Wednesday 26 December 2007

Charrington

None of my local pubs open on Boxing Day. And I can't be arsed to go into town. Nothing for it but to get on with some work.

This morning I expanded my article on the history of Swedish beer. Admittedly using stuff from blog posts. But that's the point of the blog; encouraging me to gather material.

I've really neglected the Whitbread gravity book these last weeks. I managed to knock off four more pages after lunch (the remains of yesterday's duck). I've gone back to the draught beers. Bass and Charrington, two names that go together like disaster and waiting to happen. For most of the period covered, they were still separate concerns.

Here goes then. First the period of WW II.



Nothing that exciting there. They do seem to have kept their Bitter at a reasonable strength for most of the war.

Now for the immediate postwar years.

Most noteworthy here is a rare spotting of Burton (another of my many beer-themed obsessions). Considering later (by the time I started drinking in the early 1970's) IPA was their main product, it doesn't turn up a great deal in these records. In contrast to Whitbread, Charrington's IPA was stronger than their PA.

Finally, here's the mid-1950's onwards.


The appearance of weak, expensive keg beers, like Toby Keg. A real high point in British brewing.

4 comments:

Stonch said...

I was running through Maryelbone today and passed an absolutely lovely Charrington's pub. I say pub, but it seems to be an office or private residence now. Great ceramic work. The name escapes me. Looking at Googlemaps and retracing my steps, I think it was on Grafton Way. It was certainly very close to the BT Tower.

Ron Pattinson said...

Running - were the police chasing you?

I remember a Charrington's pub with excellent tiles just a round the back of Mile End tube station. What the hell was it called?

Remind me to dig out my history of Charrington's. I seem to remember some intersting comments about immigration.

Alan said...

The odd Canadian connection to Charrington is that license to brew the brand Toby was traded for the one for Carling Black Label way back when, keeping UK a wash in bad beer while three guys (surely couldn't be more) over here in Ontario still lap up the residual benefits of our side of the deal.

Stonch said...

Ron, Most people come out of Christmas with indigestion and a hangover. I have a minor sports injury...

I loathe sitting around the house so much I did an inordinate amount of running these last few days