Small regional brewers in 1973

At the smaller end of regional brewers were ones with up to 250 pubs. At least, that’s the cutoff point I’ve picked. And is totally arbitrary. But I’m going to run with it.

To put those 4,000-odd total pubs into context, the two smallest of the Big Six (excluding Scottish & Newcastle) had around 6,000 pubs each.  But, due to the higher concentrations of regional brewers’ pubs in specific locations, they could be competing on an equal footing with the Big Six. At least, in terms of pub numbers.

Only around a third of these breweries still exist. Luckily, other than Workington and Carlisle, I had the chance to try beer from all of them. Morland and Morrell were such good breweries, with several excellent cask beers. Both had tasty Dark Milds. As did Darley.

Davenport, other than the beer delivered to Dad, I can remember drinking in one of their few pubs in the city centre. When in Birmingham visiting relatives. I was served a half (I was young) of Mild that was so yeasty that it was totally opaque. I was so young, that I tried to drink it rather than sending it back. When not abused, their cask beer was pretty decent.

Despite the brewery being close to where I grew up, I seldom drank Hardy & Hanson. Way the least of the three Nottingham brewers. Simply because I rarely came across their pubs. Home Ales had pubs in Newark, Shipstone loads in the centre of Nottingham. Hardy & Hanson had no pubs in either.

The Old Kings Arms, a real ale pub opened by former CAMRA chairman Chris Holmes in the mid-1970s, they originally sold Hardy & Hanson. Annoyingly, the only cask beer served by electric pump rather than a hand pull. Despite being a hardcore Mild drinker, I never took to it. Far too sweet.

These Kimberley memories keep coming. Right at the end of my school time, we had a trip to see Tommy in Derby. As the bus arrived early, me and Martyn Young nipped into a handily-placed Hardy & Hanson pub for quick half of Mild. We got to theatre a few minutes before the final curtain.

Mansfield was also fairly local. But didn’t have any pubs around Newark. As they had no cask beer, I wasn’t going to search them out. Everards was another brewer not that far from Newark whose beers I didn’t come across often, Perfectly acceptable beers, with Tiger being the standout.

There was one pub in Leeds which served Hull Bitter: the Town Hall Tavern. Located, surprisingly, directly opposite Leeds town hall. It was owned by Musgrave & Sagar, a former local brewery which still owned a few pubs and bottled Guinness. It had an ancient landlady who could magically hold three nonic glasses in one hand while using the other hand to work the beer engine. Dead impressive. Served the Leeds economiser way, with a tight head, I thought it tasted pretty nice.

Having a caravan in Mablethorpe, we weren’t too far from Bateman country. And, despite Mablethorpe itself not having any of their houses, there were some not too far away. I always really rated their cask beers. The Mild and both Bitters were excellent.

From my time living in London in 1979, I developed a great love of Fullers. In particular, Hock and London Pride. Though it was rare that I came across the former.

Young’s, on the other hand, I never took to as much. Despite, in the 1980, having to walk past one of their pubs, the Railway Telegraph, on my way to and from Thornton Heath station every day. I can’t remember ever seeing their Mild in a pub. I usually drank Ordinary. Which was fine, just not particularly to my taste for some reason.

Lees I drank mostly on visits to Manchester. When I could find one of their pubs. Which wasn’t that easy in the city centre. While at university, me and Simon took a day trip to Oldham, basically just to try the beers of Oldham brewery. I can’t really remember anything about them. Other than that they weren’t crap.

I remember visiting the Higsons brewery tap in 1973 when in Liverpool to see Pink Floyd in 1973. I was only just 17 at the time. Which was no obstacle to me getting stuck into a few very pleasant Milds.

Brains beers I actively sought out at beer festivals. In particular, Dark, a really tasty Mild. Just my type of beer: malty and very drinkable.

On a family holiday to Cornwall in 1974, I did get to sample some St. Austell. But only a couple of times as most of their pubs only sold keg. The far Southwest being a bit of a beer desert (for cask) at the time. St. Austell’s beer made no lasting impression on me, one way or another. 

Breweries with 100 to 249 tied houses in 1973
brewery	no. tied houses	brewery	no. tied houses
Brain	100	Carlisle State Management	170
Darley (Vaux)	100	Buckley	180
Oldham	100	Mansfield	180
Fuller	110	Border	190
Workington	110	Lees	190
Davenport	118	Eldridge Pope	200
Brakspear	130	Hull	200
Everards	134	McMullen	200
St. Austell	135	Thos. Usher (Vaux)	200
Bateman	140	Hardy & Hansons	230
Morrell	140	Shepherd Neame	235
Young	140	Morland	240
Wadworth	148	Total pubs	4,180
Higsons	160	Total breweries	26
Source:
The Beer Drinker's Companion by Frank Baillie, 1974.