collectors of breweriana seek absolutely anything and everything related to breweries, both old and new. Many will specialise in collecting items from bygone breweries. Some will collect only from one particular brewery .One of the most famous breweries of all has got its own dedicated band of collectors and they even have their own name for their obsession - Guinnessiana. Yes, Guinness collectors do not like to be Guinnless for long.

Items collected include beer labels, beer bottles, pump clips, beer mats, old advertising signs and cards, brewery billheads, jugs, glasses, playing cards, water jugs, even pub furniture including old pub mirrors.Most important though is the fact that the brewery name must be on the items collected. Some collectors go to great lengths in pursuit of their hobby and amass volumes of material. One collector of beer bottle labels has over 25,000 of them ! It is not unknown for collectors to create their own bars or mini-bars in their own homes and this is an excellent way of both displaying and using a collection. Many breweriana collectors become interested in brewery history. It is a sad fact that so many UK breweries have closed, and continue to close since the second world war. However, it is possible to research and collect items from these vanished breweries, which certainly adds a little spice to the hunt ! Few UK collectors will include material from overseas with the exception of Guinness - like most types of UK collectors, they are very insular.

Breweriana can be found at most antique and collectors fairs. Specialist collectors fairs are a good hunting ground too. There are several associations which relate to this area of collecting and we have provided the information we have below.

Association of Bottled Beer Collectors - for those collectors who like their beer bottles to be full and still labelled !

The Brewery History Society - organises brewery tours, informative newsletter with many articles about vanished breweries. Good bookshop - I will give you the contact name for this and you can then find the society address - Paul Travis, Long High Top, Heptonstall, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. HX7 7PF

There is also a LABOLOGISTS society for collectors of labels - mostly beer labels. Believe there is also a BEER MAT society. More details here when I have them. If you know of any other breweriana related clubs or societies please let me know !