PULLING PINTS

Everything about McMullen’s (or Mac’s as it’s more familiarly known) has an endearing charm. Quite apart from the intoxicating aromas that permeate the characterful old buildings, the company has the air of a traditional company founded on decadeslong business methods – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

The distribution department, of course, is the main focus for DAF Driver and, despite the old-school feel of the place, Mac’s has embraced the latest technology, most

evidently seen out on the road in the shape of DAF and Volvo 18-tonne drays, including the two latest trucks – a DAF LF 230 and an LF 180. The 230hp unit was at our disposal for the day, chaperoned by

A visit to McMullen & Sons is nothing short of a delight. The brewery and pub chain is steeped in history, with its 190-year-old home in Hertford offering many insights into the growth of a true family business

Words: Ronnie Hitchens

Photographs: Karl Hopkinson

distribution and warehouse manager, Dave Valentine.

DAF front and centre

“I just really, really like the DAFs,” admits Valentine. “They’re easy to drive and exceptionally easy to maintain. The mirrors are excellent – it’s the little things that you notice.” Valentine was put in contact with DAF dealer Harris DAF in Waltham Cross in 2018, where a 12-tonne LF was procured. “Russell [Rackham] put together the spec. I was impressed with the process and the finished product was great – it was my first procurement project with Mac’s and DAF was there, front and centre,” he recalls.

“Harris DAF’s service levels are excellent. I remember taking out a DAF recently, which had developed a knock on full-lock. The Harris technician who was with me

Dave Valentine, distribution and warehouse manager

Danny Mckeown, team leader

identified the problem and fixed it there and then. They even fix bodywork issues. We’re treated as though we’re the most important customer at the dealer.”

Stop start stop start

The latest DAF LFs are both returning between 14 and 15mpg, which Valentine says is “an excellent performance on intensive stop-start work” and also shows an improvement on the admittedly older Volvos on the fleet, which yield between 11 and 12mpg. Despite the small fleet, that’s quite a saving over the course of 30,000km a year. The Volvos aren’t the oldest on the fleet, however. That honour goes to a 1932 Sentinel SC4 coalfired classic. It still works too, acting as a mobile bar at a number of local shows and functions.

Bodybuilder Kurt Hobbs in Kettering supplied the bespoke dray equipment, including ‘skid’ gear which is stowed beneath the body and Fergus McMullen, production and sales director

deployed during deliveries, to allow products to slide down directly into cellars.

Based at Mac’s Brewery in Hertford, the fleet of seven trucks services 129 pubs in both London and the Home Counties, over the course of a five-day week. The operation is intensive and is reliant on experienced drivers – some with 30 years on the job – with their encyclopaedic knowledge of routes, pubs, landlords and even the pub-cellars. Drivers are on a four-week rota with each completing two routes a day. There are eight routes with two-man crews unloading and reloading trucks every day. To combat high volumes of traffic, deliveries to London pubs start at the crack of dawn – if not earlier. Valentine himself is in

most mornings at 5.30am to download orders, “I just like to get on top of things as soon as possible,” he says.

Knowing the job

With a good percentage of pubs based inside the M25, the Mac’s transport operation is presented with plenty of compliance challenges. Thus far, the fleet is DVS-compliant with a one-star rating for all its trucks.

“Our drivers know their jobs intimately and they’re on first name terms with pub staff – they even know in

THE LATEST DAF LFS ARE BOTH RETURNING BETWEEN 14 AND 15MPG, WHICH VALENTINE SAYS IS “AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE ON INTENSIVE STOP-START WORK”

which order to throw the kegs down the skids according to each and every cellar,” says Valentine. “Their knowledge of routes in and out London rivals any cabbie too. They know where the traffic buildups are likely to occur and how to avoid them – we don’t need telematics!

“One of our lads, Simon Kimpton, started in the warehouse 30 years ago. He’s on the drays now and his experience is priceless,” he continues. “You just can’t buy that knowledge. When a problem crops-up out on deliveries – and, believe me, they do – it’s the crews that sort it out, whatever the issue. Happily, I only know there’s been a problem after it’s been dealt with!”

Valentine also describes the many attributes of another long-service colleague; team leader, Danny Mckeown, who has racked-up a whopping 43-years. “Danny works closely with me and he’s a key person in the daily running of the dray and warehouse. He’s a joy to work with and, after 43 years at Mac’s, he’s still looking to learn new ways of running the operation to maximize efficiency.”

Men in white coats

Naturally, a trip to a brewery isn’t complete without a tour of the facilities! The guide is extremely knowledgeable (and rather scientific in appearance with his white overalls), head brewer, Chris Evans. This man is at the heart of the brewery, exacting precise control over temperature, clarity, colour, taste and time taken during each process.

Beer brewing comprises simply of malt, water, hops

Chris Evans, head brewer

and yeast. You mix it, stir it, boil it and wait for it to ferment. Evans though, introduces another couple of key constituents; passion and an intimate knowledge of local ingredients. The result

is a wide range of unique and distinctly flavoured real ales and beers that appeal to young and old alike. And it is the younger generation that is turning to Mac’s with the launch of the brewer’s trendy Rivertown brand 18 months ago; a range of kegged and bottled products.

Mac’s is undoubtedly doing something right, as indeed is the whole business. Impressive figures emerge from one of Mac’s most

ONE PUB IN LONDON RECEIVES 20 TONNES OF BEER EVERY WEEK IN THE LEAD-UP TO CHRISTMAS

popular pubs in London, The Nag’s Head in Covent Garden, over Christmas 2018, “In the run-up to Christmas, The Nag’s Head receives 20-tonnes of product every week.” That’s plenty of pints of beer – incidentally, Mac’s best-selling cask ale is McMullen AK”.

Two pins in a firkin

It’s necessary to explain the delightfully archaic units of measure that exist in the brewing business: we all know how much a pint is – whether that’s a pint of beer or milk – and there are eight pints in a ‘gallon’. At a typical brewery, 4.5 gallons would fill a ‘pin’, there are two pins in a ’firkin’, two firkins in a ‘kilderkin’ and two kilderkins in a ‘barrel’. A barrel, therefore, contains 288 pints.

At 190 years old, McMullen is rightly proud of its heritage and is able to trace its family tree right back to William McMullen, father to Peter McMullen who established the business in 1827. Peter had seven brothers and two sisters and went on to have nine children himself. Family members exist in the business today with Tom McMullen at the helm as joint managing director and Fergus as production and sales director (and former High Sherriff of Hertfordshire!).

While fantastic traditional breweries such as McMullen continue to thrive, the Great British pub looks set to remain as a national institution; and official figures have shown an increase in the number of UK pubs for the first time in a decade – 39,135 to the end of March 2019. We’ll drink to that!