John Young RIP

Mr John, as he was known at Young's of Wandsworth was the great-great-grandson of Charles Allen Young, one of two businessmen who took over the 16th-century Ram Brewery

in 1831.

John joined the company in 1954 after distinguished war service as a fighter pilot and a spell in merchant shipping. He married his Belgian wife Yvonne Lieutenant, to whom he only spoke French, in 1951 and they spent 51 happy years together.

He became chairman of the brewery in 1962 and quickly became known for his innovative, if sometimes eccentric, approach to business.

The company's annual meetings became lavish and legendary events with the chairman wearing such trappings as boxing gloves or a beekeeper's hat to emphasise a specific point.

His most successful brainwave was a decision, against all contemporary trends and advice, to promote traditional draught beer instead of the keg beers that most brewers were heavily supporting in the 1960s.

The ploy paid off and Young's sales rocketed well before the foundation of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) in 1971.

Young, a firm believer in employee participation in the business, also established the country's first profit-sharing trusts, pioneered family-friendly pubs and set up a Beer Squad to deliver Young's ales to people's homes.

He was made a CBE in 1975 for his work in brewing and charity which included being a member of the board of the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases (later the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery) in Bloomsbury.

In recent years, he had been much concerned by the unpalatable fact that the Ram Brewery, which is the oldest in Britain, was woefully inefficient and holding back the company's overall profitability. After a lengthy feasibility study, begun in 2003, it was announced in May this year that the site was to be sold for redevelopment and that brewing would be transferred to a new company in Bedford, owned jointly by Young's and Charles Wells, the Bedford brewers.

He had insisted throughout that when it came to the crunch, his head would rule his heart, but his support for the closure of a brewery that had been in production on the same site since 1581 was tinged with great sadness. Poignantly, his death came in the week when Young's beers are being brewed for the last time at Wandsworth, though Young's will continue as an independent public limited company, running more than 220 pubs in the south.

John Young leaves a son, James, who is deputy chairman of Young's, and a daughter, Ilse, who lives in the USA. His wife Yvonne died in 2002.

l The full obituary can be found on the MA's website morningadvertiser.co.uk.

Tributes to John Young

Pat Read

Young's former chief executive

"John was the most generous and caring man who led the revival in the interests of real ale in the '60s at a time when most brewers were going over to "gassy beer" as he called it. He was passionately interested in people and their families especially in his employees in the brewery and pubs. There was never a dull moment working with John. I had 35 years of fun and excitement. He was quite unique. A one-off."

Stephen Goodyear

Young's chief executive

"We are all very sad to hear of the death of John Young after such a long battle against cancer. He was both a great leader and a marvellous character who was a source of inspiration to everyone who knew him or worked with him."

Michael Turner

Fuller's chief executive

"It is the end of an era not just for Young's but the industry as a whole. He was charming, caring and generous and did so much for real ale and traditional breweries. He was a talisman for Young's and our industry. I remember when he was hosting a meeting of the Family Brewers at Young's about the beer tie and he stood up on a small chair. He had his leg in plaster but he carried on giving the full lecture on his chair swaying around while everyone else hovered about waiting to catch him. It epitomised his passion for the industry."

Roger Protz

Beer writer

"You were always aware you were in the presence of someone special but at the same time he wasn't intimidating, just very down to earth. He was one of those amazing blokes that if perhaps you had not seen him for six months or a year he would talk to you as if he had seen you the day before. He was an iconic figure. When everyone was going over to keg beer he stood in Wandsworth, raised his flag and said no. He stuck to what he was good at - brewing good quality beers for the local community. He convinced many small brewers to not simply ape what the nationals were doing. I hope Young's drinkers raise a pint to him as without him, the brewery would have disappeared 30 years ago with so many others."

Mike Benner

Camra chief executive

"It is very sad news. It is really difficult to find someone who contributed so much to British beer and pubs as he did. He was a true ambassador for real ale. Even in the '60s when everyone was turning to keg beer he stuck to his guns. Anyone who knew him will remember his incredible charisma and warmth. His is a name synonymous with real ale."

Simon Loftus

Former Adnams chairman

"He was a colourful character and a terrific guy. I am glad in a way he died while Young's was still being brewed at Wandsworth and there is a sad symbolism in the coincidence of his death and the change (to brew at Bedford). Everyone must have felt that he only agreed to the move through gritted teeth no matter what the commercial necessity. It must have saddened him immensely. When I first joined Adnams 40 years ago I remember visiting Young's. There was a kind of madness going on there - it was like a farmyard with horses and all sorts of other animals. It was terrific to see and part of his personality. I am extremely sad. It is very hard to find someone like him in the business world now."

Roy Bolter

Trading director Scottish & Newcastle

"He was a real character who would hold court with anyone. Every time he went on holiday he used to inform the palace he was out of the country. He always got a reply from the Queen's secretary too!"

Michael Hardman

Young's PR director

"His style was a charismatic mixture of autocracy and benevolence. Even in his old age, his brain was razor sharp and he had a forensic eye and ear for detail. His generosity was unparalleled. He made large donations to deserving causes and was the saviour of many an employee or friend down on his luck. He sent out, or personally delivered in the case of Young's publicans, more than 2,000 Christmas cards every year and would never forget the birthday of loyal employees."