Beer Guide to the 1970s (part forty)

Another trio of homebrew pubs today. I'll be through this section quite quickly as the number of such breweries, despite new startups, was still quite small.

Unlike new production breweries, quite a few of the new generation of brewpubs didn't serve cask, instead opting to sell their beer under CO2 pressure. Not sure why you would do that, as you'd miss out on support and promotion from CAMRA.


Fighting Cocks
Corby Glen,
Lincolnshire.
Founded:         1975
Closed:            1983
Tied houses:    1

One of the very earliest new breweries. Unfortunately, they brewed no cask beer. Which means I have no idea what they brewed. And is a reason why I never visited it. I’d guess that they probably brewed an Ordinary Bitter.


Fox & Hounds
Stottesdon,
Shropshire.
Founded:         1979
Closed:            1999
Tied houses:    1

A former homebrew pub which started up again in he late 1970s. Evidently, a bit of a timewarp place. Now, sadly, closed.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Dasher Downing's Draughtt	Pale Ale	draught	1040

Ma Pardoes's Old Swan
Neherton,
West Midlands.
Founded:        1800
Closed:            still open
Tied houses:    2

Another one of the surviving homebrew pubs. After Ma Pardoes’ death in 1984, the brewery changed hands a couple of times and stopped brewing in 1990. Brewing restarted in 2001. I never visited the Old Swan, but did drop by their other pub. Which, weirdly, was a 1960s estate pub.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Old Swan Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1034	rich & malty

 

Beer in the DDR in he 1980s (part two)

More about the wonderful world of beer in the DDR. One of my favourite countries. Especially East Berlin, one of the most exciting cities I've ever visited. It's such a shame that there's only a parody version now. You can get an idea of what it used to be like here.

Some trends in beer were the same in both halves of Germany. Like the move from draught to bottled beer.

Favorite: bottled beer
As more beer is drunk, the proportion of bottled beer is also increasing. It is between 60 and 70 percent and shows an increasing trend. This is understandable, because drinking habits have also changed due to greater living comfort. As already mentioned, people like to drink their bottle at home. The breweries and the glass industry have to adapt to these new material and cultural needs. Filling systems with higher performance are required. The systems used in the GDR are able to fill 24,000 bottles per hour; further developments have already made it possible to fill up to 48,000 bottles per hour. It should be mentioned that people are not just drinking more beer. The Berlin State Beverage Office can also see an increasing trend in non-alcoholic specialties. But let's stick with beer, which is truly a people's drink and will remain so.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 50.

Though it was best to drink your bottles quickly. Most beer had a very short shelf-life. Not much more than a week. For Eisenacher Helles, even that was a bit of a stretch.

These are the official DDR beer types.

Browsing through the quality regulations
The GDR's quality regulations for beer recognize Einfachbier (Jungbier and Braunbier as well as Malzbier) with an original gravity of 2.9 to 3.1 percent. Counted as Schankbier was Weißbier, which unfortunately is only available regionally (Berlin, Jena) (original gravity 8.7 to 9.3 percent). Considered as Vollier are Helles (11 to 11.5 percent), Doppelkaramel (11.7 to 12.3 percent), Schwarzbier (11.7 to 12.3 percent), Diabetiker-Pils (11 to 11.5 percent), Deutsche Pilsner (12.5 to 13 percent) , Deutsche Pilsner Spezial (12.5 to 13.3 percent), Deutsches Pilsator (12.5 to 13 percent) and Märzenbier (13.7 to 14.3 percent). Starkbier, the light and dark Bock beers, have an original gravity of 15.7 to 16.3 percent, while the German Porter is the strongest at 17.7 to 18.3 percent, even though it is brewed very rarely.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, pages 50 - 51.

I realise that's not a complete list, as it misses out Dunkles. Not that I ever came across it. The same with Märzen. Though I've seen labels for both.

Where East and West Germany did differ was in the most popular styles. In the West, Pils was by far the most popular style, accounting for 57.5% of sales in 1989.*

The main share of production (at around 57 percent) in our breweries is Vollbier hell, which is commonly referred to as “helles”, followed by the Deutsche Pilsner with around 30 percent and Pilsner Spezial with around 8 percent. The other types of beer share the remaining percentage. For example, only 11,600 hectolitres of Porter are brewed in the GDR, a tiny amount considering the 23 million hectolitres of beer we produce overall. The few remaining percentages also include the so-called “AUBI”, the beer for drivers with an alcohol content that remains below one percent. It is mainly served where many motorists come, namely in motorway service stations. You hear different opinions from those who have already drunk it. Whether it will catch on remains to be seen. In any case, there are no experiences yet that could be generalized. Production is still limited and one thing is certain: everyone wants to try it at least once.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 51.

That's the first time I've seen any figure put on the quantity of Porter brewed in the DDR. Fuck all, really. Which  makes it odd that I actually did get to drink it once.

* Brauwelt nr. 46-47 (2006) page 1431.
 

USA this year?

The last couple of years I  haven't been to the USA very often. For  a couple of reasons.

For start, I've been spending a lot of time in the other American  continent. I visited South America four times in 2024. But also, I haven't been getting he invitations o the USA I once did. Not  sure why that is. Less interest in craft beer? Or just less interest in me? I'm not sure.

If you'd like me o show up in our own to give a talk and drink some beer, get in touch. I'm very open to suggestions.

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1880 Strangman Beer

Irish recipes seem to be popular. So here's another one. Though from a different brewery.

I’ll be honest with you: I’m not really sure what type of beer this is. It’s too pale to be a Porter. And too dark to be a Pale Ale. All that’s really left is Mild Ale. Is that what it is? I don’t think so. No fucking idea, really.

The hopping rate, at just 4 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt, certainly implies Mild to me. In which case, calling it “Beer” is a bit strange. But who am I to argue? Certainly, the colour fits in with the type of semi-dark Mild which started to appear at the end of the 19tth century.

Mostly, the grist is very straightforward. Just pale malt and a smidgin of black malt. With a bit more than a quarter of the black malt being added to the copper rather than the mash tun.   A practice that also occurred in London Potter breweries.

Three types of hops were used. English from the 1879 and 1880 harvests along with Bavarian from 1880.

1880 Strangman Beer
pale malt	13.25 lb	97.57%
black malt	0.33 lb	2.43%
Fuggles 90 mins	0.67 oz
Fuggles 60 mins	0.67 oz
Hallertau 30 mins	0.67 oz
Fuggles dry hops	0.50 oz
OG	1058
FG	1014
ABV	5.82
Apparent attenuation	75.86%
IBU	22
SRM	15
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	59º F
Yeast	WLP004 Irish Stout

 

Beer in the DDR in he 1980s

Back to the DDR in the 1980s. One of my favourite places. I'd love to go back there sometime for a long weekend.

We saw in the last post that beer production greatly increased in the DDR in the 1970s. Rising from 18 million hectolitres to over 25 mmillion hectolitres. How was this achieved? By installing conical fermenters.

This means introducing new technologies that ensure greater output - with improved quality, it should be added. The key word is: processes that shorten the fermentation time. For this purpose, large-scale fermenters are put into operation in which fermentation and maturation take place. They are built in free construction and are similar to silos in agriculture. The breweries are changing their face, but without changing anything in the basic brewing process. Block brewing plants for reconstructing wort production are also just a means of creating the conditions for more extensive production. The resulting more favorable use of space and the improved technology ensure the necessary supply of wort for fermentation and maturation.

The large-capacity fermenters, or “beer rockets,” as they are popularly known, usually have a capacity of 250 cubic meters. The new process also ensures that the brewing time is reduced by around half. This time saving, combined with the increased volume, significantly increases output in the breweries. The Magdeburg Diamond Brewery has 24 of these “beer rockets” and produces over a million hectolitres annually. Neubrandenburg has a production volume of half a million hectolitres of beer.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 49.

Why was he fermentation time halved in a conical fermenter? Were they fermenting warmer? Or just lagering for a shorter time?

I'm guessing that he Magdeburg Diamond Brewery was the largest brewery in the DDR. Based on an output of 25 million hl across 160 breweries, average output was 156,000 hl per brewery. Though it should be remembered that there were still some very small privately-owned breweries making no more than a couple of thousand hectolitres annually.

I seems that there were plans to install conicals in all of the larger breweries in the country. 

Modernization through “beer rockets”
Similar generous reconstruction measures were planned for all important breweries in the GDR, such as the VEB Sachsenbräu Leipzig and the Berlin and Dresden breweries.

Even a traditional brewery like VEB Exportbierbrauerei Wernesgrün is looking for new ways to produce even more of its sought-after specialty beer. At the end of 1973, a fermentation and lagering facility was built here, the first such complete facility in the GDR. It consists, among other things, of 12 large-capacity fermenters, which can produce 150,000 more hectolitres of beer annually.

Long-term tests for new processes are also underway at VEB Radeberger Exportbierbrauerci, which is not the largest with an annual production of 330,000 hectolitres, but is the most important export beer brewery in the republic with 50 percent of its output as export beer. Despite all the innovations, the Radeberg beer brewers always strive to ensure that both the beer type and quality are always maintained.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, pages 49 - 50.

Wernesgrüner and Radeberger were considered the premium beers of the DDR. I can't say that I cared for either. I much preferred the beers brewed in either Berlin or Thuringia. I don't think many of those had conicals installed.

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part thirty-nine)

This is easily the longest series of posts I've ever done. We've go to the last independent brewery. But there's still a way to go. Starting with homebrew pubs.

The two we have today were amongst the handful that had managed to survive until the 1970s. A hundred years earlier, there had been literally thousands. In 1870, there were 26,506 brewers producing fewer than 1,000 barrels a year. The vast majority of those would have been homebrew pubs.

Westcrown
Newark,
Nottinghamshire.
Founded:    1977
Closed:            1980
Tied houses:    0

Here’s a new brewery whose beers I definitely did drink. As it was based in my hometown of Newark. Regal Bitter was a pretty decent drink. The brewery’s big problem was that most of the pubs in the area were tied, limiting possible outlets. And the few free pubs in town didn’t stock their beer.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Regal Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1037.5	hoppy and bitter
Regal Conqueror	Strong Ale	draught	1072.5

All Nations
Madeley,
Shropshire.
Founded:    1789
Closed:            still open
Tied houses:    1

A homebrew pub which briefly stopped brewing between 2001 and 2003. It was one of the handful of homebrew pubs left in 1970.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Light Mild	Mild	draught	1032	more  like a Bitter

Blue Anchor
Helston,
Cornwall.
Founded:    1400
Closed:            still open
Tied houses:    1

It supposedly started life as some sort of monastic building, becoming a pub after the dissolution of the monasteries. Not sure how true that is. But the place is fucking ancient.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Medium Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1050	distinctive and fruity
Best Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1053	heavy
Special Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1060	magnificent and heavy

 

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part thirty-eight)

We're almost done with the new breweries from he 1970s. Today, we've three relatively short-lived outfits.

The name Saxon Cross sounds vaguely familiar. The other two are completely new to me. Pretty sure that  I never tried beer from any of the three.


Saxon Cross
Buxton,
Derbyshire.
Founded:    1979
Closed:            1987
Tied houses:    1

Here’s another new brewer from the 1970s that didn’t make I out of the next decade. And, no, I never tried their beer. Locally known as Winkle’s, after founder Clive Winkle. They owned the Mow Cop Inn in Stoke-on-Trent.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Saxon Cross Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1038

Simon's Tower Bridge Brewery
Southwark,
London.
Founded:    1979
Closed:            1983
Tied houses:    0

A short-lived brewery which was located close to Courage’s Horselydown Brewer. It was partially financed by CAMRA (Real Ale) Investments. It was London’s second standalone microbrewery.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Simon's Tower Bridge Bitter	Pale Ale	draught

Studley
Studley,
Warwickshire.
Founded:    1978
Closed:            1982
Tied houses:    0 

beer	style	format	OG	description
Old Glory	Pale Ale	draught	1038	with added herbs
Stud Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1046
Studley Giant	Pale Ale	draught	1058	winter

Let's Brew - 1906 Murphy XX Stout

We’re now getting to a proper strength Stout. One which have counted as a Stout in London.

The excitement comes from a grist that’s different. There’s another element to the grist, other than just pale and black malt. And that element is amber malt. How exciting. Amber malt is something which turns up in stronger London Stouts. So it’s not such a surprise to see it here.

There are also changes with the hopping. For a start, the rate is far heavier at 14 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt. Compared to just 5 lbs per quarter for Porter.

The types of hops are slightly different, too. There were two types of English hops, without any vintage listed. Along with Oregon hops from the 1904 and 1905 seasons.

With the high rate of hopping, my guess is that his was aged for a while. Probably at least six to twelve months.

1906 Murphy XX Stout
pale malt	15.00 lb	88.24%
black malt	1.00 lb	5.88%
amber malt	1.00 lb	5.88%
Cluster 90 mins	3.00 oz
Fuggles 60 mins	3.00 oz
Fuggles 30 mins	3.00 oz
Fuggles dry hops	1.25 oz
OG	1072
FG	1018
ABV	7.14
Apparent attenuation	75.00%
IBU	101
SRM	30
Mash at	153º F
Sparge at	175º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	WLP004 Irish Stout

 

Beer in the DDR in the 1980s

Which is a subject very dear to my heart. Having drunk quite a bit of it.

But first, there are some general observations about beer  in Europe:

Beer here - beer there
Drinking habits are changing
The production in European breweries, which has grown enormously in recent years and decades, is finding its buyers: beer consumption has constantly increased. The beer drinker of today is very different from the beer drinker of the past. Today, the nutritional value of beer is no longer taken into account as food, but barley juice is considered a luxury food.

Drinking habits have also changed. Television keeps many people glued to their home screens. People like to drink a beer with it - and not just men. Women in particular are more appreciative of the alcoholic beverage, which is not at all strong, than before. These are general phenomena that have different effects in individual countries, but overall speak very much in favour of beer.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 48.

In the mid-1980s, the trend was sill for increased production and consumption of beer in most European countries. The author seems to recon  that this will continue. When, in fact, the opposite was true. At leas in Western European countries. hat wasn't the case in countries such as Poland, where there  was considerable unfulfilled demand.

Did home consumption convert more women to beer drinking? I'm not sure. In Germany, both East and West, it was pretty normal for women to drink beer.    Unlike in some countries, where it was considered a male drink.

The point about beer drinking moving away from being a way of taking in calories to something consumed purely for pleasure. Though, obviously, the calories still came along for the ride.

In the DDR, beer consumption rose considerably in the 1970s.

Beer in the GDR
In Europe, the GDR is one of the countries where the most beer is drunk. In 1982, an average of 152 liters per GDR citizen let run down their throats every year. From 1972 to 1982, production increased from just under 18 million to well over 25 million hectolitres annually. The trend is for beer consumption to increase.

In any case, the approximately 160 breweries in our country have to be prepared for this higher consumption.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 48.

Note that brewing is seen as any other industry, with increased production being a good thing. No temperance nonsense here.

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part thirty-seven)

New brewers of the 1970s again. Three who started in the late 1970s, but didn't make it out of the 1980s.

This is a recurring theme with these startups. That they only lasted a couple of years. The failure rate in the first five years was very high. I'd be interested to know what the failure rate for breweries founded more recently is. Does a high percentage throw in the towel in the initial years of operation? Not sure where I'd get that information from.


Mendip
Temple Cloud,
Somerset.
Founded:         1978
Closed:            1984
Tied houses:    0

A new brewery close to Bristol. Another brewer which wasn’t around for long and left few ripples in the brewing world. I’m sure that I never tried their beer.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Mendip Special	Pale Ale	draught	1040	rich, nutty and hoppy
Mendip Special Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1035	well hopped

New Forest
Codnam,
Hampshire
Founded:        1979
Closed:            1988
Tied houses:    0

Another new brewery in a Southern English village. Hanging around for 9 years, they lasted longer than many of the brewery startups in the 1970s.

beer	style	format	OG	description
New Forest Real Ale	Pale Ale	draught	1038

Raven
Brighton,
E. Sussex.
Founded:         1979/1983
Closed:            1982/1987
Tied houses:    0 

beer	style	format	OG	description
Brighton Best Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1048
Raven Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1039

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1906 Murphy X Stout

Another Irish recipe for you lucky devils. This time, a  Stout.

Now I’m not really sure that this was marketed as a Stout. But I’m guessing that it was. I’d plump for it being sold as Single Stout. Despite only having a gravity about the same as a London Porter.

The grist is the same as that of their Porter. That is, 92% pale malt and 8% black malt. Which is pretty stripped down compared to the Stouts brewed in London. Where, in addition, brown malt, flaked maize and a couple of types of sugar were pretty standard.

There is a slightly higher rate of hopping than in Porter: 6 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) compared to 5 lbs. The hops themselves were, but no all, English. Two from the 1904 season and one undated. There was a single type of Oregon hops, also from 1904.

Was this aged at all before sale? I doubt it. Though there may have been some aged beer blended with it at racking time. Some Kraeusen, too, possibly.

1906 Murphy X Stout
pale malt	11.50 lb	92.00%
black malt	1.00 lb	8.00%
Fuggles 100 mins	0.875 oz
Fuggles 60 mins	0.875 oz
Fuggles 30 mins	0.875 oz
Fuggles dry hops	0.75 oz
OG	1053
FG	1012
ABV	5.42
Apparent attenuation	77.36%
IBU	27
SRM	29
Mash at	149º F
Sparge at	175º F
Boil time	100 minutes
pitching temp	57º F
Yeast	WLP004 Irish Stout

 

UK beer as seen from the DDR

I was recently given an interesting little DDR book, "Rund ums Bier". Published in 1986, it's from very close to the end of the DDR period. 

In addition to looking at beer in Germany, it also has short sections on brewing elsewhere in the world. Including the UK. Which is  the part I'm going to reproduce here.

Great Britain: It tastes best in the “pubs”.
Britain's lovers of good beer are getting restless. The reason: the quality of the barley juice is declining - a result of the monopolisation of beer production, which is no longer controlled and determined by brewing experts but by financiers. The small, traditional breweries are disappearing more and more and with them the variety of beers.

In 1977 UK production was over 65 million hectolitres. Every citizen in the UK drank around 117 liters a year. Statistics show a decline in production. While there were 64.8 million in 1980, the number fell to 59.8 million hectoliters in 1982. Beer consumption also fell to 107 liters (1982).

Almost three quarters of beer production have been taken over by seven trusts or corporations, showing a further growing trend towards concentration of production. In addition, they own around 50 percent of the beer sales outlets, so-called “pubs”. The majority of sales are realized in these beer bars. The attractiveness of these establishments, which also serve food, ensures the increase in beer consumption. Advertising slogans praise “pubs” as places where beer tastes the best.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 60. 

That's a very Marxist view of UK brewing in the 1980s. But not totally wide of the mark. Seven large  companies were doing their best to monopolise the beer market. I'm not sure there's much I would argue with in their analysis. Except they fail to mention the emergence of dozens of new breweries. Something which was having an impact.

What does get mentioned is home brewing. Though that was more about the price of commercial beer than its quality. 

In the meantime, however, the dissatisfaction of beer drinkers has been expressed in the increased purchase of home-brewing equipment and also beer ingredients. The English are now starting to brew their own beer again, just like in the old days. They have no confidence in attempts to get beer out of a test tube, so to speak. Chemists are even experimenting with fruits, such as bananas, to bring flavored beer to the market.

A society for the protection of English beer has been formed, whose members visit pubs to find out where good beer is served. These “pubs” are included in lists that guide beer lovers to a good drink. What is telling is that a small London brewery was constantly awarded the title “Pub of the Year”. The traditional local breweries are also defending themselves against the corporate influence. What use is it? Small companies do not have the economic power to stop the concentration process of corporations, which is dictated by the pursuit of maximum profits and which local breweries stand in the way of. At best - for advertising reasons - the name remains.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 61.

Fascinating to see CAMRA get a mention. Though not by name. And without mentioning the considerable success the organisation had in getting the big brewers top produce cask beer and in encouraging new brewers.

The description of UK beer styles is, er, a bit weird.

But now to the peculiarities of barley juice on the British Isles: The classic English beer is top-fermented. However, the “ale” tastes flat to our tongue. It is light, low in carbonic acid and lightly hopped. (Heavily hopped ale is a long-lasting stock ale for export.) "Porter" and "Stout", which actually only differ in their name and whose origins have already been discussed, have an original gravity of over 16 percent. “Burton” is a particularly strong stout; like our bock beer, it is drunk in the winter months around Christmas time.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 61. 

I'm not sure that I would describe UK beer as lightly hopped compared to the beer of the DDR. I  can only think of a couple of Stouts with a gravity as high as 16 Plato. Not sure where the author got the idea that Burton was a type of strong Stout. I'm guessing that the author had neither set foot in he U nor ever drunk any UK beer.

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part thirty-six)

Another trio of new breweries from the 1970s. Ones with very different histories and fates.

There's one which was only around for a few years and disappeared pretty much without trace. This seems to have been the fate of many new breweries. I suppose that's typical of new enterprises in any field.

Another managed to last for more than 40 years. Which is a pretty good run. The last one is sill brewing, but, in the intervening years, closed and restarted twice.

Cotleigh
Tiverton.
Devon.
Founded:    1979
Closed:            2021
Tied houses:    0

One of the early breweries that had more legs than most, lasting over forty years. Though not in Tiverton. In 1980, they moved to Wiveliscombe. Did I ever drink their beer? Not that  I can remember. Some Cotleigh brands are still brewed by Nuttycombe.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Tawny Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1042

Goose Eye
Oakworth/Keighley,  
West Yorkshire.
Founded:    1978/1985/1991
Closed:            1982/1988/still open
Tied houses:    0

A brewery with multiple closures and restarts. Along with a change in location from Oakworth to Keighley in 1991. I’m surprised that they’re still going. Prety sure that I drank beer from the first iteration.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Goose Eye Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1038	creamy & well hopped
Mild	Mild	draught	1034	flavoursome
Old Three Laps	Old Ale	draught	1052	dark & strong

Kelly
Hurworth, Darlington,
Co. Durham.
Founded:    1979
Closed:            1983
Tied houses:    0

Kelly doesn’t seem to have been a brewer that made much of an impact. I can’t remember ever hearing of them. I assume that they had very limited distribution in the Northeast of England.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Kelly's Golden Bitter (KGB	Pale Ale	draught	1045

 

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part thirty-five)

Another trio of new brewers today. 1978 and 1979 were the years when the foundation of new breweries really took off. Which is reflected in the statistics, with the number of breweries increasing for the first time in a couple of centuries.

Of the three breweries featured, only one is still open. The other two, as was fairly typical, only stuck around for a couple of years. All  three initially brewed a single beer, a Bitter of around 1040.

Brecon
Brecon
Powys.
Founded:    1979
Closed:            1982
Tied houses:    0

Based at the Camden Arms, which had been a homebrew pub until 1942. One of the first new breweries to e founded in Wales. It didn’t last for very long. As many of the new crop of breweries.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Black Dragon	Pale Ale	draught	1040

Butcombe
Butcombe,
Somerset.
Founded:    1978
Closed:            still open
Tied houses:    0

Moved to Wrington in 2005 after founder Simon Whitmore retired and sold up. They’re one of the most successful and longest-lived new brewers. Currently operates a tied estate of 80 pubs. Which may be the reason they have survived so long.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1039	light and clean

Canterbury
Canterbury,
Kent.
Founded:    1979
Closed:            1983
Tied houses:    0

Despite only being around for a couple of years they brewed at several different locations. I can’t say that I ever noticed them during their brief existence.
 

beer	style	format	OG	description
Canterbury Ale	Pale Ale	draught	1040

 

Let's Brew - 1906 Murphy Porter

Someone asked for more Irish recipes. Here you go.

Almost thirty years on and there have been a few changes to Murphy Porter. Most notably, the gravity is 6.5º lower.

There have also been changes to the grist. Where sugar has been dropped and the simplest grist imaginable adopted: just pale and black malt. Though there were five different types of the former. Some of which were definitely Irish.

The hopping rate has been halved, from 10 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt to 5 lbs. Which is a pretty massive change. One reflected in the much lower (calculated) bitterness level of just 25 IBU.

Four types of copper hops were used. English from the 1904 and 1905 harvests; and Oregon, also from 1904 and 1905. Several types of English hops were used as dry hops.

1906 Murphy Porter
pale malt	10.00 lb	91.95%
black malt	0.875 lb	8.05%
Fuggles 100 mins	0.75 oz
Fuggles 60 mins	0.75 oz
Fuggles 30 mins	0.75 oz
Fuggles dry hops	0.75 oz
OG	1046
FG	1010.5
ABV	4.70
Apparent attenuation	77.17%
IBU	25
SRM	27
Mash at	149º F
Sparge at	176º F
Boil time	100 minutes
pitching temp	59º F
Yeast	WLP004 Irish Stout

 

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part thirty-four)

I told a lie when I said that I was done with independent brewers. I missed some of the new brewers. Especially ones founded after 1977. I'm putting that right now. here will likely be a few more posts to document them all.

Many of the new outfits were pretty ephemeral, lasting no more than a handfull of years. Two of this set had more longevity, clocking in more than 20 years. I'd been intrigued to know which new brewery has stuck around the longest.


Archer
Swindon,
Wiltshire.
Founded:    1979
Closed:            2009
Tied houses:    0

Here’s the new brewery I’m best acquainted with. When I lived in Swindon in the 1980s, I spent many a happy hour in the Glue Pot, an Archer tied house in Swindon’s Railway Village. I thought their beers were prey good. And also in the malty Southwestern style. They didn’t have a bad run, lasting 30 years.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Archer's Best Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1040
Crusader	Pale Ale	draught	1050

Blackawton
Blackawton,
Devon.
Founded:    1977
Closed:            2001
Tied houses:    0

An early new brewer. Moved to Washourne in 1981. Typical of the first rash of new breweries, they initially only brewed a Bitter.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Blackawton Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1040	hoppy, well-rounded

Bourne Valley
Andover,
Hampshire.
Founded:    1978
Closed:            1985
Tied houses:    0

I’m surprised that I can remember this brewery, given that it was around for such a short space of time. So I’m guessing that I did try their beer at a festival. Bought by the Hampshire Brewery.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Andover Ale	Pale Ale	draught	1040	hoppy and distinctive
Wallop	Old Ale	draught	1055	strong and dark