Muddy Wellies Ale at the RAC

When we were invited by Simon Corpe, the Chairman of Royal Agricultural College Entrepreneurs (RACE), to come to the college and have a taste of their new student-branded beer we couldn’t refuse…one, because we were intrigued to know what it would taste like, two, because much of this trip has been focussed on rural entrepreneurs and it’s good to see what’s being done at university level and, three, because we were really intrigued to know what the college was like!

Parked up outside the main building

Established in 1845 and steeped in history and tradition, the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, is a one-campus university college offering education and training for the agricultural, land, food business, equine and property industries. RACE is a business club set up and run by the students for the students, helping them develop new ideas and skills with a view to creating “the entrepreneurs of tomorrow”. It is open to any RAC student interested in running their own business, or wishing to find out more about entrepreneurship and offers members the opportunity to meet some of the country’s top business people, attend workshops and take part in competitions such as The Grand Idea, which boasts a top prize of £10,000.

Earlier this year, RACE launched Muddy Wellies Ale, a micro-enterprise run entirely by the students. The beer is produced locally by a micro brewery but was selected by the students (after many tasting sessions no doubt!), and the whole brand is developed and managed completely by them. The first student-branded beer of its kind, it is actually very nice and seems to be very popular amongst their peers. It is only sold on campus at the moment, but is soon to be sold locally in pubs as part of the Gloucester Ale Trail and, subject to it being bottled, may soon be stocked in their local Waitrose!

We were really impressed by what they are doing, both with RACE and their Muddy Wellies Ale. If they carry on as they are, it will no doubt go from strength to strength, so look out for Muddy Wellies next time you are in a Gloucestershire pub!

For more information about Muddy Wellies Ale or RACE, please email race@rac.ac.uk.