All hail The Prince of Ales! Brewing legend David Bruce publishes memoir

David Bruce has enjoyed an extraordinary career as both an international entrepreneur and a philanthropist. After his early days in the world of beer at Courage and Theakston breweries, David struck out on his own, founding the eponymous Bruce’s Brewery and the first of its Firkin pubs in 1979. Following their sale in 1988, he not only co-founded and invested in several craft breweries across the globe, but also 11 new pub companies in the UK, as well as developing the Slug & Lettuce chain of bars. He also created The Bruce Trust and The Bruce Foundation to provide canal and motorhome holidays for disabled, disadvantaged or elderly. David was appointed an OBE in 2021 for his services to charity. Today sees the publication of his witty memoir The Firkin Saga: Brewing up entrepreneurial adventures and pioneering tales with the Prince of Ales.

KINTBURY villager David Bruce is a legend in brewing. The Prince of Ales.

His career has taken him from working as a humble brewer at Theakston’s Brewery to pioneering pub brewing in Britain with his Firkin pub chain and becoming a successful investor in craft breweries around the world.

He is credited with “putting personality back into pubs and making locals feel local”.

Now he has put pen to paper to produce his memoir The Firkin Saga, which is published today in hardback, paperback, ebook and audio-book formats.

It’s a fast-paced and instructive account of how he played a key role in the global craft beer revolution and earned his title Prince of Ales… or as he puts it “the business memoir of my roller-coaster, helter-skelter ride as an international brewing and pub entrepreneur”.

The world of David Bruce OBE is wildly entertaining.

The unconventional entrepreneur and legendary founder of Bruce’s Brewery and Firkin pubs brand, which took the brewing industry by storm, David shares nearly 50 years of beer, business and bold decisions; providing invaluable business lessons, from trusting your instincts to mastering the art of delegation, all told with the same wit, irreverence and generous splash of humour that made his pubs and beers memorable.

From pub brawls to boardroom battles, this memoir is packed with incredible stories that shine a light on to the brewing industry and the remarkable career of a highly-successful entrepreneur.

Along the way, David shares invaluable business lessons, many learned the hard way.

In 1979, David defied the odds, opening London’s first pub in a century to brew its own beer – The Goose & Firkin – and proving his doubters wrong.

What followed was a whirlwind of international ventures, charitable endeavours and a fair share of triumphs and setbacks.

Chapters span David’s life from 1958 to 2016 and include My first Firkin; How the Duke of York became a Goose; From early days to Old Peculier; Learning the hard way with punch-ups and pythons; The Goose spreads its wings; A Fox, a Frog and battles with bureaucracy; Fun runs, a busted nose and seeing red in Bristol; Booming pubs, a tax threat and brewing a Barbarian; Making tracks at Denmark Hill while the Balloon is going up; Battles with bureaucrats and other lowlifes; Skirmishes with squatters, losing directors and becoming a dad; and adventures in farm shops and vineyards.

Steve Hindy, co-founder of the Brooklyn Brewery, one of the famed Class of ’88 pioneers of the craft brewing movement, says: “David Bruce reached a generation and inspired a mood, and this book explains how he did it; imagination, determination and sheer hard work.”

If you love a great business adventure – or simply a good pint – this book is a real eye-opener.

So, grab a drink, settle in and say “cheers!” to a story that proves how success is best served with a small side of fun and mischief.

Among lessons learnt on his entrepreneurial journey?

“Follow your instincts and demonstrate your motivation to succeed. Thank goodness I ignored the gloomy advice of the City brewing and leisure analyst who scrawled across my business plan: ‘This project has absolutely no chance of succeeding and I suggest you abandon it immediately.’

“His negative views were shared by innumerable others, especially among the big brewers, but I was determined to prove them all wrong.

“My advice is to be the eternal optimist and have faith in your judgement.”

The Firkin Saga: Brewing up entrepreneurial adventures and pioneering tales with the Prince of Ales. ISBN 13: 978-1-915483-96-6

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