Beers I miss (part two) Shipstones Mild

Newark, where I grew up, was a strange town for beer. Despite its proximity to Nottingham, the beers from that city's three breweries didn't make much impact on Newark, other than four Home Ales pubs. Shipstones and Hardy & Hansons were nowhere to be seen. Neither in the town, nor in the villages around it.  

Newark was scuppered by its own illustrious brewing past, having been home to two substantial regional breweries: Holes and Warwick & Richardson. They had owned the vast majority of pubs in and around the town. And, in my youth, both had fallen into the hands of Courage. Holes still brewed, but only bright beer, no cask.

The beers of Home were incredibly reliable, if unspectacular. Good drinking beers, but nothing special. Shipstones, on the other hand, were really good. Or did I just think that because they were more effort to find? I don't think so.

Mablethorpe, where we had a caravan and spent most weekends in the summer, also had a couple of Home pubs. One, the Fulbeck was literally identical to the Cardinal's Hat, one of their pubs in Newark. But no Shipstones pub. For that, you had to travel to the metropolis of Skegness.

But what about the beer itself? From what I recall, it had more depth of flavour than Home Mild. More body and a little sweeter. Though that wasn't difficult as Home Mild, like their Bitter, had a high degree of attenuation.

Drinking Shipstones was a treat every time I visited Nottingham. And you didn't have to go far to sample it. The Queens Hotel was right opposite the station. A two-roomed traditional boozer which was later shamefully allowed to run down under Greenall Whitley ownership. It's now offices.

Speaking of which, after they bought Shipstone they couldn't help but fiddle with the Bitter, dialling back the bitterness. But they left the Mild alone, thankfully. Until, inevitably, they closed the brewery. Bastards.