"Bass launch new “regional” bitter
Despite the continuing disappearance of many local brews, one of the country’s largest brewing groups, Bass Charrington Ltd., is showing its awareness of regional palate preferences by the introduction of beers suited to a particular area.
Latest beer in this context is Brew Ten, which has been launched in the North-East and is advertised as being “specially brewed for the men of the North by Bass".
Described as a medium-priced draught bitter — it has a recommended public bar price of 2s. 2d. per pint — Brew Ten follows on from the success Bass Charrington have had in the Midlands with their Brew XI.
A major programme of television, Press and poster advertising starting this month has been planned by Bass Charrington to support the launch of Brew Ten."
Brewers' Guardian, Volume 99, May 1970, page 49.
Spoiler here: Brew XI was shit. A sweetish beer sometimes likened more to a Pale Mild than a Bitter. And Brew Ten? That was even worse. The success of Brew XI might not have totally been on its own merits.
"Brew XI draught beer took the Midlands by storm and was a genuine success; of course, that success was helped along by strenuous statements that it was successful - like a government minister justifying his policies - and the fact that it was replacing the existing M&B brands which had a ready-made market."
"The Brewing Industry 1950 - 1990", by Anthony Avis, 1997, page 104.
Picking a lower number for the new beer possibly wasn't the brightest idea.
"As part of the same thought process the Tadcaster Brewery had been allocated X, by which to call its main draught beer; and that too was a failure in marketing terms - the Yorkshire drinking public were convinced they were being sold weaker beer than the Midlands, since X was less than XI; so it was dropped as a brand name."
"The Brewing Industry 1950 - 1990", by Anthony Avis, 1997, page 107.
A top-down approach always works so well.
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3 comments:
The thing I remember about Brew Ten - it tasted of absolutely fuck all.
I can't remember who brought out 'Bar Six'. It was a chocolate wafer bar a bit like a Kit Kat but far inferior. Same thing happened, Bar Six disappeared many years ago. But the name similarity struck me.
Even the much weaker Bass Extra Light (a light mild) had more gumption about it.
Much later - about 1980 - Bass started introducing Stones as a cask beer in West Yorkshire
and that was like a step from the darkness to the light. But of course it couldn't last.
Thats the tragedy - the 'Big Six' had a massive amount of brewing expertise on hand, if only they had chosen to run with it, and could produce magnificent beers if they chose to do so - but they preferred to concentrate on producing dross.
Why stop at X when you can turn it all the way up to XI?
So like Heinken Ireland and Guinness Ireland.
Oscar
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