"Over the past few years many traditional, locally-brewed beers have fallen by the wayside because of the economies offered by nationally distributed brands. But one smaller brewing concern, John Joule & Sons Ltd., a Bass Charrington subsidiary, are managing to retain their traditional beers by cashing in on the savings afforded by bulk tank distribution to pub cellars.
To cater for the increased demand for this tank beer they have recently opened a new £25,000 department at the Stone brewery. Beer which is used in the tanks is naturally conditioned but, instead of being racked into casks, it is racked into Porter Lancastrian tanks, conditioned for 48 hours and then chilled to about 52-54° F before being sent out to trade."
Brewers' Guardian, Volume 99, April 1970, page 60.
Instead of being racked into casks, the beer was transferred to tanks where it was conditioned for 48 hours at 58° F while being roused. The beer was centrifuged on the way into the tank, but not all the yeast was removed, as its presence helped extend the shelf-life to three to four weeks. Before transfer to delivery tankers by compressed air, the beer was chilled to 52-54° F.
Pubs were fitted with five-barrel tanks, either Fairey and Grundy. Before each delivery a team from the brewery cleaned and sterilised the tanks. After filling, the beer was fined for clarity, left for 48 hours and presumably served by electric pump.
It sounds basically like cask beer, just in a larger container. I wonder what it tasted like? Could drinkers tell it apart from true cask?
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The book about the history of the Northern Federation Brewery goes into some detail about the thinking behind the switch from casks to tanks in their affiliated clubs. I don't think extending shelf life was an issue given the volume of beer most of them shifted, just that it was more economical in terms of distribution, cellar space and staffing. Of course, if you're drinking tank beer in Britain now, it'll most likely be something from the Czech Republic in your glass.
Living in Cardiff in 1972 our local CAMRA resistance cell went over to Stone for the demonstration march around the streets to protest the closure of the Joules (pronounced Jowls not Jewels) brewery.
Sadly by then it had been reduced to a thin and acidic beer but we demo participators drank the the town dry. I don't know if we were drinking tank or cask beer but it was all pretty ordinary by that stage.
Pure corporate vandalism.
The problem is, how did you know what you were getting?
If the beer came out of a hand pump, you could be reasonably (if not completely) be assured that it was cask. But if it came out of an electric pump, it could be cask, unfiltered tank, filtered and pasteurised tank or keg. From a drinkers point of view it was easier to concentrate on hand pulled beer as being the best. And for many drinkers, the style of pump was the only distinction they made. Hand pump good, electric pump bad, to misquote George Orwell.
Maybe if brewers had explained what they were doing with tank beer, why it was better than intensely filtered, pasteurised and pressurised beer, and distinguished it somehow at the point of dispense, it might have caught on more. But they didn't.
If they had we might still be popping down to the local (if we lived in Manchester) for a pint of Cornbrook, or a pint of Hull Brewery Mild or Bitter. But we don't.
Didn't realise that Joule's produced "tank" beer at Stone
Chris, Hull brewery beers were filtered and had been from, I believe, the 1920s.
Also they were often served via hand pump but using air pressure, not a traditional beer engine.
The biggest advantage of electric pump was that relatively untrained staff could accurately serve exact measures; one click on the button for half a pint and two clicks for a pint. In situations such as the North East where big billowy heads were mandatory the glasses would be slightly over size with the "pint" level etched into them.
At University in the 60s my Physics lecturer knew the Joule family. He insisted on pronouncing Joules and KiloJoules in the correct way.
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