(Charles) Wells Brewery :
Bombardier English Premium Ale
It was the course of True Love that brought us the many beers of the Charles Wells Brewery that we enjoy today. As the story goes, back in the mid-1800s, Charles Wells was in the Navy, a man of the sea, and was doing quite well in his chosen profession, so much so that he was promoted to the rank of Chief Officer - a ship's captain - in 1868. Charles had long been courting a Miss Josephine Grimbley, and now that he was a man of some position in his trade, he decided it was time for the two to be married. "Not so fast," said Miss Grimbley's father. His daughter would not marry of man of the sea, a sailor that would be married more to the oceans than to his daughter.
Here in North America Charles Wells beers are sold under the name Wells. Bombardier English Premium Ale is variously noted as an English Bitter or an Extra Special Bitter. One reviewer, who certainly liked it, described Wells Bombardier Ale as, "English, ever reliable and damned tasty." Bang on - I heartily agree!
So here is the scoop - in Old French the word "Bombarde" meant a soldier who is in charge of a "Bombard" or a cannon. In the mid-1500s, the word Bombarde was morphed into the Old English word Bombardier, also meaning one who operated a cannon. These military men, who served in the artillery, were also known as artilleriests and more familiarly as cannon cockers. With the advent of airborne bombers, this word was applied to the fellow in the nose of the bomber who aimed the bombs. Actually, regarding the aviation application of the word, in American English the word bombardier has long been in use, whereas in England English the term "bomb aimer" tends to be the norm. So, the question: Is Well Bombardier English Premium Ale named for a groundling cannon cocker or an airborne bomb aimer?
The answer is - and this is straight from the great folks at Charles Wells - the former. At least two generations of the Wells family served in the Royal Artillery, and thus the title for their Premium English Ale. Thanks Wells folk, keep up the great work. Cheers!
Charles Wells had to make a decision, and in the end True Love prevailed. Charles left his nautical trade and settled down to a life ashore, in Bedford, England. In 1876, he bought the struggling Horne Lane Brewery, located on the banks of the River Ouse, at auction for the sum of 16,700 pounds, a purchase that included some 35 tied public houses. The next one hundred years saw the Charles Wells brewing concern grow and prosper. Production was rarely seen to wane, smaller breweries were added to the fold, and the number of tied pubs increase on a regular basis. As if to cap this first one hundred years in business, in 1976 a new brewery was opened, still in the town of Bedford. All this time, the business stayed within the several generations of the Wells family.
More recently, under the Charles Wells Ltd banner, the company has expanded into various, albeit related, endeavors. In addition to the UK-based pub business there is Charles Wells France, which runs a number of pubs on the Continent under the name John Bull Pub Company. Charles Wells has been a license brewer of the Japanese Kirin beer, as well as an importer of Spanish Estrella Damm beer. In the mid-2000s, the long established London-based Young brand of beer was brought in - for a time the company was know as Wells and Young's Brewing Company - later the Courage range was added to the group, while in 2011 the Scottish brands McEwan's and Younger's were acquired, all under the Charles Wells banner. Further afield, Charles Wells made a substantial foray into the wine trade with their Cockburn and Campbell Wine Merchants.
Anyway, back to the Charles Wells beer - the company is still a family run business. Regarding their signature beers brewed at the Havelock Street Brewery in Bedford, they still use a well that was sunk in 1910 on the Foster Hill Road. For us North Americans, Charles Wells does import at least a handful of their over 30 varieties of beer to this side of the Atlantic. I have found a few, and am always on the look out for more.