First, a little something about bottling:
"My uncle John Young was 56 years in the brewery he did the bottling for the Overseas market and even did the Brewing during the 1914 - 1918 war. I joined the brewery in 1924 and took over where he left off in the bottling department, My first carbonated unit was a Pontifex 100 Gallon in each cylinder of four in the quick chiller I still did the natural conditioned beer and stout. At that time we had still beer coming out of the Bond going to Newfoundland, Karachi, Bombay, Hong Kong, etc. There was a Brussels Stout it was like treacle and deadly but so was the Export beer, two pints of any of them would see anybodys boots off."
The brewery's export trade to Asia wasn't quite dead after WW I. That's interesting to know. As is the fact that they were still naturally conditioning some of their bottled beer. Now there's something slightly odd. Plenty of Scottish brewers exported specially-brewed beers to Belgium. But they were usually Scotch Ales, not Stouts. Unfortunately, I've no record of this Brussels Stout so have no idea of its strength. The Scotch Ales were mostly 8 or 9% ABV, similar to the strength of domestic Strong Ales from before WW I.
I was delighted to find a explanation of Aitken's water supply:
"The water for the Brewing came from a disused mine in the Bantaskine Estate, The fore [sic] inch pipe went under the union Canal along the boundery wall of the Poorhouse (now known as the Windsor hospital) It went by gravitation untill it arrived at the Bleachfield, In the corner of a small field there stood a stone built pump house that pumped up to the Brewery, The pump house was still there, until the new Municipal building was finished.
There was two Artesian wells that went into an under ground loch the finest brewing water in the country One had a steam compressor the other an electric Ingorsal rand. I saw pipes that were withdrawn from the well and the two inch pipe you hardly get a pencil through, and the lime silt was as hard as the metal the pipes were made of.
The brewery was built on virgin sand that goes down to a great depth, at one time the sea came beyond it In fact Saturday was Mariners Day in Camelon the 9th June Camelon is fully a mile from the brewery on the road to Glasgow, At one time that was a sea Port There was a good seam of coal under the brewery but it was not workable as there was no roof, the seam was in the kerse thats on the road to Grangemouth, it was the same there only it was running sands."
That's confirmation that it was water from Bantaskine that was used for brewing. I'n not quite sure how you get water from a disused coal mine. Could it have been an open cast mine that filled up with water to form an artificial lake?
This newspaper article confirms the arrangement:
"WORKS COMMITTEE - WATER SUPPLY TO THE BREWERY.
The Clerk read the following minute of the meeting of the Roads Committee held on July last:- "Mr James H. Aitken and Mr K. Gair attended on behalf of Messrs Aitken. and Co., and explained the course of the water pipes which they wish to lay from Bantaskine to the Falkirk Brewery, and, after deliberation, the committee agreed to allow the pipes to be laid in the public roads under the charge of the Commissioners on the following conditions:- (1) That the water is only used for brewing purposes ; (2) that the Brewing Company pay the Commissioners £1 yearly and lay their pipes at the sight and to the satisfaction of the burgh surveyor; (3) that the Brewery Company take all the risk of the pipes, and maintain the same; and (4) that this permission is only to be given during the pleasure of the Commissioners; and (5) that in the event of the pipes being required to be shifted for the purpose of the Commissioners laying other Pipes, or making other operations, the Brewery Company shall remove their pipes to such other track as may be pointed out by the burgh surveyor: and an agreement to give effect to these to be adjusted between the agents, and executed at the expense of the Brewery Company."
Treasurer Stevenson moved the adoption of the minute. He thought the arrangement with Messrs Aitken would turn out a very good one for the ratepayers of the burgh of Falkirk, because he believed that Messrs Aitken intended to increase or rather to enlarge their brewery to a considerably extent. At the same time the Water Trust was not likely to lose anything by allowing them to take in a supply, because it was to be used for brewing purposes only.
After some little discussion, the minute was unanimously adopted."
Falkirk Herald - Wednesday 2 September 1896, page 4.
I'm not quite sure how the Water Trust would not lose out. Perhaps they mean that because they would only be using the water for brewing, that the quantities would be limited. Presumably the water from the artesian wells was used for other purposes such as cleaning and cooling (you have to pump something through attemperators).
Securing the supply of brewing water was obviously a big deal from the brewery, in that they went to the trouble of laying the pipes themselves. The mention of Aitken's proposed expansion might be significant. Is that how they got the council to agree, by saying they would be creating jobs? It's a tactic often used by Tesco and the like.
Finally a little more about bottled beer:
"I used the Paterson and North Port boxes and bottles quite a lot of the North Port bottles were reputed pints which we used for the natural conditioned beers and stout a few of the publicans passed off our beer for Bass red Label and our India Pale Ale as the Blue Label that was the Bass carbonated beer"
A "reputed pint" is an odd measure that was once much used bottled beer. It was 365 ml. or about two-thirds of an Imperial pint. Passing of Aitken beer as Bass was a bit naughty. The beer they were passing off as Bass Red Label must have been naturally-conditioned, as the Bass product was.
I'm not quite sure how the Water Trust would not lose out.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that the Water Trust supplied the locality with its household water, charging them water rates, and didn't want to lose any income.
Martyn, the Water Trust did supply the town. It was mentioned in one of my many earlier posts about Aitken.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry. I struggle to remember all the stuff I post. I only notice when I blutak them together into books.
Getting back to Aitken's water supply (a topic that's becoming an obsessional challenge), even if it was just water for brewing, it was still a considerable amount. They must have had water to spare if they could let them take that out through their own pipes. Or he had chums on the council.
Golden age we live in, Martyn. Where you can search through newspapers, books and lord knows what else sat on your fat arse watching East Enders through one eye.
Best 80 quid I ever spent, that British Newspaper Archive.
James Calder. Wouldn't look at him the wrong way.
'A "reputed pint" is an odd measure that was once much used bottled beer. It was 365 ml. or about two-thirds of an Imperial pint.'
ReplyDeleteI've heard of this measure a few times nosing around Australian beer glass and bottle sizes. Other sources have it at 378ml. Before 'import' beers became all the rage, in their 33cl (330ml) bottles and beer sizes went to hell, almost all Australian beers came in 375ml bottles.
Thanks for all this fascinating stuff about Aitken's. I was very interested in your comment about publicans passing off Aitken's beer as Bass. I will need to split this into two comments.
ReplyDeleteThis had always been, at least from the Bass perspective, something of a problem given the fairly obvious similarity between the capital red ‘A’ that formed the centrepiece of Aitken’s bottled beer labels, and Bass’s own trademark red triangle.
As you will know well Bass was one of the pioneers of brand marketing and recognised early its history the importance of protecting its brand identity from competitors. Bass’s red triangle was the first trademark to be registered in the UK as trade mark number 1, a position it still holds today. In the late 1870's Bass seems to have ferociously challenged in the courts anyone it felt was riding on the coat-tails of the brand’s success. Perhaps it was inevitable that Aitken’s, with apparently such a similar-looking logo, would sooner or later be in the firing line.
The Aitken family were well aware they were likely to come under pressure from Bass. In 1879 my great grandfather William Aitken, (brother of John Aitken who, together with William Hardie, was running Aitken's at the time) wrote to his mother with his pragmatic view of the response he felt his brother should make to the demands of Bass.
“I think he should certainly alter the label, as if it is mistaken for Bass the latter has certainly a grievance and if it is not there can be no advantage in keeping it.”
Eventually the legal challenge came. John Aitken and William Hardie had a tough decision to make. Either they must agree to change their highly successful business identity, or face potential ruin at the hands of Bass. John and William made the difficult and risky decision to take on the much larger firm in court. William Hardie recorded what happened in a poem he later wrote to John Aitken: -
“The lofty Bass is down upon our local brewer here because they have an ‘A’ put on their bottled bitter beer.
And the reason why he has thus set on those brewers mark it red is, and in his view (imaginary too!) it somewhat doth resemble the exalted pyramid or famed red triangle.
And more than this is averred by his adherents true t’was the intent of those brewers bold by such trade mark the public to beguile and pass their own for Bass’s brew.
The affair being deemed grievous from Burton point of view, and nothing would Bass satisfy but to law would go. And to the courts he drew the defenders their rights to guard.
The pleadings being got over and whilst the case was pending, with diverse dispositions each waited the law’s decisions. At length forth came the verdict, sound, clear and exhaustive from such court. And both in favour of the defenders.
The case having gone against him in wrath his followers no assembled to have a consultation on it. And next they threw upon the table the abused label, and vowed to stop its registration, or take the case to higher courts the verdict to overturn.
And they remembered as they pondered how that it was brought out that now in foreign parts, as rightly said, the labelled beer had widely spread. For in our colonies, the chief parts of the Indies, in China and Japan, in Egypt and throughout the Holy Land. In all was known this brand.
Now darker loomed the situation for keener war was brewing with purpose of undoing; and for a time continued.
At last it seemed a change came over the Brewer King, who further action stopped, proceeding from sounder thoughts it’s hoped. With law and common sense against him, and perceiving in the pursuit an oppressive feature out of keeping with his nature.
What more were their reflections concerns not hear to mention, and so ended the contention. ”
By the middle of June 1877, Jack and the Aitken’s Brewery had won their case in the Scottish courts, and were soon to gain a resounding victory in the English courts. Their victory seems, at least according to the poem, to have been partly by virtue of the fact that there Aitken’s brand was at least as well known in colonial export markets as was Bass, and partly because an potential war, with all the problems that would pose for exporters, was a much greater immediate threat to Bass.
ReplyDeleteThe pleadings being got over and whilst the case was pending, with diverse dispositions each waited the law’s decisions. At length forth came the verdict, sound, clear and exhaustive from such court. And both in favour of the defenders.
The case having gone against him in wrath his followers no assembled to have a consultation on it. And next they threw upon the table the abused label, and vowed to stop its registration, or take the case to higher courts the verdict to overturn.
And they remembered as they pondered how that it was brought out that now in foreign parts, as rightly said, the labelled beer had widely spread. For in our colonies, the chief parts of the Indies, in China and Japan, in Egypt and throughout the Holy Land. In all was known this brand.
Now darker loomed the situation for keener war was brewing with purpose of undoing; and for a time continued.
At last it seemed a change came over the Brewer King, who further action stopped, proceeding from sounder thoughts it’s hoped. With law and common sense against him, and perceiving in the pursuit an oppressive feature out of keeping with his nature.
What more were their reflections concerns not hear to mention, and so ended the contention. ”
By the middle of June 1877, Jack and the Aitken’s Brewery had won their case in the Scottish courts, and were soon to gain a resounding victory in the English courts. Their victory seems, at least according to the poem, to have been partly by virtue of the fact that there Aitken’s brand was at least as well known in colonial export markets as was Bass, and partly because an potential war, with all the problems that would pose for exporters, was a much greater immediate threat to Bass.
John,
ReplyDeletethanks very much for that.
Where did you find that quote from your great grandfather? And do you have any more Aitken-related material?