IT’S NO secret that Reading is proud of its bus network. Coloured routes, frequent services, USB charging, and … well, they keep us moving. Now, there’s a chance to toast them with their own beer.
Thanks to Tilehurst-based brewers Double-Barelled Brewery, Reading Buses is able to celebrate the launch of The Number Seventeen, a brand-new pale ale.
To mark the first cans out of the brewery, the team from Double-Barelled headed to Reading Buses’ Great Knollys Street base last week to let Number Seventeen meet its purple numbersake.
No drivers were harmed during the making of the picture … they had to wait until their shift had finished before they could sample any.
Reading Buses marketing manager Jake Osman said: “Beer connoisseurs will find it a great taste and they can enjoy a can of The Number Seventeen at the Double-Barrelled Brewery tap room before catching the purple 17 bus home – you drink, we drive.
“Our purple 17 has been running along the Wokingham Road to Tilehurst route for around 100 years, including its incarnation using trolley buses, and has become an iconic element of the town.
“So it is no surprise that Double-Barrelled have opted to use it for their latest offering, especially as the bus runs a short walk away from their taproom.”
He added: “The buses have evolved lots in that time, they now run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and have been at the forefront of convincing more people to choose public transport and try and keep the air clean in the town.
“We can honestly say that we are thrilled that a local brewery has recognised our most loved and well-used route by naming the beer after it.
“Who knows, maybe this will be the start of a Reading Buses network of beers from local breweries.”
And Luci Clayton-Jones, managing director of Double-Barrelled Brewery: “We are so excited to share our new pale ale The Number Seventeen with the people of Reading.
“We love being a local family owned business and wanted this beer to be a fitting tribute to a real slice of the Ding’s popular culture.
“Whether your regular is the 17, the pink 24 or if you’re riding the leopard from afar, we’ve all relied on the fab Reading Buses at some point – keeping Reading moving.”
The beer can be ordered from
