In 1967, a section of the River Derwent, in County Durham, was stopped by a dam and the land stretching three miles above it was flooded. There were six buildings submerged in the project: In the great scheme of things, six buildings seems no great loss; excepting that the farm had also formerly been a tiny pub called The Woodcock, owned by James Thornycroft, who was famous up and down dale for his old-fashioned beer. The beer didnt have a name. When quizzed on the great ale in later years, 81-year-old Martin Mass said he remembered the taste perfectly, but doesnt remember it having a proper name. It was just beer, man, he said, as if to ask its name was an affront to its brewer. Old ale, he told the reporter from the Evening Chronicle in 1992 after a good deal of coaxing. Old-fashioned ale. You didnt need more than two pints, you didnt want more. Two was very sufficient. You cant get it anywhere these days. Martin was the last of the Woodcock regulars and he went to his reward just weeks after the interview. Knowing that I have a somewhat keen interest in beer making, the reporter passed along his notes to me and I have since complimented them with an extraordinary find that makes this work possible. On a hunch, I contacted an elderly lady named Parsons who lived in the village of Edmundbyers; hard across the reservoir from where the Woodcock would have stood. Mrs. Parsons had a little book she had found among her fathers things when he had died in 1956. And the little book once belonged to James Thornycroft. And the little book contains a collection of esoteric notes on cow-keeping, cheese manufacture, stone wall repair and on beer making, including, I believe, the original recipe for the farmhouse old-fashioned ale beloved of those 3 long dead devotees of the Woodcock. In his flowing hand, in a red-hue that looks more like elderberry juice than ink, James has recorded a good deal of brewing lore that will allow the resurrection of not just one, but several fine old ales and barley wines, although nowhere does it mention them by those names. Nor do they have a cute brand name like Thornycrofts Sparkling Ale, nor even stylistic denominations such as Bitter or Mild. Like so many of his generation, James took for granted that whomever used his notes (if indeed they were ever intended for any other than himself) would be versed in the craft and perfectly familiar with standard quantities, mashing temperatures, cellarmanship, gyling and such. If you are not so familiar with those terms, fear not, for that information has been fleshed out and modernised.