Brewer Dick Andrews, 64, is retiring from the Caledonian Brewery after more than 45 years of service.
Dick Andrews joined the brewery in 1962 and since then has played his own small part in quenching the thirst of drinkers in Edinburgh and beyond.
He was born on February 2, 1944 in Carrubbers Close, the youngest son of former mineworker and tiler
Archie Andrews and his wife Alexandra Ina.
Following his schooling at Stenhouse and then Carrick Vale, he went on to work at Pat Dawson's Sawmill on Easter Road.
However, a vacancy at the Caledonian Brewery came up two years later, and Mr Andrews was to begin a lifetime career at the famous Slateford Road establishment.
Mr Andrews, of Redhall Place, said: "My brother Archie worked there and he told me there was a vacancy. I've never looked back.
"It was very different back then. Your work gear consisted of wooden clogs and overalls, and everything was done by hand.
"There were no forklifts in those days, so every day I had to shovel between 90 and 100 tons of barley."
Mr Andrews started off preparing the barrels down in the basement. In those days, the barrels were marked with the price to differentiate from the different types of beer.
He said: "Seventy shilling cost one shilling and tuppence (1s2d), and 80 shilling cost 1s4d and was marked accordingly.
"Deuchars was once really popular in England, especially in the working men's pubs down south, but sales in Edinburgh soon began to overtake our rivals when Swallow Hotels picked it up."
Mr Andrews had only been working in the Caley for a couple of years when he met his wife-to-be Helen Herd in the old function rooms above The Haymarket pub.
He said: "I met her in a disco they had where the music played from a great old jukebox, and then the following week I was invited to a 21st birthday party and there she was again.
"We were married in 1966 and we've been together ever since."
The couple went on to have three children – Elaine, Kevin and Susan – who in turn have blessed them with five grandchildren.
Mr Andrews jokes that he's been made redundant twice from the Caley.
"Once when were taken over in a management buy-out 21 years ago, and I was back at my post a week later under the new management," he said.
"And now that they've been taken over by Heineken, I've taken voluntary redundancy to enjoy an early retirement."
As well as giving Mr Andrews a special send-off with dinner in the brewery's sample cellar, the company has also awarded him this summer's Caledonian Dreaming prize to take himself and his wife on a Mediterranean cruise.
The prize is handed out every year by tombola, but no one complained when only one name was put in the hat this year.
Stephen Crawley, managing director of the Caledonian Brewing Company, said: "It is rare these days to come across anyone who has worked all their life for the same single employer and we wanted to salute Dick's contribution to the brewery, and Edinburgh over the years."
The full article contains 536 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
